Shivaji and His Times c17.s4: §4. Council of Eight Ministers
Shivaji and His Times c17.s4
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§4. Council of Eight Ministers
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His earliest administrative Council, in the days of Dadaji Kond-dev, was composed of four officers only, viz., the Peshwa, the Majmuadar, the Dabir, and the Sabnis (Sabh. 7.) When, in 1647, Shiva became his own master, he added a Master of the Horse (Sar-i-naubat) and a second Dabir to the above four (Sabh. 8.) In 1656, after the conquest of Javli (which practically doubled his territory) the Council was further expanded by creating a *Surnis* and a *Waqnis* and two distinct commanders for the infantry and cavalry arms (Sabh. 11.) After his return from Agra he appointed (1667) a Lord Justice to try all suits in the kingdom according to the Sanskrit law-books (Sabh. 57.) By 1674 the number of ministers had risen to eight (*Ibid.* 83), which continued till his death.
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This Council of eight ministers, *ashta pradhan*, was in no sense a Cabinet. Like Louis XIV and Frederick the Great, Shivaji was his own prime-minister and kept all the strings of the administration in his own hands. The eight *pradhans* merely acted as his secretaries: they had no initiative, no power to dictate his policy; their function was purely advisory when he was in a mood to listen to advice, and at other times to carry out his general instructions and supervise the details in their respective departments. It is very likely that Shivaji never interfered with the Ecclesiastical and Accounts departments, but that was due entirely to his low caste and illiteracy. The Peshwa's position at Court was, no doubt, higher than that of the other *pradhans*, because he was closer to the king and naturally enjoyed more of his confidence; but they were in no sense his subordinates. The solidarity of the British Cabinet, as well as its power, was wanting in the Maratha Council of Eight.
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The eight ministers were the following:—
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1. The prime-minister, (Persian *Peshwa*, Sanskrit *Mukhya Pradhan*.) His duties were to look after the welfare of the State in general terms, to represent the king in his absence, and to keep peace among the other officers, so as to promote harmony in the administration.
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All royal letters and charters had to bear his seal below the king’s.
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2. The auditor, (Persian *Majmuadar*, Sanskrit *Amatya*.) He had to check all the accounts of public income and expenditure and report them to the king, and to countersign all statements of accounts both of the kingdom in general and of the particular districts.
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3. The chronicler, (Persian *Waqia-navis*, Sanskrit *Mantri*.) His duties were to compile a daily record of the king’s doings and Court incidents, and to watch over the king’s invitation-lists, meals, companions, &c., so as to guard against murderous plots.
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4. The superintendent, (Persian *Shuru-navis*, Sanskrit *Sachiv*.) He had to see that all royal letters were drafted in the proper style, to revise them, and to write at the head of charters the words *Shuru shud*, or ‘here begins.’ He had also to check the accounts of the *mahals* and *parganas*.
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5. The foreign secretary, (Persian *Dabir*, Sanskrit *Sumant*.) He was the king’s adviser on relations with foreign States, war and peace. It was also his duty to keep intelligence about other countries, to receive and dismiss foreign envoys, and to maintain the dignity of the State abroad.
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6. The commander-in-chief, (Persian *Sar-i-naubat*, Sanskrit *Senapati*.)
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7. The ecclesiastical head, (Persian *Sadr* and *Muhtasib* joined together, Marathi *Pandit Rao* and *Danadhyaksha*.) It was his function to honour and reward learned Brahmans on behalf of the king, to decide theological questions and caste disputes, to fix dates for religious ceremonies, to punish impiety and heresy, and order penances, &c. He was Judge of Canon Law, Royal Almoner, and Censor of Public Morals combined.
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8. The chief justice (Persian *Qazi-ul-quzat*, Sanskrit *Nyayadhish*.) He tried civil and criminal cases according to Hindu law and endorsed all judicial decisions, especially about rights to land, village headmanship, &c.
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All these ministers with the exception of the commander-in-chief, were of the Brahman caste, and all of them, with the exception of the last two, had also to take the command of armies and go out on expeditions when necessary. All royal letters, charters and treaties had to bear the seals of the king and the Peshwa and the endorsement of the next four ministers, *i.e.*, other than the Commander-in-chief, the Ecclesiastical Head, and the Chief Justice.*
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The actual work of State correspondence was conducted by Kayasthas, of whom two were famous, *viz.*, Balaji Avji the *chitnis* and Niloji (Nilkanth Yesaji) the *munshi* or Persian secretary. The muster-rolls of the army were written and the pay-bills drawn up by a class of officers called *sabnises*, who corresponded to the *bakhshis* or paymasters of the Mughal army, but occupied a much lower rank.†
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† Sabh. 83; Chitnis, 167-168; *Sanads and Letters*, 123-130; *Bhonsal-yanche Kulachar* (1823), printed in *Itihas Sangraha*.