पानीपत १७६१ (मराठा साम्राज्य एवं पानीपत महायुद्ध इतिहास)

34 PANIPAT 1761 ness had played their role in what should have been purely political discus- sions. The Peshwa had always shown his predilection towards his brother Raghunathrao, and had somehow formed a good opinion about his ability Sadashivrao Bhau, for all his ability and wisdom, was still a cousin and there- fore not on a par with Raghunathrao He could have no legal share in the Peshwa's dominions and estates, and was only the first servant of the state. Gopikabai, the wife of the Peshwa, was supposed to be the chief instigator against the superior claims of Sadashivrao to high office due to his ability When Raghunathrao was ordered¹⁶ to take the command of the north, he put in a plea that he would not accept the responsibility¹⁷ unless provided with ample funds Sadashivrao Bhau who was a strict accountant and auditor gen- eral held Raghunathrao responsible for the debts of the Panjab campaign and he strongly resented the charge Raghunathrao had taken the past lesson to heart and, therefore, wished to absolve himself from the results of the forth coming campaign After much recriminative discussion, the Peshwa ordered Bhau him self to shoulder the responsibility and lead the campaign ¹⁸ The Peshwa was rather unwilling to spare such a consummate, able and all round administrator as Bhau for a long time, but there was no help for it, as Bhau had been stung to the quick by a challenge from his cousin to prove his own valour and ability to add ample funds to the central treasury by going on the campaign himself But Gopikabai feared the consequence of Bhau's going to the north, accom- panied by his wife and with a big army His prestige had already risen very high by the Udgir campaign If he became equally successful in the north and were to establish a separate kingdom for himself, who was there to check him? It was necessary, therefore, to keep some constitutional check on his conduct and with this view Vishwasrao, the eldest son of the Peshwa, was placed at the head of the forces, with Bhau acting as his deputy From the correspondence in the whole Panipat campaign, it is clear that Bhau was not free to settle anything on his own responsibility Every time he referred the matter to and sought the previous sanction of the Peshwa. This was a false position in the then circumstances for a supreme authority like Bhau It appears to have had a dilatory and derogatory effect on Bhau's conduct of affairs, making it im- possible for him to free himself from the entanglement at Panipat later on, when need for a quick, decisive step arose This point should constantly be borne in mind when reading the forthcoming account of Panipat. While the suspicions and the prejudices of the Peshwa and his personal circle affected the Maratha policy throughout the Panipat campaign, Bhau's personal predilections also shaped it to a great extent If Raghunathrao was always dependent on his assistants for shaping his policy, Bhau had a tendency towards the other extreme of acting on his own responsibility after abruptly cutting short the discussion on any subject and dictating the final thing him 16 Ibid 40 129 17 KHARE 1 14 For the previous debts contracted by him the Peshwa had been obliged to impose a new debt-contribution on all his jagirdars. Vide Satara 2.292. 18 RAJ 1 168.