Intercourse between India and the Western World from the Earliest Times to the Fall of Rome c8.106

c8.106

Such then, in brief, is the interesting account of the great Maurya Empire as it appeared to the first Greek who penetrated to the heart of India. Its value to us is shown by the fact that without it our knowledge of this important period would be practically a blank. By comparing what Megasthenes has said with the Edicts of Aśoka and the Artha Śāstra of Chāṇakya, we are able to form a clear picture of the general character of Maurya institutions. We see a highly organized government, and a nation distinguished for its probity and intelligence. The work of Megasthenes refutes the popular idea that because India has no history, she has been incapable of developing political institutions.