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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
APRIL, 1921
on no account be granted to the men in the) army, the militia and the fort establishment. Every payment should be made by varats' or with cash from the treasury. None but the Karkuns had any authority over the lands. All payments to the army, the militia, and the fort establishment, were to be made by the Karkuns. These wise regulations had their desired effect and arrested for the time being the growth of Feudalism in Maharastra. In the words of Ranade, "None of the great men, who distinguished themselves in Shivaji's time, were able to hand over to their descendants large landed estates. Neither Moropant Pingle, nor Abaji Sondev, nor Ragho Ballal, nor Datto Annaji or Niraji Raoji, among the Brahmans, nor the Malusares or Kanks, or Pratapro Gujar, Netaji Palkar, Hambirrao Mohite or the Maratha Sardars, were able to found ancient families such as Shahu's ministers in the early part of the eighteenth century succeeded in doing." 7 Though we do not know precisely when the Ashta Pradhan Council came into being.
ile yet we have fairly accurate knowledge of what was expected from bureaucratic Organi- the Pradhans. In a paper, 38 already referred to, their duties have sation ?
been clearly defined. From this and other state papers, it does not appear that Shivaji aimed at a bureaucratic form of Government. A great Maharashtra Scholar, the late Justice Ranade, however throws out clear hints that the Ashta Pradhan Council, in its essential characteristics, bore & striking resemblance to the Viceroy's Council. Says the great Savant, " The Peshwa was Prime Minister, next to the king, and was at the head of both the civil and the military administration and sat first on the right hand below the throne. The Sena pati was in charge of the military administration, and sat first on the left side Amatya and Sachiv sat next to the Peshwa, while the Mantris at next below the Sachiv and was in charge of the king's private affairs. The Sumant was foreign secretary and sat below the Senapati on the left. Next came Pandit Rao, who had charge of the ecclesiasti. cal department and below him on the left side sat the Chief Justice. It will be seen from these details that the Ashta Pradhan System has its counterpart in the present constitution of the Government of India. The Governor-General and Viceroy occupies the place of the Peshwa. Next comes the Commander-in-chief of the army. The Finance and Foreign Ministers come next. In the Government of India, the Executive Council makes no room for the head of the ecclesiastical department or for the Chief Justice on one side and the Private Secretary on the other, and in their place sit the member in charge of the Home Department, the Legal Member and the Public Works Minister. These variations are due to the difference of circumstances, but the conception which lies at the bottom of both the systems is the same, that of having a Council of the highest officers of the State-sitting together to assist the king the proper discharge of his duties." 39 Although there seems to be some apparent resemblance between the Ashtopradhan
Council of Shivaji and the Executive Council of the Viceroy and Ranade's views Governor-General of India, the principle underlying the two are by examined.
no means identical. The Government of India is widely known to be a bureaucracy. The subordinate officers are responsible to the heads of their depart
30 Sabhamad, p. 30. ataoft T araft trataro Mert a ra लष्करांत व नामांस व गडास मोकाशे महाल गांव परीवस्त देणे नाही देणे ते वरतिने या अगर पोताहन रोख एवज यावा. मुलखांत साहेबी कारकुना खेरीज कोणाची माहीं लष्कारास व दशमास व गडास देणे कारकुनांनी पावे. 37 Ranade, R.M.P., pp. 129-130.
* Sane, Patre Yadi Bagaire, p. 357 39 Ranado, R.M.P., pp. 126-127
