Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c11.81

c11.81

The Kashmirian redactors of the *Brihatkathā* show their independence of the tradition followed by the play by introducing a Yogananda, a Nanda produced by magic, that is, by the entry of an adept in that art into the body of the genuine (*pūrva*) Nanda. They also attribute to Śakaṭāla, the minister of the real Nanda, the destruction of the son of the supposititious king, and the bestowal of the royal dignity upon Chandragupta, child of the genuine monarch. Cāṇakya, according to this version, is simply a protege and an instrument of Śakaṭāla.⁴ The real Nanda king is now definitely described as a Śūdra.