पानीपत १७६१ (मराठा साम्राज्य एवं पानीपत महायुद्ध इतिहास)

48 PANIPAT 1761
Bapu naturally must have come to loggerheads with Bhau when the final ac-
counts of the campaigns came to be settled
Peculation was quite rampant in those days in official circles and the
Maratha state was no exception to the rule Profiteering at the cost of govern-
ment was thought to be no sin and was a normal part of a wise man's living
While some of the generals and diplomats and administrators waxed fat, the
state languished for want of money The Peshwa's government perhaps suf-
fered more than the other governments through this mischief, because the ruder
Maratha generals were more grabbing and the selfish and brainy Brahmin ac-
countants and collectors were clever at figures To spite Bhau now, Bapu must
have taken full advantage of his difficulties in tutoring the Peshwa against him
Bhau's advisers and assistants in this campaign were also rivals of Bapu at the
Poona Court Trimbak Sadashiv alias Nana Purandare and Balvantrao
Mehendale were not well disposed towards him, Nana Purandare was on al-
most inimical terms with Bapu 74 In short Sakharam Bapu belonged to the
party of critics of Sadashivrao's policy One is, therefore, led to believe in
the truth of that one line commentary copied and reproduced in Khare I,75
which also explains to some extent the attitude of the Peshwa towards the
Delhi campaign of Sadashivrao Bhau as reported by Naro Gangadhar from
the Peshwa's camp in the Deccan 76
Sadashivrao Bhau, writing from Delhi in the middle of September 1760
to his intimate friend, Dhondo Malhar Purandare, states that there is no dif-
ference of opinion between him and the two sardars Shinde and Holkar It
means that the dramatic episode of Surajmal described in detail in the Bakhar
is all imaginary and an after thought Honest difference of opinion about the
policy to be followed against Abdali might be there, but the cause of his ab-
ruptly leaving Delhi without taking leave of Bhau must be his disappointment
Bhau would not place the city in the charge of the Jat, but appointed Naro
Shankar as the guardian of the city and the palace, instead Surajmal was,
no doubt, very shrewd and cautious His advice to keep the main camp with
its heavy encumbrances back in the Gwalior region was sound But he was
personally very selfish and always tried to secure his ends under the cloak of
humbleness. This time he wished to follow the same path and set himself
up as a regent in Delhi with the help of the Marathas His past behaviour
towards the Marathas was neither very honest nor consistent After Raghu-
nathrao's campaign against him in 1754, he occupied the lands in the Doab
surrounding Kol Ramgad during their absence from the north in 1755 77 In
1756 he would not risk his troops against Abdali by joining Antaji Manakesh-
war, though he took full advantage of Antaji's cover to guard his dominions
and save his forts When Raghunathrao again returned to the north, he still
kept himself studiously aloof and saved his skin Meanwhile he had reaped
the harvest out of Maratha weakness due to Jayapa's assassination He sud-
denly descended upon the strong imperial hill fort of Alwar which guarded
74 Purandare 3.82.
75 Khare, 1.25
6 SI D 2.133
77 Hingne 1.159.