Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c20.s1.6

c20.s1.6

The next question to consider is the time between Mahāpadma’s inauguration and the Bhārata battle. For this three sets of data are alleged. First, there reigned in Magadha during that time 22 Bārhadrathas, 5 Pradyotas and 10 Śiśunāgas, and the total of all their reigns is (940 + 138 + 330) 1408 years, while the totals of the durations of the dynasties vary from (1000 + 138 + 360) 1498 to (723 + 52 + 163) 938 years according as we take all the highest or all the lowest figures.⁶ Secondly, it is said that the period from Mahāpadma’s inauguration back to Parikṣit’s birth, which occurred soon after the battle,¹ was 1050 (or 1015) years.² These figures are so discrepant that it is clear no reliable tradition has survived in them. It cannot be said that any one of them is more trustworthy than the others. No calculation can be based on all of them combined, and to make computations from one or other of them is purely random work.³ Besides they are all demonstrably wrong. From the Bhārata battle to Mahāpadma there were 30 Paurava kings (for Yudhiṣṭhira must be reckoned in) and 29 Aikṣvākus (excluding Siddhārtha, i. e. Buddha, who did not reign), beside the 37 Māgadha kings; hence on a reckoning of the kings as 30, the foregoing figures, 1408, &c., give average reigns of 47, 50, 31 and 35 years respectively, which are all impossible when tested by real historical averages as will be shown. Those figures therefore cannot be relied on. The third set of data is that Mahāpadma exterminated all kṣatriyas, and that until then there reigned contemporaneously for the same length of time 24 Aikṣvākus, 27 Pañcālas, 24 Kāśis, 28 Haihayas, 32 Kaliṅgas, 25 Aśmakas, 36 Kurus, 28 Maithilas, 23 Śūrasenas and 20 Vītihotras.⁴ Here we have safer ground, for the (names and so) number of kings in a dynasty was a much simpler matter and more easily remembered than figures of the lengths of reigns and dynasties; and this information about ten contemporary dynasties eliminates peculiarities and extravagances about single dynasties and enables us to make prudent calculations by means of averages of all ten. The investigation will proceed on these lines.