"Nana Saheb Peshwa is saddled with a loan. I am worried about it day and night. Whatever we come across that can help you get that loan repaid, we will keep sending it to you. We will send you whatever helps you to repay the loan."

The Acknowledgment:

Dattaji also comes to know
Peshwa has incurred a lot of loan
He says: "We understand that"
Will try to support with whatever:
- Wealth
- Tributes
- Money that we get
So Peshwa can pay off some of the loan

Who Is Dattaji Shinde?

The Man

His Nature:

Adventuresome
Full of adventure
Very sharp intellect warrior

Decision-Making:

"There is no confusion in his mind. If he decides to take action, he will just take a very crisp action."

Translation: Decisive

The Assessment:

One of a kind military leader

Dattaji's Personality

Physical & Skills

Body:

Stout
Body complexion: brownish black (kara saurah varan)

Skills:

Expert in riding horse
Good at warfare
Cavalry person

His Duties:

Fulfilled his duties as assigned by Peshwa
With loyalty
And honesty

His Track Record

Marwar Campaign (February 1756)

What He Did:

Took revenge for his elder brother Jayapa Shinde's murder
Gained victory in Marwar
Marwar = where Jodhpur is located
Where Vijay Singh was
Some issue between two brothers/cousins

When He Returned:

Concluded it nicely
Came back February 1756
Most probably to Delhi

Geography:

Marwar = larger area
Jodhpur = district within Marwar (smaller area)
He was given that responsibility
Concluded it nicely
Came back to Delhi

October 1756: The Campaign He Missed

Why He Wasn't There

What Happened:

October 1756
Malhar Rao Holkar and Raghunath Rao came to north
In that campaign
Dattaji did not participate

Why:

Probably assigned to different area
Just didn't have time
Or was not asked to participate

Correction:

After victory in Jodhpur
With succession battle and taking revenge for brother's murder
Probably Dattaji came back to Deccan

The New Assignment

Sent to the North

The Timing:

After Malhar Rao Holkar and Raghunath Rao
Went to north and came back

The Need:

Peshwa was thinking
To have somebody who was very capable commander in north

Who Was Sent:

Thought about Dattaji Shinde
And his younger brother Jankoji Shinde

About Jankoji:

Just a kid
Probably 23-24 years old at most

About Dattaji:

An accomplished fighter and commander

Why:

Now that Raghunath Rao and Malhar Rao had come back
Had to have somebody of capability
Representing Maratha army in the north

Result:

"Dattaji was sent to the north (Delhi) after Raghunath Rao came back."

The December 17, 1758 Letter

Three Big Tasks

From: Nana Saheb Peshwa
To: Amatya Ramaji Ananta (probably based in Delhi)
Date: December 17, 1758

The Context:

By this time, Abdali had come to Delhi
Destroyed Delhi
Wanted to get all the money he could
In Mathura: murders, killings, barbaric behavior
Then went back to Afghanistan

But Before Leaving:

Made sure Najeeb Khan Rohila would be appointed
As important personality
Made Mir Bakshi

Najeeb Khan's Ambition

The Power Play

His Goal:

Ambition: become Wazir himself

Current Position:

Right now: made Mir Bakshi

The Letter's Instructions:

"Take the side of the Wazir in Delhi and destroy Najeeb Khan Rohila."

Translation:

Team up against him
By teaming up against him
Destruction or total termination

The Adina Beg Problem

Dead on Arrival

The Background:

Remember: Raghunath Rao appointed Adina Beg
As Subedar of Punjab
When he decided to come back

The Problem:

"He's just no more. He's dead."

Why This Matters:

Have to have good presence
And control over Punjab
Adina Beg can't control everything by himself
He needs help

Peshwa Knew:

Abdali has one eye on Punjab all the time

The Solution:

"Make sure you give him proper supplement. I'm assigning Dattaji Shinde to make sure he will be able to give proper protection to Adina Beg or to Punjab."

The Duty:

Make sure if Punjab needs help
In case of Abdali's invasion
Dattaji will be fulfilling that duty

The Bengal Task

Still Hope?

The Instruction:

"The task in establishing control in Bengal is also important."

The Timing Question:

This letter: December 1758
Or actually maybe December 17, 1758 (was written as 1656, error)
Battle of Plassey: 1757
So Peshwa must know about it

What Peshwa Wants:

Probably wants Dattaji to get rid of British influence in Bengal

The Reality:

Britishers were still trying to put their influence in Bengal
They were not completely done yet
Still a little progress to go

The Hope:

"Peshwa knew that there is scope to make money in Bengal. So Bengal is prosperous province. If Dattaji can establish our rule or at least have some partial control, then we can make money off of Bengal and some of our loan issues will go down."

The Awadh Alliance

Shuja ud-Daula

The Instruction:

Can take help from Shuja ud-Daula of Awadh
Shuja ud-Daula = Nawab of Awadh
Awadh = one of very prosperous provinces

The Plan:

Can ask Shuja ud-Daula to help us with his army
In case Mansoor Khan needs it in Punjab

Who Is Mansoor Khan:

The son-in-law of Adina Beg
He tries to succeed Adina Beg
(After Adina Beg died)

Dattaji's Determination

Once He Sets His Mind

The Assessment:

"If Dattaji takes upon his mind, he will do it. Dattaji is a very capable personality. Once he says 'I will do this' or he wants to do something, he will not let anything come in between."

Translation:

Once he sets his mind to it
He will do it
He has that kind of mindset

The Confidence:

"Once we have Dattaji and some other things, we don't need anybody else."

The Holy Places

Kashi, Mathura

The Goal:

Thinking about rescuing Kashi, Mathura
And all these holy places
From the Islamic influence

Why:

Hindus could not go there
And be without any concerns
Because they were in enemy territory

The Bottom Line

What Peshwa Really Wants

The Summary:

"In summary: I need money. Because I have a lot of loan to repay. Make sure that you make money and send it my way."

Why:

He is saddled with all the loans
He knows the only way money can come to him
Is from the north
He needs the money

The Three Tasks

Peshwa's Priorities

Task 1: Bengal

"Get to Bengal and there is lots of money there. You can get tributes or you can loot the people, whatever it takes. But Bengal is our place because it is prosperous."

Task 2: Punjab

"Punjab is dicey because Abdali has his eye on it. Make sure that you beef up Mansoor Khan or whoever that guy is after Adina Beg. Punjab also is prosperous."

Task 3: Holy Places

"Some of the holy places that are under Muslim influence, try to rescue them. Because Hindus could not go there without concerns."

The Real Goal:

"Ultimately in summary: I need money. Send it my way."

December 24 Letter

The Long One

What Happened:

On 24th of December
Peshwa wrote another long letter
Long letter means long letter

What It Contained:

Gave a lot of information
On the issues in previous letter
And what to do in various situations
Those three things explained
Gave three scenarios or three ways
About what to do on different matters

Key Players

Name	Role	Status/Note
Dattaji Shinde	Military commander	"Soldier of God," decisive, sent to north
Nana Saheb Peshwa	Peshwa in Pune	Saddled with loans, worried day and night
Jankoji Shinde	Younger Shinde brother	23-24 years old, sent with Dattaji
Jayapa Shinde	Eldest Shinde brother	Murdered, Dattaji avenged him
Najeeb Khan Rohila	Mir Bakshi	Ambitious, wants to be Wazir, target for destruction
Adina Beg	Punjab Subedar	Dead
Mansoor Khan	Adina Beg's son-in-law	Succeeds Adina Beg in Punjab
Shuja ud-Daula	Nawab of Awadh	Can provide army support
Abdali	Afghan king	Has eye on Punjab, destroyed Delhi before leaving
Amatya Ramaji Ananta	Based in Delhi	Recipient of Peshwa's letter

Timeline

Date	Event
February 1756	Dattaji returns from Marwar after avenging brother's murder
October 1756	Malhar Rao & Raghunath Rao go north (Dattaji doesn't participate)
1757	Battle of Plassey - British take Bengal
1758	Raghunath Rao returns from north
1758	Dattaji sent to north (Delhi)
1758	Abdali comes to Delhi, destroys it, leaves
1758	Abdali appoints Najeeb Khan as Mir Bakshi before leaving
1758	Adina Beg dies
December 17, 1758	Peshwa's letter to Amatya with 3 tasks
December 24, 1758	Peshwa's long letter with detailed scenarios
August 17, 1759	Dattaji's letter to Peshwa acknowledging loan problem

Key Themes

1. The Money Crisis

Peshwa saddled with loans
Worried day and night
Need money desperately
Only source: north

2. Bengal Lost

British took it before Peshwa could move
Still hope for partial control?
Most prosperous province gone
Britishers still consolidating

3. Dattaji: The Solution

Decisive commander
No confusion
Once sets mind → will do it
Don't need anybody else with him

4. Three Big Tasks

Bengal = money
Punjab = protect from Abdali
Holy places = rescue from Muslims

5. The Real Priority: Money

Bottom line: send money
Whatever it takes
Tribute or loot
Loans must be repaid

6. Najeeb Khan Problem

Ambitious Rohila
Made Mir Bakshi
Wants to be Wazir
Must be destroyed

7. Punjab Vulnerability

Adina Beg dead
Mansoor Khan not enough
Abdali has eye on it
Must beef up defenses

Critical Insights

Why Dattaji Was Chosen

His Qualities:

Decisive - no confusion
Accomplished - proven track record
Loyal - fulfilled duties with loyalty
Capable - very capable commander
Determined - won't let anything come in between
Avenged - got revenge for brother's murder

What Peshwa Needed:

Someone who could handle multiple tasks
Bengal + Punjab + Holy places
Someone independent (doesn't need others)
Someone trustworthy with money

The Bengal Miscalculation

The Hope:

"Still scope to make money in Bengal."

The Reality:

Battle of Plassey: 1757
This letter: December 1758
Over a year later
British already consolidating

The Delusion:

Thinking there's still partial control possible
British not "completely done"
Can still loot or get tributes

The Truth:

Probably too late
British have disciplined army
Mir Jafar is puppet
Real power: British

The Money Math

The Sources:

Bengal - most prosperous (but lost to British)
Punjab - prosperous (but Abdali has eye on it)
Delhi/North - impoverished (Abdali already looted it)

The Problem:

Best source (Bengal) = gone
Second source (Punjab) = dicey
Third source (Delhi) = already looted

The Reality:

Where is the money going to come from?

The Three-Task Impossibility

Task 1: Get to Bengal (far east)

Fight British
Establish control
Extract money

Task 2: Secure Punjab (far northwest)

Protect from Abdali
Beef up defenses
Keep it prosperous

Task 3: Rescue holy places

Kashi, Mathura, etc.
Throughout north
From Islamic control

The Geographic Spread:

Bengal = extreme east
Punjab = extreme northwest
Holy places = scattered throughout

The Question:

How can one commander do all three?

The Najeeb Khan Dilemma

The Instruction:

Destroy Najeeb Khan
Team up with Wazir against him

The Reality:

Najeeb Khan has protection (we'll see)
Ambitious and capable
Made Mir Bakshi by Abdali
Has Afghan backing

The Complication:

Easier said than done
Will create problems trying

Foreshadowing

What's Coming

The Money Problem:

Loans ballooning
Main sources gone or vulnerable
Bengal lost to British
Punjab threatened by Abdali
Delhi already looted
Where's the money?

The Three Tasks:

Impossible to do all three
Will have to prioritize
Something will suffer
Likely: can't secure Bengal

The Najeeb Khan Problem:

Ordered to destroy him
But he has protection (Holkar)
Will this create conflict?

The Dattaji Pressure:

Lots of expectations
"Don't need anybody else"
Multiple fronts
Geographic impossibility
What happens when he can't deliver?

The Bengal Reality:

Probably already too late
British consolidating
Disciplined army
Not going anywhere
Peshwa might not accept this

August 17, 1759: Dattaji Shinde writes to Nana Saheb Peshwa. "You're saddled with loans. I'm worried about it day and night. Whatever we get that can help you repay, we'll send your way." The acknowledgment of the crisis. Meanwhile, Peshwa already sent his instructions (December 1758). Three big tasks: Get to Bengal (lots of money there, loot if you have to), secure Punjab (Abdali has his eye on it, beef up Mansoor Khan after Adina Beg died), rescue holy places (from Islamic control). Bottom line in summary: I NEED MONEY. Send it my way. Because he's saddled with all the loans. Only source: the north. But Bengal's already gone (British took it in 1757). Still hoping for partial control? Too late probably. Britishers consolidating. Punjab dicey (Abdali watching). Delhi looted (Abdali already destroyed it). Where's the money going to come from? And Dattaji has to do all three? Bengal (extreme east), Punjab (extreme northwest), holy places (scattered everywhere)? Geographic impossibility. But Peshwa confident: "Once we have Dattaji, don't need anybody else. He's decisive. Once he sets his mind, he'll do it. Won't let anything come in between." The Soldier of God gets his orders. Three impossible tasks. One urgent need: money. The pressure is on.