English
General Cunningham further points out that the conventional signs for the five planets, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn may be formed by merely adding a star to the radical letter of each of the five classes of the alphabetical letters of Asoka, while the sun and moon are the actual radical letters of the two other classes of the Indian alphabet without any change or alteration. It is difficult to believe “that this can be an accidental coincidence.” CHAPTER III. THE KINGS OF MAGADHA. “I KNow the Rig Veda, Sir,” says Narada in the Chhandogya Upanishad ( VII, 1, 2), “the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, as the fourth the Atharvana, as the fifth the Itibdsa-Pur4na, &c.” This and numerous Similar passages in the literature of the Epic Period would lead to the conclusion that some kinds of annals of kings and dynasties existed, even in that ancient period, which were ‘knoyn as Itihdsa-Puranas. If such annals existed, beyond what we find in the Brah- manas themselves, they have long since been lost. Probably such annals were preserved in the traditions of the people, and were altered and re-cast, and mixed up with legends from century to century, and from age to age, until after about two thousand years, they finally assumed the shape in which we find them now, ~—the modern Puranas. For it has been ascertained that the Puranas which exist now were composed in the Paur4nik Period, and have since been altered and con- siderably enlarged during many centuries after the Mahommedan conquest of India. When these Puranas were first discovered by Sir William Jones and other European scholars, great hopes 36 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK Iv, were entertained that they would throw light on the ancient history of India. A host of eminent scholars turned their attention to this new field of inquiry, and Dr. H. H. Wilson gaveto English readers a translation \of the Vishnu-Purana “in the hope of supplying some of the necessary means to a satisfactory elucidation of an important chapter in the history of the human race.”* " Acclose examination of the Purdnas, however, has not fulfilled the hopes entertained. For the ages anterior to the Rationalistic Period, no consistent chronology could be constructed from the mass of legends and the lists of kings and dynasties which the Puranas furnished. The races of the Sun and the Moon, which are said to have ruled in Oude and in the Doab respectively, claim according to the Purdnas an antiquity which modern scholars refuse to acknowledge. Nor is there any consistency between these two lines of kings. Thus, though the founders of the two races are said to have been contemporaneous, being brother and sister, 93 kings of the solar line, and only 45 of the lunar line are said to have reigned before the Kuru Panchala war. And even if we reject the theory of the contemporaneous commencement of the two lines, then, on an average of 20 years for each reign, the solar line must have begun its rule in Oude 1860 years * Preface to the Vishnu Purina, CHAP. IIL] THE KINGS OF MAGADHA. - 37 before the Kuru Panchala war, 72, about 3000 B.C., and the lunar line began in the Doab 900 years before the war, 22, about 2000 B.C; Werequire some better evidence than that of the modern Puranas before we ‘can accept these conclusions, And besides, the Kuru ~~-Panchala war itself is placed at the commencement of the Kali Yuga, 4. ¢., about 3100 B. C., and according to this calculation the Oude and the Doab dynasties - must have commenced to reign about 5000 and 4000 B. C, respectively ! Nor are these the only difficulties. The names of the kings given shew at a glance the uselessness of the -lists for the purposes of history. Ikshv4ku is the first king of the solar line, and Pururavas of the lunar line. The legend of Pururavas and Urvasi which in the Rig Veda is a solar myth, is given here as a historical episode. The mythical hero Rama, the conqueror of -Ceylon, figures in the solar line ; and the mythical five Pandavas and Krishna figure in the lunar line. Fourth in descent from Pururavas is Gritsamada, whom we know to be a Vedic Rishi. His son is said to be Saunaka who, we know,was a great teacher of the Epic Period. Saunaka’s second cousin once removed is said to be Dirghatamas, who is another Rishi of the Rig Veda. And Dirghatamas is said to have be- gotten on the wife of Bali (a prince, 16th in descent from Pururavas) five sons, named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Sumbha, and Pundra,—which names are names of five 38° BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK, IV, countries, East Behar, East Bengal, Orissa, Tipperah, and North Bengal! These regions, it is needless to say, were unknown to Aryans in the time of Dirghatamas or the Rig Veda. It is unnecessary to multiply instances, The lists ‘seem like a regular permutation and combination of , names, Vedic and historic, legendary and territorial. Confused recollections of ancient and historic kings, of holy and famous Rishis, of events partly historic and partly legendary, and of the supposed founders -of kingdoms, were handed down for thousands of years, no doubt with very considerable alterations and addi- tions, and have been woven together by writers of a comparatively modern period into lists which are sup- posed’ to be lists of kings in the order of their reigns. Historians and scholars have, during the last hundred yeats, failed to derive any real help towards the con- struction of an authentic history of India from these lists of solar and lunar kings. - The annals of India preserved in the Puranas may be ‘compared. with the chronicles of the world’s history written and copied from century to century by Euro- pean monks in the Middle Ages. Each monk began with the creation of the world, as each Purana begins with Ikshvaku and Pururavas; and like the writers of the Purdnas, Christian monks wove together legends, miracles, and episodes from Jewish history, and narrated the discovery of Britain by the Trojans, CHAP. IIL] | THE KINGS OF MAGADHA. 39 and .the fables about Arthur and Roland. Never- theless, there was a portion in the chronicle of each renowned monk which had its value for the pur- poses of history. As the writer came nearer to his time, he generally wrote an authentic account of his country, its kings and ifs monasteries. And as if. to complete the parallel, we find something at the very close of the Pauranik annals, which is not altogether valueless for our historical purpose. The existing Puranas, as we have said before, were compiled or recast in the Pauranik Period, 2. ¢, imme- diately on the close of the Buddhist Period. And as throughout the Rationalistic and Buddhist Periods the empire of Magadha was the centre of civilization and power in India, the Puranas furnish us with something ‘that is tangible and valuable about this one kingdom,— ‘Magadha. According to our custom, we will quote the lists from the Vishnu Purana which relates to this kingdom. . “Twill now relate to you the descendants of Bri- hadratha who will be (the kings) of Magadha. There have been several powerful princes of this dynasty, of whom the most celebrated was Jarasandha. His son was. Sahadeva; his son is Som4pi;* his son will be Srutavat; his son will be Ayutayus; his son will be * The writer is supposed to be living at the time of Somépi, 7. 4, shortly after the Kuru Panchala war, and therefore oo in the future tense of prophecy of the succeeding princes, — 40 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK Iv. Niramitra ; his son will be Sukshatra ; his son will be Brihatkarman ; his son will be Senajit ; his son will be Srutanjaya; his son will be Vipra: his son will be Suchi; his son will be Kshemya; his son will be Suvrata; his son will be Dharma; his son will be Susrama ; his son will be Dridhasena; his son will be ‘Sumati ; his son will be Subala ; his son will be Sunita ; his son will be Satyajit; his son will be Visvajit ; his son will be Ripunjaya. These are the Barhadrathas “who will reign for a thousand years.” Although the Vayu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Matsya Purana agree with the Vishnu Purana in giving the Barhadrathas a thousand years, yet we will venture to correct these venerable authorities, and will scarcely give 500 years to the 22 princes. Indeed the Vishnu Purana corrects itself as we shal! find further on. _ “The last. of the Brihadratha dynasty Ripunjaya will have a minister named Sunika, who having killed his sovereign will place his own son Pradyotana upon the throne. Hisson will be Palaka ; his son will be Vis4kha- yapa;his son will be Janaka; and his son will be Nandivardhana. These five kings of the house of Pra- ‘\dyota will reign over the earth for a hundred and thirty- eight years, “The next prince will be Sisundga; his son will be Kakavarna ; bis son will be Kshemadharman ; his son will be Kshatraujas ; his son will be Vidmis4ra ; his son CHAP, IL] THE KINGS OF MAGADHA. 4t will be Ajatasatru ; his son will be Darbhaka ; his son will be UdayAsva ; his son will also be Nandivardhana ; and his son willbe Mah4nandin. These ten Saisundgas will be kings of the earth for three hundred and sixty-two years.” Here we will pause, for we find in the list one or two names with which we are already familiar. Vidmisdra is called Bimbis4ra in the Vayu Purana and is the same king of RAjagriha in whose reign Gautama Buddha was born in Kapilavastu. And his son Ajatasatru is the powerful king in the eighth year of whose reign Gautama died. We have accepted 477 B. C. as the year of Buddha’s death, and allowing a hundred years for the remaining portion of Ajatasatru’s reign and the reigns of his four successors, we get about 370 ‘B.C. as the date when Mahanandin died, and the dynasty of the Sisunagas was at an end.