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96. SUBANDHU, THE MINISTER OF
NANDA
When Candragupta overthrew king Nanda with the help of Canakya, Subandhu, one of the Ministers of king Nanda, continued to stay in the court of Candragupta whose wife was Nanda's daughter. She gave birth to the next king Bindusära and Subandhu continued to work for him also after Candragupta's death. Subandhu could not overcome his oid loyalty for king Nanda and selected Canakya for his special hatred and was constantly on the look out for an opportunity to hit him.
Once he told king Bindusăra that his mother, who was king Nanda's daughter, met her death owing to the machinations of Canakya. The king had no other means to verify this charge against Canakya except his old nurse who was also the servant of his mother. When she also confirmed the story, the king needed no further investigation. When Canakya came to meet him, the king would not even look at him. Canakya felt convinced that the king was greatly displeased with him. When he came home from the palace, he had quite made up his mind.
As it is he had grown old, he would not now at this stage in life go out of his own way to ingratiate himself with the king. He worked on his decision and distributed all his property amongst his heirs. But he secretly mixed some perfumed powders and made small paper packets of them. These packets he placed in a small casket. In the casket, he also left a letter. This casket he put in a box, which again went in another box. The whole package was put in a third box and that was shut in the fourth box. He wrapped all the boxes
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