Jain Thought and Culture

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 53

The Riddle of Chanakya and Kautilya
period As PC Bagchi, one of the greatest Indian Sinologist, has pointed out the name Huna itself came into existence in the Gupta age 129 In any case, the Hunas were certainly far beyond the geographical horizon of the Indians of the fourth century BC The Arthasastra also makes a reference to coral imported from Alexandria (2 11) Now, as pointed out by S Levi,30 according to Pliny and the Periplus the coral trade shifted to India in the first century AD In any case it appears certain that Alexandria, which was founded by AleXander only a few years before the accession of Chandragupta Maurya, could not acquire enough prominence as a sea-port by the close of the fourth century BC as to merit a reference in an Indian work of that period The Arthasastra (211) reference to Chinapata from Chinabhumi is also quite significant For, it is unlıkly that the Indians were aware of China as the land of silk in the fourth century BC Perhaps China had not acquired this name in that period Similar is the case of the Arthasastra (1111) reference to Parasamudraka According to the Periplus (first century AD) Palaesimunda was the name of Ceylon which the ancients called Taprobane Now, as Megasthenes and Asokan edicts actually knew this island as Tamraparni, it can hardly be maintained that an author of the fourth century BC knew it by the later name Parasamudra 31
Lastly, we would like to briefly mention some other considerations which point to a late date for the Arthasastra Firstly, while Kaulilya (26) prescribes the recording of the year, month, paksha and day in specifying dates in royal documents, Asoka nowhere follows this system Though an approach in this direction is seen in the Kushana records, the exact adoption of the rule of Kautilya is found for the first time in the Girnar inscription of Rudradaman 1 Secondly, the official language, contemplated in the Arthasastra (2 10) 18 Sanskrit, and not Prakritused by the Mauryas, the Satavahanas and the Kushanas Thirdly there is no reference in the Arthasastra to royal titles characterstic of the Maurya age On the other hand, Indra-Yama-sthananietat (1 13) cannot fail to recall Dhanada-Varunendrantaka-sama of
29 Bagchi, PC, India and Central Asia, p 137 30 Quoted in ABORI, XLVIII-XLIX, p 18 31 The reference to Kambu (Cambodia) and Vanayu (Arabia ?) also suggest that the geographical outlook of Kautilya was quite wide