New History of the Marathas v3.c37.88

v3.c37.88

The Prabhu caste at this time had been nursing a special grievance against Narayanrao, although the origin of the trouble was of an earlier date. The Prabhus claimed the rights of Kshatriyas in the performance of their religious functions, and insisted upon the use of the Vedic hymns for that purpose. A dispute on this practice had arisen in the days of Shivaji, whose confidential secretary Balaji Avji Chitnis, a Prabhu by caste, performed the thread ceremony of his sons at the same time as that of Shivaji himself, by using Vedic chants under the direction of the celebrated Gaga Bhatt. This practice had continued since then without interference from the orthodox Brahmans, as Shahu and his Peshwas judiciously avoided any irritating innovation. But now Narayanrao rather imprudently took up the orthodox party’s cause, probably under the inspiration of Nana Phadnis, deprived the Prabhus of their Kshatriya status, and forced them under severe penalties to adopt the practice prescribed for the Shudras, who had no right to use the Vedic hymns. For this purpose some of the prominent leaders of the Prabhu community of Poona were called together and under severe torture including starvation, compelled to sign an agreement of nine specific articles, purporting their acceptance of the Shudra status and renouncing that of the Kshatriyas. This action of the Peshwa made him lose the sympathies of that influential community, who in resentment readily joined the plot which Raghunathrao was now slowly and secretly forming. Some time during July R’rao became so exasperated with the restrictions imposed upon him, that he threatened to starve himself, his wife and his adopted son to death. In this predicament Narayanrao failed to adopt a cool and conciliatory course. He had no adviser in his confidence. Nana Phadnis had been already estranged for some time and he kept himself aloof from the current administration on account of the open want of confidence shown towards him. Nana disagreed with his senior colleague Bapu and avoided taking any direct part in the administration, except when absolutely necessary. This alone explains why Nana with his habitual circumspection did not notice the current reports of intrigues and plots then circulating in the town and take timely measures to suppress them. The little incident handed down in local tradition of the Peshwa removing the turban from Nana’s head with his stick, was a bad joke characteristic of Narayanrao’s freakish nature. He often vainly and carelessly talked of imitating the grand schemes and projects worthy of his famous ancestors, but possessed little capacity or perseverance to execute them.