Tribes in Ancient India c50.127

c50.127

Candragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusāra, surnamed Amitraghāta (slayer of foes),—an epithet which is quoted, perhaps with reference to this king, in the grammatical work of Patañjali.¹ It is uncertain whether Bindusāra earned, or merely assumed, his sobriquet. The Purāṇas attribute to Bindusāra a reign of 25 years, and the Ceylonese Chroniclers a reign of 28 years. The Samantapāsādikā,² on the other hand, says that he ruled for 18 years only. According to Smith’s chronology, Bindusāra’s reign terminated about 273 B.C.³ The Divyāvadāna⁴ tells us that Taxila revolted during his reign, and that he sent his son Aśoka to quell the rebellion. When the prince approached Taxila with his troops, all disturbance was allayed. The people came out to meet him and said: ‘We are not opposed to the prince, nor even to King Bindusāra, but the wicked ministers insult us.’ Aśoka alludes to the high-handedness of the Maurya officials in his Kaliṅga Edict.⁵ Nothing of political importance is known to have happened during Bindusāra’s reign, but it is clear that he maintained intact the dominions inherited from Candragupta. The friendly relations between India and the Hellenistic powers, which had been initiated by his father Candragupta and the Greek empire-builder Seleukos, continued unbroken throughout his reign.⁶