Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c4.29

c4.29

Thus the evidence of foreign sources based upon the reports of the Indians of the day and the stories then current in the country does not at all contain any insinuations as to the supposed base birth or disreputable origin of Chandragupta. On the contrary, that evidence imputes it to the then reigning Indian king of ‘Eastern’ India and describes the consequent weakness of his position, inviting his overthrow. At first, Chandragupta thought that Alexander might easily displace him, considering how he lacked the best defence and protection that a king could have, the love of his people. For the people’s feelings were outraged by the usurpation of sovereignty by a man of low origin, the son of a barber, and a Sūdra, and a murderer to boot of the last lawful sovereign, and a man of an equally low character possessed of an inherently “wicked disposition.” When Chandragupta found that Alexander was out of the way and unable to carry further his conquests and exploit in any way the political situation prevailing in Nanda’s empire, he himself thought of undertaking that task and was inspired by 'aspiration after royalty', as stated by Justin. But how could he undertake that mission if he was himself not free of the taint which made Nanda so unpopular? If he had to seek the support of the people in ridding the country of its despicable usurper, and count on their moral opinion outraged by Nanda's disreputable origin and doings, he could not hope to do so without having a clean record of lineage for himself. One who was making political capital out of the base birth of his rival could not himself be base-born. Justin also makes Chandragupta free of any trace of royal or even aristocratic blood, far less of any connexion, remote or illegitimate, with the Nanda kings, which some later Sanskrit traditions seek to ascribe to him. He was not out to oust the Nanda king as any jealous kinsman of his. He was out only to free his country from the dearly despised domination of the Nanda king, as an instrument of his people's will, as he had already freed the country from the yoke of foreign rule.