A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature c5.353

c5.353

Chandra-gupta was then raised to the throne and founded the Mauryan dynasty, the third king of which was the great Asoka, grandson of Chandra-gupta. The Brāhmans and Buddhists are widely at variance as to the origin of the Mauryan family. The drama Mudrā-rākshasa represents Chandra-gupta as being related to Mahā-padma Nanda, and the commentator on the Vishnu Purāna says that he was a son of Nanda by a woman of low caste named Murā, wherefore he and his descendants were called Mauryas. This looks very like an etymological invention, and is inconsistent with the representation that the low caste of Nanda was one cause of his deposition; for were it true, the low-caste king would have been supplanted by one of still lower degree. On the other hand, the Buddhists contend that the Mauryas belonged to the same family as Buddha, who was of the royal family of the Sākyas. The question of the identification of Sandracottus and Chandra-gupta has been discussed at length by Wilson in the preface to the Mudrā-rākshasa in his *Hindu Theatre*, and in the Vishnu Purāna, vol. iv. p. 185; also by Max Müller in his *History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature*.