New History of the Marathas v1.c19.s1.20

v1.c19.s1.20

5. Piteous appeal of Yesubai.—The last years of Aurangzeb’s life, as the student knows, were fearfully clouded with darkness about the future of the Deccan or of the vast Empire outside. Extreme misery and want prevailed in the Mughal camp, where not a single bright face could be seen. For years the Mughal soldiery had received no pay; and utter hopelessness overcame them all. We can thus imagine to what sorry straits Shāhu and his mother with their followers had been reduced in these last two years of the Emperor’s life. A Marathi letter addressed by Yesubai to the head of the shrine of Moraya Dev of Chinchwad, begging for a loan, eloquently explains the situation and deserves reproduction here. It is dated 19 April 1705 from Ahmadnagar, and runs thus: “After compliments, “My son Daji has accompanied the Emperor and we were sent here along with the Zanana some five months ago. We are here experiencing a dreadful predicament caused by want of provisions and cash. Our assigned allowances have not long been paid to us, all cash was either plundered by the Marathas or appropriated by the Muslim officials. For a long time past we have had to live on loans, but now no banker hazards a loan to us. My debt already amounts to seven thousand and we are heavily pressed for its repayment. It is indeed providential unkindness that such extreme misery should befall the great Shivaji’s daughter-in-law. Every passing moment adds to our trouble. In this extremity we approach your Holiness as our last resort, and beseech you to relieve our sufferings. If you can kindly send me a loan of seven thousand rupees with the bearer Rayaji Jadhav, we can pay back our debt to the bankers here and obtain further sums from them. The bearer will fully explain our situation. I will pay back this loan to your Holiness as soon as better days return. I am a poor, ignorant, illiterate woman of the Chhatrapati’s house and am reduced to such misery. Your Holiness must not reject my prayer out of memory of what my worthy father-in-law might have done for your Holiness’ shrine. Trusting you will not disappoint me &c.”