Prataprao Gujar Prataprao Gujar , born Kudtoji Gujar , was the third royal " Senapati " of King Shivaji ' s army , which was probably the most successful guerilla force in 17th century India . He was given the pseudonym of Prataprao ( the brave ) by King Shivaji in acknowledgement of his bravery in the war against Mirza Jaisingh . He was a highly gifted aristocratic general , who enjoyed the trust of his king and the loyalty of his troops . He defeated a large mughal army at the famous battle of Salher . Salher is a major battle between mughals and marathas , and the first large - scale pitched battle between the two in open field . The victory of the Marathas at Salher is seen as a definitive turning point in their military prowess vis - a - vis the Mughals . Prataprao Gujar ' s major drawback was his impulsive emotional nature . A few months before King Shivaji ' s coronation in 1674 , Prataprao Gujar was sent to deal with the invading force led by the Adilshahi general , Bahalol Khan . The Maratha army surrounded the camp of Bahalol Khan at the place of Naesari . Prataprao ' s forces defeated and captured the opposing general in the battle . In spite of specific warnings against doing so by King Shivaji , Prataprao released Bahalol Khan along troops and the seized war material , when Bahalol Khan promised not to invade King Shivaji ' s territories again . Days after his release Bahalol Khan started preparing for a fresh invasion . When King Shivaji heard of about Prataprao decision , he was incensed and wrote an angry letter to Prataprao refusing him permission to see him till such time , Bahlol Khan was re - captured . Prataprao realised his mistake and was so upset about what he had done that he now wanted to capture Bahlol Khan at any cost . One day , he learnt of Bahlol Khan camping nearby . Prataprao decided to make a stand against Balol Khan at Nesari near Kolhapur . Prataprao Gujar with 1200 troops versus Khan with 15000 . So , Prataprao reasoned that there was no point in taking 1200 men to suicide with him . So , in a fit of anger and overreacting to the letter , he left alone , without asking his cavalry to charge . It was his personal honour at stake , not his army . On seeing their leader head to certain death , 6 other Maratha sardars joined him in the charge , they attacked the enemy camp and were slaughtered . Anandrao and Hansaji Mohite , though , stayed back . The six Marathas are Visoji Ballal , Vithoji Shinde , Vitthal Pildeo Atre , Dipaji Rautrao , Siddi Hilaal , and Krishnaji Bhaskar . It was an impulsive decision and the loss of Prataprao Gujar was a big loss to the Marathas . Anandrao Mohite managed to take the army to safer areas . King Shivaji ' s army avenged the death of their general , by defeating Bahlol Khan and looting his " jagir " ( fiefdom ) under the leadership of Anandrao and Hambirao Mohite . Hambirrao Mohite became the new Sarnaubat ( Commander - in - chief of the Maratha forces ) . King Shivaji was deeply grieved on hearing of Pratprao ' s death . He married his second son , Rajaram , to the daughter of Prataprao Gujar ; who was later to be the Empress of the Maratha Empire , Maharani Jankibai . This event has been retold in the form of a Marathi poem " Vedaat Marathe Veer Daudale Saat " . The poem is written by famous poet Kusumagraj . This poem has also been sung by Lata Mangeshkar .