"That's where Peshwa was hoping to get money. That's why he told Dattaji Shinde to go east and not waste his time in Rajasthan or around Delhi or even Awadh."

Who Is In Awadh:

Shuja ud-Daula is the Nawab
Son of Safdarjung (who is dead)
Shuja ud-Daula still there
Will play central role in the future
Makes a huge difference
Don't forget him

The Plan:

Whole idea was to go to East
That was the direction given to Dattaji Shinde

The Three Tasks

What Dattaji Had to Do

Before Dattaji could go east:

He had several things to accomplish
Several tasks

Task 1: Secure Punjab

Task 2: Knock Down [Najeeb Khan or enemy forces]

Task 3: Pass Through Awadh

Which is under control of [Shuja ud-Daula]

The River Problem

Why Marathas Struggled

The Geographic Challenge:

When going towards Bihar and Bengal
He has to cross some rivers

If He's West of Yamuna:

Has to cross Yamuna
Then has to cross Ganga
Then there are some minor rivers

Why It's Difficult:

"Crossing the rivers was not a simple task in those days. And Dattaji Shinde and specifically Maratha army was not adapt to the crossing of the rivers."

When You Can Cross:

Only time you can cross them: winter or summertime
Monsoon was out of the question

Why:

Ganga and Yamuna are huge rivers
Even smaller rivers that appear small in summer
Become three, four times big in terms of width
In the monsoon

Translation:

"That is what he was hampered [by]."

Najeeb's Pontoon Bridge Lie

The Empty Promise

The Technique:

Najeeb or Najeeb ud-Daula
Had mastered the technique
Of putting pontoon bridges across the river

What He Promised:

Dattaji Shinde was dependent on him
Najeeb kept telling him:

"I will help you, I will help you"

The Reality:

But he never really had any intention to help him

When Shinde Realized:

Realized it too late
That this guy doesn't intend to help me
He just wants to delay
Doing this help for me
Until it's too late

The Result:

He kept on depending on this guy Najeeb
And it never materialized
That kind of technique or help
Never materialized

Bengal: Already Under British Spell

One More Thing

The Situation:

"Now there was one more thing: Bengal was kind of under the spell of British."

The Timing:

"While Peshwa was... it happened right under his nose."

The Eastern Campaign Details

What He Had to Do

Go Through Awadh:

Which is Shuja ud-Daula

Take Control of Patna:

Patna is important city
Capital of Bihar (today's Bihar state)

Keep Going East:

When you go even east of Bihar
You get into Bengal

Why:

That's where the revenue or the money
Because Abdali did not have the time
To go into Bihar and Bengal

The Result:

"The riches in those states were still more or less intact."

What Could Be Done:

They could be looted
Or they could be taken under control
Then you start getting the taxes, revenue and all that

The Raghuji Bhosle Problem

"Bengal Is Mine"

Another Problem:

Raghuji Bhosle of Nagpur
He considered Bengal as his territory
Kind of to loot

Why:

That was something they had decided
Division of where they will operate
Kind of an unwritten agreement
"Okay, Raghuji Bhosle, you take over or you deal with Bengal"
"We'll deal with northern provinces like Punjab and this and that"

But:

Now Raghuji Bhosle was dead
Within his sons, there was problem
Who gets the throne

What Peshwa Decided:

Peshwa had made up his mind
We will take over
Or at least go to Bengal
And start getting the riches from there

The Real Goal:

His immediate goal was not even to consolidate control
He wanted to get his loans paid up

Why:

He was doing all these campaigns
Not to get more territory
But to get the money
To pay off these loans

The Reality:

"He couldn't afford these battles because now they are overstretched."

After 1758: Maratha Hegemony

The Extent of Control

What They Had:

"After 1758, almost all of northern India was under Maratha control or hegemony. Meaning they didn't rule it, but they were the leading power."

The Problem:

"But to keep that control, hegemony, and yet go in Bengal - that was not even possible for a very experienced and capable commander like Dattaji Shinde."

His Reputation:

Dattaji was a very highly thought of commander
In Maratha, in Pune
He was based in and around the northern parts
He wasn't going back and forth
Would just stay in the north

Late 1758: Jankoji in Jaipur

Collecting What's Owed

What Happened:

End of 1758
Jankoji went to Jaipur
Madho Singh was there
Jankoji made sure whatever was owed was given
"Vasuli" = to make sure payment is collected

The Deal:

Madho Singh had promised certain amount
Jankoji made sure that was paid

Then:

After that, both Dattaji and Jankoji went to Delhi

Malhar Rao's Illness

Recuperating

What Happened:

At that time, Malhar Rao Holkar
Had just was recuperating
From a serious illness

He Came to Pune:

Now he came to Pune
Explained to Nana Saheb Peshwa
Why he could not accomplish certain goals
When he was in the north

Why:

Maybe there was criticism
That he didn't accomplish enough
Also money management was important portion
They thought that it wasn't done well

Sent to Rajasthan

Udaipur and Jaipur

What Peshwa Did:

Then Peshwa sent him to Rajasthan
Both to Udaipur (where we have been)
And also to Jaipur (where Madhav Singh was based)

The Goal:

So he can gather some of the promised amounts

The Jaipur Wall Problem (1759)

Entire Year Wasted

The Challenge:

Because he could not make much progress
In pressurizing Madhav Singh
Who was in Jaipur

Why:

"The simple reason was that Jaipur had this big wall. It was a walled city to protect people inside and the king and the palace and all that."

The Reality:

Because of that, he couldn't do much progress
Couldn't get inside
Because all the doors were closed
And high walls
And cannons and all that

The Result:

"He basically couldn't do anything. So 1759, he just spent trying to see, make progress to get in, but that was not going to be because it had protective cover. He spent the entire year."

Madhav Singh's Secret

In Contact With Abdali

What Was Happening:

"At that time, Madhav Singh was in contact with Abdali."

Why:

To screw over the Marathas
And collaborate on this

The Background:

Madhav Singh and a couple of other Rajput kings
Were constantly being attacked by the Marathas
Rajput kings were constantly being badgered
For paying tributes to Marathas

The Problem:

They were in deep trouble
Because their revenue probably was not that high
And they probably had committed giving big money to Marathas

Why They Promised Big:

Because they wanted to get their Maratha help
They promised big amounts

The Realization:

Once Marathas delivered the goals
They realized: we have given them too big a promise
In comparison, their revenue from taxes
Or whatever else they had in their kingdom
Wasn't that high
Because you can't just start giving money you don't have

The Constant Badgering

Why Madhav Singh Hated Marathas

The Pressure:

Marathas were constantly badgering them
Especially Madhav Singh

Why Marathas Did This:

Because Marathas, in turn
Had to pay their army soldiers
And get supplies
And make it, if not profitable
At least even venture

The Harassment:

"But they were being badgered, the Madhav Singhs especially."

Madhav Singh's Plan

Bring Abdali to Drive Marathas South

His Thinking:

"He thought: if Abdali can come, then he can drive Marathas back to the south of Narmada."

Why:

This constant harassment will stop
Because he wanted somebody to weaken the Marathas
They don't bother him all every now and then

His Weakness:

He himself was weak
He couldn't stand up to Maratha army's might

His Solution:

"He thought Abdali may help him beating Marathas to the south and he will be able to leave [them alone]."

The Letter (1759)

"When Are You Coming?"

What He Did:

He wrote a letter to Abdali
1759
Basically must have said:

"Hey, when are you coming?"

Who Knew:

Nobody knew about it (anabhiknya = he didn't know)
That this guy was writing letter
And being in correspondence with Abdali
He was totally in the dark
Of course

Why Secret:

Madhav Singh is not going to tell Marathas
That I am writing to Abdali
This was totally secret
He was in the dark
Didn't know what was going on

The Assessment:

"So it was a big conspiracy."

Following Abdali's Advice

Creating Problems

What Abdali Told Him:

"As per advice he got from Abdali, Madhav Singh didn't even waste one possibility to create problems for Marathas."

The Execution:

Whichever way he could
Create problems for Marathas
He would do it

Key Players

Name	Role	Status
Dattaji Shinde	Commander	Tasked to go east, hampered by rivers
Nana Saheb Peshwa	Peshwa	Calls loan "Rajya Kshama" (inheritance)
Bajirao I	Deceased Peshwa	Father of Nana Saheb, original debt source
Jankoji Shinde	Younger Shinde	Collected payment from Jaipur (1758)
Shuja ud-Daula	Nawab of Awadh	Central role in future, don't forget him
Najeeb ud-Daula	Rohila commander	Promised pontoon bridges, never delivered
Raghuji Bhosle	Nagpur ruler	Dead, had claim to Bengal
Malhar Rao Holkar	Commander	Serious illness, sent to Rajasthan
Madhav Singh	Jaipur king	In secret contact with Abdali, wrote letter
Abdali	Afghan king	Being invited by Madhav Singh

Timeline

Date	Event
Post-1758	Northern India under Maratha hegemony
Late 1758	Jankoji collects payment from Madhav Singh (Jaipur)
Late 1758	Dattaji and Jankoji go to Delhi
1758-1759	Malhar Rao recovering from serious illness
1759	Malhar Rao comes to Pune, explains failures
1759	Sent to Rajasthan (Udaipur & Jaipur)
1759	Spends entire year outside Jaipur walls, makes no progress
1759	Madhav Singh writes secret letter to Abdali
1759	Following Abdali's advice, creates problems for Marathas

Geographic Context

The Journey East:

Start: Delhi/North
Cross: Yamuna River
Cross: Ganga River
Cross: Minor rivers
Through: Awadh (Shuja ud-Daula)
Reach: Patna (Bihar capital)
Continue: Bengal (extreme east)

The Provinces:

Punjab - northwest (impoverished by Abdali)
Delhi - north (impoverished by Abdali)
Rajasthan - west (being badgered by Marathas)
Awadh - center (fertile, between Ganga & Yamuna)
Bihar - east (riches intact)
Bengal - extreme east (riches intact, but British there)

Key Themes

1. The Inheritance Debt

"Rajya Kshama"
From Bajirao I
Nana Saheb's inheritance
But of debt, not wealth

2. Go East

North = impoverished
Only hope = Bihar and Bengal
Riches more or less intact
Abdali didn't have time to go there

3. The River Problem

Marathas not adapt to river crossings
Can only cross in winter/summer
Monsoon = impossible
Rivers become 3-4 times bigger

4. Najeeb's Lies

Promised pontoon bridges
"I will help you"
Never intended to help
Realized too late
Just wanted to delay

5. The Raghuji Problem

Had "claim" to Bengal
Unwritten agreement
But now he's dead
Sons fighting for throne
Peshwa decided: we'll take it

6. The Goal: Pay Loans

Not to get territory
To get money
To pay off loans
Can't afford these battles
Overstretched

7. The Impossible Task

Keep hegemony over north
And go to Bengal?
Not possible even for Dattaji
Very capable commander
But impossible

8. Jaipur's Wall

Entire year wasted (1759)
Couldn't get inside
Walled city
High walls, cannons
No progress

9. The Secret Letter

Madhav Singh → Abdali
"When are you coming?"
Big conspiracy
Nobody knew
Creating problems for Marathas

10. The Badgering

Rajput kings constantly pressured
For tributes to Marathas
Promised too much
Revenue not that high
Can't pay what they don't have

Critical Insights

The Inheritance of Debt

"Rajya Kshama":

What a name
Like calling cancer a "gift"
Inheritance from father
But it's debt
Continuous burden
Staggering, growing

The Psychology:

Frames it as something inherited
Not something he caused
His father's legacy
But he has to deal with it

The Geographic Impossibility

The Math:

Keep hegemony over all northern India
Secure Punjab (northwest)
Knock down enemies (throughout north)
Pass through Awadh (center)
Go to Bihar (east)
Continue to Bengal (extreme east)

The Reality:

"Not even possible for a very experienced and capable commander like Dattaji Shinde."

Why:

Too many fronts
Too much distance
Not enough forces
Geographic spread impossible

The River Trap

The Problem:

Marathas not skilled at river crossings
Need help
Depend on Najeeb

Najeeb's Game:

Has the skill (pontoon bridges)
Promises to help
"I will help you, I will help you"
Never intends to help
Just wants to delay

When Realized:

Too late
Dattaji dependent on him
Kept depending
Never materialized

The Trap:

Can't go east without crossing rivers
Can't cross rivers without Najeeb
Najeeb won't help
Stuck

The Only Hope Already Gone

The Plan:

North = impoverished (Abdali)
Go to Bihar and Bengal
Riches intact there

But:

Bengal under British spell
Happened right under Peshwa's nose
Battle of Plassey: 1757
This is 1758-1759
Too late

So:

Only hope = Bihar?
But have to get there first
Rivers in the way
Najeeb won't help
Good luck

The Raghuji Excuse

The Claim:

"Bengal is my territory"
Unwritten agreement
Division of operations

The Reality:

Raghuji is dead
Sons fighting
No one actually operating there
British took it anyway

Peshwa's Decision:

"We'll take it"
Immediate goal: not control
Immediate goal: pay loans

The Truth:

Using Raghuji's death as excuse
To break the agreement
Because desperate for money

The Walled City Problem

1759:

Entire year outside Jaipur
Can't get inside
High walls
Closed doors
Cannons

Malhar Rao:

Recovering from serious illness
Sent there to collect promised amounts
No progress
Basically couldn't do anything

The Waste:

Whole year wasted
No money collected
Meanwhile: Madhav Singh inside
Writing secret letters to Abdali

The Rajput Trap

How It Happened:

Rajput kings want Maratha help
Promise big amounts to get help
Marathas deliver the goals
Rajputs realize: promised too much
Their revenue not that high
Can't pay what they don't have
Marathas badger them constantly
Because Marathas need money to pay soldiers
Rajputs get desperate
Write to Abdali for help

The Cycle:

Promise → can't pay → badgered → desperate → invite enemy

Madhav Singh's Calculation

His Situation:

Weak (can't stand up to Marathas)
Being badgered constantly
Can't pay what he promised
Revenue too low

His Solution:

Get Abdali to come
Drive Marathas south of Narmada
Constant harassment stops
He can breathe

The Letter:

"When are you coming?"
Secret conspiracy
Nobody knows
Following Abdali's advice
Creating problems for Marathas

The Invitation:

Rajput king inviting Afghan invader
To drive out Hindu Marathas
Because of money pressure
Irony: selling out to pay debts

The Najeeb Strategy

Why He Won't Help:

Dependent on Abdali
Interdependent relationship
If Marathas get to Bengal
They get money
They get stronger
Can threaten Najeeb and Abdali

The Delay:

"I will help you"
But never do it
Keep delaying
Until too late
Rivers can't be crossed
Monsoon comes
Have to wait
By then: situation changes

The Genius:

Simple passive resistance
Just don't help
They can't force you
Because they need the skill
Don't have it themselves

Foreshadowing

What's Coming

The River Trap:

Dattaji can't cross rivers without help
Najeeb won't help
Stuck in the north
Can't reach Bihar/Bengal
Where the money is

The Secret Letter:

Madhav Singh invited Abdali
Nobody knows yet
Following his advice
Creating problems
When will Marathas find out?

The Impossible Task:

Keep hegemony everywhere
And go to Bengal
Not even possible for Dattaji
Something will break

The British in Bengal:

"Under the spell of British"
Happened right under Peshwa's nose
Too late now
Hope for Bihar only?

The Loan Math:

Need money from east
But can't get there (rivers)
Bengal gone (British)
North impoverished (Abdali)
Rajasthan won't pay (walled in Jaipur)
Where's the money coming from?

The Conspiracy:

Rajput king inviting Abdali
To drive out Marathas
Abdali already planning to come
Now he has local allies
The invitation is coming

Shuja ud-Daula:

"Don't forget him"
"Central role in future"
"Makes huge difference"
What will he do
When Abdali comes?

1758-1759: The loan Nana Saheb inherited from his father—"Rajya Kshama"—staggering, growing, burden. Dattaji's objective: lessen it. Go east. Bihar and Bengal. Only places with riches intact. Abdali didn't have time to go there. But to get there? Cross Yamuna. Cross Ganga. Cross minor rivers. Marathas not adapt to river crossings. Monsoon? Impossible. Rivers become 3-4 times bigger. Need help. Najeeb has the skill. Pontoon bridges. Promises: "I will help you, I will help you." Never intends to. Realized too late. Just delaying. Until too late. The trap. And Bengal? Already under British spell. Right under Peshwa's nose. Too late. Bihar only hope. But have to get there. Rivers in the way. Najeeb won't help. Meanwhile: Jaipur. Entire year wasted (1759). Malhar Rao outside the walls. Can't get inside. Walled city. High walls, closed doors, cannons. No progress. And inside those walls? Madhav Singh writing secret letters. To Abdali. "When are you coming?" Big conspiracy. Nobody knows. Being badgered by Marathas constantly. For tributes. Promised too much. Can't pay. Revenue too low. Wants Abdali to drive Marathas south of Narmada. Constant harassment would stop. Following Abdali's advice. Creating problems for Marathas. Whichever way he could. The invitation is being written. The conspiracy taking shape. And Dattaji? Tasked to keep hegemony over all northern India AND go to Bengal. Not even possible for experienced and capable commander like him. Geographic impossibility. The rivers. The British. The walls. The secret letters. The inheritance of debt. The task that can't be done.