Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c11.89

c11.89

The overthrow of the Nandas rid the Magadhan empire of a dynasty that, in spite of its great services, had failed either to secure the good will of the subjects, or to show any intelligent grasp of the policy to be pursued towards the invaders in the North-West. The new regime had to justify itself by efficient administration, by promotion of the welfare of the people, and securing their protection against the *Yavana* menace. Regarding some of the methods adopted by Chandragupta opinions may differ. According to Justin "he oppressed with servitude the very people whom he had emancipated from foreign thraldom"⁶ We do not know how far the remark applies to the Magadhan provinces. The judgment is of too sweeping a character to be supported by all other available evidence. We shall not enter here into the details of the Mauryan polity which will be dealt with in a later chapter. The emancipation of the Indians from foreign thraldom, to which the Latin historian refers, was in itself no mean achievement. We now turn to this famous episode in the career of Chandragupta.