Shri Shiv Chatrapati Caritr 23.1

23.1

S.D. [133] A letter came from Bijapur (that ran as follows), — "You are by heredity a servant of the Badshah. It is not fit that you should behave improperly (towards the Badshah) while you live upon his bread. I have to stay at the court, you are my son, and yet you are plundering treasuries and capturing forts without pausing to think that it will compromise me. (Its only result will be) the Badshah's displeasure and the loss of all we have. What I have earned is for you. You should maintain and gradually increase it. It is your duty to keep secure what my service has procured for me in my old age. This should be your aim. But keeping this aside, you are behaving improperly. But the Badshah is kind, and up to this time he has pardoned your misdeeds in consideration of my service. It is now his gracious pleasure that you should stay at the court and such is also the desire of us all. You should start as soon as you get this note without any hesitation." So ran the letter, and there was a Badshahi letter (also) (to the following effect), — "Your misdeeds will be pardoned and the provinces will be confirmed. Come to the presence." Such was the tenor of the letter. The letter came to the Maharaja and he gave it full consideration. In his mind he thought, — "They will put me into troubles after getting me there. If I behave according to their wish, well and good; otherwise there will be no difficulty in punishing me as I shall be within their hold.