Not at all. Bravery is good for historians and bards to wax eloquent about. For a soldier, the only thing that matters is to survive long enough to kill more of the enemy.
India remains Hindu India because the Marathas broke the Muslim back. Viciously, unrelentingly and without mercy. We did not allow ourselves the luxury of ethics or honor or any such "higher" ideals in battle. The only thing that was worth fighting for was the bleeding corpse of the enemy soaking the soil of the battlefield red.
This is what Elphinstone famously wrote about my ancestors
"As small sturdy men, well made, though not handsome, they are all active, laborious, hardy, and persevering. If they have none of the pride and dignity of the Rajputs they have none of their indolence or their want of worldly wisdom. A Rajput warrior as long as he does not dishonor his race, seems almost indifferent to the result of any contest he is engaged in.
A Maratha thinks of nothing but the result and cares little for the means if he can attain his object. For this purpose he will strain his wits, renounce his pleasures and hazard his person; but he has not a conception of sacrificing his life or even his interest for the point of honor. This difference of sentiment affects the outward appearance of the two nations; there is something noble in the courage even of the ordinary Rajput and something vulgar in that of the most distinguished Maratha.
The Rajput is the most worthy antagonist. The Maratha is the most formidable enemy; for he will not fail in boldness and enterprise when they are indispensable and will always support them or supply them with stratagem, activity, and perseverance. All this applies chiefly to the soldiery to whom more bad qualities might fairly be ascribed. The mere husbandmen are sober, frugal, and industrious and though they have a dash of the national cunning, are neither turbulent nor insincere.
Whether a peasant or a soldier, nature fostered in the Maratha an innate love of independence which made him rebellious in spirit. In this combination of courage, cleverness and power endurance, in his ability to plan and execute surprise and night attacks, in his skill to extricate himself from a tight corner or to vary his tactics to the changing phases of a battle without waiting for guidance from a superior, it was hardly possible to beat the Maratha Soldier."
And to this day the Maratha remains a formidable arm of the Indian Army.
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