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

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Page 243
________________ 233 still his Canakya and Candragupta do not reveal neither their valour nor their excellence in polity. Cāṇakya-muni's travel-tour towards Krauñcapura create a puzzle. Due to this reference, there is a remote possibility of Caṇakya's being a south-Indian. Because if the golla-deśa referred by Svetambaras is the region on the bank of Godavari, there might be a possibility about Caṇakya to arrive at the birth-place. There could be a connection between these two things the discovery of the manuscripts of Arthaśāstra in Tamil and Malyalam and the golla-deśa being the birth-place of Kautilya. Otherwise, the Śvetāmbaras are confirmed that the death-place of Cāṇakya is a place called gokula-sthāna near Pāṭalīputra. [8] The variety of themes in the Svetambara-references : Hariṣena's Cāṇakya-kathā is the most standardised story in the Digambara literature while the Śvetāmbaras present Cāṇakya in multiple ways. They are enthusiastic in imagining, creating and remembering Caṇakya on different occasions. They have presented Cāṇakya as an epitome of intellect. They have appreciated Caṇakya's interesting ways of gathering wealth for the royal treasury. His strict orders, rules and punishments are also praised and compared with the jinājñās. [9] The elements of historicity in the narratives : Actually and frankly speaking there is no proof for the historicity of the Caṇakya-narratives. When we look at the stories from the window of Arthaśāstra, we feel that the tales are quite logical and mostly match with the cultural details depicted in the Arthaśāstra. Many of the narratives carry seeds from the Arthaśāstra, therefore we cannot dismiss the stories as a total display of imagination.

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