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The Account of the Yavanas in the Yuga-Purāṇa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Extract
Students of early Indian history are aware that the Yuga-purāṇa section of the Gārgī-saṁhitā contains an account of the Yavanas or Indo-Bactrian Greeks, important because it speaks of a Yavana invasion of Puṣpapura (i.e. the city of Pāṭaliputra, the capital of the Mauryas) and some other areas apparently forming parts of the Maurya empire, and assigns it to a date shortly after Śāliūka who was a descendant of Aśoka and flourished about 200 b.c. So the Yavanas invaded Pāṭaliputra not long before the Brāhmaṇa general Puṣyamitra killed his master, the last Maurya king Bṛhadratha, and occupied the Maurya throne about 185 b.c. There can be little doubt that the success of the Greeks against the Mauryas is associated with the dynastic revolution, and that the rise of Puṣyamitra was due to the Greek occupation of Maurya territories.
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References
page 7 note 1 A section in six lines (3 Anuṣṭubh stanzas) immediately before the reference to the Yavanas describes Sāliśūka (cf. JBORS., Vol. XIV, p. 401). See Smith, V. A., Early History of India, 1924, p. 228, note 1Google Scholar.
page 8 note 1 Cf., besides references to the notices of the manuscripts cited above, Cunningham, A., Coins of Alexander's Successors in the East, pp. 262–62Google Scholar; Rapson, E. J., Ancient India, pp. 131–32Google Scholar; Dhruva, K. H., JBORS., Vol. XVI, pp. 18 ff.Google Scholar; Smith, V. A., Early History of India, 4th ed., p. 228 and note 1Google Scholar; Raychaudhuri, H. C., Political History of Ancient India, 6th edition, pp. 386, etc.Google Scholar; Tarn, W. W., Greeks in Bactria and India, pp. 452 ff.Google Scholar; Sircar, D. C. in Calcutta Review, 04, 1943, pp. 39–42Google Scholar, and in The Age of Imperial Unity, (The History and Culture of the Indian People, Vol. II), ed. Majumdar, R. C., pp. 106–07Google Scholar; Lahiri, A N., IHQ., Vol. XXXIII, pp. 40 ff.Google Scholar; Narain, A. K., The Indo-Greeks, pp. 174 ff.Google Scholar; etc.
page 8 note 2 Cf. JBORS., Vol. XIV, pp. 402–03.
page 8 note 3 Kern — Pañcālān = Mathurāṁ; other MSS. — Pañcālā Māthurā.
page 8 note 4 Asiatic Society and Kern—Yavanā duṣṭa°; Bibliothèque Nationale —evanā yuṣṭa°; Mankad— Yavanāś = ca su°.
page 8 note 5 Mankad— °vikrāntāh; other MSS. — vikrāntā.
page 8 note 6 Asiatic Society and Bibliothèque Nationale—°dhvajā; other MSS.—dhvajaṁ.
page 8 note 7 Bibliothèque Nationale — kardama°; other MSS. — kardame.
page 8 note 8 Bibliothèque Nationale — hate.
page 8 note 9 This line has not been quoted from Kern's manuscript.
page 8 note 10 Asiatic Society and Banaras Sanskrit College — śaduma; Bibliothèque Nationale — śastraduma; Mankad — śastra-druma.
page 8 note 11 This line and the following one have not been quoted from Kern's manuscript.
page 8 note 12 Asiatic Society and Banaras Sanskrit College — Dhama-mīta-tamā; Bibliothèque Nationale — Dharmamita-tayā; Mankad — dharma-bhīta-tamā. Mankad refers also to the reading Dharma-mita-tacā, though it is not clear where he got it.
page 8 note 13 Asiatic Society and Banaras Sanskrit College — bhokṣanti; Bibliothèque Nationale — mokṣanti; Mankad — bhoṣyeti.
page 8 note 14 Bibliothèque Nationale — Pañcālā; other MSS. — Yavanā.
page 8 note 15 Asiatic Society and Banaras Sanskrit College—jñāpayiṣyanti; Bibliothèque Nationale —jñāpayiṣyanti. Mankad's manuscript seems to have kṣāpayiṣyanti though he has attributed this reading wrongly to other manuscripts. Cf. the same mistake in Narain's The Indo-Greeks, p. 178.
page 8 note 16 This reading is found only in the Bibliothèque Nationale manuscript. See note 17 below.
page 8 note 17 Kern—naśyeran ca; Asiatic Society and Banaras Sanskrit College—naśarēyaṁ ca; Mankad — nagareḥ paṁca; Bibliothèque Nationale — nagare yaṁ ca.
page 8 note 18 Mankad—pārthivā; other MSS.—pārthivāḥ.
page 9 note 1 Asiatic Society and Bibliothèque Nationale— madhyaṃ Kern and Banaras Sanskrit College — madhayaṁ; Mankad — Madhya°.
page 9 note 2 Bibliothèque Nationale — Pañcālā°; other MSS.— Yavanā°.
page 9 note 3 Mankad — durmadāḥ; other MSS. — durmadā.
page 9 note 4 Banaras Sanskrit College — saṁbhāva; Bibliothè Nationale — saṁbhavo; Kern and Asiatic Society — saṁbhāvā; Mankad — saṁbhāvād°.
page 9 note 5 Kern — bhaviṣyanti; other MSS. — bhaviṣyati.
page 9 note 6 Asiatic Society — dāruṇām; other MSS. – dāruṇaṁ.
page 9 note 7 Asiatic Society — and Bibliothèque Nationlae; — parikṣayaṁ; Kern, Mankad and Banaras Sanskrit College — parikṣaye.
page 9 note 8 Asiatic Society, Kern and Bibliothèque Nationale — saṁkete; Banaras Sanskrit College — sakete; Mankad — saketo.
page 9 note 9 Mankad — bhaviṣyati; other MSS. – bhaviṣyanti.
page 9 note 10 Cf. aruṇda — yavanaḥ Sāketam (Ind. Ant., Vol. VII, p. 267; Mahābhāṣya on Pāṇini, III, ii,111).
page 9 note 11 Cf. iha Puṣyamitraṁ yājayāmaḥ (Ind. Ant. Vol. I, p. 300; Mahābhāṣya on Pāṇini, III, ii. 123).
page 11 note 1 Cf. Ep. lnd., Vol. XXVIII, p. 132, text line 1 and note.
page 11 note 2 Cf. ibid., Vol. XXXII, pp. 222, text line 16; p. 224, text line 11.
page 11 note 3 For traditions regarding the origin of the name, Cf. Malalasekera, Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, s.v.; Altekar, and Mishra, , Kumrahar Excavations, p. 14Google Scholar; etc.
page 13 note 1 Cf. Kirātārjunīya, XV, 20, and Mallinātha's commentary thereon.
page 14 note 1 Cf. Nāgarakāh, Nāgarikāḥ and Nāgarikyaḥ explained respectively as Pāṭatiputrakāh, Pāṭaliputrikāḥ and Pāṭaliputrikyaḥ in the Jayamaṇgalā commentary on Vātsyāyana's, Kāmasūtra, VI, 5, 30Google Scholar; 9, 24.
page 15 note 1 Pargiter, , Dynasties of the Kali Age, p. 56 and note 4Google Scholar.
page 15 note 2 That the Greeks perpetrated such atrocities is also known from other instances. Cf., e.g., the massacre of the Mālavas by Alexander's soldiers — ‘sparing neither man, woman, nor child’ (Smith, , Early History of India, 1924, p. 101)Google Scholar.
page 16 note 1 Kajaṅgala (modern Rajmahal on the eastern border of Bihar) was regarded by the Buddhists as the eastern limit of Madhyadeśa (N. L. Dey, Geog. DiCt., s.v.).
page 16 note 2 Cf. Camb. Hist. Ind., Vol. I, pp. 446 ff.; Smith, , Early History of India, 1924, pp. 237–38Google Scholar.
page 18 note 1 Ind. Ant., Vol. II, p. 363.
page 18 note 2 The expression has also been translated as ‘one weak in keeping his coronation oath’ (Smith, , Early History of India, 1924, p. 208, note 1)Google Scholar.
page 19 note 1 Cowell and Thomas take bala in the sense of ‘his (Puṣyamitra's) power’ (The Harṣacarita of Bāṇa, p. 193).
page 19 note 2 Cf. the popularity and unpopularity respectively of Candragupta and Rāmagupta in the story of the Devicandragupta. While Candragupta was eager to fight with the Śakas, Rāmagupta was in favour of making peace with the foreigners at any cost. It is interesting to note that Rāmagupta was likewise murdered by Candragupta without any difficulty. See The Classical Age, pp. 17–18. In his reference to the Candragupta-Rāmagupta story Bāṇa apparently depended on the Devīcandragupta. There was probably another drama on the Puṣyamitra-Bṛhadratha episode, which was available to Bāṇa.
page 20 note 1 Cf. Camb. Hist. Ind., Vol. I, p. 429.