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Tf now we accept the periods which have been given for the different dynasties in the Vishnu Purana, we get 1000 years for the Brihadratha dynasty ; 138 years for ‘the Pradyota dynasty ; and 362 years for the Sisunaga dynasty ; or in other words exactly 1500 years from the Kuru Panchéla war to the end of the Sisundga dynasty. Or in other words, if the Sisundga dynasty ended about 370 B.C., the Kuru Panchala war took place about 1870 B. C. But the Vishnu Purdna’s chronology is wrong, and the Vishnu Purdna’s astronomy. corrects its chronology. 42 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK IV. For towards the close of the very chapter from which we have made the above extracts (Book IV, Chapter XXIV) the Vishnu Purana says “ From the birth of Parikshit to the coronation of Nanda, it is to be known that 1015 years have elapsed. When the two first stars of the Seven Rishis (the Great Bear) rise in the heavens and some lunar asterism is seen at night at an equal - distance between them, then the Seven Rishis continue stationary in that conjunction, for a hundred years of men, . At the birth of Parikshit, they were on Magha ;* when the Seven Rishis are in PdrvasAdha then Nanda will begin to reign.” From Magha to Parvasadha both inclusive there are ten asterisms, and hence it is calcu- lated, a thousand years elapsed between Parikshit and Nanda. And if Nanda began his reign (2, the Sisu- . naga dynasty ended) about 370 B.C., Parikshit was born early in the fourteenth century, and the Kuru Panch4la war was fought about 1400 B. C. Our readers will see that this is within a century and a half of the date which we have assumed as the date of the Kuru Panchala war in an earlier portion of this work. — If, on the other hand, we leave aside the astronomi- cal reasons and assign an average period of 20 years* _ to the 37 kings of the Brihadratha, Pradyota and * This is a high average. But we must make allowance for weak kings -with short reigns whose names have been forgotten in later times, and have therefore not been included in the Paurdnik lists, CHAP, IIL] THE KINGS OF MAGADHA. 43 Sisunaga dynasties, then we shali have for the Kuru Panchala war a date 740 years before Nanda, or in other words 1110 B, C. And this date is also within a century and a half of the year which we have fixed for that war. From the above facts we will try to make out some- thing like a probable list of dates for the Magadha kings. We know that Ajatasatru began his reign in 485 B. C, and that his father Bimbiséra commenced to reign in §37 B.C. If we allow a hundred years to the four predecessors of Bimbisdra, we arrive at the fact that the Sisunaga dynasty began at 637 B.C. The Pradyota dynasty of five kings reigned before the Sisunaga dynasty, and these five reigns covered, we are told, a period of exactly 138 years. This gives a high average of over 27 years for each reign ; but allow- ing for one or two unimportant reigns which may have been omitted in the list, we may accept this period of 138 years for the Pradyota dynasty. The Bribadratha dynasty with its 24 kings are said to have reigned 1000 years. The figure is of course simply a round number, and has no value ;—500 years would be nearer the mark, or rather let us say 484 years, to make it divisible by 22, the number of kings. Even this would give a high average of 22 years for each reign; but we may décept the average on the supposition that some unimportant reigns have been omitted. — 44 BUDDHIST PERIOD. (Book Iv. On these calculations we make out the following lists; but each reader must decide for himself how much reliance he will place on the lists of kings pro- ceeding the historic dynasty of Bimbisfra and Ajata- satru, called the Sisundga dynasty, which commenced in the 7th century B,C. BRIHADRATHA DYNASTY. Jarasandha Sahadeva (contemporary of the Kuru Panchila war) 1259 Somapi Srutavat Ayutayus Niramitra Sukshatra Brihatkarman. Srutanjaya Vipra... Suchi ... Kshemya Suyrata Dharma Susrama Dridhasena Sumati .. Subala ... Sunita ... Satyajit... Visvajit... - + Ripunjeya aoe B,C. ve 1280 toe 1237 oe E215 oe 1193 aoe EIT vee 1149 oe 1127 vw TEOS os 1083 os = TO6! see 1039 ee TOL] ve 995 oe 973 9St se 929 o6s = 907 ve 885 - 863 oe = 841 on 89 Prapyota DYNASTY. B.C, Pradyotana sie oe 275 Palaka ... ai8 ves 747 Visékhayiipa eee we FIQ Janaka ... wee oe 691 Noandivardhana .. 664 to 637 SISUNAGA DyNASTY. Sisunaga we soe 6397 Kakavarna tee we 612 Kshemadharman ... ws §87 Kshatraujas eee we 562 Bimbisdra tee oe §37 Ajatasatru ove we 485 Darbhaka os oe 453 Udayfasva tee ove 432 Nandivardhana ... oe =I Mahénandin ws —--390 to 370 CHAP. HL] ‘Tile KINGS OF MAGADHA, 45 We will now proceed with our extracts. “The son of Mah4nandin will be born of a woman of the Sidra class: his riame will be Nanda (called) Mahapadma; for he will be exceedingly avari- cious. Like another Parasurama he will be the annihilator of the Kshatriya race ; for aff him the kings of the earth will (be Sfdras.) He will bring the whole earth under one umbrella; he will have eight sons, Suméalya and ethers who will reign after Mahd4padma, and he and his sons will govern for a hundred yeats. The Brahman Kautilya will root out the nine Nandas.” , -. We find in theabove extract mention of low-caste kings ascending the throne of Kshatriyas, and of the grow- ing power and supremacy of these kings of Magadha among the kingdoms of Northern India. We also find mention of Kautilya, the renowned Chanakya who vowed vengeance against the house of the Nandas (see the drama called Mudra Rakshasa) and placed the adventurer and exile Chandragupta on the throne of Magadha, The period of one hundred years assigned to Nanda and his eight sons is apparently a guess; and the Vayu and the Matsya Puranas support this statement by the more absurd one that the first Nanda alone reigned 88 years. We allow ample time to Nanda and his eight sons if we give them 50 years ; and this brings us to B. C. 320 as the date of Chandra- gupta's accession to the throne of Magacha. ~ 46 BUDDHIST PERIOD. {BUOK IV. “ Upon the cessation of the race of Nanda, the Mau- ryas* will possess the earth; for Kautilya will place Chandragupta on the throne. His son will be Bindu- sara ; his son will be Asoka Vardhana ; his son will be Suyagas ; his son will be Dasaratha ; his son will be Sangata ; his son will be Salisuka; his son will be Somasraman ; and his successor will be Brihadratha. These are the ten Mauryas who will reign over the earth for a hundred and thirty-seven years.” The writer of the Vishnu Purana here tells us of Asokavardhana, but does not vouchsafe to make any mention of the religious revolution which took place in his reign—the greatest which the world has ever seen, To the Brahman narrator, the deeds of the scheming Chanakya who helped Chandragupta to the throne, is more worthy of mention than those of the im- perial Asoka, who spread the name and religion of India from Antioch and Macedon to Cape Comorin and Ceylon | But to return to our story. Accepting : the period of 137 years given for the Maurya dynasty, -' that dynasty came to an end in 183 B. C. “ The dynasty of the Sungas will next become pos- sessed of the sovereignty; for Pushpa Mitra the general (of the last Maurya prince) will put his master to death and ascend the throne. His son will be Agnimitra ; his son will be Sujyeshtha ; his * The commentator says that Chandragupta was the son of Nanda by a wife, named Murd, whence the race was called Maurya. . 5 : 4 CHAP, II.] THE KINGS OF MAGADHA. 47 son wilt be Vasumitra; his son will be Ardraka ; his son will be Pulindaka; his son will be Ghosha- vasu; his. son will be Vajramitra; his son will be Bhagavata ; his son will be Devabhati. These are the ten Sungas, who will govern the kingdom for a hundred and twelve years.” ' The genius of Kalidasa has immortalized the name of the second prince of this line in the celebrated play Mblavike-Agnimitra, But Agnimitra is there named the king of Vidisa not of Magadha. And his father Pushpamitra the general, is represented as fighting with the Yavanas (Bactrian Greeks), on the Indus. This statement has probably some foundation in fact, for after the time of Alexander the Great, the western frontier of India was the scene of continuous warfare between the Bactrians and the Hindus, and Magadha had to take its share of the wars of the other Hindu kingdoms. Accepting the period of 112 given tothe Sunga dy- nasty that dynasty came to its end in 71 B. C. “ Devabhati the (last) Sunga prince being addicted to immoral indulgences, his minister, the Kanva, named Vasudeva, will murder him and usurp the kingdom. His son will be Bhimimitra; his son will be Naray- ana ;his son will be Susarman. These four Kanvaya- nas will be kings of the earth for forty-five years.” -' We will now assign dates to the kings of these dynas- ties according to the periods fixed for the dynasties in the Vishny Purana. 48 BUDDHIST PERIOD, [OOK Iv. Nanba DyNasty, SUNGA Dynasiy, BC. B.C, Nanda and his eight sons 370 to 320 | Pushpamitra we 183 Agnimitra ioe Ps 70) Sujyeshtha ee ve 189 Maurya DyNasty. Vasumitra ne wae 148 Chandra Gupta we 320 | Ardraka oe we 137 Bindusara os we 291 | Pulindaka ase we 126 Asoka ais + 260 | Ghoshavasu a oe UNS Suyasas .., oes vee 222 | Vajramitra wie, Sh, NOG Dasaratha hes ve 215 | Bhagavata wae we -Q3 Sangata .. sae = 208 | Devabhiti ies 82 to 71 Salisuka ... ive ees 201 Somasraman, ses vee 194 Bribadratha © ..,.—-187 to 183 Kanva Dynasty. Vasudeva Kanva...