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Siddhasena Divākara and Vikramāditya
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not help asking whether Siddhasena's patron may not have been one of those great Gupta rulers of India's Golden Age.
7. Who was Siddhasena's Patron ?
To decide this question, it recommends itself to visualise more closely the features which distinguish Siddhasena's patron in the light of the Guņavacanadvātrimśikā. They are as follows : ( A ) Position and Career :
(1) He was the scion of a dynasty of rulers and feudatory lords. ( St. 9)
(2) In the beginning of his reign, he was 'indifferent to the Earth', i.e., he did not undertake campaigns of conquest, and subsequently the prosperity of the country and the royal fortune were not stable. (St. 19 )
(3) At that time, the land was divided among many princes, who fought with one another for its possession, so that the right of property was uncertain and people were troubled. This condition had been prevailing since a considerable time. ( St. 12, 22)
(4) Siddhasena's patron then started a number of victorious campaigns against those princes and conquered their territories. (St. 12-15, 17-18, 23 )
(5) The defeated princes became his vassals, as, instead of humiliating or exploiting them according to the usual procedure, he restituted their principalities to them and even strengthened their position by financial help. ( St. 12, 14 )
( 6 ) Others of the neighbouring rulers he won over by diplomatic tactics with lavish liberality, so that they became his allies. (St. 11 )
(7) In this way, he created a vast empire under his undisputed control, counting crowned kings among his allies or vassals. (St. 7, 10, 11, 12)
(8) Opposition or rebellion he suppressed with a strong hand, and thus made himself feared to such an extent that none of his
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