Book Title: Chanakya Explored in Jaina Literature
Author(s): Nalini Joshi
Publisher: Firodaya Prakashan

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Page 100
________________ 90 Mudrārākṣasa's Caṇakya, he never calls him 'vṛṣala'. The incident of fulfilling the pregnancy-longings of Candragupta's mother is the free-lance display of the curṇikāra's power of imagination, certainly carved after 'the mirror and the moon' episode of lord Rama's childhood. Cāṇakya's first meeting with Candragupta when he was a teenager, is documented with some other versions. We can guess that there would be some floating myths about this in the soci ety. The story of 'the old lady and hot gruel' is a peculiar Indian motif, oftenly used in the story literature. We find the same motif in the biography of Shivaji mahārāja in the later literature. Caṇakya's political wisdom and Candragupta's bravery, loyalty and power of organization is evident in their joint-ventures to defeat the powerful Nanda kingdom with the help of Parvataka (might be an administrator appointed by Alexander the Great.) All these magnificiant qualities are belittled if we read the Hindu sources carefully, where Caṇakya kills Nanda by performing the magical rites. The preceptor-disciple-relationship between Cāṇakya and Candragupta is effectfully highlighted in the AvCū. and NiśCū. at many places. It leaves no scope for the conflict between them whether real or pseudo, as depicted in the Mudrārākṣasa. According to the NiśCū. it was Bindusāra, who dishonoured Caṇakya, after the death of Candragupta, because of the malicious reporting of Subandhu, the enemy of Cāṇakya. * It is already noted down that all the references in the Niśīthabhāṣya and Niśītha-cūrṇi are closely connected with the Jaina

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