VI
breaks up Rákshasa's band of adherents in the city, defeats various plots against
the life of Chandragupta, throws Malaya Kétu and his new minister off the
scent by a pretended quarrel with his royal protegé, and at last by a cunningly
contrived scheme succeeds in discrediting Rákshasa with Malaya Kétu, who
expels Rákshasa and executes several of his friends. After this Malaya Kétu is
defeated and taken captive, Rákshasa disgusted at having been the ruin of
all his friends is brought to despair and now contemplates suicide; but his
purpose is arrested by the necessity of taking steps to save the life of his friend
the merchant Chandanadása, who had been a most useful and faithful agent of
his in Kusumapura, had protected Rákshasa's wife and family, and had thus
got into trouble with Chánakya. Rákshasa, the devoted servant, now shews
himself an equally devoted friend. His repugnance to serve the enemy of
his patron's house, which no rewards or dangers of his own could overcome,
is now overcome by the danger of his friend, and as the price of that friend's
life and indemnity, he consents to become Chandragupta's minister. Chánakya
having thus delivered Chandragupta from all competitors to the throne, and
having converted his most dangerous enemy into his faithful friend and
counsellor, retires again to his former ascetic life in the forests, and the
story ends.
The story of Rákshasa is, in point of morality, one of the best in
Hindu literature. There is nothing in it to offend the purest mind,
and though we cannot always approve of the means which Rákshasa
uses, his undying devotion to his aged master, and his race cannot but
touch our feelings and raise our admiration. Nor is the Nemesis
which overtakes those who compassed the cruel and cold-blooded
murder of Maurya and his sons, and which makes so many evil mach-
inations recoil on the heads of those who planned them, without an
obvious warning. On the whole the Chánakya Sútram is as admirable
in its moral as in its style, and in this respect far superior to the tricky
Panchatantram where cunning alone prospers.
It may not be amiss before concluding to point out that Chandra-
gupta and the Nanda dynasty are real personages. Chandragupta
has been identified with the Sandracottus of Arian, Strabo and other
Greek Historians, and his city of Pațaliputra (now Patna) with the
Greek "Palibothra". This discovery has been one of fertile importance
in relation to Indian History. After careful sifting of both the Sanscrit
and Greek accounts, they are found to agree in the main features of
the name and history, and nation, and there can be no doubt that they
