Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c5.7

c5.7

Ugrasena-Nanda. The then ruler of Magadha, known as merely Nanda in Sanskrit tradition, is named Dhana-Nanda in the Pali texts which further acquaint us with the names and some particulars of all the nine Nandas. We are told that all the nine Nandas, who were brothers, ruled one after another in accordance with seniority (*vuḍḍhapaṭipāṭiyā*). Dhana-Nanda was the youngest of them. The eldest brother is named Ugrasena-Nanda, the founder of the Nanda dynasty. His early life was quite romantic, like that of Chandragupta. Originally, he was from the frontiers (*pachchanta-vāsika*) and fell into the hands of robbers who carried him captive to a frontier province called Malaya (cf. Malaya in *Mudrārākshasa*) and won him over to the doctrine that pillage was preferable to tillage as a pursuit. He enlisted himself as one of the gangs of robbers together with his brothers and kinsmen and soon became their leader. They started raiding the kingdoms of the neighbourhood (*raṭṭhaṁ vilumpamāno vicharanto*) and, marching against the cities of the frontiers (*pachchanta nagaraṁ gantvā*), gave them the ultimatum: ‘Either surrender your kingdom, or give battle (*rajjaṁ vā dentu yuddhaṁ vā*).’ Gradually they aimed at supreme sovereignty [*Mahāvaṁsa Ṭīkā* in Sinhalese text, read for me by Mr. C. D. Chatterji]. A robber-king thus rose to be a king of kings.