God's slave, not man's king

The main point of the Shivaji stories is this: earthly happiness, earthly riches and earthly name and fame are no match for inner peace and happiness. Shivaji's name and fame spread far beyond the boundaries of Maharashtra. They covered the length and breadth of the entire sub-continent. Even the British Government had tremendous admiration for him. And the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb was extremely jealous of Shivaji because he was so powerful and indomitable.

Shivaji's outer capacities were all due to his moral courage, plus the virtue of his prayer-life and meditation-life. To him, prayer and meditation were infinitely more important than being a king or remaining a king. He wanted to be God's slave and not man's king.