Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c11.s2: Sources
Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c11.s2
- Language
- English
Sources
c11.s2.1
For the study of the political and administrative system of the Mauryan empire we are fortunately in possession of an abundance of authentic contemporary evidence such as we do not get for any other period of India's history until we reach the period of Mughal rule. Megasthenes, Kauṭilya and the Aśokan inscriptions, when correctly interpreted, supplement one another to a remarkable degree, and literary sources like Divyāvadāna and Mudrārākshasa, though they belong to much later times, appear to preserve a correct tradition in some parts and have their own contribution to make ; likewise the Girnār inscription of Rudradāman (A.D. 150) provides a welcome peep into the provincial administration of Gujarat under the Mauryas.
c11.s2.2
The real date and authenticity of the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya has been the subject of a long debate, which, while clearing up many issues, has led to no general consensus of opinion, though the balance is clearly in favour of the bulk of the work being accepted as a genuine picture of the conditions prevailing in the Mauryan epoch. In our view the book has stood the test of criticism and must now be accepted, with reservations, as the work of Kauṭilya, who shares with Chandragupta, the credit for the establishment of the empire and laying down the foundations of its administrative system. The position is set out in detail in an excursus at the end of this chapter.
c11.s2.3
The evidence of Greek and Latin authors and of the Aśoka inscriptions has been studied in some detail elsewhere in this volume, and will be adverted to only to the extent necessary for completing the sketch of polity attempted here.
Linked texts (3)
- Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit
- Divyāvadāna — Sanskrit
- Mudrārākṣasa — Viśākhadatta, Sanskrit