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Without imparting the secret to any one, commencing with the smallest particle possible, and gradually increasing the dose, by mixing poison in his food and beverage, he (at last) fed him on poison, at the same time taking steps to prevent any other person participating in his poisoned repasts. "At a subsequent period his queen consort was pro- nounced to be pregnant. Who was she? Whose daughter was she ? ^ She was the daughter of the eldest of the maternal uncles who accompanied the rftja's mother to Pupphapura.* ^ Chandagutto wed- ding this daughter of his maternal uncle, raised her to the dignity of queen consort. ^ See page 289. CHANDBAGUPTA. 295 ''About this time, ChUnakko, on a certain day having prepared the monarch's repast sent it to him, himself accidentally remaining behind for a moment. On recollecting himself, in an agony of distress, he ex- claimed, ' I must hasten thither, short as the interval is, before he begins his meal;' and precipitately rushed into the king's apartment, at the instant that the queen who was within seven days of her confine- ment, was in the act, in the rftja's presence, of placing the first handful of the repast in her mouth. On beholding this, and finding that there was not even time to ejaculate * Don't swallow it,* with his sword he struck her head off; and then ripping open her womb, extricated the child with its caul, and placed it in the stomach of a goat. In this manner, by placing it for seven days in the stomach of seven dif- ferent goats, having completed the full term of gesta- tion, he delivered the infant over to the female slaves. He caused him to be reared by them, and when a name was conferred on him — in reference to a spot^ (Bindu) which the blood of the goats had left — he was called Bindus&ro." This Bindusftra succeeded his father as king, and, after a reign of 28 years, he was succeeded by the great A6oka. In this manner the Buddhists prove that through the Mauryas, Al^oka belonged to the same family as Buddha, to the royal family of the S&kyas. The Brahmans, on the contrary, endeavour to show that Chandragupta belonged to the same con- temptible race as the Nandas. Thus we read in the Vishnu-purfi,na^ : — " The last of the Brihadratha dynasty, Ripunjaya, will have a minister named 6unika (Sunaka, Bh. P.), ^ YiBh^o-piirAnay translated bj H. H. Wilson, p. 466. V 4 296 CHANDBAQUPTA. who having killed his sovereign, will place his son Pradyota upon the throne (for 23 years, V&yu and Matsya P.). His son will be P&laka (24 years, V.; Tilaka or Bd.Iaka, 28 years, M.P.). His son will be Vi64khayiipa (60 years V. ; 53 M.P.)- His son will be Janaka (Ajaka, 21 years Y. ; Siiryaka, 21 years M. ; Rajaka, Bh. P.). And his son will be Nandi- vardhana (20 years V. and M. P.). These five kings of the house of Pradyota will reign over the earth for 138 years (the same number in V. and Bh. P,). " The next prince will be 6i6un&ga ^ ; his son will be Kllkavarna (36 years V. and M.) ; his son will be Eshemadharman (Kshemakarman, 20 years Y., Kshemadharman, 36 years M.); his son will be Eshatraujas (40 years V, ; Kshemajit or Kshe- marchis, 36 years M. ; Kshetrajna, Bh. P.); his son will be Vidmis&ra (Vimbis&ra, 28 years V.; Vin- dusena or Vindhyasena, 28 years M. ; YidhislLra, Bh.); his son will be Aj&ta^tru^; his son will be Dharbaka (Harshaka, 25 years Y.; Yan^aka, 24 years M.); his son will be Udayfiiiva (33 years Y.; Udibhi or Ud&sin, 33 years M.)*; his son also will be Nandivardhana ; and his son will be Mahftnanda (42 and 43 years Y. ; 40 and 43 years M.). These ten Sai6un&gas will be kings of the earth for 362 years. " The son of Mah&nanda will be born of a woman of the I^Mra-class ; his name will be Nanda, called Mah&padma, for he will be exceedingly avaricious. Like another ParaSu-rHma, he will be the annihilator 1 l^idunaka, who, according to the Yayu and Matsja Purana, relinquished Benares to his son, and established himself at Girivraja or RIyagriha in Behar, reigned 40 years, V. and M. P. ' 25 jears V. ; 27 years M. : the latter inserts a Kanvajana, 9 years, and Bhf^mimitra or Bhiimiputra, 14 years, before him. * According to the Y&yu, Udaya or Udayaiva founded P&tali- putrfl, on the southern angle of the Ganges. CHAKDRAGUFTA. 297 of the Eshatriya race, for afrer him the kings of the earth will be SAdras. He will bring the whole earth under one umbrella, he will have eight sons, SumlLlya, and others, who will reign after Mah&padma ; and he and his sons will govern for a hundred years. The Brahman Kautilya will root out the nine Nandas. " Upon the cessation of the race of Nanda, the Mauryas will possess the earth. Kautilya will place Chandragupta ^ on the throne ; his son will be Vin- dus4ra^; his son will be A^okavardhana ; his son will be Suya^as ; his son will be Da6aratha ; his son will be Sangata ; his son will be I§&li6iika ; his son will be Somafearman; his son will be l§a6adharman, and his successor will be Vrihadratha. These are the ten Mauryas who will reign over the earth for 137 years." The title of Maury a, which by the Buddhists was used as a proof of A6oka's royal descent, is explained by the Brahmans* as a metronymic, Mur& being given as the name of one of Nanda's wives. If now, we survey the information here brought to- gether from Buddhist, Brahmanic, and Greek sources, we shall feel bound to confess that all we really know is this : — * The length of this monarch's reign is given uniformly by the Puranas and the Buddhist histories, as 24 years. The number is given by the Yayu-Purana, the Dipavan^a, the MahavanSa (where 34 is a mistake for 24), and in Buddhaghosha's Arthakatha. Cf. Mahav. p. lii. * The y&yu-Purana calls him Bhadrasara, and assign 25 years to his reign. Yishnu-purana, p. 468. n. 21. This rests only on the autho- rity of the commentator on the Vishnu-purana ; but Chandra- gupta's relationship with Nanda is confirmed by the Mudr&- r&kshasa. 298 CHANDBAQUFTA. Chandragupta is the same person as Sandrocyptus, or Sandracottus. This Sandracottus, according to Justin (xv. 4.), had seized the throne of India after the prefects of Alexander had been murdered (317 B. c). Seleucus found him as sovereign of India when, after the taking of Babylon and the conquest of the Bactrians, he passed on into India. Seleucus, however, did not conquer Sandracottus, but after concluding a league with him, marched on to make war against Antigonus. This must have taken place before 312, for in that year, the beginning of the Seleucidan era, Seleucus had returned to Babylon. We may suppose that Chandragupta became king about 315, and as both the Buddhist and Brahmanic writers allow him a reign of 24 years, the reign of Bin- dus&ra would begin 29 1 b.c. This BindusHra again had according to both Brahmanic and Buddhistic authors, a long reign of either twenty-five or twenty-eight years. Taking the latter statement as the better au- thenticated, we find that the probable beginning of Anoka's reign took place 263 B.C. ; his inauguration 259 B.C. ; his Council either 246 or 242 b.c. At the time of A&oka's inauguration, 218 years had elapsed since the conventional date of the death of Buddha. Hence if we translate the language of Buddhist chronology into that of Greek chronology, Buddha was really sup- posed to have died 477 B.C., and not.543 B.C. Again, at the time of Chandragupta's accession, 162 years were believed to have elapsed since the conventional date of Buddha's death. Hence Buddha was supposed to have died 315+162=477 B.C. Or, to adopt a differentline of argument, Kanishka, according to the evidence of coins,^ must have reigned before and after the Christian ' Lassen, Indische Alterthumsknndei ii. 413. CHANDBAGUPTA. 299 era. In the StApa of Maniky&la^ which was built by Ka- nishka^ Roman coins have been found of as late a date as 38 B.C. How long before that date this Turushka or Indoscythian king may have assumed the sovereignty of India it is difficult to determine. But under him the Northern Buddhists place a new Council which was presided over by Vasumitra^, and the date of which is fixed at more than 400 after Buddha's Nirv&na.^ If we add 400 and 33, and take into account that the Council took place more than 400 years after Buddha, and that Kanishka must have reigned some years before he built his Stiipa, we find again that 477 b. c. far more likely than 543, as the conventional date of Buddha's death.