Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c4.33

c4.33

The *Purāṇas* tell us that the previous Śiśunāga kings were Kshatriyas (*Kshatra-bāndhavaḥ*). They were followed by the nine Nandas, Mahāpadma Nanda and his eight sons. Mahāpadma became 'a second Paraśurāma', as 'the exterminator of the entire Kshatriya race' (*sarvakshatrāntakaḥ*), 'one who uprooted all Kshatriyas (*sarvakshatrānuddhṛitya*), 'the destroyer of Kshatriyas' (*Kshatravināśakṛit*), and established himself as 'the sole sovereign of the realm' (*eka-rāṭ*) placed 'under the umbrella of one authority (*eka-chchhatrām*) which no one could challenge' (*anullaṅghita-śāsanaḥ*). Then the *Purāṇas* state that this race of "irreligious" kings "will be uprooted by a certain Dvija", "the Brāhmaṇa Kauṭilya", and that "Kauṭilya will anoint Chandragupta as the sovereign of the realm" (*rājye-abhishekshyati*).