6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

456 SIX GLORIOUS EPOCHS OF INDIAN HISTORY
other books, as far as it was necessary to do so :
1096. (1) It is already mentioned at the end of the
last chapter that the Hindus had completely uprooted the
foreign Muslim empire from India and Hindu States had,
once again, been established everywhere and the Muslims did
not, in fact, wield any imperial authority over the land of
Hindustan. But while the Hindu nation was thus inextricably
involved in a gigantic millennial war to root out the Muslim
imperial power from India and while all its energies and time
were utilized in that direction, European nations like the
"Portuguese, the French, the Dutch and especially the English
had already commenced their efforts at establishing their
rule over India secretly or even openly. The Marathas who
had assumed the leadership of the Hindu nation at that time
had simultaneously to face all these European nations just
when they were carrying on a life and death struggle with
the Muslims ! Although they had been mostly successful in
the end in arresting the progress of the Portuguese, the
French, the Dutch and the English, however, shrewdly availed
themselves of the opportunity, they got, when the Marathas
were engaged in the struggle with the Muslim powers, and
gradually but firmly established their foot-hold in the Bengal
trampling under their feet the weaker Muslim Nawabs over
there. Thereafter they pushed on their aggressive moves and
established, though not de jure yet de facto, sovereignty over
the territory right upto Delhi. Naturally they soon came to
grips with the Marathas, who had to lead the Hindu nation at
that time. In my book, Hindu Patpadshahi (originally written
in English and now translated into Marathi) I have sufficiently
discussed, from the standpoint of the Hindu nation, how and
to what extent the Marathas worsted the English during the
First and the Second Anglo-Maratha Wars^. The curious
readers should do well to read it.
1097. That discussion will make the following two
broad points absolutely clear. The first is that from the
time the English stepped on the Indian soil the Muslims
never fought with them for national political independence.