Indian Antiquary Vol 45

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 12

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JANUARY, 1916
THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF MAGADHA. BY S. V. VENKATESWARA AYYAR, M. A., L. T., LECTURER, GOVT. COLLEGE,
KUMBAKONAM. (Continued from Vol. XLIV. p. 52.)
II.
1. Prehistoric Magadha. The first distinct mention of Magadha, or rather the Magadhas, is in the Atharva Veda. Men of Magadha are referred to in the Yajur Veda. These references show that the land had not yet been aryanised in that period. The settlement of respectable Brahmans in Mogadha began only in the later Aranyaka period. The early sútras seem to have looked on the country as the abode of fallen Brahmans (Vråtyas) who sought readmission to the Brahmanical order by performing purificatory ceremonies. According to the Puranas the kingdom of Magadha was older than the Mahabharata War Brihadratha, the founder of the earliest dynasty of Magadha, was a son of Vasu Uparichara, the same as is mentioned in the Naraya niya section of the Mahabharata Uparichara seems to be a historical personage as he is mentioned in various works-in the Mâtsy, l'ishnu, Vayu, and Bhagavata Puranas, and in the Harivarisa. He is styled king of Chedi in the last mentioned work. His son Bțihadratha is named Maharatha in the Vayu Purana and styled king of Magadha. The foundation of the Bårhadratha dynasty of Magadha by a younger son of a king of Chedi seems likely to be the historical background of these traditions.
Three generations from Brihadratha bring us to tho Mahâbhârata War, and there were twenty three generations from the War to the times of Gautama Buddha. It is true that the Puranus mention 32 kings from Brihadratha to the end of the dynasty. But the names of rulers after Sahadeva actually given is only 23.2 Adding to this list the seven other rulers of the Bârhadratha line, who were not of the same line as Sahadeva, but were descended from another'son of Brihadratha, we get 30 names, Including Jarasandha and Sahadeva we get 32 names of rulers-all of whom were descended from Brihadratha by the evidence of the Purâ nas, and 23 of whom reigned in Magadha after Sahadeva the contemporary of the Great War.
The Purâ nic story that the last of the Bârhadrathas" was succeeded by Chanda Pradyota of Avanti, or by his father, implies that the Brihadratha dynasty continued to rule down to the time of Gautama Buddha. But in the meantime Siśunaga usurped the throne of Magadha. It may therefore be supposed that the Bârhadrathas still remained as local chieftains of Magadha until the kings of Giriraja encroached on their territory and finally extinguished the line.
1 See Macdonell and Keith: Vedic Index. II. 116. for the references.
2 In the l'iyu Purana. Other Puranas differ-the Brahmanda has 22 names, the Bhagavata 21, and the Vishnu 21 only. The Matsya has 22 names.
• Brihadratha; Kusågra or Kus&grya ; Rishabha or Vishabha ; Pushpavat, Putravat or Pushya ; Satyadhrita or Satyajita; Sudhanwan; and Jantu or Orja. The brother of Kusagra was Jarasandha father of Sahadeva. The Puranas may have added these names together, although they were the names of contemporary, not of consecutive dynasties, thus getting 32 rulers in all.
4 This is the total number given in the Vayu and Matsya Puranas : TTI TUT T O TRvra. The Brahmånda has another reading: Tiara : rarit gazar: 1.
5 So the Vishnu and Bhigavata Puranas. The former names him Ripunjaya (Book IV, Chap. 24), and the latter Purajaya (Book XII. Chap. 1, verse 2). But the Matsya, Vayu and Brahmanda simply say that the Brihadratha dynasty had ended when the Pradyota dynasty was founded.