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MAY, 1910.)
THE ARTH ASASTRA OF CHANAKYA.
141
An accomplished ascetic may begaile a king by his knowledge of the science of magic known as jambhaka, and request him to come and remain .. . &s before.
An accomplished ascetic, pretending to have secured the favour of the powerful guardian deity of the country, may often begaile the king's chief ministers with his wonderful performance and gradually impose apon the king.
Any person, disguised as an ascetic and living under water or in the interior of an idol entered into through a tunnel or an underground chamber, may be said by his disciples to be Varana, the god of water, or the king of snakes, and shown to the king. While going to accomplish whatever the king may desire, the latter may be requested to come and remain ...before.
An accomplished ascetio, halting in the vicinity of the capital city, may invite the king to witness the person of his enemy; when he comes to witness the invocation of his enemy's life in the image to be destroyed, he may be murdered in an unguarded place.
Spies, under the guise of merchants come to sell horses, may invite the king to examine and purchase any of the animals. While attentively examining the horses, he may be murdered in the tumult or trampled down by horses.
Getting into an altar at night in the vicinity of the capital city of the enemy wit blowing through tabes or hollow reeds the fire contained in a few pots, some fiery spies may shout aloud, "We are going to eat the flesh of the king or of his ministers ; let the worship of the gods go on.” Spies, under the guise of soothsayers and horologists may spread the news abroad,
Spies, disguised as ndgas (snake-gods) and with their body besmeared with burning oil (tejanataila), may stand in the centre of a sacred pool of water or of a lake at night, and, sharpening their iron swords or spikes, may shout aloud as before.
Spies, wearing coats formed of the skins of bears and sending out volumes of smoke from their mouth, may pretend to be demons, and after circumambulating the city thrice from right to left, may shout aloud as before at a place fall of the horrid noise of antelopes and jackals; or spies may set fire to an altar or an image of a god covered with a layer of mica besmeared with burning oil at night, and shout aloud as before. Others may spread this news abroad; or they may cause (by some contrivance or other) blood to flow ont in floods from revered images of gods. Others may spread this news abroad and challenge any bold or brave man to come out to witness this flow of divine blood. Whoever accepts the challenge may be beaten to death by others with rods, making the people believe that he was killed by demons. Spies and other witnesses may inform the king of this wonder. Then spies, disguised as soothsayers and astrologers may prescribe auspicious and expiatory rites to avert the evil consequences which would otherwise overtake the king and his country. When the king agrees to the proposal, he may be asked to perform in person special sacrifices and offerings with special mantras every night for seven days. Then, (while doing this, be may be slain) as before.
In order to delade other kings, the conqueror may himself undertake the performance of expiatory rites to avert such evil consequences as the above and thus set an example to others.
See Chapter 2, Book XIV.
