6. The commander-in-chief, (Persian Sar-i-naubat, Sanskrit Senapati.)
7. The ecclesiastical head, (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.
8. The chief justice (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.
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 four ministers other than the Commander-in-chief, the Ecclesiastical Head, and the Chief Justice.* [1]
The actual work of State correspondence was conducted by Kayasthas, of whom two were famous, viz., Balaji Avji the chitnis and Niloji the munshi or Persian secretary. The muster-rolls of the army
- ↑ * So says Chitnis. But Oxinden's letters imply that all the ministers endorsed Shivaji's treaty with the English.
