He began his career as a small revenue official
and was given the title of Sena Karte
(marker of the army) by Shahu in 1708.
He became Peshwa
in 1713 and made the post the most important and powerful as well as
hereditary.
He played a crucial role in the final victory of
Shahu by winning over almost all the Maratha Sardars to the side Shahu.
He concluded an agreement with the Syed Brothers-King Maker (1719) by which
the Mughal emperor Farruki Siyar recognized Shahu as the king of the
Swarjya.