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CHAPTER LVI
THE PRĀGJYOTISAS
If the story of Krsņa's fight with the demons Muru and Naraka, as told in the Visnupurāna, the Mahābhārata,” and the Harivamsa, can be interpreted as having an ethnological significance, then undoubtedly the Prāgjyotişas were a people of non-Aryan extraction. The Epics definitely describe the country of Prāgjyotisas as an Asura or Dānava kingdom ruled over by the demons, Naraka and Muru, with whom the leaders of Aryanism were in frequent conflict. The Pauranic description of Naraka, the Asura leader. attributes to him immense power and a strength that baffled and perplexed even Indra. The environs of his capital city called Prāgjyotisapura were defended by nooses constructed by the demon Muru. Of course, the Aryan leader, Krsna, is described as having got the better of the fight with the demons, which may be interpreted as one of the exploits in the history of the spread of Aryan influence in the east.
The Mahābhārata in other places 4 refers to Prāgjyotisa as a Mleccha kingdom ruled over by a king named Bhagadatta who is always spoken of in respectful and even eulogistic terms. Bhagadatta is styled a Yavana, probably denoting that he did not belong to the Aryan fold." The Udyogaparvan describes him as the son of Naraka, the Prāgjyotişa king, and as an ally of Duryodhana. Among his retinues Bhagadatta counted the Cīnas (the people of China),' and if the Kālayavana of the Visnupurāna refers to the same king, as Wilson seems to think, he also'assembled many myriads of Mlecchas and barbarians' among his followers. The Mahābhārata mentions him as a king of boundless might (aparyanta-bala) ruling over (the country of) Muru and Naraka.
1 Wilson's Ed., 5, XXIX, 88ff. 2 Vanaparvan, XII, 488; Udyogaparvan, XLVII, 1887–92. 3 CXXI, 6791-9; CXXII, 6873, etc.
4 Sabhāparvan, XXV, 1000-1; ibid., L, 1834; Udyogaparvan, CLXVI, 5804; Karnaparvan, V, 104-5. 5 Sabhāparvan, XII, 578–80; ibid., L, 1834-6.
6 Chap. IV. 7 Udyogaparvan, XVIII, 584-5. S 8 Wilson's Vişnupurāna, Bk. V, pp. 54-5. • Sabhāparvan, I, 578-9:
Murum ca Narakam caiva śāsti yo Yavanādhipah aparyantabala-rājā pratīcyām Varuņo yathā. Bhagadatto mahārājo Vyddhastavapituḥ sakhā sa vacā pranatastasya karmaṇā ca viseşataḥ.'
