New History of the Marathas v3.c37.67

v3.c37.67

The weakness of even the greatest minister’s status in comparison with that of a publicly recognized king, is clearly illustrated by the precarious position of Bajirao I during the first eight years of his tenure of that office, before Shahu had made the Peshwa the indisputable head of the administration. It is more forcibly, more tragically, demonstrated by the impotence and humiliation to which Nana Phadnis was reduced in his old age after Bajirao II’s accession to the Peshwaship, in spite of the Maratha Machiavel’s resounding success during the previous quarter-century and his unforgettable services to the nation. It has been truly said that war cannot be conducted by a debating club, and therefore Nana Phadnis’s action in liquidating the Council of the Barbhais and making himself sole autocrat, was not a selfish measure, but a step dictated by the needs of the nation in that life and death struggle, with enemies all around Maharashtra and within it sapping its strength.