The Mauryan Polity c13.s8: 8. On Elephants
The Mauryan Polity c13.s8
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8. On Elephants
c13.s8.1
Dr. Stein has examined at length the passages of the Kauṭaliya² on elephants with the relevant statements of the Indika under different headings: (a) places where they are caught, (b) their height, (c) age, (d) hunting, (e) stalls, (f) size, (g) feeding, (h) training, (i) diseases and their remedy. It is gratifying to note that under almost all these items he finds more points of resemblance between the Greek account and the *Arthaśāstra*. The minor differences under this section are with regard to age. According to Kauṭalya elephants which are 40 years old are the largest, those of 30 medium size, and those of 5 and 20 of the lowest class.¹ But the Greek accounts refer to elephants aged 200 and 300 years. Commonsense tells us that this portion of the account must be an exaggeration, perhaps to glorify the importance of those animals for the state in respect of war, traffic, etc. It is unfortunate that such incorrect statements have found a place in their documents. In regard to particulars about hunting, it is only a question of details which do not legitimately belong to the province of a work on polity.
c13.s8.2
² Op. cit., p. 47-ff.
c13.s8.3
¹ Arrian, Fg. XVII.
Linked texts (2)
- Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit
- Ἰνδική — Λούκιος Φλάουιος Ἀρριανός, Ancient Greek