भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

Not Only Attock—Even Beyond It! 1081. सरदार पदरचे कसे कुणि सिंह जसे कुणि शार्दुल गेंडे। अरे ज्यानी अटकेंत पाव घटकेंत रोविले झेंडे॥ —प्रभाकर (Of what caliber were the Sardars under (him)? Some were veritable lions, others were tigers, whereas some others were rhinoceroses indeed! Why, within a quarter of a ‘Ghataka’ (a period of 24 minutes), they planted their flags in Attock!’ 1082. As has been told in the previous Chapter, while Raghunathrao was returning to the Deccan after his unprecedented triumph in Punjab, along with his numerous Sardars and warriors, the tidings of his victory had already been reaching Maharashtra from time to time. One day, all the Maratha forces gathered together at Indore, the next day they were collecting the Chauth and Sardeshmukhi taxes from all over Rajputana; later on, they were reported to be rushing into the Antarvedi, punishing the Rohillas and Pathans for joining hands with Abdali; then conquering Delhi and performing the obsequies, as it were of the vaunted imperial authority of Abdali and releasing the Moghal Emperor from his captivity and esablishing him on the throne of Delhi as the puppet in Maratha hands; then again immediately invading Punjab, routing Abdali’s Afghan army of ten thousand strong, which was kept there for the protection of Punjab at Sirhind. Then Abdali’s son Taimurshah and his general Jahankhan were reported to have fled from the Marathas without giving any battle, and fled straight to Kabul leaving Lahore to the tender care of the Marathas, and the armies of Raghunathrao were said to be mopping up Punjab clean of the Afghan domination and driving the enemy far beyond Attock. Then came the news of the triumphant entry of Raghunathrao into Lahore! With such heartening news and reports pouring in daily of the Maratha victories and the worsting of the enemies at their hands, the mighty heart of Maharashtra was filled with justifiable pride. Raghunathrao had already earned for himself a name fit to be ranked with the greatest in the world in his single victorious campaign right from Poona straight to the Indus! The whole of Maharashtra began to call him, willingly or unwillingly, but lovingly