Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s7.1

c12.s7.1

There are unfortunately no definitely dated literary records of the Nanda-Maurya period. The epigraphic records that only date from the time of Aśoka give a one-sided picture of the religion of the people. The Śrauta and Gṛhya Sūtras which possibly belong to this period do not give a picture of the religion in practice but attempt at a systematisation of the orthodox Brahmanical traditions both social and ritualistic. They show Brahmanism on the defensive trying to safeguard its rights and privileges against the newly started religious movements such as Buddhism and Jainism. The *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya is of suspected authenticity and may be used only as a source of secondary importance. The *Aṣṭādhyāyī* of Pāṇini is a compilation of this period and contains some important references to the religious institutions of the times. What is more important, it mentions the *Mahābhārata*. But it is not known which *Mahābhārata* it was. It was certainly not the epic in its present developed form. Supposing it was the old Pāṇḍu story, it does not throw any light on the age of the present epic. The epic therefore cannot be used as a source of information for the religious history of the Nanda-Maurya period.