200 



ON THE WEAPONS USED 



CHAPTER II. 



ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SUKkANITL 

 The reputed author of the Sukraniti — a chapter from which 

 on the army organisation and the political maxims of the 

 ancient Hindus we shall give further on in these pages — is 

 Usanas or Sukra. He is also called Maghabhava, Kavi, 

 Kavya, Bhargava, Sodasarcis, Daityaguru, and Dhisnya. 65 

 According to some he is the son or descendent of Bhrgu, and, 

 therefore, he is named Bhargava ; to others he is known as 

 Kavi or the poet, and to others also as Kavya, the son of Kavi, 

 a son of Bhrgu. He is regarded as the regent of the planet 

 Venus or Sukra ; and the Sukravara or Friday is named after 

 him ; his connection with this planet is also evident in his 

 names Maghabhava, Sodasarcis, and Dhisnya. Moreover he 

 is the preceptor of the Daityas or Demons and is called 

 therefore Daityaguru. Brhaspati, the preceptor of the gods 

 and the regent of the planet Jupiter, is like Sukra the author 

 of a famous Dandamti, or a work on civil and military ad- 

 ministration. This work of Sukra is highly praised in the 

 Kamandaklya, as containing the principles of all sciences, and 

 its slokas are very often found in the Kamandaklya. 66 



Throughout Indian literature Sukra is always upheld as one 

 of the greatest sages, his sayings are carefully noted and 

 quotations from his Essence of Polity or Nltisara are met with 

 in the most ancient and celebrated writings. 



65 See " Sukro Maghabhavah K avya Usana Bhargavah Kavih Sodasarcir 

 Daityagurur Dhisnyah," in Hemacandra's AneMrtharatnamdld, II, 33 and 34; 

 compare Amarakosa, 1, 1, 26 ; and Halayudha's Abhidhanaratnamala, I, 48 ; 

 &c. &c. 



66 See Kamandaklya, II, 4, 5. 



4. Varta ca dandanitisca dve vidye ityavasthite 

 lokasyarthapradhanatvat sisyah surapurodhasah. 



5. Ekaiva dandanitistu vidye tyausanasl sthitih 

 tasyam tu sarvavidyanam arambhah samudahrtah, 



The reason of calling Sukra' s work a Dandamti is explained in Sukraniti, 

 I, 157, as follows : — 



Damo darida iti khyatastasmat dan do mahipatih 

 tasya nitirdandanltirnayanat nitirucyate. 



