A History of Indian Literature v3.c35.s7.34

v3.c35.s7.34

In fact Kalhaṇa’s statement, when he too perhaps is not always wholly impartial, throughout creates the impression that he endeavours to describe not only the long past times, but also the events of his own and near-by ages *sine ira et studio*, and his opinion is mostly inspired by high moral cosmic philosophy. Throughout in his narrative the poet inserts moral maxims. For him the real objective of writing history consists in teaching of dharma and morality. To him, as to any Indian, that success and failure of present life have their cause in the good and evil acts (karman) of the previous existence is an incontestable fact. He is wholly in keeping with the common Indian opinion to the extent that he believes in magic and witchcraft. When he speaks about the kings, who are ruined, either on account of witchcraft or due to the curse of a Brāhmaṇa, he does it with the same conviction with which he would narrate that they perished either with sword or on account of poison. He is Indian in this respect as well that his chronology of earlier ages is often improbable. He makes King Raṇāditya rule for 300 years — a thing that is not credible. If we are to fix the date of Aśoka according to Kalhaṇa, we shall have to set it at 1260 B.C.¹. With true Indian credulity he narrates all myths and legends that he found for earlier ages in his sources and in traditions, so all the wonderful snake-legends, that are associated with the earliest history of Kashmir.