The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c26.250

v1.c26.250

Such an hypothesis would be entirely consistent with the scene that confronts us when next the curtain rises on the drama of Graeco-Indian relations. Taxiles, like Porus, has disappeared from the stage. But his place is filled by a figure of much more heroic proportions. By the time that Seleucus Nicator, founder of the dynasty that bears his name, had made his position in Babylon so secure as to be able to turn his attention to the extreme east of the dominions he had won, a new ruler had arisen in India. Chandragupta or, as the Greeks called him, Sandrocottus, the first of the Maurya emperors, had made himself master of the whole of the north. In his youth he had seen Alexander the Great, and when he grew to manhood he put into practice some of the lessons which Alexander's success was calculated to teach. It has been conjectured that he employed Greek mercenaries in his struggle with Nanda or Nandrus, the king of Magadha (S. Bihār) on the ruins of whose power he rose to greatness; he certainly seems to have adopted western methods in the training and discipline of his local levies. Under his leadership India threw off the last remnants of the Macedonian yoke. And, if we can rely on Justin, the revolution was not a bloodless one: he indicates (xv, 4) that such of the Macedonian prefects as still held their posts were ruthlessly put to the sword.