New History of the Marathas v1.c14.50

v1.c14.50

Shivaji was highly gratified at this amicable settlement of a long-standing dispute and at once ratified the whole agreement. In soothing notes he replied to Ekoji and to his sister-in-law Dipā Bai, who had so cleverly managed to solve these delicate problems. He wrote to Raghunāth Pandit, “I cannot too highly commend the wisdom and foresight of my sister-in-law Dipā Bai, who with uncommon zeal and skill induced her husband to come to terms with me and thereby so satisfactorily solved a knotty question. I am supremely gratified at this happy result. In fact I was all along concerned to secure the best interest of my brother. In asking a half share I had his own lasting welfare at my heart. The paltry lucre was not my object. It was for the sake of higher aims, I had to make that stern demand. We must treat our servants and subordinates respectfully and effect lasting good of the State, which it behoves us both to serve with all our powers.” These last lines clearly prove how anxious Shivaji was to raise the Maratha State to the height of glory and independence. Ekoji was solely guided by Muslim advisers who worked insidiously to undo Shivaji's life-work through Ekoji's instrumentality. These Muslim advisers were dismissed, and Raghunāth Pant was restored to his former position of a guardian, so that all cause for friction was finally removed in the course of a year after Shivaji's return from the Karnatak.