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

Bactrians, whom they attacked instantly. In Bactria (Balhik) were at this time, small Greek states, maintaining their precarious existence since the time of Alexander. But against the repeated attacks of these wild tribes in which the women too, on horseback, fought shoulder-to-shoulder with men, these Bactrian Greeks were absolutely unable to hold on any longer and were, therefore, completely destroyed, their land being overrun and occupied entirely by the Sakas. But even there and within a short span of a hundred years or so, came in hot pursuit their inveterate enemies, the Kushans, whose lives were spent, as those of the Sakas, more on campaigning on horses and in fully armed military camps, than in stabilized and prosperous cities. The Huns again attacked the Saka-Kushan and ousting them even from Bactria and other countries, established their own rule there. The exterminated Saka- Kushan, being blocked from behind and from the sides, had to descend into the region of Baluchistan, and along the route through the Bolan Pass they dashed avalanche-like on the Indian territories of Sindh, Kathiawad and Gujarat. They trampled under their horses’ hoofs adjoining Indian territory, rushing violently, plundering and burning towns and cities, sparing neither women nor children. History, unfortunately, does not know for certain what Indian states existed there at that time, or whether or not, they could arrest this irrepressible aggression of these Mlenchchas. However, it is not necessary to discuss the problem here as it does not fall within the scope of this book, which has been outlined in Paragraph 7. It is enough to state here that round about the beginning of the Christian era, these Sakas had occupied the Indian territory of Baluchistan, Sindh, Kathiawad, Gujarat and some parts of Aparantak (Konkan) to the south, right upto Ujjayini. And the whole of India was extremely uneasy at the gruesome prospect of the possible incursions of the Kushans and Huns, who were to follow the Sakas! South India was absolutely free from the Mlenchcha Aggression 216. Foreign aggressions, at least in the ancient period of our history, being launched through the north-western frontiers, it was mostly our north Indian brethren, who had to bear the whole brunt, opposing them as best as they could and in the long arduous run, destroyed them completely. That is why during this period, no foreign enemy could cross the Vindhyas and penetrate into the Southern half of India. Barring one solitary, transient and half-hearted Arab invasion. Southern India continued to enjoy unhampered complete liberty, sovereign imperial authority, and material prosperity; for almost since 500 B.C., no foreign aggressor had been able to cross the