The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v1.c7.s5.18

v1.c7.s5.18

By that time, in A.D. 128, Yajña Śrī Sātakarṇi had assumed the crown of the Sātavāhana empire. The discovery of a large number of his coins in Kāthiāwāḍ and Gujerāt does not necessarily prove that Yajña Śrī’s authority extended over those regions. But it is certain that the prosperity of his kingdom encouraged the flow of commerce across the various frontiers. Either on the advice of Chashṭana, who was now becoming an old man, or because of his own military needs, Rudradāman desired the division of the Sātavāhana house. He befriended Vāsiṣṭhīputra Sātakarṇi. The latter must have been a brother of Śiva Śrī Sātakarṇi. He may well have distinguished himself in the Sātavāhana conflicts with the Kshatrapas of Ujjain and thereafter have felt greatly disappointed that Yajña Śrī should get the throne and that he should lead a life of comparative insignificance in the north-west. But with his marriage into the family of the Kshatrapas of Ujjain, who were the traditional enemies of the Sātavāhanas, Vāsiṣṭhīputra’s chances of succeeding to the throne became still further diminished. If he was indeed identical with the Vāsiṣṭhīputra of the Nānāghāṭ record, his name, with the prefix ‘Chatarapana’ added to it, would seem to indicate how profoundly he was influenced by Kshatrapa traditions. He could never hope to be a lawful king of the Sātavāhanas and he never became one. Hence the omission of his name in the Purāṇic list. The Kānheri record furnishes a strong proof of this Vāsiṣṭhīputra’s submission to Kshatrapa authority and influence. Admittedly the script of his record is the ‘exact counterpart’ of that of the Girnār inscription.