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

rate Bactrian Greek military leaders could sleep soundly in the royal palace of Ayodhya (Saketa) in the confident safety of their triumph. 165. This Greek invasion of Demetreos took place within thirty to forty years of Ashoka’s adoption of Buddhism. How did the Indian resisting capacity and bravery in the valiant provinces of Gandhar, Panchnad and others deteriorate so suddenly during those intervening years? What particular event in those thirty to forty years necessitated this degeneracy in the high standard of Indian heroism? 166. Was the Bactrian Greek invading army, under the leadership of Demetreos, in any way superior to those of Alexander and Seleucos? Not at all. They themeselves admitted that their forefathers, under the leadership of Alexander and Seleucos were far superior to them, were endowed with almost divine powers. It clearly means that the reason, why these inferior and weaker Greeks should conquer the Indians so very easily, was not that the Greek prowess had increased since the time of Alexander, but that the Indian heroism and the Indian capacity to resist aggression must have deteriorated to a horrible extent. 167. Now, during the hundred-and-twenty-seven years or so that elapsed between the Alexandrian aggression in 327 B.C. and the one by Demetreos about 200 B.C., there occurred only one significant event, which was likely to bring about this grievous falling off in the high standard of Indian material prowess and their ability to repulse the enemy. It must have been the extremist propaganda of the non-resistant, non-violent principles of Buddhism, which condemned the military might throughout these provinces. For, no other event of such magnitude took place at that time. We shall just consider here two points that throw some light on this issue. Indian Mentality at the time of Alexander’s invasion and that at the time of Demetreos! 168. At the time of Alexander, the Buddhist cult was never heard of in the provinces of Kamboj, Gandhar, Panchnad straight to Sind (cf. para: 16). The people there were hero worshippers of Vedic Hindus! States like the Youdheyas were proud of their war-like spirit and bore the attribute ‘Nation-in-arms’ (आयुधजीवी) with evident exultation! (cf: para 38). Not only the Kshatriyas there, but in some of the states, all the citizens, men and women, young or old, took the field to face the aggressive foreign enemy. Where, unfortunately, a certain republic got beaten, the brave Indian ladies there leapt into the fire with the dauntless children (cf: paras 40 to 55)