भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

2ND GLORIOUS EPOCH 2. Yavana—Destroyer, Pushy Amitra 145. Emperor Chandragupta expired in 298 B.C. He was succeeded by his son, Bindusar, who was also brave. He took for himself the epithet ‘Amitraghat’ (the annihilator of enemies). Even after the death of Chandragupta, the ministership rested with Chanakya at least for sometime. Naturally, Bindusar took upon himself the task of Chanakya and Chandragupta, which was left half accomplished at the latter’s death (cf: paragraphs 108 to 127). According to the plan, the Yavanas were sorely beaten, the whole of India was once again free, and there was established, as far as north India was concerned, a centrally administered unitary form of strong empire. But there avowed objective was the consolidation of the whole of India under one supreme ruler, for the sake of which, it was his duty to assimilate South India into the Mauryan empire of the north! 146. Although the several states in South India at the time belonged to our own people, they were independent in their own ways and were absolutely free from any kind of foreign domination. It was, however, necessary that they should have merged their separate existence into the north Indian empire, if the whole of India was to be one indivisible nation with a central authority to guide its destiny. To do so was their national duty. 147. Once he started on his southern campaign, Emperor Bindusar made almost all of the southern states and principalities accept his sovereignty either by peace talks, by grants of money or by threats of violence or even by sowing seeds of sedition. It is recorded in history that he annexed seventeen capitals (with their states) between the eastern and western seas to the Maurya empire. It seems that he brought the whole of the northern, southern, eastern and western India under his sole command and accomplished the ideal of the India-wide unitary empire. Besides this, the Maurya empire of Bindusar was unique inasmuch as, even according to the standards of history, India was the mightiest in its military sense, of all the nations of the then known world. 148. It was because of the invincible four-fold armed strength built up according to the precepts of Chanakya. that from Chandragupta’s accasion