Six Glorious Epochs Savarkar en v001

Si x Gl or i ous Epochs of I ndi an
Hi st or y

By
V. D. Savar kar

Translat ed and Edit ed By
S. T. Godbol e

Publishers
BAL SAVARKAR, I NDI A.
w w w . s a v a r k a r . o r g
SI X GL O R I O U S EPO CH S O F I N D I A N H I S T O R Y
COPYRI GHT

Fi r st Edi t i on: Januar y 1971

Publishers
BAL SAVARKAR

Associat e Publishers & Sole Dist ribut ors
Raj dhani Grant hagar,
59, H I V Laj pat Nagar, New Delhi - 24 (I ndia)

Print ers
AJAY PRI NTERS
Navin Shahdara, Delhi - 32.

S i x G l o r i o u s E p o c h s o f I n d i a n H i s t o r y
Page 2 of 49

PR E F A CE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A WORD IN CONFIDENCE ...........................................................6
1 First Glorious Epoch - Chapter 1............................................9
1.1 CHANDRAGUPTA - CHANAKYA 1 ...................................................... 9
1.2 THE BEGINNING OF INDIAN HISTORY.............................................. 9
1.3 GREAT NATIONS & THE CALAMITY OF FOREIGN DOMINATION . 10
1.4 ALEXANDER'S AGGRESSION .......................................................... 11
1.5 GEOGRAPHICAL DIMENSIONS OF INDIA ....................................... 12
1.6 DR. JAYASWAL'S 'HINDU POLITY' ................................................... 12
1.7 'IONIAN' AND 'YAVAN' ....................................................................... 13
1.8 BUDDHA NOT HEARD OF FROM GANDHAR-PANCHANAD TO SINDH .. 13
1.9 A GREEK MEANS A YAVAN! .................................................................. 13
1.10 ALEXANDER AND STUPID MUSLIMS .............................................. 14
1.11 UNIVERSITY IN TAXILA AND A STRANGE COINCIDENCE................ 14
1.12 WAR WITH PORUS............................................................................ 15
1.13 VICTORY - SHREWD POLITICAL STRATEGY.................................. 15
1.14 INQUIRY OF THE INDIAN ASCETICS............................................... 16
1.15 THE CANON OF DANDAMIS............................................................. 17
1.16 BRAHMINS HANGED FOR POLITICAL CONSPIRACY..................... 18
1.17 REPUBLICS OF SAUBHOOTIS AND KATHAS.................................. 18
1.18 REPUBLIC SUBSISTING BY ARMS .................................................. 19
1.19 THE REPUBLIC OF THE YOUDHEYAS ......................................... 19
1.20 ALEXANDERS ARMY STRUCK WITH TERROR......................... 20
1.21 ALEXANDERS SPEECH TO HIS ARMY57 ....................................... 20
1.22 ALEXANDERS RETREAT.................................................................. 22
1.23 ALEXANDER BUILDS A POWERFUL NAVY..................................... 22
1.24 THE REPUBLICS OF THE MALAVAS AND THE SHUDRAKAS........ 23
1.25 ALEXANDER ROLLED INTO A POOL OF BLOOD............................ 24
1.26 THE TREACHEROUS ATTACK OF THE GREEKS ON MASAGA
TRIBE........................................................................................................... 26
1.27 THE AGRASHRENIS.......................................................................... 26
1.28 THIS IS THE SAME JOHAR! - JAI HAR!! ........................................... 26
1.29 THE JANAPAD REPUBLIC OF BRAHMANAKAS! ............................. 27
Page 3 of 49

PR E F A CE
1.30 PATTANPRASTHA............................................................................. 28
1.31 ALEXANDERS HOMEWARD VOYAGE............................................. 28
1.32 INDIA WAS NOT PERSIA................................................................... 28
1.33 ALEXANDERS DEATH...................................................................... 29
1.34 INDIAN POLITICIANS CONSPIRE..................................................... 29
1.35 GREEK GOVERNORS BEHEADED................................................... 30
1.36 THE STORY OF CHANDRAGUPTAS BIRTH.................................... 31
1.37 THE EMPEROR OF MAGADHA......................................................... 32
1.38 A MARVELLOUS HALF HOUR IN HISTORY..................................... 33
1.39 THE STORY OF CHANAKYAS FAMILY............................................ 34
1.40 THE PERVERTED REPORT OF CHANAKYAS VOW....................... 34
1.41 THAT ANECDOTE SHOULD BE EXPLAINED THUS ........................ 35
1.42 CHANAKYAS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES PRECEDED ALEXANDERS
ONSLAUGHT ............................................................................................... 36
1.43 THE GREEK CITY-STATES TOO PERISHED PRECISELY FOR THIS
REASON....................................................................................................... 36
1.44 FOR THE ENTIRE UNDIVIDED INDIA............................................... 37
1.45 WHY DID CHANAKYA BACK CHANDRAGUPTA ALONE? ............... 37
1.46 THE ONLY WAY TO REPEL RE-INVASION ? ................................... 38
1.47 INVASION OF CHANDRAGUPTA AND CHANAKYA ON MAGADHA 38
1.48 MAHAPADMANAND BEHEADED...................................................... 39
1.49 SAMRAT CHANDRAGUPTA KI JAYA! ............................................... 39
1.50 THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF CHANAKYAS POLITICAL THEORY-
MILITARY MIGHT FIRST ............................................................................. 40
1.51 INDIAS FRONTIER HINDUKUSH NOT INDUS ................................. 41
1.52 GREEK FEUDS AND THE DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE .................... 41
1.53 SELEUCOS ATTACKS INDIA WITH A MIGHTY ARMY..................... 41
1.54 REVENGE OF THE DEFEAT OF KING PAURAV.............................. 42
1.55 THE VANQUISHED SELEUCOS MEEKLY ACCEPTED ALL THE
TERMS OF THE VICTORIOUS.................................................................... 42
1.56 LOVE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT FEAR [ ] ............. 42
1.57 THE GLORIOUS TREATISE OF MAHAMATYA CHANAKYA! ........... 43
1.58 DID ALEXANDER CONQUER INDIA ? NO. ...................................... 43
1.59 SUPER ALEXANDER! ........................................................................ 44
Appendix: .....................................................................................47

Page 4 of 49

PR E F A CE
PUBLI SHER'S NOTE

This is t he last work of Veer Savarkarj i which he complet ed during his
illness and old age. Aft er it s Marat hi and Hindi edit ions have been circulat ed, we
feel it a mat t er of profound pleasure and pride t o offer t o t he public t he English
version of t he book. How far t he book has been popular can easily be seen from
t he fact t hat it s Hindi and Marat hi edit ions have been published repeat edly.
The aut hor want ed t o t ranslat e t his voluminous work int o English himself,
but he could not do so because of his failing healt h. His world famous book, The
I ndian War of I ndependence, 1857 was t ranslat ed int o English from t he original
Marat hi by his several pat riot colleagues, but t he final t ouch given t o t he book
was of t he aut hor himself. He wrot e Hindut va and Hindu-Pad-Padashahi
originally in English.

Savarkar was a writ er of great eminence in Marat hi. Besides
t he charm of language, t here is a st riking originalit y in his writ ings, and
t hought is paramount . Hence t he necessit y of making his work available
in ot her languages arises invariably. But t ranslat ion, t hey say, is like a
fait hless mistress. The charm of the original goes. The learned t ranslat or,
his labour t empered wit h devot ion, has, however, tried to give his best.
Shri S.T. Godbole has not t ranslat ed t he book in t he customary
way. The scores of books (given in the Appendix) which he has quot ed in
support of t he assert ions made by t he aut hor while, on t he one hand,
lend aut hent icit y t o t he book, t hey, on t he ot her hand, show t he colossal
labour put in by him in t he proj ect . We are ext remely t hankful t o him.
Savarkar saw t he panorama of I ndian hist ory in t he rise and
fall of t he Hindus. This concept of hist ory moulded his polit ical t hinking
and career. How far he has been successful in present ing hi s point of view
is left t o t he discerning reader.

Page 5 of 49

PR E F A CE
A WORD I N CONFI DENCE

I t is wit h great pleasure and sat isf act ion t hat I present t o t he readers
t his t ranslat ion of t he original book in Marat hi. I consider it a piece of good
luck t o have had an opport unit y of t ranslat ing such an import ant book by t he
lat e Swantantrya-Veer V. D. Savarkar, which cropped up in my casual t alk wit h
Shree Balarao Savarkar, t he devot ed privat e secret ary of t hat Pr i nce of
Pat riot s. Aft er it was t ranslat ed every chapt er went t o t he illust rious aut hor who
honoured me by going t hrough it very carefully and when I had t he good fort une
t o meet him personally on t he complet ion OF t he undert aking, he obliged me by
saying t hat he was sat isfied wit h t he t ranslat ion and appreciat ed t he hard labour
it ent ailed. Would t hat Swa. Veer Savarkar had been alive t oday t o see t his
English t ranslat ion of his book in print !
Veer Savarkar's book, | is a
comment arynot a hist ory in it s academic senseon t he signif icant event s and
periods in our nat ional lif e, t aking a broad survey of t he growt h and survival of our
Hindu race. I n a way t his at t empt of Savarkar has been singular, barring few
honorable except ions.
The general t rend of t he Hist ories, writ t en, read and t aught in schools and
colleges have been one of eulogizing the foreigners and deprecating the Hindu race,
relying wholly on t he biased records of t he foreign hist orians and t ravelers.
At t empt s are, happily, being made t o reconst ruct and rest at e t he hist ory of I ndia
f rom t he nat ional point of view, sing t o t he ut most all available nat ive records of
coins and inscript ions and covert allusions in t he ot herwise non-hist orical works,
slender t hough t hey may be; but t hey are st ill sporadic and isolat ed, relat ing t o t his
or t hat part icular phase of I ndian Hist ory. This volume present s. 'Six Glorious
Epochs of I ndian Hist ory' since t he beginning --------------- ------ ---- from the days of
Chandragupta Maurya t o t he end of t he Brit ish dominance over I ndia. Hence, like it s
predecessor, 'The War of I ndian I ndependence of 1857', which galvanized t he public
opinion and changed t he world out look on t hat phase of our nat ional lif e, t his book
t oo is very likely t o st art re-orient at ion of our hist orical concept s and t he accept ed
hist orical t heories. A need for an English t ranslat ion of t his book was, t heref ore,
sorely f elt wit h a view t o int roducing it t o t he people who are unable t o read or
underst and Marat hi.
A book of t his t ype had t o be subst ant iat ed wit h proofs, especially when it
was replet e wit h t hought -provoking - even at times shocking - st atements and
conclusions. Basic references were, t heref ore, an unavoidable necessit y; but t he
aut hor, who had already crossed t he bar of eight y years, and whose physical
ailment s had already creat ed insurmount able difficult ies in t he very writ ing of t his
book, could not be expect ed t o st and t he rigour of pin-point ing his ref erences,
voluminous as t hey were. I , t heref ore had t o shoulder t hat responsibilit y. The
appendage of t he basic ref erences t o t his volume is t hus my humble cont ribut ion.
They will clearly show t o t he reader t hat t he f act s ment ioned in t his volume are
fully backed by evidence. The int erpret at ion of t hese fact s and t he conclusions
drawn f rom t hem, however, are t he aut hor's special privileges, if only t hey obey t he
laws of logical reasoning. The chapt ers are numbered serially from one t o t went y-
t hree. Each paragraph is serially numbered at t he beginning, while t he f igures in
t he body of t he paragraphs indicat e t he ref erence number. I n preparing t he index,
ref erence is made t o t he paragraphs and not t o t he pages.
Page 6 of 49

PR E F A CE
My t hanks are due t o my son, Shri P, S. Godbole f or going t hrough t he t ype
writ t en sheet s and preparing t he I ndex. I am t hankf ul t o Shri B. D. Velankar, t he
Asiat ic Societ y of Bombay and t he Universit y of Bombay for library f acilit ies. I am
also t hankf ul t o t he publishers who have brought out t his book.
S. T. Godbole

Page 7 of 49

1
S T
GL O R I O U S EP O CH

1
st
Glorious Epoch

Page 8 of 49

1
S T
1 FIRST GLORIOUS EPOCH - CHAPTER 1
1.1 CHANDRAGUPTA - CHANAKYA 1
1. According t o modern hist orical research, t he first phase of t he
dawn of our nat ional lif e dat es back almost f rom f ive t o t en t housand years
ago
1
. Like t hat of China, Babylon, Greece and ot her ancient nat ions our
ancient hist ory, t oo, is clot hed in t he poet ical garb of myt hology. I t is replet e
wit h anecdot es, f olk-lore, and deificat ion of nat ional heroes and heroines, and
resort s t o supernat ural and symbolic descript ion. Yet t hese ancient myt hologies
(Puranas) of ours are t he pillars support ing t he edifice of our ancient hist ory
2
.
Just as t hese ext ensive Puranic t ext s of ours are a magnif icent t reasure of
our ancient lit erat ure, our knowledge, our glorious deeds and our grandeur
and wealt h, in a similar way t hey are a vast st ore-house of t he account s of our
past , desult ory, chaot ic, even at t imes, ambiguous t hough it may be.
2. Our Puranas, however, are not 'hist ory' pure and unadult erat ed
3
.
3. Hence, I propose t o set aside t he considerat ion of t he 'Pauranic
t imes' in t he present cont ext . For t he 'Glorious Epochs', t hat I am going t o
ref er t o, and dilat e upon, belong not so much t o t he Pauranic t imes, as t o t he
hist oric periods of our nat ional lif e.
1.2 THE BEGINNING OF INDIAN HISTORY
4. The main crit erion of hist ory is t hat t he dat es and places and
descript ions of event s referred t o t herein must necessarily bear t he st amp of
aut hent icit y, and t hey should be corroborat ed, as f ar as possible, by foreign as
well as indigenous evidence.
5. The account of our past which fairly st ands t his t est begins
approximately from the time of Lord Buddha. Hence many I ndian and West ern
Orient alist s have accept ed t he Buddhist period as t he beginning of I ndian
hist ory
4
. The incessant and indefat igable labours of t hese Orient alist s may in
future include some of the so-called 'Pauranic period' into the historical one if some
new evidence were to come to light. Till then at least we have to regard the
Buddhistic period as the starting point of our history.
6. Again, in respect of est ablishing t he aut hent ic hist ory of nat ion beyond
doubt , t he convincing references in t he cont emporary lit erat ure of ot her nat ions
are really invaluable. The ancient period of our hist ory which can be support ed by
t he now available, unimpeachable evidence in t he hist orical records of count ries
ot her t han I ndia is t he one which begins round about the times of Emperor
Chandragupta Mourya
5
. For, since t he dat e of Alexander's so-called invasion of
I ndia numerous references t o event s in I ndia are t o be found in t he hist orical
Page 9 of 49

1
S T
account s of t he Greek writ ers and t he descript ion of t heir t ravels by t he Chinese
t ravellers.
7. What should be t he crit erion for det ermining t he Glorious Epochs, I am
going t o discuss here. For t hat mat t er t here are hundreds of glorious epochs in
t he hist ory of our nat ion which st and t he t est s of poet ic exuberance, music,
prowess, affluence, the height of philosophy and depth of theology and many ot her
crit eria. But by t he 'Glorious Epoch' I mean t he one from t he hist ory of t hat
warlike generat ion and t he brave leaders and successful warriors who inspire and
lead it on t o a war of liberat ion in order t o free t heir nat ion from t he shackles of
foreign dominat ion, whenever it has t he misfort une t o fall a prey t o such powerful
fat al aggression and t o grovel abj ect ly under it , and who ult imat ely drive away
t he enemy making it an absolut ely free and sovereign nat ion. Every nat ion ext ols
such epochs of t he wars of independence which inflict crushing defeat s on t he
enemy. Take for inst ance, t he American War of I ndependence. The day on which
America wrenched her independence from England, vanquishing her complet ely
on t he bat t lefield, is a red-let t er day in t he hist ory of America and is celebrat ed
like a fest ival all over t he count ry. The moment recording this successful struggle
for freedom is acknowledged as a glorious epoch in t he hist ory of America.
1.3 GREAT NATIONS & THE CALAMITY OF FOREIGN DOMINATION
8. Moreover, t he birt h of t he Unit ed St at es of America is only of a recent
dat e. I n t he very short span of her hist ory it is not unnat ural t hat only one such
t errible calamit y befell her and consequent ly gave her only one glorious occasion
t o overcome it . But t he nat ions like China, Babylon, Persia, Egypt , ancient Peru,
ancient Mexico, Greece and Rome and many ot hers, which can boast of a hist ory
of t housands of years, nat urally had many occasions of being overcome and
oppressed by might ier foreign aggressors
6
. From t hese monst rous calamit ies some
of t hese nat ions freed t hemselves again and again wit h except ional valour, and
humbled and rout ed t he enemy. These nat ions wit h a long t radit ion of t housands
of years are nat urally proud of many such glorious moment s recording t heir signal,
vict ories over t heir enemies. The hist ory of I ndia as compared wit h t hat of ot her
nat ions has a consist ent and unbroken record. Most of t he nat ions t hat flourished
side by side wit h her in t he past are now ext inct and are remembered only by
t heir names. China st ands t oday as an old wit ness of t he great ness of I ndia.
9. Both China and I ndia are vast countries and have maint ained t heir
independence and power right f rom t he ancient days. No wonder t hey had t o
f ace many more mort al dangers of f oreign dominat ion t han t he ot her short
lived nat ions. The unerring wheel of fort une affect ed t hem t oo. Just as I ndia
was at t acked by t he Sakas, t he Huns, t he Mughals and others, so was China too
a victim of the invasions of t hese and ot her alien nat ions
7
. She had t o build t he
world-famous China-wall all around her t errit ory as a bulwark against t he
Hunnish inroads. Nevert heless t he enemies did conquer China, somet imes by
circumventing the great wall or at times crossing it
8
. Mostly only in parts, but
somet imes at least wholly, China had t o writ he and squirm under t he yoke of
foreign dominat ion
9
. Yet every t ime she could revive her st rengt h and overt hrow
t he foreign aggression and regain her independence, and even today she is an
independent and powerf ul nat ion. This in it self is a marvel of hist ory. An
appraisal of I ndian history demands the same criterion to be adopted. But
specially when our count ry was smart ing under t he Brit ish sway, many English
Page 10 of 49

1
S T
writ ers had so much pervert ed t he I ndian hist ory and obliged t wo or t hree
generat ion of I ndian st udent s in t heir schools and colleges t o learn it in such a
way, t hat not only t he rest of t he world but even our own people were misled.
Absurd and malicious statements implying t hat I ndia as a nat ion has always been
under some f oreign rule or t he ot her or t hat I ndian hist ory is an unbroken chain
of defeat aft er defeat of t he Hindus
10
, have been used like currency and are
accept ed by our people wit hout af f ront or remonst rance or even a f ormal
prot est . To ref ut e t hese st at ement s is essent ial not only f rom t he point of view
of honor of t he nat ion but also f or t he sake of hist orical t rut h. Ef f ort s being
made by ot her hist orians in t his direct ion have t o be support ed, as far as
possible, by propaganda. That in it self is a nat ional dut y. That is why I have
decided here t o describe t he hist orical achievement s of t hose generat ions and
of t heir represent at ive leaders who vanquished t he aggressors from t ime t o
t ime and liberat ed t heir count ry.
1.4 ALEXANDER'S AGGRESSION
10. Alexander's at t ack on I ndia is t he first well-known foreign invasion
during t he ancient period of I ndian hist ory. I t t ook place in 326 B. C.
11
, a period
of human hist ory when t he modern European nat ions like England, France,
Germany and ot hers were not even born. The Roman Empire had not as yet any
foundat ion laid for it . I t was only t he Greeks who were resounding t he European
st age
12
. Small Greek cit y-st at es ruled t hemselves independent ly. Of t hese Spart a
and At hens were t he most progressive. But when t hese small separat e cit y-
st at es were invaded by t he ruler of a vast , well-organized, unit ary and very
powerf ul Persian empire,
13
t hey were unable t o face him successf ully. Those
small Greek republics did t heir best t o fight t he enemy back, but all t heir effort s
proved fruit less before t he vast ocean-like Persian armies. Nat urally, t he Greeks
earnest ly t hought of eff ect ing a fusion of all t heir separat ed small cit y-st at es int o
a powerful Greek Kingdom and forming a unit ed front . So Philip, King of
Macedonia, who was fired wit h t he same ambit ion, conquered all t hose small
Greek republics
14
; but he died before he could develop t hem int o a might y
nat ion
15
. However, his son who succeeded him t o t he t hrone was much more
ambit ious, more eager t o gain power t han his f at her whom he surpassed in
valour
16
. I t was Alexander. He inspired t he whole Greek Communit y wit h a sense
of solidarit y and milit ant nat ionalism. He organized an invincible army, and
marched on t he Persian Emperor, Darius, himself , who had been t he arch-enemy
of t he Greeks
17
. This well-organized Greek army simply rout ed t he vast but ill-
organized Persian army. At t he bat t le field of Arbela (331 B.C.) whole of t he
Persian administ rat ion virt ually collapsed
18
. Wit h his vict orious army Alexander
marched st raight on t o t he Persian capit al and aft er conquering it he proclaimed
himself t he emperor of t hat count ry
19
. This unprecedent ed success is lust for
conquest s. Wit h t he Greek and Persian empires at his feet , t he sky seemed t o him
well - wit hin his limit . He was int oxicat ed wit h t he wild ambit ion t o conquer t he
whole world and t herefore he planned t o invade I ndia, of which t he Greeks had
been hearing so much for generat ions t oget her. He t hought he would run over
I ndia as easily as he had crushed t he Persian as well as t he ancient Babylonian
empire. I n order to execute this daring plan he formed a new powerful army wit h
t he pick of his Greek soldiers, full of yout hful ent husiasm and equipped it wit h
glit t ering weapons. This army consist ed of one hundred and t went y t housand
foot -soldiers and a cavalry fift een t housand st rong
20
. These brave soldiers, mad
Page 11 of 49

1
S T
wit h vict ory aft er vict ory, had been so much impressed by t he unbroken chain of
Alexander's conquest s t hat t hey looked upon t his great general and emperor as a
divine being. Alexander himself began t o pose as t he son of t he Greek God,
Zeus
21
.
1.5 GEOGRAPHICAL DIMENSIONS OF INDIA
11. I n t hose days, some t wo t housand and five hundred years
ago, t he I ndian communit y and I ndian kingdoms had spread f ar beyond
t he I ndus, right up t o t he boundary of Persia. The mount ain range known
t oday as t he Hindukush was at that time called Paropnisus
22
, by the Greeks.
Modern Afghanistan was called Gandhar, known in I ndia t radit ion by t he
name, Ahiganasthan
23
, while the river Kabul has been called Kubha in our
ancient lit erat ure
24
. Throughout t he whole region up t o t he Hindukush
mountain, ruled peacefully various states, some small, others large
25
. Right
from these I ndian states, all along t he banks of t he I ndus, st raight up t o
t he place where it leaps int o t he sea, was a long and unbroken chain of
I ndian st at es which st rict ly f ollowed Vedic religion. Most of them were
republics
26
and were then called 'Ganas' or 'Ganaraj yas'. Their const it ut ion
was essent ially democrat ic. There were only t wo or t hree monarchies wort h
t he name, one of which t he biggest and st rongest , was ruled by a Pourav
King, whom t he Greeks called Porus
37
.
1.6 DR. JAYASWAL'S 'HINDU POLITY'
12. Dr. Jayaswal, one of t he prominent members of t he
revolut ionary part y, 'Abhinava Bharat ', during t he crit ical years of 1907-
1910, and lat er on a world-famous Orient alist , has given, aft er a crit ical
research, a very det ailed account of t he different 'Bharat eeya Ganas'
spread along bot h t he banks of t he I ndus right up t o it s confluence wit h
t he sea.

13. According t o Greek myt hologies, t hey seem t o have believed
t hat t heir ancest ors had migrat ed as a separat e branch of t he original
Aryan St ock f rom t he Gandhar and ot her regions beyond t he I ndus
28
.
When Alexander's forces ent ered t he precinct s of I ndia t hey accident ally
came across a small community of people who called themselves the
original Greeks
29
. They had been completely merged with the I ndians, but as
soon as t hey saw t his Greek army t hey avowed t hat they were the ancient
brethren of those Greeks
30
. Alexander, t oo, was led t o believe t hat I ndia
must be t he original abode of his ancest ors. He and his whole army were
so much delight ed at t he sight of t his, t heir ant ique f at herland, t hat t hey
st opped f ight ing f or some days and celebrat ed a great fest ival. The
Greeks performed a sacrifice and offered oblat ions t o propit iat e t heir Greek
deit ies
31
.

14. The Greek Gods resembled t he Vedic ones very closely. Their
names had undergone changes in pronunciation by corruption in course of
time. The Greeks t oo performed sacrifices as t he I ndo-Aryans did, and
Page 12 of 49

1
S T
offered oblat ions t hrough t he f ire t o t heir various deit ies
32
. They were also
called I onians.
1.7 'IONIAN' AND 'YAVAN'
15. I t is likely t hat t hese Greeks were t he descendant s of Anu, t he son
of Yayat i? One wonders if Anwayan was later on corrupted to I ndian. This
bit of a guess must, however be left to the research scholars. The fact
remains that the I ndians called these Greeks 'Yavanas' from t he very
beginning, as is seen from the Sanskrit literature
33
. I t is from the Greek word
'I onians' that they came to be called 'Yavans' or 'Yons' in I ndia.
1.8 BUDDHA NOT HEARD OF FROM GANDHAR-PANCHANAD TO SINDH
16. One more fact deserves mention here. The cont emporary Greek
writ ers have given in t heir books det ailed descript ion of t he varied lif e of t he
people f rom t hose part s of I ndia where Alexander movedfrom Gandhar to
Panchanad (the Punjab) and t hence along bot h t he banks of t he I ndus t o t he
very place where it flows int o t he sea. But t hroughout descript ions not a single
ref erence t o eit her Lord Buddha or t he Buddhist ic cult or sect can be found,
whereas t here are numerous references t o t he Vedic Hindus
34
. From this and,
of course, from ot her cont emporary references it is quit e clear t hat at least t ill
t hat t ime t he Buddhist sect was quit e unknown beyond t he Shat adru (Sut lej )
river. I t means about t wo hundred and fift y t o t hree hundred years aft er t he
death of the Buddha the Buddhist cult spread here and there round about
Magadha and not f art her of f , a f act which deserves special not ice for t he
proper int erpret at ion of subsequent history
34a
.
1.9 A GREEK MEANS A YAVAN!
17. Our cont emporary I ndian ancest ors called t hese aggressive Greek
foreigners, who professed a slight ly alien religion, 'Yavans'. But t hat is not t he
reason why we should call all foreign aggressors 'Yavans'. I t is obviously a
mist ake. Especially when our people began t o call t he Muslims 'Yavans', t hey
really commit t ed a blunder. Alt hough t he Greeks were aggressors and
foreigners, t hey were, comparat ively speaking, considered t o be part icularly
devot ed t o learning and highly cult ured and civilized according t o t he
st andards of t he time. The Muslim hordes that invaded I ndia, cent uries
aft erwards, were highly fanat ical, diabolic and rut hlessly dest ruct ive. I t would
have been in t he fit ness of t hings t o call t hem 'Mussalmans' in view of t heir
demonic nat ure. To call t hem 'Yavans, is doubly wrong in as much as it
unduly flat t ers t hem and does a very great inj ust ice t o t he word 'Yavan'
it self. The Mussalmans may be called 'Mlenchhas', not 'Yavans'.
Page 13 of 49

1
S T
1.10 ALEXANDER AND STUPID MUSLIMS
18. A st upid not ion common amongst most of t he Muslims is wort h a
ment ion here. The name 'Alexander' was corrupt ed int o 'Shikandar' in t he
Persian language. So long as t he Greek empire had Persia under it s sway
many of t he Persian people highly impressed by t he unprecedent ed valour of
Alexander named t heir new-born sons Shikandar. Lat er on even aft er t he
Persians were convert ed t o I slam t his pract ice of naming t heir children
'Shikandar' persist ed. 'The Muslim convert s in I ndia adopt ed t hat pract ice. But
ignorant of t he hist orical origin of t he word 'Shikandar' t housands of Muslims
in I ndia fondly believe t hat , like Mohammad Ali, Kasim and ot hers, t he name
Shikandar is a Muslim name; and (that valiant Alexander must be some Muslim
personalit y). Nay, he could be so very valiant and a world conqueror simply
because he was a Muslim. I f any one t ries t o convince t hese fanat ics, vulgar
and vain-glorious Muslims t hat 'Shikandar ( Alexander) was not a Muslim, t hat
he could never be one, as Mohammed Paighamber, t he founder of t he Muslim
religion, was himself born not less t han a t housand years aft er t he deat h of
Shikandar, t hese, die-hard Muslims, would call t hat person un-informed.

19. The east ern boundary of Alexander's empire at t hat t ime was t he
Hindukush Mount ains. Aft er having crossed t hese mount ains he marched wit h
his vast armies t o Taxila in I ndia. The King of Taxila, King Ambuj ( Ambhi)
accept ed his overlordship wit hout giving him any bat t le
36.
Some Greek writ ers
assert t hat t his very King of Taxila had invit ed Alexander in order t o put down
his rival, King Porus
36a
. I f t hat is so, Ambhi had quit e nat urally t o pay for his
treachery by his willing, though abject submission to the Greeks.
1.11 UNIVERSITY IN TAXILA AND A STRANGE COINCIDENCE
20. Taxila was t he seat of t he most famous I ndian Universit y of t he
t ime, where st udent s from different count ies came t o st udy various sciences
and art s. Even t he Princes of different st at es came t here, learnt polit ical
science and got lessons in t he art of governance, warfare and st rict ly observed
t he rules of discipline prevalent there
37
.

21. By some st range coincidence, j ust when Alexander was marching at
t he head of his army int o I ndia, aft er reducing Taxila, a brilliant yout h, who, a
lit t le lat er, was dest ined t o carve a glorious page in t he hist ory of I ndia, was
learning t he sciences of war and polit ics in t he same Universit y of Taxila
38.
He
was called Chandragupt a. The old t eacher who was well-versed in different
lores of t he t ime and was also an ast ut e polit ician and was giving lessons in
polit ics and nat ional revolut ionary act ivit ies t o t his splendid yout h under t he
port als of the same University, was Chanakya
39
.

22. But in t he confusion wrought by t his invasion of Alexander t hese
t wo except ionally gift ed personalit ies had not yet at t ract ed public at t ent ion t o
t hem. Bot h of t hem had been watching very closely the movements of Alexander's
vast forces. Alexander had, as it were, put all t he crowns and coronet s of Kings,
and kings of kings and of all t he small Rav's and Raval's, int o a melt ing pot and
Page 14 of 49

1
S T
forged a single crown t o proclaim himself t he Emperor of I ndia; while t he old
sage, Acharya Chanakya, was secret ly planning an easy t ransf er of t hat covet able
crown t o his young disciple's head by means of a coup d'et at .
1.12 WAR WITH PORUS
23. The king of Taxila, Ambuj or Ambhi had, as already said, bowed down
t o t he Greek might wit hout f ight ing a single bat t le, and t heref ore everybody
began t o j eer at his t reacherous act , as it humiliat ed t he braver spirit s. I n order
t o count eract it , t he neighboring I ndian monarchies, and republics decided t o
force a bit t er st ruggle on t he Greeks. I t is really unf ort unat e t hat t hese various
independent I ndian st at es did not t hink of making it a common cause, or
perhaps had no t ime t o do it . As soon as he reached Taxila, Alexander wit hout
any loss of t ime, sent ult imat um, t o all t he neighboring I ndian st at es,
demanding uncondit ional

surrender, and when Taxila's very next neighbour,
King Porus, ignored his ult imat um and t ook up t he challenge, t he Greek captain-
general marched on him
40
.

24. King Porus mainly depended on his war-chariot s and elephant s,
whereas t he Greeks relied upon t heir cavalry brigades. The river Vit ast a
(Jhelum) separat ed t he t wo-armies. All of a sudden, even before t he t wo armies
j oined bat t le, t orrent ial rains overflowing t he river wit h high floods began t o
assail t hem all round. Alexander searched high and low and in a f ew days f ound
t o t he nort h a place where t he river was f ordable. Wit h precipit at e hast e, be
crossed t he river and wit h his f ine cavalry, dashed against t he f orces of King
Porus
41
. This dist urbed t he whole plan of Porus; st ill he f ought on a fierce bat t le.
But t he rains had t urned t he f ield muddy
41a
, rendering ut t erly useless Porus's
t wo great inst rument s of war, namely chariot s and elephant s. He could not ,
t heref ore, successf ully check t he brisk and energet ic at t acks of Alexander's
horsemen. I n t he t hick of t he bat t le, Porus seat ed on his elephant and
desperat ly fight ing, was grievously wounded
41b
and fell int o t he hands of t he
enemy. Thus, part ly because of Porus's misfort une and part ly because of
Alexander's milit ary skill on t he bat t lefield t he Greeks were crowned with success.
1.13 VICTORY - SHREWD POLITICAL STRATEGY
25. When Porus was t aken as a capt ive before Alexander t he lat t er
asked t he I ndian King, "How should I t reat you?" Porus prompt ly replied, 'like
a King'. This apt reply has evoked t he comment of European as well as our
own historians t hat impressed by t his bold reply, Alexander ret urned t o Porus
his t errit ory making him a governor under him, inst ead of put t ing him t o
deat h
41c
. But t his int erpret at ion of Alexander's t reat ment of Porus is wrong,
and t heref ore, such plat it udes should be avoided in school t ext books.

26. Obviously, Alexander was not like t he artless simple I ndian King,
Harishchandra, who gave away his kingdom in his wakef ul hours in order t o
fulfill a promise made in dream. He knew if he killed Porus or liquidat ed his
Page 15 of 49

1
S T
kingdom, placing in his place some Greek Sat rap; t he high-minded people of
t he st at e would be af lame wit h rage and hat red t owards t he Greeks. " Now
Alexander want ed t o f ight his way all along t o t he chief Capit al of I ndia,
namely Pat aliput ra! Could he ever do so with the sole support of his own Greek
army? On t he ot her hand, it was f ar more prof it able t o win over Porus wit h
apparent magnanimit y and kindness as he had done t o Ambhi of Taxila
( Takshashila) and enlist his act ive support in order t o facilit at e t he
accomplishment of his of daring plan of t he conquest of I ndia. I t is, t herefore,
not for t he sake of appreciat ing t he bold rej oinder of Porus but as a clever
polit ical st rat egy, t hat arch diplomat Alexander ret urned t o Porus his
Kingdom. He even annexed t he smaller neghbouring st at es, which he had
conquered immediat ely before or aft er his clash wit h Porus t o t he lat t er's
kingdom. He had appoint ed him as his Sat rap ( governor) of t his vast I ndian
province
28
.

Porus too gave his assent to Alexander's proposals to simply wait f or
his t ime f or f ort une had played foul wit h him. Porus had done his dut y, as a
Kshat riya warrior would do, of fight ing t ill t he end against t he enemy of his
nat ion. I n fact 7 (Bide t he t ime! ) is a valuable t enet in
polit ical science. Knowing t hat t he submission of king Porus was only t ime
serving, t he I ndian populace also did not t ake it amiss. I t will be shown lat er
how at t he opport une t ime King Porus ( now Sat rap Porus) t urned t he t ables
against Alexander himself.

27. Aft er t he end of t he war wit h Porus, Alexander set himself up t o
t he t ask of st abilizing t he newly conquered neighbouring st at es and began
a careful st udy of t he life of t he people t here and in t he yonder regions.
Besides, t o replenish his army t hat was deplet ed in numbers and energy
because of t he incessant wars f rom t he Hindukush t o t he Panchanad,
Alexander ordered fresh regiment s of forces from his Sat raps in Babylon and
Greece, and sent back t hose of his fight ing forces who were wounded and
rendered invalid and also those who were shirkers
43
.
1.14 INQUIRY OF THE INDIAN ASCETICS
28. The scout s whom Alexander had sent round t o survey t he local
condit ion of t he people in t he subj ugat ed as well as non-subj ugat ed
provinces, brought , among ot her report s, det ailed descript ions of t he
penance-groves in t he forest s, and of t he ascet ics, anchorit es, recluses, freed
from all worldly bonds, wandering about all alone in search of knowledge and
also of those sages who were deeply engrossed in philosophical t hought
Alexander himself was fond of learning and philosophical discussions, for he
called himself t he disciple of t he great philosopher, Arist ot le. He had already
heard much in Greece it self of such ascet ics and of aust ere Brahmins. So he
earnest ly desired t o see personally at least some of t hese aust ere Brahmins in
I ndia, who t he Greeks called 'Gymnosophist s' and have t alks wit h t hem. So he
sent for some of such hermit s from t heir forest -abodes
44
and some he saw in
t heir secluded cells. The Greek writ ers t hemselves have given some int erest ing
t ales about such occasions. I would like t o cit e a t ale or t wo from among t hose in
t he words of t he Greek writ ers t hemselves, so as t o t hrow some light on t he
t hought s and feelings of t he Greeks and t heir leader, Alexander.
Page 16 of 49

1
S T

29. "This philosopher (Kalanos), we are t old, showed Alexander a symbol of
his empire. He t hrew down on t he ground a dry and shrivelled hide and plant ed
his foot on t he edge of it . But when it was t rodden down in one place, it st art ed
up everywhere else. He t hen walked all round it and showed t hat t he same t hing
t ook place wherever he t rod, unt il at lengt h he st epped int o t he middle and by
doing so lade it all lie flat . This symbol was int ended t o show Alexander t hat he
should cont rol his empire from it s cent re not wander away t o it s dist ant
ext remit ies"
45
.
1.15 THE CANON OF DANDAMIS
30. Alexander keenly felt t hat he should send for and have a personal t alk
wit h one Brahmin, of whom he had heard so much in Taxi ( Takshasheela) . The
Greeks called Brahmin 'Dandamis'
48
but I have not so far succeeded in t racing
down his original Sanskrit name. The Brahmin, bent wit h age and knowledge, was
free from all worldly t ies and wandered naked everywhere. He did not pay any
heed t o Alexander's messages. Thereupon Alexander sent his own officer
'Onesikret os' t o t his self less recluse who t old him, "Alexander t he very son of God
Zeus ( Sansk: Dyus) and a world-conqueror has summoned you t o his court . I f you
st ill fail t o come, you will be beheaded inst ant aneously." The Brahmin began t o
laugh vociferously at t his t hreat and replied, "I f Alexander is t he son of Zeus; in
t he same manner and for same reason I am also t he son of t hat very Zeus ( Dyus).
As t o his boast of being a world-conqueror, it is absolut ely vain! He has not as yet
seen t he ot her bank of t he river Vyas. I f he successf ully faces t he brave I ndian
st at es beyond and, yonder st ill, t he powerful empire of Magadha, and st ill remains
alive, we shall have t ime t o consider whet her he is a world-conqueror. Alexander
offers me land and gold, but go and t ell him t hat ascet ics like me spit upon such
t hings. This mot her-land of mine provides me wit h everyt hing I want , wit h t he
loving care of a real mot her. I f Alexander is going t o chop my head off, t hen my
head and body would mix up wit h t his eart h of which t hey are made, but he
would never be able t o murder my soul. I t is invincible, indest ruct ible and
immort al. Go and t ell him t hat he should issue t hese t hreat s t o t hose who are
slaves of gold and power and are afraid of deat h. Before us t hese t hreat s of a
mort al like Alexander fall flat and are powerless! For, a t rue ascet ic Brahmin can
never be won over by gold, nor does he ever fear deat h! ! I won't come! Go
away."

31. We have quot ed only some of t he sent ences from t he reply of
Dandamis t o Alexander. Greek writ ers have given t he full t ext of his fearless and
direct reply
46a
. Plut arch t oo, has ment ioned t hese t ales. Some writ ers
47
ast ounded
by his daunt less and st raight -forward answer, have remarked, "I f at all anyone in
t he world has so successfully defied Alexander, who had conquered so many
kingdoms, it was t his naked, old Brahmin ascet ic of I ndia"
47a
.
Page 17 of 49

1
S T
1.16 BRAHMINS HANGED FOR POLITICAL CONSPIRACY
32. I n his survey Alexander came t o know t hat alt hough t hese world-
forsakers, ascet ics, recluses and ot hers were wandering all alone, t heir opinions
exert ed a powerful influence because of t heir disint erest edness, fearlessness and
t heir disregard for any consequences what ever, upon t he government s of I ndian
republics and also on t he monarchies. The t ongues of t hese free and fearless
Brahmin ascet ics had sharp edges like t he swords of t he I ndian Kshat riyas and
t hey prot est ed against t he unj ust Greek aggression very sharply and spread,
openly or secret ly, great discont ent against Alexander amongst t he I ndian
populace. Nat urally his first adorat ion of t hese 'Gymnosophist s' suddenly gave
place t o his int ense hat red against t he Brahmin hermit s. Thereupon he began t o
seize some such Brahmins and hang them
48
. Before beheading one such Brahmin;
when Alexander asked him as t o why he inst igat ed a cert ain I ndian ruler
''.'against ' t he Greeks, he f earlessly and firmly replied t hat it was his most
sacred t enet and t hat if he were t o live, he ought t o live honorably, else he
should die honorably." (Plut arch LXI V)

33. Aft er defeat ing King Porus, Alexander t hought his dazzling vict ory
should unnerve t he neighboring st at es and f orce t hem t o submit meekly, but his
hopes in t his respect most ly belied him. As he crossed t he Vit ast a (Jhelum) and
marched onward t he various republics big or small, on his way began t o offer
sanguinary bat t les
49
. Wit hout " a decision at t he bat t lef ield, t hey would never
accept his overlordship meekly. Although the superior number and might of the
Greeks went on overpowering t he I ndians, t he consequent st rain of incessant
fighting did not fail t o make it self felt on t he Greeks.

34. Greek writers have described many such battles wit h various I ndian
republics, but t his is no occasion t o ment ion t hem eit her at some lengt h or
briefly. However, some of t he chosen incident s have got t o be given here at
some lengt h, at least as a mark of respect t o t hose brave I ndian republics who,
t hough not j oint ly yet severally, offered t he t oughest of resist ance t o t hat might y
Greek army of a Hundred t housand gallant soldiers and t heir brave, world-
famous, capt ain-general Alexander, who had vowed pompously t o t rample over
t he whole of I ndia and conquer t he Crown of Magadha for himself, and which
finally forced him to st rike a ret reat homeward f rom t he very t hreshold of I ndia.
1.17 REPUBLICS OF SAUBHOOTIS AND KATHAS
35. The const it ut ion of bot h t hese republics was democrat ic. Writ es a Greek
writ er Diodoros,
50
t hey were governed by laws in-t he highest degree salut ary and
t heir polit ical syst em was admirable
50a
. One special f eat ure of t hese republics was
t hat wit h a view t o promot ing healt hy, st rong and handsome progeny, t he
procreat ion of human species was not left t o individual whims and fancies, but
was cont rolled by t he st at e. They were very fond of physical beaut y
50b
. Hence
marriages were arranged not wit h an eye on t he handsome dowry, but wit h
proper considerat ion of mut ual physical f it ness, beaut y and healt h, and t he
abilit y of t he bride and t he bridegroom t o bring fort h healt hy and st urdy children.
Page 18 of 49

1
S T
Even while elect ing t heir leaders, who were-t o guide t he nat ion and bear t he
yoke of nat ional welf are, sufficient weight age was given t o t he candidat e's build
of t he body and physical st rengt h. Their laws regarding t he proper product ion of
human species were so st rict t hat wit hin t hree mont hs of t heir birt h children
were medically examined by t he st at e aut horit ies, and if a child were f ound
wit h some nat ive def ect or t o be suffering from some incurable disease or
def ormed, it was immediat ely put t o deat h under st at e orders without any
mercy
50c
.

35-A. Readers of hist ory know well t hat t he Republic of Spart a had
similar laws about heredit y
51
.

36. Though not so very st rict and rut hless as t he Saubhoot is and t he
Kat has, t here were ot her Ganas or republics in I ndia who paid special at t ent ion
t o heredit y, and t he bringing f ort h of st rong and handsome children. The
'Vrishnis' were also very part icular, f rom t he ancient t imes, about t he physical
beaut y and st rengt h of t heir leaders and st at e officials. The physical st rengt h
and beaut y of t he world-f amous leader of t hese Vrishnis, Lord Shree Krishna,
has been immort alized. Lord Shree Krishna's sons, t oo, have been credit ed by
t he Puranas
52
wit h except ional beaut y.
1.18 REPUBLIC SUBSISTING BY ARMS
37. A good many republics, in the Panchanad (the Punj ab) and along bot h
t he banks of t he I ndus, right up t o it s great leap int o t he sea, were said t o be
living on weapons
53
. The most remarkable f act about t hem was t hat not only t he
men but t he women t oo in t hose republics, had necessarily t o undergo milit ary
t raining so t hat at t he t ime of war, lit erally "t he whole nat ion could be draft ed f or
milit ary act ion. Although different from each other in some particular respect s,
t heir const it ut ions, needless t o say, were essent ially democrat ic. Whet her big or
small in size, t hey were all independent.
1.19 THE REPUBLIC OF THE YOUDHEYAS
38. The Republic of the Yondheyas, spread far and wide in t he fert ile lands t o
t he sout h of t he river Vyas I n t he Panchanad (t he Punj ab), was t he most
prominent of t hem all. I t was looked upon wit h awe and respect by every one
because of it s valiant yout hs who always fought f or t heir independence
regardless of t heir lives. I t was t ruly called, by the foreign historians
54
, 'A nation in
arms'. They too had a law necessit at ing everyone bet ween t he ages of 18 and 21
t o undergo sound milit ary t raining which kept not only t heir male but even t he
female populat ion well-equipped wit h arms.

39. On seeing Alexander march down the Vitasta (Jhelum) and the
Chandrabhaga (Chenab) in order to cross the Vyas, after defeating King Porus, the
adj oining republics and the hill tribes, the gallant Youdheyas
55
, who were to t he
Page 19 of 49

1
S T
sout h of t he river, spurned Alexander's ult imat um of abj ect surrender and
began all-out preparat ions for war. Yet t he so-called Emperor of Magadha, t he
cowardly Dhananand, was not roused from his stupor. That lily-livered coward
does not seem to have sent any military help to the gallant Youdheyas in order
t o vanquish Alexander at t he very port als of I ndia. Nevert heless, t he
Youdheyas got ready to face Alexander, relying on not hing but t heir own
st rengt h.
1.20 ALEXANDERS ARMY STRUCK WITH TERROR
40. When Alexander's army came fight ing t o t he banks of t he river Vyas,
aft er crossing t he I ndus, t he Vit ast a, and t he Chandrabhaga, t hey came t o know
t hat beyond t hat river t he democrat ic Youdheyas had t aken arms t o fight for
t heir independence against t he Greeks. Besides, t hey learnt about t heir bravery
and also of t he fact t hat beyond t he Youdheyas might ier I ndian st at es along t he
banks of t he Ganges were making ready t o fight wit h t hem. Though t he Greek
soldiers already spent and disgust ed wit h unceasing warfare wit h t he I ndians in
t he Panchanad, dared not cross t he Vyas and j oin bat t le wit h t he courageous and
daring I ndian st at es like t he Youdheyas and t he ot hers
56
.

41. But t he lust for war and conquest of t heir war-int oxicat ed
ent erprising, and except ionally courageous captain-general and emperor,
Alexander, was not quenched in the least . He proclaimed, t hroughout all t he
divisions of his army, his immut able decision t o cress t he Vyas, conquer t he
Youdheyas and March, straight off to Magadha. This obstinat e declarat ion of
Alexander roused a great furore and rage amongst t he already war-weary army,
even amongst t he vet erans! The Greek soldiers secret ly began t o pass resolu-
t ions, group by group, t o refuse st raight away t o go ahead. I n spit e of t he fact
t hat t hey had been considering Alexander unconquerable and t he son of God
Zeus, t hey were ext remely disgust ed wit h his lust for power. No sooner did
Alexander smell of t his dissat isfact ion amongst his soldiers, he delivered an
inspiring speech.
1.21 ALEXANDERS SPEECH TO HIS ARMY57
41-A "On seeing t hat you, O Macedonians and allies! No longer follow
me int o dangers wit h your wont ed alacrit y. I have summoned you t o t his
assembly t hat I may eit her persuade you t o go fart her or t o be persuaded by
you t o t urn back-...if we have driven t he Scyt hians back int o t heir desert s, and
if besides t he I ndus, Hydaspcs, Akesines and Hydraot es flow t hrough t he
t errit ories t hat are ours, why should you hesit at e t o pass t he Hyphasis also? Are
you afraid?

41-B. For my part , I t hink t hat t o a man of spirit t here is no ot her aim and
end of his labours except t he labours t hemselves

41-C But if any one wishes t o know t he limit s of t he present warfare, let
him underst and t hat t he river Ganges and t he East ern sea are now at no great
dist ance off
Page 20 of 49

1
S T

41-D But if we t urn back, many warlike nat ions ext ending beyond t he
Hyphasis t o East ern sea and many ot hers lying nort hwards bet ween t hese and
Hyrkania, t o say not hing of t heir neighbours, t he Scyt hian t ribes, will be left behind
us unconquered, so t hat if we t urn back, t here is cause t o fear lest t he conquered
nat ions, as yet wavering in t heir fidelit y, may be inst igat ed t o revolt by t hose who
are st ill independent . O Macedonians and allies! Glory crowns t he deeds of t hose
who expose t hemselves t o t oils and dangers.

41-E. Such of you as wish t o ret urn home I shall send back t o your own
count ry, or even myself will lead you back.

41-F. According t o Smit h, he (Alexander) recit ed t he glories of t heir
.wondrous conquest s from Hellespont t o Hyphasis and promised t hem t he dominion
riches of all Asia. But glowing words fell on unwilling ears and were received wit h
painful silence, which remained unbroken for a long t ime (P. 79).

42. But t he effect of his inspiring speech was cont rary t o his expect at ions. As
it was now amply clear from t he very lips of Alexander t hat t hey would be required
t o fight more sanguinary wars of at t rit ion, t hey were scared t o t he marrow. Dr.
Jayswal writ es in his Hindu Polit y, The Greek army refused t o move an inch forward
against t he nat ions whose very name, according t o Alexander, st ruck his soldiers
wit h t error
58
.

43. Alexander was ext remely enraged t o see t hat his soldiers disobeyed him
by flat ly refusing t o cross t he Vyas in order t o save all furt her t rouble, because
t hey were t horoughly exhaust ed and afraid t o fight immediat ely wit hout any rest
59
.
But Alexander was as cunning as he was brave. Apprehending danger, Alexander
refrained from doing any t hing rash in a fit of anger and st raight away walked off
int o his t ent in ut t er despair. He st opped t alking t o anybody. He did not show
himself out side his t ent for t hree consecut ive days
60
. Then he t hought fully hat ched a
new plan in his mind. He, t hereaft er, gat hered t he whole of t he Greek army and t old
t hem t hat he had given up t he plan of crossing t he Vyas. He said, I have now
decided t o go back t o Greece . This st at ement nat urally elat ed t he rank and file of
his army. Alexander t hen asked, "But how are we t o go back? I f we t urn our backs
st raight away and go t o Greece by t he same rout e as we came along, all t his I ndian
Territ ory we have conquered would rise in revolt , t hinking t hat we are st ricken wit h
t error. So inst ead of t urning our back st raight off t owards t he land rout e t o Greece
we should bet t er go a lit t le obliquely t o t he sea along t he banks of t he I ndus and
t hen ret urn t o Persia along t he sea-rout e. Next t ime when we shall come again t o
I ndia, we shall conquer t he I ndian st at es beyond t he Ganges and accomplish our
conquest of I ndia
6Oa
.

44. True it is t hat Alexander said When once again we shall come t o I ndia-
"But O Greek Capt ain General, once again! Truly! But when? Let alone t he kingdoms
beyond t he Ganges but if t hese very st at es t hat you have conquered t oday were t o
renounce t he yoke of your sovereignt y and become indepedent , t hen? Nay, even
before t hat next t ime you ment ioned, if you yourself were t o be no more t hen...?
Even t he race of Zeus can succumb t o t he ravages of t ime, may it t hen belong t o
Greece! "

Page 21 of 49

1
S T
45. I f t hose I ndian Gymnosophist s, ascet ics and recluses have ridiculed
Alexanders t hreat of coming back again t o I ndia in some such manner, it could
never have been out of place.
1.22 ALEXANDERS RETREAT
46. However loudly and pompously Alexander might have swaggered wit h
his mout h, t he fact remains t hat t he Greek soldiers t ook a fright of t he Youdheyas
and ot hers beyond t he Vyas and hence Alexander could not dare cross t hat river!
I ndian valour had t aken t he conceit out of t he haught y spirit of t he advancing Greek
army, and so t hey had t o st rike a ret reat . Alexander did not ret ire willingly. The
Greeks proved t o be powerless before t he I ndians, and hence was t his ignoble
ret reat ! To hide t his simple fact t he Greek & European hist orians writ e, "Had he but
crossed t he Vyas Alexander would have defeat ed not only t he Youdhey but and t he
Magadha empire also. The Youdheyas and t he Magadhas had never act ually
defeat ed t he Greek army of Alexander on t he open bat t lefield
61
. These boast ful ifs
and whens can be answered most apt ly on behalf of t he valorous I ndian
Youdheyas in some such way:
7 :

: =
62

- Kalidas' Shakunt alam, Act 3 Shloka 1

[ Why fight wit h an enemy who flees away at t he mere t wang of our
bow]

47. Again t his t ypical it ch of t he Greek army for fight ing in t he open field was
t o be allayed for ever by t he I ndian milit ary st rengt h a lit t le lat er! Soon
Chandragupt a was t o make his ent ry on t he milit ary st age of I ndia. Wait a bit , O
you, reader!
1.23 ALEXANDER BUILDS A POWERFUL NAVY
48. Soon aft er his ret reat from t he Vyas, Alexander had five t o six hundred
warships built in order t o make his way t o t he sea along t he course of t he I ndus
63
.
Embarking t housands of his well-equipped warriors on t hese warships, he began t o
march of f t o t he sea t hrough t he river. About t he commencement of t his voyage of
Alexander along t he wat ers of t he I ndus, arrived t he t wo fresh regiment s of forces
ordered from Babylon and Greece
63a
. Nat urally, t he heret ofore war-weary and
rebellious freek soldiers of Alexander were cheered up once more.

49. But while Alexander was making his way t owards t he sea aft er st riking
an honourable ret reat from t he Vyas, a very great polit ical conspiracy began t o
shape it self most secret ly t hroughout t he Greek-t rodden I ndian Territ ory from t he
banks of t he Vyas right up t o Gandhar. But of t hat conspiracy we shall have
occasion t o speak in a more det ailed way a lit t le lat er. Here it should suffice t o say
t hat ; t he I ndian republics along bot h t he banks of t he I ndus, whet her big or small-
made light of Alexanders t hreat t o come again t o conquer I ndia as not hing more
t han a pompous polit ical st unt , and prepared grimly t o oppose his forces as severely
Page 22 of 49

1
S T
and as st ubbornly as possible. But alas! I t was a decision t aken separat ely by each
part icular republic; it was not a well-organized, unit ed effort , under a cent ral
aut horit y t o dest roy t he Greeks under Alexander. Hence t he same st ory of Gandhar
and Punchanad was repeat ed here, and t he well organized army of Alexander, wit h
it s superior numbers, could successfully fight each I ndian republic and go ahead.
Even if t hese st ray bat t les wit h various I ndian armies did not fail t o exhaust and
weaken Alexanders forces, st ill t hey could not crush him complet ely. There were, of
course, some except ions t o t hese separat ist war-effort s. Of t hem at least t wo, which
even t he host ile Greek hist orians praise whole-heart edly and which gave such a
severe blow t o Alexander, deserve a brief ment ion here.
1.24 THE REPUBLICS OF THE MALAVAS AND THE SHUDRAKAS
50. The t wo republics led t heir separat e lives along t he banks of t he I ndus.
Bot h were rich, brave democracies wit h a high sense of honour. Of t he t wo, Malava
republic was t he more famous from t he ancient t imes and was quit e ext ensive.
These t wo republics had at t imes been host ile t o each ot her. But when t hey saw
Alexanders powerful navy went on defeat ing every single I ndian st at e in various
bat t les and kept on f orging it s way t o t he sea, t he polit ical leaders of bot h t hese
republics decided t o correct t he mist ake of t hese several I ndian democracies which
fought singly wit h a vast ly superior enemy, a mist ake which was proving fat al t o
t heir wider nat ional int erest s. So, inst ead of fight ing t he Greek army singly, t hey
decided t o amalgamat e t heir fight ing forces under a unified cont rol64. Not only did
t hey unit e t heir men at arms but t hey int ermarried in order t o bring about polit ical
and social unit y among t hem. For t he int ermingling of cast es and blood t hey had a
great collect ive marriage ceremony, wherein at least a t housand girls from bot h t he
'Ganas' (republics) were int er-married t o t he yout hs of t he ot her republic.

51. While t his unified army of t he Malava-Shudrak republics was fight ing
t oot h and nail wit h t he Greeks, Alexander laid siege t o one t heir import ant cit ies.
Alt hough t he name of t his cit y cannot be ascert ained posit ively, it must have been
some capit al cit y or one of similar import ance. As t his republican cit y kept on
fight ing desperat ely t he Greek siege had t o prolong. The haught y Alexander could
not bear it . He t hought of ordering t he ladders t o be put up on t he rampart s of t he
enemy st ronghold and commanding his Greek soldiers t o climb t hem up and
st rainght away st orm t he cit y.

52. But t he same sort of unrest and disaffect ion against Alexander began t o
be seen in his army as was once experienced at t he t ime of t he crossing of t he
Vyas. The Greek army was avowedly wending it s way homeward in order t o avoid
new wars. But all along t he bank of t he I ndus t hey had t o fight fresh bat t les. And
t hey knew t hat unless Alexander gave up his aggressive designs calculat ed t o pacify
his unsat iable lust for conquest s brut al wars were unavoidable. Because of t his bit t er
war wit h t he Malava-Shudrak combined forces, t he Greek discont ent reached t he
climax and t here were rebellious whispers openly flout ing Alexanders commands.

52-A. When t he Macedonian soldiers found t hat t hey had st ill on hand a
fresh war which t he most war-like nat ions () would be t heir ant agonist s, t hey
were st ruck wit h unexpect ed t error and began again t o upbraid t he King in t he
Page 23 of 49

1
S T
language of sedit ion. (Curt ius Bk. I X Ch. I V as quot ed in Hindu Polit y) (Mc Crindle t .
L. by, Alexander P. 234).

53. St ill in t he end Alexander promulgat ed his command t o his soldiers t o
climb up t he ladders and leap st raight int o t he enemy st ronghold which valiant ly
defied t he Greek siege. Seeing t hat his Greek soldiers hesit at ed t o undert ake t he
daring feat , t hat except ionally valiant commander of t he Greeks, t he might y
Alexander, himself began t o climb one of t he ladders put up against t he rampart s of
t he st ronghold. At t his t he whole Macedonian army was suddenly inspired t o do t he
great deed, and all began t o climb inst ant aneously. Once at t he t op of t he rampart s
Alexander st raight away j umped down in t he midst of t he enemy and t here ensued a
hand-t o-hand fight bet ween t he I ndian and t he Greek f orces.
And suddenly -

54. And suddenly an I ndian warrior t ook out an envenomed arrow from his
sheat h and applied it t o his bowst ring and let it fly wit h an unmist akable aim at t he
place where Alexander st ood edging on his warriors, and shining in his golden
helmet
65
.

55. I t was not an arrow; it was in fact I ndian revenge incarnat e. To use t he
lines of poet Moropant (wit h a slight variat ion, of course) we can say -

( ~

(Wit h apologies t o Moropant - )
1.25 ALEXANDER ROLLED INTO A POOL OF BLOOD
56. The shaft of t he I ndian warrior unmist akably pierced t he heart of
Alexander, and suddenly t he emperor rolled down unconscious
66
. A Greek soldier
immediat ely covered him wit h his shield. There was a sudden hue and cry in t he
Greek ranks t hat Alexander had been wounded, t hat he had fallen unconscious.
Wit h except ional daring t he Greeks lift ed him from t he pool of blood and carried him
safely t o his camp. There wit h great difficult y t hat t errible shaft of t he I ndian warrior
was ext ricat ed. The Greeks heaved a sigh of relief when aft er a long t ime of pat ient
nursing, Alexander gradually regained consciousness. I t t ook several days for t he
wound t o heal up. During all t his t ime Alexander was confined t o bed.

57. But everywhere, in Babylon and Greece, t he news t hat was received
report ed t hat Alexander was killed in t he war by an I ndian arrow
67
. Consequent ly
t here were some uprisings in Gandhar and Persia. But lat er on when it was known
t hat Alexander was only severely wounded and was now recovering, t he sit uat ion
came t o normalcy.

58. No wonder what soever, if t he news of Alexanders having faint ed by a
bow-shot was greet ed cheerfully t hroughout t he Malava-Shudrak republic. Alexander
was so much puffed up wit h pride when King Pourav (Poros) was wounded in t he
bat t le, t hat he circulat ed a new coin wit h a pict ure showing his fall st amped on it .
The coin is st ill t o be seen as a mark of his vanit y
67a
. That insult inflict ed on I ndia
was fully avenged by t he I ndian arrow which sent t he Greek emperor rolling down
Page 24 of 49

1
S T
on t he bat t lefield in pools of blood. The I onian Emperor, Alexander, who
unj ust ifiably shed I ndian blood, was made t o at one for it personally by t he shedding
of his blood.

59. The Malava-Shudrak republic t oo should have st amped on some golden
coin t he pict ure of Alexander fallen in a pool of blood wit h an arrow deeply t hrust
int o his chest . Possibly t hey did.

60. According t o his cruel milit ary code, he had been cruelly crushing down
t he st at es which had opposed him. But whenever t here appeared any foe who was
equally st rong and who ret aliat ed furiously, Alexander had t he cunning t o dissemble
nobilit y and frankness of heart . When he recovered from his wound, he began t o
make overt ures of peace t o t he commanders of t he Malava-Shudrak army inst ead of
dict at ing his usual arrogant t erms
68
. For cease-fire t alks a hundred represent at ives
of t he j oint Malava-Shudrak republic were elect ed, and for t hem Alexander held a
grand recept ion ceremony in his camp. Det ailed and very ent ert aining descript ions
of t his recept ion are available in t he books of Greek hist orians
69
. But for want of
space we have t o sat isfy ourselves wit h a brief reference t o it . The hundred
represent at ives were, even according t o t he Greek st andards, of uncommon height ,
heavily built , having handsome muscular bodies. They were clad in valuable
embroidered clot hes and had worn beaut iful ornament s of gold and pearls and
precious st ones. Every one of t hem went t o t he Greek camp in his well-decorat ed
and well-equipped golden chariot . They had wit h t hem elephant s, t oo, wit h cost ly
and beaut iful out fit s. The Greeks had always felt a special fascinat ion for t he
elephant s.

61. Alt hough ranking in his mind was t he fact t hat t hese very represent at ives
of t he Malava-Shudrak j oint republic had brought upon him a lit t le while ago, a
mort al danger, Alexander showed his magnanimit y in t hat recept ion ceremony and
paraded his own imperial splendour. For every one of t hose hundred represent at ives
t here was a special golden seat . The banquet which was given in t heir honour was
at t ended wit h cost ly wines and excellent savoury dishes
68a
. The grand banquet was
followed by various field games and t ournament s, music and dancing. I n t he end, a
t reat y was signed by t he Malava-Shudrak represent at ives and Alexa.nder
70
.

62. The divergent account s given about t his t reat y by various Greek writ ers
of t he t ime have at least t his much in common t o t ell. The Greeks and t he I ndians
had j oint ly agreed t o put a st op t o t heir host ilit ies and t hat t he Malava-Shudrak
republic was not t o cause any harassment t o t he ret reat ing army of Alexander while
it was progressing on it s way home along t he I ndus. Of t hese t wo valiant republics,
t he Malavas will be referred t o lat er on when; I shall be describing t he wars wit h t he
Sakas, t he Yuechis and ot her Mlenchha powers. The fact t hat t his Malava republic
had been prosperous and st rong for many cent uries t o come, t herefore, need not be
specially proved.

63. Even t he Greek writ ers could not help recording some more act s or
valour during t he I ndian resist ance t o t he Greek onslaught , alt hough t he det ails of
t he t ime and place of t heir happenings are not available. Two of t hem are cit ed here
t o serve as specimens.
Page 25 of 49

1
S T
1.26 THE TREACHEROUS ATTACK OF THE GREEKS ON MASAGA
TRIBE
64. At Masaga, Alexader capt ured a small armed communit y of seven
t housand, which included several women. Alexander promised t hem t heir lives on
condit ion t hat t hey should j oin his army and fight wit h his I ndian enemies, or else,
he t hreat ened t hem wit h wholesalem an-slaught er. Or, as a t hird alt ernat ive, he
said, he would carry t hem off as slaves! The leaders of t he communit y agreed t o his
first proposal, but request ed t hat t hey should be allowed one night for mut ual
exchange of views. Alexander agreed. Thereupon t hese seven t housand I ndians
marched t owards a hill some nine miles ahead of t he Greek Camp. Writ es Vincent
Smit h, The I ndians being unwilling t o aid t he foreigners in t he subj ugat ion of t heir
count rymen desired t o evade t he unwelcome obligat ion
70a
. So t hey decided t o give
t he slip t o t he Greeks. But Alexander came t o know of t heir int ent ion. So while t hey
were sleeping for a lit t le rest , Alexander fell upon t hem all of a sudden wit h his huge
army and began t o cut down everyone. There was a great havo amongst t hose
I ndians. But wit hin a short t ime t hey drew up t heir swords and ot her weapons. They
made a hollow circular format ion, gat hering t he women and children inside it , and
faced t he Greek at t ack most heroically. A good many women also were found
desperat ely fight ing wit h t he foe. Till almost all of t hem were killed t hey kept on
fight ing f or t he freedom of t heir nat ion.

64-A. The gallant defenders met a glorious deat h which t hey would have
disclaimed t o exchange for a life wit h dishonour. (Early Hist ory of I ndia, by Vincent
Smit h 1924, Page 59)

1.27 THE AGRASHRENIS

65. This lit t le I ndian republic of t he Agrashrenis t oo, inst ead of surrendering,
fought t o t he last wit h t he vast Greek navy of Alexander as it was making it s
headway t o t he sea t hrough t he course of t he I ndus. When t he Greeks at t acked
t heir very capit al t hese brave I ndian warriors erect ed blockades and barricades at
different int ervals and fought every inch of t heir ground so t enaciously t hat
Alexander could not ent er t he cit y before he had sacrificed many Greek lives.
According t o Curt ius
71
, when t hose brave fellows could not furt her resist t he odds,
t hey (t he Agrashrenis) set t heir houses on fire and t heir wives and children and all
t hrew t hemselves int o t he flames
71a
! " That is t o say, t hey made j ohar (t o use lat er
day phraseology) .
1.28 THIS IS THE SAME JOHAR! - JAI HAR!!
66. We generally believe t hat t his magnificent and awe-inspiring t radit ion of
j ohar or self-immolat ion of large groups of men and women in t imes of nat ional
crisis was originally pract ised by t he Raj put s only. But inst ances, like t he one j ust
ment ioned, cit ed by t he Greek writ ers who were ast ounded t o wit ness t hem, go t o
prove t hat , even before t he name of t he Raj put s was ever heard of, t his splendid
t radit ion was followed by our I ndian warriors right from t he ancient days. The word
Page 26 of 49

1
S T
j ohar is comparat ively modern. I t was perhaps derived from t he war-cry Jai Har!
The I ndian God of war and dest ruct ion is Har! Har! Mahadev! ! That is why t he
I ndians fought desperat ely inspired by t his deafening war-cry! The Marat has t oo
used t he same war-cry Har, Har, Mahadev! Aft er fight ing t o t he last , when every
hope of success was over, or every chance of escape from t he enemy was lost , t his
j ohar, t his mart yrdom, t his noblest t ype of self-sacrifice was resort ed t o by t he
Hindus as t he last unfailing weapon t o save t heir religion, t heir nat ion, t heir own
self-respect and t o avoid capacit y, abj ect slavery and hat eful conversion! As soon as
all men of fight ing age were slain on t he bat t lef ield aft er t aking t he great est t oll of
t he enemy blood, t heir wives, mot hers, daught ers, hundreds of t hem, wit h babies at
t heir breast s, used t o leap int o t he burning pyres, specially kept ready for t he
purpose, and were reduced t o ashes. This was what .known as Johar was it was not
an easy j ob! I t was t he limit s of valour and endurance for t he sake of keeping up
t he prest ige of ones self and ones own religion!

67. Whoever had donned t his except ional armour of j ohar and it s leaping
flames were beyond all at t empt s of an Alexander, an Alla-ud-Din or a Salim-why,
even of Sat an himself-t o pollut e t hem and convert t hem t o his religion! Confront ed
wit h t his horrible sacrificial fire t he enemy st ood aghast , discomfit ed and crest -
fallen.

68. The above-ment ioned j ohar-collect ive immolat ion of lives-by t he
Agrashrenis is one of t he many described\ by t he ast ounded Greek writ ers, and
which t he I ndians preferred t o t he humiliat ion of being t he capt ives of t he Greeks.
1.29 THE JANAPAD REPUBLIC OF BRAHMANAKAS!
69. At last when Alexander's naval force reached t he mout h of t he I ndus,
fight ing incessant ly all t he way, it met wit h yet ot her independent republics. These
j anapadas or Ganas were like t he small Greek cit y-st at es, and had none amongst
t hem which could ably wit hst and wit h equal numbers t he might y and numerous
army of Alexander. St ill one of t hem, t he Brahmanak j anapad made up it s mind t o
cross swords wit h, rat her t han submit t o, Alexander. This was t he same Brahmanak
j anapad which is referred t o by Panini, says Dr. Jayaswal
71b
. I t is already t old how,
while fight ing in t he Panchanad (t he Punj ab), Alexander had wreaked his
rancourous revenge against t he clan of philosophers, especially t he Brahmans.
When Alexander learnt t hat it was t he same clan of Brahmans, t o which t his small
st at e belonged, he decided t o whack his malicious st roke upon it wit h all his might .
Plut arch (McCrindJe I nvasion of I ndia by Alexander P. 306; V; A. Smit h E. H. I . P.
106) writ es in his Life of Alexander, These philosophers were specially marked
down for revenge by Alexander as t hey gave him no less t rouble t han t he
mercenaries. They reviled t he princes who declared for Alexander and encouraged
free st at es (in I ndia) t o revolt against his aut horit y. On t his account he hanged
many of t hem ( Ch LI X) .

69-A. That lit t le Janapad t oo fought t o t he last wit h t hese Greeks for t he
sake of it s nat ional honour and independence.
Page 27 of 49

1
S T
1.30 PATTANPRASTHA
70. What now is called by t he Muslims, Sindh Hyderabad, was at t hat t ime
known as Pat t anprast ha. I n Sanskrit language t he cit ies along t he sea-shore or at
t he mout hs of rivers were most ly called Pat t an. Pat t an is equivalent t o t he English
word Port . Perhaps t he English word Port might have been a corrupt ion of t he
Sanskrit Pat t an. When Alexander neared t he sea t his small st at e of Pat t anprast ha
was confront ed wit h a dilemma: t o surrender t o t he enemy was most hat eful t o t he
Pat t anprast his, but t hey knew full well t hat t hey would never be able t o fight wit h
t he powerf ul Greek army on equal ground. So t hey resolved t he dilemma by
forsaking, collect ively, t heir nat ive count ry, t heir homes and landed propert y and
mot herland wit h sad heart s
72
.
1.31 ALEXANDERS HOMEWARD VOYAGE
71. That part of t he ocean where t he I ndus flows int o it should really be
called Sindhusagar. Sindhusagar, a name for t he sea t o t he west of I ndia is a fit t ing
count erpart for t he Gangasagar, a t radit ional name for t he east ern sea.

72. On first reaching t he sea, Alexander divided his army int o t wo part s. The
first bat ch he sent back t o I ran (Persia) by a land rout e t hrough what now goes by
t he name of Balucbist an
73
. The whole of Alexanders army had been t horoughly
exhaust ed in t his expedit ion t o I ndia. Moreover, Baluchist an, at t hat t ime was full of
impregnable forest s and t horoughly unknown t o t he Greeks. So, t he Greek division,
sent t his way, somehow reached Persia, aft er so many hazards and privat ions. On
t he ot her hand, Alexander himself set sail by t he sea-rout e wit h anot her division of
his army and reached Persia
74
. As t he whole of t he old Persian Empire had now
formed a part of Alexanders great er demsne he went t o his capit al namely Babylon.
But he did not ret urn t o t he capit al in t hat same t riumpnant spirit in which he had
st art ed on his I ndian campaign t wo years ago, wit h a view t o winning for himself
t he vaunt f ul t it le of t he Emperor of I ndia. Not only did he not ret urn like t he
Emperor of I ndia, he did not even appear t o be an emperor at all. He ret urned j ust
like an ordinary commander of an army despaired and worn out aft er a long-drawn
and hazardous campaign.
1.32 INDIA WAS NOT PERSIA
73. The cause of t his disappoint ment of Alexander was t hat t he Greeks up t o
t hat t ime knew only one empire, wort h t he name, -much more ext ensive t han t heir
own Persia! When t hese Greeks marched upon t hat Persian emipre under t heir
uncommonly brave and brilliant commander, Alexander, and when aft er only t wo or
t hree campaigns t he vast Persian Empire fell before t hem like a paper palace, t hey
were so much flushed wit h t heir vict ory t hat t hey fondly considered t heir
commander t o be endowed wit h divine qualit ies, and as such unconquerable.
Alexander himself could not escape t he infect ion of pride. His ambit ion t o win for
himself t he over lordship of t he whole world soared t o t he sky. Bharat appeared t o
him j ust next t o and as easy a prey as, Persia. So very vast a land and so very
weak! ! ! So he want ed t o crown his Persian conquest wit h t he glit t ering diadem of
t he I ndian imperial aut horit y. Greedily enough he ran t o have it wit h all hast e!
Page 28 of 49

1
S T

74. But t he experience he had was quit e cont rary t o what he had expect ed.
I n I ndia he had t o face t he bit t erest . Opposit ion at every st ep. Alt hough he never
lost a bat t le as such, his Greek army was complet ely exhaust ed and exasperat ed in
t he very process of winning t hem. These vict ories were far t oo cost lier t han t he ones
in Persia, and all t heir vaunt ful declarat ions of conquering I ndia as easily as Persia
proved t o be empt y words full of sound and fury signifying not hing. And in t he end
he had t o ret urn wit h t he acquisit ion of only a small st rip of land along t he I ndus
river.

75. Thus was Alexander disappoint ed and t o a cert ain ext ent insult ed. But
t hat valiant emperor was not downcast ! He was it ching t o ret urn once again t o I ndia
aft er st abilizing t hings in t he newly conquered regions of I ndia and annexing t hem
permanent ly t o his vast empire, like t hose of Syria, Persia, Babylon and ot hers.

76. Alexander declared t he annexat ion of t he region from Hindukush and
Gandhar t o Taxila (Takshasheela), half of t he Panclhanad up t o t he river Vyas, and
t hat from t he confluence of .t he Vit ast a wit h t he I ndus t o t he sea. He appoint ed t he
I ndian King Ambuj or Ambhi of Taxila his governor (Sat rap) of t he Hindukush
region
75
, and King Porus as his governor of t he Panchanad. To t he t hird but narrow
st rip of land along t he I ndus, were appoint ed his t wo t rust ed Greek generals, Philip
and Nicanor, under whom he placed t he mobile force of t he Greeks. He est ablished
in I ndia some t ownships t oo, one of which was Alexandria in t he direct ion of Taxila
76
.

1.33 ALEXANDERS DEATH
77. Before Alexander decided t o st abilize t hings in t he I ndian Territ ory he had
recent ly capt ured, he learnt t hat t he local democrat ic inst it ut ions refused t o accept
his over lordship
77
. Even while Alexander was in Sindh, he received int elligence of a
revolt by t he I ndian subj ect s in Gandhar. He was about t o send a fresh and large
Greek army t o Gandhar. But in quick succession followed anot her dist urbing news of
a fresh conspiracy being hat ched in t he Punj ab (Panchanad) t o overt hrow Alexander
complet ely. But Alexander could at t hat t ime do not hing t o t hwart any such at t empt s
at revolt . During his campaign against I ndia not only his army but he himself was
complet ely exhaust ed. To add t o it , his addict ion t o drinking had grown beyond all
limit s of safet y; he suddenly t ook ill and died in B.C. 323. That is t o say, hardly
wit hin a-year-and-a-half of his ret urn from I ndia wit h all his army t he great Greek
(Macedonian) Emperor breat hed his last at Babylon
78
.
1.34 INDIAN POLITICIANS CONSPIRE
78. As has already been t old, as soon as Alexander began t o ret reat along
t he I ndus, some of t he I ndian polit icians began hat ching out a secret plan
against t he Greeks in t he Punj ab t o win back t heir lost freedom. But it was not
merely aimed at t he recovery of t he lost t errit ory. I t was essent ially t o overhaul
and revolut ionize t he whole gamut of t he polit ical life of I ndia and t o bring about
a sweeping change in t he int ernal life of t he count ry. Even if Alexander had not
died so soon, t he deep-laid I ndian plot was dest ined t o achieve t his daring
Page 29 of 49

1
S T
polit ical revolut ion. This sudden deat h of Alexander, however, gave I ndian
polit ical workers an unexpect ed golden opport unit y and t hey were quick enough
t o ut ilize it for t he overt hrow of t he Greek power.
1.35 GREEK GOVERNORS BEHEADED
79. Alexander had left behind Nicanor and Philip as t he chief
represent at ives of t he Greeks. When t he news of Alexanders deat h reached
I ndia t he I ndians in t he republic of t he Ashvinis suddenly fell upon t he Greek
Governor, Philip, and assassinat ed him along wit h his small Greek regiment
79
.
The second, Nicanor, was also similarly despat ched,
80
and all t hose monarchies
and republics along t he banks of t he I ndus which had acquiesced in t he Greek
overlordship, shook it off at once and proclaimcd t heir independence fort hwit h.
Greek colonies, Greek ensigns and st andards-what ever signified t he Greek power
were complet ely dest royed on t he spot . The whole of t he t ract along t he banks
of t he I ndus right from t he Panchanad t o Sindh which Alexander had conquered
and annexed for ever and anon t o his empire, became independent wit hin six
mont hs of Alexanders deat h
81
.

80. Alexander had conquered st at es und count ries and empires like Greece,
Syria, Persia, Babylon, Egypt and t he like. There founded Greek cit ies and Greek
colonies, and even aft er t he division of his vast empire, j ust aft er his deat h, his
governors and milit ary commanders and t heir dcscendant s ruled t he respect ive
regions like Babylon for cent uries t oget her. Even now in some ot her count ries cit ies
exist wit h t he name Alexanderia, and Alexanders name is ever crowned wit h t he
honorifix The Great t hroughout ancient hist ory.

81. But what happened in Bharat ? The small st at es and republics in t he
fart hest corner of I ndia which Alexander had annexed t o his empire under t he
impression t hat he had conquered t hem for ever and for ever, aft er fight ing inces-
sant ly on various bat t lefields for t wo long years and shedding t he blood of millions of
Greek and Hindu soldiers - t hose very I ndian st at es and republics and monarchies
lit erally uproot ed his power, his st andard, t he Greek coloniesand every hat ed sign of
t he Greek vict ry-and t hat t oo wit Jrin six mont hs or at t he most a year
81a
!

82. At last , not t o speak of t he cit y of Alexandria which he had est ablished,
his own name t oo is not t o be t raced anywhere in I ndian hist ory, as if t here never
was any invasion, any aggression on I ndias borderland of any Mlenchh (Yavan)
emperor, named Alexander, who dinned t he ears of t he people t hroughout Europe
wit h his proud t it le, The Great ! Curiously enough, even no st ray reference has yet
been discovered in Vedic or Jain or Buddhist ancient lit erat ure.

83. Writ es Vincent Smit h in his famous Early Hist ory of I ndia: All t hese
proceedings prove conclusively t hat Alexander int ended t he permanent annexat ion of
t hose (I ndian) provinces t o his empire. But wit hin t hree years of his depart ure from
I ndia (fron 325 BC t o 322 BC) his officers in I ndia were oust ed, his garrisons
dest royed and all t races of his rule had disappeard. The colonies which he founded in
I ndia, unlike t hose est ablished elsewhere in Asiat ic provinces t ook no root . His
campaign t hough carefully designed t o secure a permanent conquest was in act ual
effect no more t han a brilliant ly successful raid on a gigant ic scale which left upon
I ndia no mark save t he horrid scars of a bloody war. I ndia remained unchanged. She
Page 30 of 49

1
S T
cont inued her life of splendid isolat ion and soon forgot t he passing of t he
Macedonian st orm. No I ndian aut hor-Hindu, Buddhist or Jain-makes even t he faint est
allusion t o Alexander or his deeds; (Page 117).

84. Who were t he most prominent leaders of t his polit ical conspiracy which
wiped out , wit hin a period of six mont hs or a year, t he whole of foreign polit ical
dominance caused Alexanders aggression right from t he Panchanad t o Sindh?
Hist ory as yet is ignorant of t heir names
81b
! St ill t wo of t hem at least have become
immort al! They are t he same t wo men whom I have ment ioned while describing
A1exander's advance up t o Taxila. The first was a brilliant and smart yout h, who had
j ust complet ed his st udies at t he Universit y of Taxila, Chandragupt a! And t he ot her
was Acharya Chanakya, who had been a t eacher at t hat Universit y and who lat er on
gave pract ical lessons in polit ical craft and polit ical revolut ions t o t he young
Chandragupt a! As t hey were t o lead t he whole of Bharat hereaft er, it is fit and
proper t hat t hey should be int roduced here.
1.36 THE STORY OF CHANDRAGUPTAS BIRTH
85. Like all ot her great men of t he ancient world Chandragupt a and Chanakya
have t heir life-st ories clouded wit h legends, ancedot es and imaginary account s.
Those who are int erest ed in t hem for t he sake of int ellect ual ent ert ainment may
profit ably read Radhakumud Mukherj ee's Chandragupt a Maurya And His Times. We
shall give here only so much of t heir lives as appear t o us t o have hist orical sanct ion.

86. Some small bands of t he Shakyas, amongst whom was born t he great
Lord Gaut am Buddha, had at one t ime t o shift t o far off regions because of some
disast rous calamit y t hat had befallen t hem. They called t hemselves Kshat riyas.
However, in t hose adverse days t hose displaced Shakyas began t o follow ot her
professions for t heir livelihood. There happened t o be a plent iful breed of peacocks
in t he forest where t hese t rt bes lat er on lived. To keep t hese peacocks and sell t hem
became one of t heir professions. So t hey had Moriya as t heir nickname, and t he
Moriyas formed a class by t hemselves. One family of t hese Moriyas came back t o
set t le in t he vicinit y of Pat aliput ra. One woman of t hat Moriya t ribe named Mura
(Mayura) somehow got access t o t he harem of t he royal palace and soon became
t he concubine of t he Emperor, Mahapadmanand-or Dhananand as he was generally
called. Her son from t his Nanda Emperor was t he same Emperor Chandragupa.

87. However, when Chandragupt a became an emperor, t he st ory of his birt h
might have appeared derogat ory t o his great ness and t herefore in some books of t he
t ime t he st ory was slight 1y alt ered t o mean t hat Muradevi was t he wedded queen of
t he Nanda emperor, not his concubine, which in consequence meant t hat
Chandragupt a was a legit imat e royal prince and not an illegit imat e one.

88. But a t hird anecdot e seems t o out do bot h t he above, st ories saying t hat
Mura and Emperor Nanda were in no way connect ed. Mura had a son from her
husband of t he same clan and t hat son was Chandragupt a himself. Lat er on wit h t he
help and guidance of Arya Chanakya and wit h his own valour he raised his poor
fat her and mot her t o eminence and aft er wrest ing t he imperial power from t he
Nandas he founded t he Maurya Dynast y
82
.

Page 31 of 49

1
S T
89. I t seems a common weakness among all human societ ies and
communit ies, in a great er or lesser degree, t o at t empt t o j udge t he great ness or
meanness of an individual, not so much from his manifest virt ues or vices as from
t he race, t he communit y or t he family he is born in. That is why as t he t ime passes
such inflat ed anecdot es about t heir family t radit ion are propagat ed and popularized
t hrough plays, poems and novels or t hrough folk-lores. There are ot her anecdot es
t oo besides t he ones referred t o above, which seek t o ascribe great ness or meanness
t o Chandragupt a. But for t he reasons giyen above t hey need not be ment ioned here.

90. Was Chandragupt a a concubines son? Was he not a Kshat riya? What
mat t ers t hough! Chandragupt a could have said wit h j ust ifiable pride, More t han
any of you, nominal cast e-born Kshat riyas, who bowed your heads t o t he
Mlenchhas, t he Greek emperor and his commanders, I , a peerless
Chandragupt a, have a great er claim t o being a Kshat riya in as much as wit h my
sword I have complet ely vanquished t hose very Mlenchhas in every bat t lefield.
Wit h t he same haught y affront of Kama, he could have flung in t he face of t hose
railing enemies t he following words :

d = d
- of Bhat t a Narayan, Act I I I , 37
[ Whet her a chariot er or a chariot ers son. or whoever (else) I may be,
(t hat is of no consequence ! ) Birt h in a (noble) f amily depends on fat e; but
manliness depends on me I ]

91. The son of Mura is a Maurya! That is precisely why Chandragupt a is
called a Maurya. Proud of his mat ernal ext ract ion Chandrgupt a designat ed his
royal family as Maurya and immort alized t he name of his mot her, Muradevi in
I ndian hist ory. The Maurya emperors accept ed t he same Moriya cast e t oo, (one
which t raded in peacocks) t hat belonged t o his mot her. The guardian deit y of t he
Maurya family is also a Peacock. This fact is corroborat ed by rock inscript ions.
The Ashoka pillar found at Nandangad bears at t he foot a pict ure of a peacock.
The st ories from t he life of Ashoka inscribed on t he celebrat ed st upas at Sanchi
have similar figures of peacock carved beside t hem
82a
.
1.37 THE EMPEROR OF MAGADHA
92. Mahapadmanand was the emperor ruling at that time over the vast Magadha
empire. He was already very unpopular because of his many vices
82b
. His subjects were
exasperated because of the heavy taxes, levied on them in order to satisfy his lust for gold.
People called him Dhananand instead of Mahapadmanand in order to deride him for his
excessive lust for money
82C
. He could come to the throne because he happened to be the
brother of the earlier emperor, but he had not a single virtue, fit for an emperor! He would
have proved his worth had he but taken up the challenge of Alexander and crushed him in the
Panchanad when the latter had marched on India and when he had proudly declared his
intention of conquering Magadha and be the emperor of India. He should have at least
undertaken such a great expedition as to overthrow the Greeks and free the Indian territory
subjugated by them to deserve the title of an emperor! But he did nothing of the kind, and
Page 32 of 49

1
S T
meekly swallowed the insult hurled at him by Alexander! This cowardliness on his part made,
on the one hand, every self-respecting and nationalist Indian despise him, while, on the other,
made him crafty. He hated the selfless national politicians. In order to undermine their
prestige, he insulted them publicly. A really capable person was invariably an objcct of his
hatred and was subjected to malicious treatment.

93. From t his Mahapadmanand, it is said, his concubine, Mura, had t he
illust rious son, Chnndragupt a. Some anecdot es pert aining t o Chandragupt as
childhood are available but t hey are far t oo few and merely hearsay st ories. What
appears t o be cert ain is only t his t hat t he cowardly but craft y Mahapadma nand
began t o fear t he young Chandragupt a, shining wit h his sharp wit , his daring and
ambit ious spirit , seeking t o exercise his right s as t he heir t o t he t hrone, bast ard as
he was. He feared t hat under t he leadership of t his unrest rained bast ard son, his
ant agonist s would not fail t o det hrone him! Mahapadmanand very well knew how his
very Nanda forerunners had vanquished t he original Shishunag dynast y of Magadha
and usurped t he t hrone! Under some such apprehension t here appears t o have
occurred some clash which Mahapadmanand used as a pret ext t o banish
Chandragupt a out of t he precinct s of t he Magadhan empire
82d
. The int ervening
account is permanent ly lost t o oblivion. Hereaft er Chandragupt a makes his
appearance in t he Universit y of Taxila (Takshasheela) as a royal prince having his
lessons in polit ics and t he science and art of war. An anecdot e which is current in
t hat region viz. t hat he got access t o t his universit y mainly t bt ough t he good offices
of renowned and learned Arya Chanakya may have some grain of t rut h in it
83
.
Chandragupt a had already been st udying in t he manner described above at t his
universit y for about six or seven years when Alexander at t acked I ndia. There, for t he
first t ime, t his illust rious disciple of Chanakya, t his young Chandragupt a, began t o
shine wit h his except ional brillance in t he sacred nat ional conspiracy t hat was being
hat ched by t he I ndian pat riot s and polit icians t o avenge t he insult s heaped on t he
I ndian nat ion by t he Greeks and t o liberat e t he t errit ory lost t o t hem.
1.38 A MARVELLOUS HALF HOUR IN HISTORY
94. Young Chandragupt a seems t o have secret ly wandered t hrough t he Greek
camps in order t o st udy t he peculiar feat ures of t he Greek armoury, t he Greek
milit ary format ions and war st rat egy. For he was once caught by t he Greek sent ries
on suspicion t hat he was reconnoit ring in t he emperors camp
84
. The report reached
Alexander himself and t he Maeedonian emperor summoned t he disguised I ndian
yout h t o his presence. Some even t hink t hat t he said yout h went t o see Alexanaer by
previous appoint ment .

95. That valiant Macedonian supreme commander and emperor Alexander, in his
thirties and the future Indian captain-general and emperor Chandragupta just on the thresbold
of his twenties, but as yet merely a wandering nonentity stood face to face sizing up each
other for a few moments! It appeared as if two lustrous suns, one fast approaching his zellith
and the other not as yet risen fully out of the misty shroud of the early dawn, were staring at
each others eyes.

Page 33 of 49

1
S T
96. This st range int erview is not likely t o have last ed for more t han half an
hour. But it has t ruly proved t o be a hist orical marvel of perennial int erest !

97. Even while almost all t he Greek- writ ers
85
allude t o t his st range int erview,
nobody can say for cert ain what exact ly t ranspired bet ween t he t wo or what words
were exchanged by t hem. One or t wo of t hem writ e only t his much t hat
Chandragupt a said dist inct ly t hat he was relat ed t o t he royal family of Magadh or
somet hing t o t hat effect
85a
. This much is cert ain t hat t o t he quest ions put by
Alexander, Chandragupt a answered boldly and resolut ely! I n t hat st range parely
somet hing went wrong and Alexander ordered t he yout h t o be t aken out of t he camp
fort hwit h. I nst ant ly t he fiery yout h left t he camp, but in t he meanwhile when
Alexander changed his mind and called again for t he yout h in his presence, he was
now here t o be found again
85b
.
1.39 THE STORY OF CHANAKYAS FAMILY
98. Arya Chanakya was born in a Brahmin family and his name was
Vishnugupt a. His name Chanakya must have probably been derived from his nat ive
t own of Chanak. But he is more part icularly known by his name Chanakya. Kout ilya is
one more name by which he is equally well-known. His great and abiding work is
known as Kout iliya Art hashast ra. Kout ilya must have been formed from his original
family name ( ) Kut al. He was well-versed in almost all t he sciences of t he
t ime and was renowned at t he Universit y of Taxila and also amongst t he learned
circle of I ndia, as a great scholar. He was ugly in appearance. Lat er on, when aft er
t he imperial revolut ion of Magadha his name gained great fame not only all over
I ndia but even in Greece and ot her foreign count ries, as t he guide and precept or of
Chandragupt a's early years and lat er as t he chief minist er of t he I ndian empire,
several hearsay st ories sprang up as t o his early age, as t hey did regarding
Chandragupt a and Alexander. Several references t o t hem based on solid grounds or
ot herwise are t o be found in many lit erary works, dramas, folk-lores, writ t en many
cent uries aft er t he deat hs of bot h Chandragupa and Chanakya. These referenees in
Jain, Buddhist and Vedic lit erat ures are not wholly reliable
86
. Even in a Sanskrit
drama, his charact er has been depict ed in an unrealist ic manner for t he sake of
dramat ic effect . As such t he ridiculous descript ions of his ugliness or of his ungainly
t eet h or t he childish report s, t hat he picked up from amongst t he uneducat ed rust ic
children playing in t he st reet one reckless Chandragupt a t o be made t he fut ure
emperor of I ndia simply because he t ook a fancy for t he child, or because his know-
ledge of palmist ry guided his choice, cannot be t aken as hist orical t rut hs. However,
more discerning research-workers should necessarily invest igat e if t here is any basis
for t hem.

1.40 THE PERVERTED REPORT OF CHANAKYAS VOW
99. One such anecdot e about Arya Chanakya should be discussed here as an
illust rat ion. For, it is being t aught in t he present -day schools in t hat very pervert ed
form. The said anecdot e purport s t o say t hat because he became famous as a great
scholar in t he Universit y of Taxila (Takshasheela) and t he regions round about . Arya
Chanakya was appoint ed as t he Chairman of t he Grant s Commission (H) in t he
royal palace of Mahapadmanand at Pat aliput ra
87
. While he was working in t hat high
Page 34 of 49

1
S T
office, Emperor Mahapadmanand came t here one day on his inspect ion rounds. But
he laughed at his t eet hless ugly mout h and his unshapely body, at which Chanakya
t ook a great affront . Therefore, Nanda pulled him down inst ant ly and, as is writ t en in
some books, pulled his t uft of hair t ill it was uproot ed and finally ordered him t o be
driven out of t he palace. The fiery Brahmin inst ant ly ret ort ed saying I shall drag you
down from your t hrone and complet ely dest roy t he Nanda dynast y and t hen and
t hen alone shall t ie up my t uft of brain. Wit h t his grave vow he marched st raight out
of t he pa1ace
88
.

100. But let it be remembered t hat Emperor Nanda had come t here t o inspect
t he work of t he Charit y Depart ment , not t o visit a beaut y parlour! How is it plausible,
t hen, t hat Mahapadmanand who had himself appoint ed t hat learned scholar t o t he
high office of t he President of t he Charit able Grant s Depart ment , wou1d now say
t hat because of his ugly feat ures Arya Chanakya was unfit for t hat post ? The office
of t he Chairman of t he said Grant s Depart ment required t he expert knowledge of t he
religious sciences and j udicial procedure, not physical beaut y! But t here is a more
pot ent obj ect ion t han t his one t o disprove t his foolish anecdot e. This anecdot e
implies t hat Chanakya revolt ed against Emperor Nanda because of his personal insult
alone, and t hat , had he not been t hus insult ed, he would have remained a loyal
servant of Mahapadmanand, t hat t he I ndia-wide revolut ion t hat he successfully
brought about was not f or t he sake of freeing t he I ndian land from t he f oreign
Mlenchcha dominat ion, but only t o avenge his personal insult ! For t his very reason
t his anecdot e is clearly pervert ed.

101. When as a st rat egy in polit ics Shivaj i went t o Agra accept ing t he
overlorship of Aurangzeb, t he lat t er insult ed him, and when t here was a clash of
words, Shivaj i was put under arrest . But Shivaj i slipped away most miraculously and
skilfully and declared war against Aurangzeb. I f, aft er t elling t his st ory, any wiseacre
were t o conclude t hat it was because he was personally insult ed t hat Shivaj i bore a
grudge against Anrangzeb and est ablished an independent kingdom for himself, t hat
he had no higher mot ive of t he emancipat ion of his religion and count ry, it would be
t he height of absurdit y and foolishness. Equally absurd and foolish would it be t o say
t hat it was only t o avenge his personal insult by Emperor Nanda t hat Arya Chanakya
brought about a polit ical revolut ion by ext erminat ing t he Nanda dynast y.
1.41 THAT ANECDOTE SHOULD BE EXPLAINED THUS
102. I t is not t rue t o say t hat because of his personal insult Shivaj i revolt ed
against Aurangzeb. On t he cont rary, Aurangzeb had t aken a fright t hat it is t o
overt hrow his alien religious dominat ion t hat Shivaj i had t aken arms, fired as he was
wit h a glowing fervour for Hindut wa. That is why he insult ed Shivaj i and relegat ed
him t o capt ivit y! I n a similar way because Mahapadmanand had secret report s t hat
availing himself of t he weakness of t he reigning monarch, Arya Chanakya was busy
conspiring against him so as t o overt hrow t he Nanda empire, t he Emperor Nanda
insult ed him in his royal palace and at t hat very moment t he illust rious Brahmin Arya
Chanakya ret ort ed boldly, I f I am a t rue Chanakya I shall see t o it t hat your
t yrannical rule is overt hrown so t hat Bharat might prosper . This is how t he anecdot e
should be explained.

Page 35 of 49

1
S T
103. A very solid proof for t his is available t o us in t he very Kout iliya
Art hashast ra writ t en by Chanakya himself. While int roducing t he writ er it is said (in
t he very book)

4 F: : q
H q Telang's edit ion P. 44
U U :
= U P. 429
He who dest royed t he Nanda and rej uvenat ed t he nat ional armed st rengt h,
as also t he nat ionnl scient ific advance, which were decaying under t he Nanda regime
and t hus caused t he uplift of his Bharat bhoomi, has writ t en t his t reat ise. He has not
used even a single word in t hese int roduct ory lines t o say t hat he dest royed Nanda
t o avenge his personal insult . I t is for t he progress and prosperit y of his own nat ion
and mot herland t hat Nanda was dest royed! Chanakyas great work it self t ells it
clearly!

104. The anecdot e which is t old in a downright dramat ic way perhaps means
only t his, t hat his original nat ionalist ic animus t owards Nanda was whet t ed t he more
because of t his personal insult .
1.42 CHANAKYAS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES PRECEDED ALEXANDERS
ONSLAUGHT

105. Chanakya had been living in t he vicinit y of Taxila good many years
before t he aggression of Alexander
89
. He had a first -hand knowledge of t he polit ical
sit uat ion in t lfe Bharat iya front ier t errit ories right up t o t he I ndus.

106. Just adj oining t he borderland of I ndia had st ret ched far and wide t he
unit ary and cent rally well organized nat ion inimical t o I ndia. Chanakya was shrewd
enough t o underst and t hat in t he event of an aggression by such a well-organised
and inimical count ry, t he small nat ive democracies and monarchies from t he
Panchanad t o t he I ndus would ut t erly fail in t he open bat t lefield, if t hey were t o fight
separat ely.
1.43 THE GREEK CITY-STATES TOO PERISHED PRECISELY FOR THIS
REASON
107. Just t hen a pract ical demonst rat ion of t he abovement ioned axiom t ook
place in Greece. The moment t he Persian Emperor invaded Greece t he small Greek
cit y-st at es like t heir prot ot ypes in I ndia, were convulsed t o t heir bones. I n t he end, it
is only when Philip and Alexander conqucred all of t hose separat ist Greek cit y-st at es
and forged t hem int o a powerful empire was it possible for t hen: t o vanquish t he
Persian Empire. Chanakya was not slow t o underst and it s significance.

108. He arrived at t he firm convict ion t hat vis-a-vis a powerful and ext ensive
inimical empire as it s neighbour, I ndia had only one way t o defend it s independence
and make it s administ rat ive machinery st rong enough t o wit hst and any foreign
Page 36 of 49

1
S T
aggression and t hat was t o boil down all t he smaller monarchies and republics and t o
forge out of t hem a cent ralized, unit ary and st rong empire.
1.44 FOR THE ENTIRE UNDIVIDED INDIA
l08-A. But t here was not a single I ndian monarchy or republic t hroughout t he
whole of t he region right from Gandhar, Panj ab t o t he I ndus delt a, which could
execut e t his plan of Chanakya, who had already appraised t heir capabilit y and
inclinat ion. Nat urally his next choice fell on t he only might y empire of Nort h I ndia,
namely Magadha. His head full of plans for t he fut ure I ndian revolut ion, Arya
Chanakya came again t o Magadha in order t o st udy secret ly t he polit ical sit uat ion
visit ing every place right from a poor mans cot t age t o t he royal palace. As such he
was t rying t o get access t o t he Kings court on some pret ext or t he ot her. When t he
quest ion of t he appoint ment of Arya Chanakya of t he Chairman of t he Grant s
depart ment (H) was moot ed Nanda did not obj ect t o it because t ill t hen he
had known not hing else of Arya Chanakya, but of his scholarship. This appoint ment
great ly helped Arya Chanakya t o perfect his secret revolut ionary plans.

109. But before long Emperor Nanda had report s t hat Arya Chanakya was not
a scholar pure and simple, but an expert organiser of secret plot s and was at t hat
t ime busy plot t ing against him. Enraged at t his, he publicly insult ed Arya Chanakya
as already t old before, deprived him of his aut horit y as t he Chairman of t he Grant s
Depart ment , and expelled him out of his imperial precinct s. Being t hus out lawed,
Chanakya ret urned again t o Taxila.

110. I n t he meanwhile, t he young bast ard son Chandragupt a being exiled, as
has been already t old, from t he Magadhan court by Emperor Nanda, went t o Taxila
and j oined Chanakya-an incident which proved most favourable t o t hat pat riot s
ambit ous plans of est ablishing an all-I ndia empire.
1.45 WHY DID CHANAKYA BACK CHANDRAGUPTA ALONE?
111. I f he were t o det hrone t he weak and wicked Nanda and crown in his
place on t he t hrone of t he Magadha empire any out sider, t he t radit ion-loving
import ant persons from amongst t he feudat ories, t he I ndian princes and even t he
common people would probably have opposed vehement ly, even t hough t he chosen
person had been endowed wit h t he most excellent qualit ies whereas Chandragupt a,
t hough not a lawful royal prince had some nat ive blood-relat ion t o t he t hrone as t he
bast ard son of t he Emperor of Magadha. He was, moreover endowed wit h valour and
ot her qualit ies of head and heart . As such t he arch-diplomat Chanakya shrewdly
guessed t hat even t hese vot aries of t radit ion were far less likely t o oppose
Chandragupt as elect ion t o t he t hrone of Magadha. He, t herefore, det ermined t o
champion t he claim of Chandragupt a t o t he emperorship of Magadha--why even t o
t hat of t he whole of I ndia.

112. While t he grand plan of an I ndia-wide empire of Chanakya-and-
Chandragupt a was t hus being set afoot t he unfort unat e event of a foreign invasion
was report ed t owards Persia. Alexander had already dest royed t he empire of Persia
and had invaded I ndia. Alt hough, as has been relat ed in t he foregoing page, he was
Page 37 of 49

1
S T
st aunchly opposed by t he Bharat iya valour and forced t o ret reat home, it was plain
t hat Alexanders well organized imperial milit ary might was not t ot ally annulled.

113. Even out of t his evil some good did emerge. The republican subj ect s of
t he front ier regions, wit h t heir fait h in democrat ic principles shaken rudely by t he
heavy knock of a foreign invasion and t he bloody wars t hat followed, began t o agree
wit h Chanakya and ot her pat riot ic prophet s t hat nat ional independence was in peril
unless a count rywide I ndian empire was est ablished on t he lines of t he vast , highly
cent ralized, well-organized and unit ary form of empire of t he enemy.

114. The first happy sign of t his revolut ionary spirit was seen in t he general
uprising t hroughout t he smaller st at es and republics, conquered by Alexander and
annexed t o his empire, and in t he fact t hat hardly wit hin six mont hs or a year of
Alexanders deat h t hese I ndian t errit ories shook off t he foreign rule and became
independent . Just in, an ancient , renowned writ er, credit s t he leadership of Chandra-
gupt a wit h t he aut horship of t his wonderful and noble collect ive uprising. I ndia aft er
t he deat h of Alexander had shaken, as it were, t he yoke of servit ude from it s neck
and put his governors t o deat h. The aut hor of t his liberat ion was Sandrocot t us. The
Sandrocot t us of t his quot at ion is Chandragupt a. The Greeks pronounced t he name of
Chandragupt a in t his very way.

1.46 THE ONLY WAY TO REPEL RE-INVASION ?

115. Alt hough t he general rising in t hese front ier provinces was successful
under t he guidance of Chandragupt a, Chanakya and ot hers, t he followers of
Chanakya began t o warn an princes and polit ical leaders, t hat it had not as yet made
I ndian independence complet ely safe from t he fut ure Greek onslaught , They went on
preaching everywhere t hat Alexander himself had vowed t ill t he day of his deat h t hat
he would invade I ndian onee again and conquer it t horoughly, t hat t he chief officers
of his st at e and commanders were at war wit h one anot her for t he division of t he
Greek empire, t hat t he t riumphant one among t hem who would ascend t he t hrone at
Babylon would not fail t o at t ack I ndia wit h an army more powerful t han before and
t hat t he first vict ims t o t hat aggression would be t hese very people, if t hey remained
disunit ed us separat e Raj akas (monarchies) and Praj akas (republics). But if t hey
availed t hemselves of t his opport unit y of t he civil feuds of t he Greeks and if t hey
could merge t he whole of I ndia int o a st rong empire wit h an efficient administ rat ion
at t he cent re, t his new I ndian empire st ronger t han t hat of t he Greeks, could very
easily beat t he Mlenchchsas were t hey t o come once again aggressively. Hence t hey
said I ndia should be built int o one st rong nat ion!

1.47 INVASION OF CHANDRAGUPTA AND CHANAKYA ON MAGADHA

116. Wit hout wast ing even a single moment of t he golden opport unit y of t he
Greek int ernecine wars, Chandragupt a and ot her followers of Chanakya began
Page 38 of 49

1
S T
openly t o raise a powerful army t o march first of all against Magadha according t o
Chanakyas plan of t he polit ical revolut ion. A few but very t elling references t o t his
fact are t o be found in t he crit ique named Mahavamsha
90
. From t hese and from
ot her sources it appears t hat t his invading army of Chandragupt a was mainly
composed of t he soldiers from Panchanad, t he Pauravas and t he republics who were
inspired wit h t he preaching of Chankya for a unit ary I ndian empire. I n order t o enlist
t he sympat hies of t he Parvat eshwara i.e. King Paurav, who was a powerful king in
t hose provinces Chanakya is said t o have met him secret ly. As Alexanders sway had
been complet ely t hrown off from t he I ndian t errit ories, King Paurav was no longer a
subordinat e sat rap of t he Greeks. From st ray references in some books it appears
t hat only King Paurav offered his support for Chanakyas cause, but some wealt hy
people t oo helped him act ively. Chanakya offered t he command of t he whole army t o
Chandragupt a. Aft er est ablishing t heir hold on all possible regions of Panchanad,
t hey marched speedily on Magadha
91
. The I ndian populace and t he local powers
disgust ed wit h and enraged at t he t yrannical and weak rule of t he Nanda and
inspired by Channkyas ideal of a st rong unit ary empire of t he whole of I ndia, j oined
Chandragupt as army as it marched ahead fight ing
92
.

117. I n t his daring and st ormy march of t heirs Chandragupt a and
Chanakya had many t imes t o face very grave dangers t o t heir lives. Once t heir
whole army was rout ed by a violent knock of t he opposing forces and bot h
Cbandragupt a and Chanakya had t o flee int o t he forest t o save t heir lives
93
. One
night t hey had t o sleep on t he bare hard ground, but undet erred by any of t hese
calamit ies, Chandragupt a and Chanakya formed t heir armies again and again and
kept on marching ahead and in t he end ent ered t he precinct s of Pat aliput ra, t he
Magadhan capit al it self.

118. The arch-diplomat, Chanakya, had bribed the army and the people in the capital
of Nanda. On the strength of this general sedition the daring Chandragupta fell like an arrow-
shot upon the city of Pataliputra.
1.48 MAHAPADMANAND BEHEADED
119. When Chandraguptas army rushed into the capital blocking it very rigidly from
every side there was a great havoc everywhere. Chandragupta himself enterd the royal palace,
but Mahnpadmanand had already left it in the gcneral disorder that had ensured and was
trying to slip out of the capital secretly. He was, however, caught on tbe way and beheaded
almost instantaneously
94
.
1.49 SAMRAT CHANDRAGUPTA KI JAYA!
120. Chandragupt a was soon proclaimed Emperor of Magadha. He
adopt ed Maurya as his family name aft er t hat of his mot her, Mura. Hence he and
his royal dynast y came t o be known for ever in hist ory by t hat very name
'Maurya'. As soon as he publicly ascended t he t hrone of Magadha he appoint ed
Chanakya as t he Chief Minist er of t he empire, approximat ely in B.C. 321
95
.
Page 39 of 49

1
S T

121. Alexander died round about B.C. 323. I t means, t herefore, t hat wit hin
about t wo years Samrat Chandragupt a and Chanakya effect ed t his gigant ic
revolut ion which est ablished t he indepedent and powerful I ndian empire dispelling all
gloom of despondency and disint egrat ion, while on t he ot her side t he Greek f eudal
lords were quarrelling amongst t hemselves
96
. I n order t o avail himself fully of t his
opport unit y, Chanakya immediat ely busied himself wit h t he est ablishment of int ernal
peace and order.
1.50 THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF CHANAKYAS POLITICAL THEORY-
MILITARY MIGHT FIRST
122. But t he peace and order of even a unit ary empire ult imat ely depends on
it s milit ary st rengt h alone which forms t he bed-rock of t he whole imperial st ruct ure.
This was t he basic principle of Chanakyas polit ical t heory. Warlike spirit and armed-
st rengt h, he said, were t he very life-breat h not only of t he polit ical but also t he civil
life of a communit y. Let t hat warlike spirit mit igat e it self a bit and all religions, all
sciences, all art s, why t he whole life of a nat ion, is doomed!
H @: H c
97
I n t he event of t he Kshat riyas forsaking t heir old kingly dut y aI l t he religions
are (bound) t o perish. A huge building wit hout a (proper) foundat ion, as also, an
empire wit hout an (adequat e) milit ary st rengt h are bound t o t opple down even wit h
a st ormy wave of wind. Arya Chanakya, who preached all t his, first of all began t o
reorganize a huge powerful army, which was well-commanded and inspired wit h t he
ambit ion t o win in order t o defend t he newly-born empire. This he did wit h such an
amazing speed t hat during t he t hree or four years not only his subj ect s came t o have
fait h in his great powers but also t he enemies of I ndia began t o fear it .

123. What did t his huge army of Chandragupt a so well planned and so well
organised amount t o?

124. Hardly four years earlier when Chandragupt a-Chanakya vowed secret ly
t o est ablish an independent I ndian empire under a unit ary command t heir armed
might was lit erally nil! That very Chandragupt a who st art ed wit h t his nil had now a
well equipped loyal army of 6,00,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalry 2,000 war-
elephant s and 4,000 chariot s
98
!

125. Wit h t his powerful army, Chanakya wiped out t he chaos creat ed by t he
separat ist small st at es, republics and monarchies in nort h I ndia which want ed t o lead
an independent life of t heir own, and est ablished peace and unit ary organizat ion. I n
t he end all t he t errit ory on t his side of t he I ndus up t o t he Panj ab, t he Kingdom of
t he Pauravas and Sindh proper were annexed t o t he Mauryan empire
99
.

126. Had any polit ical t hinker and administ rat or or an I ndian emperor felt
proud t o have est ablished for t he first t ime such a unit ary Bharat iya emperor, it ,
would have been but nat ural.
Page 40 of 49

1
S T
1.51 INDIAS FRONTIER HINDUKUSH NOT INDUS
127. But Chandragupt a and Chanakya were not sat isfied wit h ext ending t he
boundaries of t heir empire up t o t he banks of t he I ndus only, t hey had vowed t o
est ablish t he Bharat iya empire over t he whole of I ndia and t o annihilat e t he unruly
Mlenchchas! At t hat t ime t he (nort h west ern) front ier of I ndia did not rest wit h t he
east ern bank of t he I ndus. But it reached much fart her beyond t he I ndia so as t o
include among it s fold t he regions like t he Gandhar and t he rivers now lost t o
Afghanist han, but once well-known t o Vedic Aryans, like t he Kubha (t he Kabul of
t oday) t he Kramu (t he Kurram of t oday), t he Suwast u (t he Swat of t oday), Gomat i
(t he Gumal of t oday) and ot hers, right up t o t he peaks of t he Hindukush
mount ains
100
. To t hat far end were spread our republics f ollowing t he Vedic religion
and born of a Bharat iya race! And over t hese regions had been ruling t he t radit ional
royal dynast ies of I ndia. As our people in t hat ice-cold regions were comparat ively
whit er it was also called by some "Whit e I ndia.
101
. Nat urally t he nat ional aspirat ion,
as embodied in Chandragupt a-Chanakya scheme of t hings, fort ified it s imperial
boundaries not only up t o t he east ern bank of t he I ndus wit h a st rong army, but it
also busied it self wit h t he planning and preparat ion and execut ion of t he ext ension of
t he imperial boundaries right up t o t he nat ural geographic front iers of I ndia, t he
Hindukush mount oin, and yearned t o hoist it s flag on t he t op of t hat mount ain.
c H =: !=c
"These also laboured in t he cause espoused by t he ot her sages"
1.52 GREEK FEUDS AND THE DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE
128. I n t he meanwhile, t he Greek civil feuds had t emporarily ceased by
dividing Alexanders empire, ceding it s vast port ion from t he I ndian front iers up t o
Babylon t o Seleucos Nicat or, one of t he bravest and most experienced vet eran of
Alexanders milit ary officers, who ruled it as an independent sovereign
102
. He was
supposed t o inherit t he claim t o t he region beyond t he Hindukush which was
formerly conquered by Alexander.

129. He, therefore, demanded the surrender of that region from Chandragupta who
had appropriated it to himself
108
. Of course, Seleucos did not realize that now the Greeks had
to face not an Ambhi of Taxila as before, nor any cowardly minister, but King Chandrngupta
and his minister, Chanakya! They not only scoffed at this frivolous demand ofSeleueos but
demanded in return the surender of the region from Gandhar to Hindukush beyond the river
Indus
104
.
1.53 SELEUCOS ATTACKS INDIA WITH A MIGHTY ARMY
130. Enraged at t his rebuff, Seleucos marched against I ndia round about 315
B.C. wit h a Greek army, t rained under Alexander105. I f we leave aside t he lit t le-
known invasion of Gandhar by Alexander in B.C.
329
, t his was t he second invasion of
lndia by t he Greeks aft er t he famous one, already fully described, by Alexander in
B.C.
326

Page 41 of 49

1
S T
131. But t his t ime, aft er he crossed t he I ndus, Seleucos was amazed t o see
t hat t he region inst ead of being divided int o separat e I ndian republics as at t he t ime
of Alexander had undergone a complet e change, bot h polit ical and milit ary, because
of t he brave effort s of Chandragupt a and Chanakya. He was confused. Right from
t he nort hernmost part of t he Panj ab, on t he bank of t he I ndus, t o t he wat ers of t he
West ern Sea (Sindhusagnr) he saw erect ed, as it were, a st eel wall of well organized,
cent rally cont rolled fourfold I ndian army t o check his advance! And at t he head of it
was Chandragupt a himself! !

132. As soon as t he t wo armies t hirst ing t o fight met , a bit t er war st art ed.
The Greeks did t heir ut most but at last t he I ndian forces on t wo or t hree bat t le-fields
somewhere on t he banks of t he I ndus (t he place or places are unknown yet ) , put
t hem t o such a pit iful rout t hat Seleucos could not help capit ulat ing t o t he vict orious
Chandragupt a
106
.
1.54 REVENGE OF THE DEFEAT OF KING PAURAV
133. Thus was avenged by t his decisive vict ory of Chandragupt a over t he
vanquished Greeks t he old sore of t he defeat of King Paurav and ot her at rocit ies and
insult s met ed out t o t he I ndians by Alexander! So -
1.55 THE VANQUISHED SELEUCOS MEEKLY ACCEPTED ALL THE
TERMS OF THE VICTORIOUS
CHANDRAGUPTA
107
.
134. According t o t hese t erms of t he t reat y, Seleucos relinquished his right t o
t he I ndian region t his side of t he I ndus which he had so far maint ained. But when he
was firmly t old by Chief Minist er Chanakya t hat t he war would not end unless t he
whole region from Gandhar t o Hindukush, which was t ill t hen in t he Greek hands,
was yielded t o t he I ndian Emperor, he submit t ed t o it meekly and t he t housands of
Greek warriors who proudly held t heir brave chest s and t heir swords drawn up while
crossing t he I ndus on t heir march against I ndia, now ret urned crest -fallen, wit h t heir
heads and swords held down. They crossed not only t he I ndus backwars but
ret reat ed t o t he fart hest end of t he Hindukush mount ain
108
.
1.56 LOVE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT FEAR [ ]
135. This siugular vict ory-of Chandragupt a brought t he I ndian front iers quit e
close t o t hose of t he Greek empire of Seleucos and t he dividing line bet ween t he t wo
empires was t he range of t he Hindukush Mount ain! The might of t his I ndian emperor
and t he personalit y of Chandragupt a and Chanakya impressed t he Greek Emperor,
Seleucos, so much t hat he was fully convinced of t he advisabilit y of having friendly
relat ions wit h such a might y empire t han t o be on inimical t erms wit h it ! Secondly,
Seleucos had enemies on t he ot her front iers alt hough t hey t oo were Greeks. Friend-
ship wit h Chandragupt a, t herefore, was calculat ed t o overawe t hem t oo! For t hese
reasons t he Greek Emperor, Seleucos, whole-heart edly signed a t reat y of permanent
peace wit h Emperor Chandnrgupt a.
109

Page 42 of 49

1
S T
136. Moreover, wit h a view t o cement ing t his polit ical and int ernat ional
friendship wit h wedlock bet ween t he t wo royal families and personal affinit ies and
t ies, t he Greek emperor celebrat ed t he marriage of his daught er wit h Chandragupt a.
111

137. This offer of t he royal princess in marriage by Seleucos erect ed a golden
pinnacle bedecked wit h j ewels over t he magnificent t emple of t he success of
Emperor Chandragupt a !
1.57 THE GLORIOUS TREATISE OF MAHAMATYA CHANAKYA!
138. How very effect ively and firmly wit h full regard t o t he propriet y of t he
case and yet how very discreet ly Chanakya managed t he affairs of t he st at e can be
clearly seen from his t reat ise on body polit ic named Kaut ileeya Art hashast ra and
from t he far-reaching influence of t he invincible I ndian Empire which kept on
increasing for at least a hundred years aft erwards. The account of Megast henese,
t he Greek ambassador at t he court of Chandragupt a, also t est ifies t o t he part t his
Treat ise played in maint aining peace and order and afflunce in t he whole empire.
811

139. At t imes a single hist orical event happening overnight or wit hin a single
day changes t he whole current of hist ory for over a t housand years t o come. This
decisive vict ory of Chandragupt a over t he Greeks had also had farreaching effect s.
The English hist orian, Vincent Smit h, has t his remark t o offer : For almost a
hundred years aft er t he failure of Seleucos Nikat or no Greek sovereign presumed t o
at t ack I ndia .

140. ...The first I ndian emperor, more t han t wo t housand years ago t hus
ent ered int o possession of t hat Scient ific front ier sighed for in vain by his English
successors and never held in it s ent iret y even by t he Moghul monarchs of t he 16t h
and 17t h cent uries (Early Hist ory of I ndia 4t h ed. 1924 by V.A. Smit h, P. ,
126
).
1.58 DID ALEXANDER CONQUER INDIA ? NO.
141. I n t he ancient period t hroughout t he whole of Europe Greek civilizat ion
was t he only one which was far ahead of ot hers. Almost all t he modern nat ions of
Europe, t herefore, revere it as t heir source. Nat urally t he name of a valiant Greek
emperor of t hat t ime like Alexander is, t herefore, a source of living inspirat ion t o
t hem. The European hist ories, t herefore, call him Alexander t he Great and many
anecdot es and legends in t he myt hical manner are colourfully t aught t o t he young
pupils t hrough t heir hist ory t ext -books. But t he commonly educat ed European people
- not of course, t he few learned hist orians - are blissfully ignorant of t het hen I ndian
ant ogonist s of Alexander and his Greek empire, Chandragupt a, his minist er,
Chanakya! Snch perversion of hist ory can be overlooked so far as t he European
people are concerned. But aft er t he est ablishment of t he Brit ish rule over I ndia in our
schools and colleges t oo t he same disproport ionat e praises were sung of Alexander
in t he hist ory t ext -books and ot her t ypes of lit erat ure. Because t hree or four
generat ions of ours have been impart ed t he same English educat ion, our educat ed
classes are also impressed by t he name Alexander t he Great . But t hey t oo probably
never knew who Chandragupt a or Chanakya was. This perversion of hist ory and t he
Page 43 of 49

1
S T
misunderst anding it has creat ed in t he minds of our people should no more be
t olerat ed hereaft er. We may not mind t he ot her t radit ional anecdot es about
Alexander, but t hose at least which are connect ed wit h I ndian hist ory and which
ext ol Alexander disproport ionat ely t o t he derogat ion of t he I ndian people, must be
delet ed from our school t ext -books and from our lit erat ure. Take for example, t he
one colourfully t old in t he school and college books of Europe and ot her t ypes of
lit erat ure and which was widely published in our count ry also by t he English.

142. The Greeks and t he ot her European people believed t hat Alexander was
a world-conqueror and he had conquered t he whole of I ndia. When t hat war-like
Emperor ret urned home aft er his world-conquest , he is said t o have burst int o t ears
at t he sad t hought t hat no more count ry remained for him t o be conquered. This
anecdot e about Alexander is proudly t old not only in Europe but even in I ndia! Now
it can be very clearly seen how very absurd and ludicrous t his belief is from t he short
account given earlier in t hese pages. To t he great nat ion of t hose t imes, China, he
never t urned his face. But even if we leave t his fact aside, we have already shown
how he was baffled and made t o ret reat when he came conquering t o t he West ern
front iers of I ndia wit h t he ambit ious design t o conquer t he Empire of Magadha and
t he rest of I ndia and how his aspirat ions were defeat ed. Alexander was brave,
Alexander was a conqueror! But he was not a world-conqueror! Conqueror of I ndia
he never was! ! I f at all t hat valiant hero was really moved t o t ears it was impossible
t hat his t ears should have been caused by t he t hought t hat t here was no ot her
count ry left for conquest ! For he himself knew t hat it was false. His t ears t hen must
have been caused by t he sad realizat ion t hat he was not able t o defeat I ndian
complet ly which he longed so much t o conquer. On t he cont rary he must have been
much dist urbed by t he t hought t hat even t he small corner of I ndin t hat he believed
he was able t o conquer was also very likely t o be wrenched from his bands by t hc
rebellious I ndians!
142-A. As it is said in t he poem Gomant ak
= ,
~ |
112

[ Of whomsoever else he might be t he conqueror, Alexander was never t he
conqueror of I ndia! He did not even see t he court yard ( of t he palat ial edifice) of
I ndia, and t o many ot hers he was never known (even by name)! ]

1.59 SUPER ALEXANDER!

143. Great men should ordinarily be never compared wit h one anot her. They
are great in various ways, but if anybody t ries t o compare any such and ext ol t he
one t o t he derogat ion of t he ot her, t his hoax must be exposed and refut ed
complet ely. So long as Europe eulogizes Alexander alone as t he Great and t ries t o
brow-beat his ant agonist , Emperor Chandragupt a, by evading any reference t o him,
we I ndians must need assert t hat if at all t hey are t o be compared, Chandragupt a
was Super-Alexander in comparison wit h Alexander! Alexander ascended t he t hrone
of a st rong nat ion, already won by his fat her and commanded an army t hat was also
formed by King Philip. On t he st rengt h of t his ancest ral inherit ance he bravely built
up a st rong Greek empire! But Chandragupt a enj oyed no such herit age! He had not
Page 44 of 49

1
S T
a single soldier under his command; besides he had been banished from his
ancest ral empire by his fat her! Only one man was at his side; it was Arya Chanakya!
Under t hese circumst ances he had t o st art anew! Yet he built up a army, conquered
t he ancest ral empire, and wiping out t he Greek conquest s under Alexander himself
and under his general Seleucos Nicat or, founded an I ndian empire might ier even
t han t hat of Alexander himself!

144. The epoch which st art s wit h t he conquest of t he Yavanas by Emperor
Chandragupt a, t he Super Shikandar is THE FI RST GLORI OUS EPOCH of Hindu
Vict ories over t he Aggressor.

* * *

Page 45 of 49

1
S T
Page 46 of 49

1
S T
APPENDIX:
CONTENTS FULL BOOK (Coming soon)

1st Glorious Epoch
Chapt er I .: Chanakya-Chandragupt a
2nd Glorious Epoch
Chapt er I I . Yavana-Dest royer, Pushyamit ra
3rd Glorious Epoch
Chapt er I I I : Vikramadit ya, Shaka-Kushan Menace
4th Glorious Epoch
Chapt er I V: Yashodharma, t he Conqueror of t he Huns
5th Glorious Epoch
Chapt er V: The Climax of Maharasht rian Valour
Chapt er VI : The Beginning of Muslim I ncursion
Chapt er VI I I : The Peculiar Nat ure of t he Muslim At rocit ies
Chapt er VI I I : Pervert ed Concept ion of Virt ues
Chapt er I X: Super-Diabolic Count er-Of f ensive
Chapt er X: I nt ermit t ent Hindu Ret aliat ion
Chapt er XI : Tipu Sult an, The Savage
Chapt er XI I : A Resume
Page 47 of 49

1
S T
Chapt er XI I I : Hindu War Policy
Chapt er XI V: Age-Long Relat ions of t he Arabs wit h I ndia
Chapt er XV: Twelf t h t o Thirt eent h Cent ury
Chapt er XVI : Muslim I nvasions on Sout h I ndia
Chapt er XVI I : Khushrukhan and Devaldevi
Chapt er XVI I I : Beginning of t he Final Overt hrow of t he Muslim Empire
Chapt er I X: New Hindu Empire of Vij ayanagar
Chapt er XX: The End of t he 16
t h
Cent ury
Chapt er XXI : The Marat has
Chapt er XXI I : At t ock and Beyond
6th Glorious Epoch
Chapt er XXI I I : I ndia Freed From Brit ish Dominat ion
Appendix Books Referred
I ndex
Abbreviat ions
Page 48 of 49

1
S T

Page 49 of 49

Six Glorious Epochs Savarkar en v001

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Six Glorious Epochs Savarkar en v001

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Si x Gl or i ous Epochs of I ndi an

You might also like