Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c5.71

c5.71

**War against Nanda: Stories of its strategy.** With the first part of his mission in life thus achieved in liberating the Punjab from foreign rule, he now turned to its second part, the liberation of the other parts of the country from the tyranny of its rulers, the hated Nandas. Unfortunately, there is not much evidence available on this important event of Chandragupta’s conquest of Magadha. There is, however, evidence to show that the event created a widespread sensation and roused popular interest. It passed into folk lore and tradition. It seems that, after recruiting their army locally in the Punjab in the manner described above, Chāṇakya and Chandragupta started by invading the countries on the frontiers (*āntojanapadaṁ pavisitvā*) and plundering their villages (*gāmaghātādikammaṁ*) in their desire for sovereignty (*rajjaṁ ichchanto*). Chandragupta’s movement was from the frontier to the interior of India, towards Magadha and Pāṭaliputra, but he first made mistakes in strategy. The story is thus related: “In one of these villages a woman [by whose hearth Chandragupta’s spy had taken refuge] baked a *chapathy* and gave it to her child. He, leaving the edges, ate only the centre, and, throwing the edges away, asked for another cake. Then she said, ‘This boy’s conduct is like Chandagutta’s attack on the kingdom.’ The boy said, ‘Why Mother, what am I doing, and what has Chandagutta done?’ ‘Thou, my dear,’ said she, ‘throwing away the outside of the cake, eatest the middle only. So Chandagutta, in his ambition to be a monarch, without beginning from the frontiers, and taking the towns in order as he passed, has invaded the heart of the country... and his army is surrounded and destroyed. That was his folly’ ” [*Mahāvaṁsa Ṭīkā*, p. 123; Appendix I]. Next, Chandragupta tried another method. He commenced operations from the frontiers (*pachchantato paṭṭhāya*) and conquered many *rāshtras* and *janapadas*, States and peoples, on the way; but his mistake was not to post garrisons to hold the conquests. The result was that the people left in the rear of his advance were free to combine, to encircle his army, and defeat his designs. Then the proper strategy dawned on him. He had garrisons stationed at the *rāshtras* and *janapadas* as they were conquered (*uggahitanayā balaṁ saṁvidhāya*) and, crossing the frontiers of Magadha with his victorious army, besieged Pāṭaliputra and killed Dhana-Nanda (Appendix I).