Episode:11. Chankya and Chandragupta Part 1

Episode:11. Chankya and Chandragupta Part 1
The Discovery of India, Bharat ek Khoj (भारत एक खोज)بھارت ایک کھوج
Director: Shyam Benegal
Based on the book by: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Episode:11. Chankya and Chandragupta Part 1

Nehru has done due justice in describing the Mauryan empire in two sub-chapter as this was the first time that a huge chunk of Indian subcontinent came under one ruler and the credit may be given to two men with a vision. Chanakya and Chandragupta were the duo who accomplished this job. Both had been exiled from the powerful Nanda kingdom of Magadha, which had its capital at Pataliputra (the modern Patna). In their exile they went to Taxila and met Greek invaders stationed there. Chandragupta met Alexander personally and was inflamed by the glory Alexander had accumulated. He with his minister Chanakya was in a watch for the right moment and with the death of Alexander in Babylon they raised the cry of nationalism to unite forces against Selecus (Alexander general) who inherited his legacy after his tragic death in 323 B.C. Chandragupta’s cry of nationalism united the forces against the Greek garrison and Chandragupta established himself as a ruler and annexed large chunk of land from the Greek’s. His kingdom extended up to Kabul in Afghanistan. This was the first time that such a vast piece of land came under the rule of one ruler. Right from the Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal and in the north the empire of Chandragupta extended up to Kabul. For the first time in recorded history a vast centralized state had risen in India. The city of Pataliputra was its capital.

Chanakya has his equal share in this conquest. A mastermind of statecraft, Chanakya helped Chandragupta to establish his kingdom and consolidate it against foreign forces. To escalate his strength Chandragupta established harmonious relationship with foreign forces and married the daughter of Selecus (Alexander’s general).

Chandragupta’s minister Chanakya was not only a minister but an excellent economist, administrator, advisor and above all a man who would go to any level to achieve what he aspires. His famous book ‘Arthashastra’ has been acclaimed worldwide and it is not hard to perceive the importance of this book as it is one of the earliest works on economics. Chanakya has been called the Indian Machiavelli. Partly this comparison is justified but in my opinion Chanakya was much more than that.

Chanakya not only wrote about economics but also about the duties of a ruler, the courtesans and people in power. He was not greed of power and later in his life retired to a life which leads to the path of salvation giving his position to the minister of his enemy as he was highly impressed by the loyalty of the minister to his king. Chanakya never went wring in identifying a man of use and the correct time. Chanakya and Chandragupta together brought glory to the Gupta Empire and were the first among those who dreamed of uniting whole of India under one flag.