Vol. VI, No. 5.] Dismemberment of the Maury a Empire. 261 



[NJ9.] 



of Asoka on the throne accorded him a fitting reception. A 

 camp was formed outside the city and a review was held of a 

 large army. In the midst of the festivities an arrow struck the 

 king on the forehead. The king expired instantly. The 

 Maurya empire was gone and Pusya Mittra became the master 

 of the situation, and we read in the Malavikagnimittra that he 

 remained with his army at Pataliputra and made his son king 

 of Vidisa. We clearly see the hands of Brahmanas in this great 

 revolution. For, shortly after the revolution, Pusya Mittra 

 planned a horse sacrifice at Pataliputra, the very capital of 

 Asoka, who prohibited the slaughter of animals throughout 

 his empire. Does not this show the Brahmanas triumphant ? 

 Vasumittra, his grandson, was appointed to guard the horse in 

 its unrestrained career through his empire. His mother, the 

 queen of Agnimittra, invoked the blessings of Brahmanas for 

 her son, and she arranged for the distribution of 800 gold 



money a month to f^i^mfwff wmp&W | Eight hundred gold 

 money a month is a very respectable educational grant ] In some 

 Buddhist books Pusya Mittra is regarded as a persecutor of 

 Buddhism. In fact, he was entirely in the hands of Brahmanas, 

 and in two generations, theBrahmanas not only made themselves 

 actual masters of the Maurya empire as it then stood, but 

 spread their influence far and wide, gave a new turn to Buddhist 

 and Jaina religions, compiled and codified all branches of know- 

 ledge then known, and gave a turn to Brahmanism which it 

 has not lost ever since. It was this Pusya Mittra at whose 

 sacrifices Patanjali officiated, and it was under his patronage 

 that he wrote his great work the Mahabhasya. The Kanvas 

 codified the Manu Samhita, they caused Bhasyas to be written 

 on the philosophical Sutras, they recast the Mahabharata and 

 the Ramayana to their present shape, they caused the Natya- 

 sastra to be compiled from the previous literature on the subject, 

 and they even caused the codification of the Kama Sastra from 

 the pre-existing materials. When not actually raised to the im- 

 perial dignity, they were the gurus of the Surigasand profoundly 

 influenced their policy in Government. When they lost their 

 imperial dignity, they remained for several generations at the 

 head of the Brahminist community and gave it law. We find 

 in the Manu-Samhita compiled under their influence all the 

 rights and privileges of Brahmanas. which Aisoka wanted to 

 take away, fully confirmed and legalised ; and their di nity 

 raised to the highest pitch. For in several passages we 

 find that the Brahmanas were the Lords of the Universe, 



they are the Lords of everything u ^SlWf?fh' Thus 

 the gods on earth whom Asoka proved to be false gods, 



1 In some editions it is one hundredfold money, in others the amount 



is not named. 



