Administrative System of the Marathas c20.s6: 9. Involuntary social Offence
Administrative System of the Marathas c20.s6
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9. Involuntary social Offence
c20.s6.1
We may now turn to those unfortunate outcasts who could not avoid dining with their captors, while prisoners in a Muslim camp. In those days of constant warfare, when everybody ran the risk of being taken a prisoner by their Muhammadan enemies, and as the Muhammadans of Janjira in particular treated their Hindu captives with scant consideration, their friends and relatives had to treat them leniently on their return home. The caste people of the unfortunate man were generally sympathetic and all that the Peshwa had to do was to sanction the decision of the *got*, receive a *Nazar* from the grateful outcast, and to prescribe the necessary Prayashchitta for his readmission to the caste. Sometimes when the Peshwa was directly approached, a Rajsabha (or assembly of the nobles) and a Brahman-sabha were called for considering the case, and a letter was then issued to the Brahmans or to the *got*. One case here, casually selected, will illustrate the system of readmission as it prevailed during the regime of Shahu Chhatrapati. "Putaji-bin Mudhoji Wadghar, Chaugula of Kasba Jiti in Tarf Chambargonde, while employed under Davalji Somvanshi, went with the army to Surat. He fell into the hands of the Mughals and was polluted by them. He remained in the Mughal camp for a year. When Balaji Pandit Pradhan was returning from Delhi, Putaji joined his army and came to his village. He related the facts to his castemen who decided upon admitting him into the caste. The Patils of Chambhargonde, Rasni and other villages communicated the decision of the caste to the Raja and asked his permission to carry it into effect. The Raja directed that Putaji should be first purified according to the Shastras and then admitted into the caste" (Parasnis's summary).²¹
c20.s6.2
²¹ P. D., Vol. I, p. 215
c20.s6.3
Although the caste people could, subject to the government sanction, readmit a polluted member into their rank, they could not without such order exclude anybody from his caste. In 1742-43 Malharji Jadava, a Kunbi, was excluded from society; his caste people and the Shete Mahajan of Ahmadnagar were ordered by Shahu to readmit him into the caste.²⁵
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²⁵ P. D., Vol. I, p. 219.
c20.s6.5
Not only could an innocent man be protected from the unreasonable oppression of his caste-men, but a man who had willingly or unwillingly committed a social offence could, if repentant, and willing to perform the necessary penance, be forced into his caste. Very recently a Brahman Barrister had petitioned the Bombay High Court to order his caste people to invite him to their ceremonial dinners on the strength of the old practice that prevailed during the Peshwa regime; but their Lordships did not think they could exercise all the prerogatives that the Peshwas enjoyed.²⁶
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²⁶ I am indebted for this information to Sir Devaprasad Sarvadhikari.
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10. *Exaction of Dowry prohibited:*
c20.s6.8
As the clergy in mediaeval Europe had tried to bring under their jurisdiction everything directly or indirectly bearing a religious character, so the Peshwa also, as the head of the society, exercised a control over everything social and religious. The question of adoption and marriage came as a matter of course under these headings. The marriage regulations of the Peshwas evinced a liberal spirit that may be profitably imitated by their modern descendants. Baji Rao II strictly forbade any exaction by the bride's father from the bridegroom, and threatened to punish all parties concerned in such transactions.²⁷
c20.s6.9
²⁷ P. D., Vol. V, pp. 266-268.
c20.s6.10
"The officers of the Talukas of Bassein, Vijayadurg, Anjanwel and Revdanda are directed to issue orders preventing the relatives of the bride from taking any sum either as a present or as a loan from the relatives of the bridegroom. The relatives of the bridegroom or other persons settling a marriage were directed to give immediately after the marriage, information to Government of any amount paid by them to the relatives of the brides in contravention to the above order. The following penalties were prescribed:
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1. The relatives of the bride receiving any such sum to return it to the relatives of the bridegroom and to pay an equal amount as fine to the government.
c20.s6.12
2. If the relatives of the bridegroom or any person settling the marriage failed to give information to government of the amount paid to the relatives of the bride, the relatives of the bridegroom should forfeit to government double the amount paid by them to the relatives of the bride, and the person settling the marriage double the amount received by him." (Summary by B. P. Joshi.)