Shujá'u Kulí Khán, a powerful and influential servant of the Nawáb Shujá'u-d daula Bahádur, having captured Ibráhím Khán Gárdí on the field of battle, kept him with the said Nawáb's cognizance in his own tent. No sooner did this intelligence become public, than the Durránís began in a body to raise a violent tumult, and clamorously congregating round the door of the Sháh's tent, declared that Ibráhím Gárdí's neck was answerable for the loss of so many thousands of their fellow-countrymen, and that whoever sought to protect him would incur the penalty of their resentment. Nawáb Shujá'u-d daula, feeling that one seeking refuge cannot be slain, prepared for a contest with the Durrání forces, whereupon there ensued a frightful disturbance. At length, Sháh Walí Khán took Nawáb Shujá'u-d daula aside privately, and addressing him in a friendly and affectionate tone, proposed, that he should deliver up Ibráhím Khán Gárdí to him, for the sake of appeasing the wrath of the Durránís; and after a week, when their evil passions had been allayed, he would restore to him the individual entrusted to his care. In short, Ashrafu-l Wuzrá (Sháh Walí Khán), having obtained him from the Nawáb, applied a poisonous plaister to his wounds; so that, by the expiration of a week, his career was brought to a close.
The termination of Bháojí's career has been differently related. Nawáb Shujá'u-d daula, having mounted after the victory, took Shishá Dhar Pandit, Ganesh Pandit, and other associates of Bháojí along with him, and began wandering over the field of battle, searching for the corpses of the Mahratta chiefs, and more especially for Bháojí's dead body. They accordingly recognized the persons of Jaswant Ráo Balwár, Pílájí, and Sabhájí Náth who had received forty sword-cuts, lying on the scene of action; and, in like manner, those of other famous characters also came in view. Bháo's corpse had not been found, when from beneath a dead body three valuable gems unexpectedly shone forth. The Nawáb presented those pearls to the Pandits mentioned above, and directed them to try and recognize that lifeless form. They succeeded in doing so through the scar of a gunshot wound in the foot, and another on the side behind the back, which Bháo had received in former days. With their eyes bathed in tears they exclaimed: “This is Bháo, the ruler of the Dakhin.”* Some entertain an opinion, that Bháo, after Biswás Ráo's death, performed prodigies of valour, and then disappeared from sight, and no one ever saw him afterwards. Two individuals consequently, both natives of the Dakhin, have publicly assumed the name of Bháo, and dragged a number of people into their deceitful snare. As a falsehood cannot bear the light, one was eventually put to death somewhere in the Dakhin by order of the chiefs in that quarter; and the other, having excited an insurrection at Benares, was confined for some time in the fort of Chunár. After his release, despairing of the success of his project, he died in the suburbs of Gorakhpúr in the year 1193 A.H.
Nawáb Shujá'u-d daula Bahádur, having obtained permission of the Sháh to burn the bodies [of the Bháo and other chiefs], deputed Rája Himmat Bahádur and Ráo Káshí Náth, his principal attendants, to perform the task of cremation. Out of all those hapless and unfortunate beings [who survived the battle], a number maintained a precarious existence against the violent assaults of death for some days; but notwithstanding that they used the most strenuous exertions to effect their escape in divers directions from Pánípat, not a single one was saved from being slain and plundered by the zamíndárs of that quarter. Out of the whole of the celebrated chiefs too, with the exception of Malhár Ráo Holkar, 'Appájí Gaikawár and Bithal Sudeo, not another was ever able to reach the Dakhin.
Bháo's wife, in company with Shamsher Bahádur, half-brother* to Bálájí Ráo, and a party of confidential attendants, traversed a long distance with the utmost celerity, and betook herself to the fortress of Díg. There that broken-hearted lady remained for two or three days mourning the loss of her husband, and having then made up her mind to prepare for an expedition to the Dakhin, Rája Súraj Mal Ját gave her one morning a suitable escort to attend her, and bade her adieu. She accordingly reached the Dakhin; but Shamsher Bahádur, who was severely wounded, died after arriving at Díg.
Shortly before the occurrence of these disasters, Bálájí Ráo had marched from Púná. He had only proceeded as far as Bhílsa, when, having been informed of the event, he grew tired of existence, and shed tears of blood lamenting the loss of a son and a brother. He then moved from where he was to Sironj, and about that very time a messenger reached him from the Abdálí Sháh, with a mourning khil'at. The Ráo, feigning obedience to his commands, humbly dressed his person in the Sháh's khil'at, and turning away from Sironj, re-entered Púná. From excess of grief and woe, however, he remained for two months afflicted with a harrowing disease; and as he perceived the image of death reflected from the mirror of his condition, he sent for his brother, Raghunáth Ráo, to whom he gave in charge his best beloved son, the younger brother of the lately slain Biswás Ráo, who bore the name of Mádhú Ráo, and had just entered his twelfth year, exclaiming: “Fulfil all the duties of goodwill towards this fatherless child, treating him as if he were your own son, and do not permit any harm to come upon him.” Having said this, he departed from the world on the 9th of Zí-l ka'da, 1174 A.H. (14th June, 1761 A.D.), and the period of his reign was twenty-one years.
Mádhú Ráo, after the demise of his father, was installed in the throne of sovereignty at Púná; and Raghunáth Ráo conducted the administration of affairs as prime minister, after the manner of the late Bháo.
One of the remarkable incidents that occurred in Mádhú Ráo's reign was the appearance of a counterfeit Bháo, who, in the year 1175 A.H. (1762-3 A.D.), having induced a number of refractory characters to flock to his standard, and having collected together a small amount of baggage and effects, with camp equipage and cattle, excited an insurrection near the fort of Karáza, which is situated at a distance of twelve kos from Jhánsí towards the west. He gave intimation to the governor of the fort, who held his appointment of the Púná chiefs, as to his name and pretensions, and summoned him by threats and promises into his presence. The latter, who, up to that time, had been in doubt whether Bháo was dead or alive, being apprehensive lest this individual should in reality prove to be Bháo, proceeded to wait upon him, and presented some cash and valuables by way of offering. After that, the Bháo in question sent letters into other parganas, and having summoned the revenue officers from all quarters, commenced seizing and appropriating all the cash, property and goods. Whatever horses, elephants, or camels he found with any one, he immediately sent for, and kept in his own possession.
This pretender to the name of Bháo always kept his face half covered under a veil, both in public and private, on the plea that the wound on his visage was still unhealed, and people were completely deceived by the stratagem; no one could have the impudence to scrutinize his features. In short, for six months he persevered in his imposture, until the news reached Púná, when some spies went over to him to examine strictly into the case, and discovered that he was not Bháo.