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

Vindhyas and stop into the South. Right from Kalinga to the Pandyas, the Cheras, the Cholas and other South Indian rulers of the time had always kept in readiness, strong naval forces, fleets and flotillas to protect the Western, Eastern and Southern seas against all foreign incursions. Naturally, the Indian seafronts remained absolutely inviolable throughout all this period. On the contrary, the strong South Indian naval powers had carried their invincible and conquering armadas to Burma, Siam and other countries right up to the Philippines and established their overseas political, cultural and commercial empire. 217. As the foreign aggressions through the north-west frontier were successfully opposed there and then, by our north-Indian heroes, those various enemies could not even reach the Narmada river. But the Sakas having entered India through the Bolan Pass in Baluchistan, the coastal provinces of Sindh, Kathiawad and Gujarat were comparatively exposed to their attacks. This foreign aggression on South India also proved abortive. Why? The Awakening of the Andhras 218. Fortunately, at that very time, were rising to prominence the two States of Kalinga and Andhra, who were staunch followers of the Vedic religion and were nationalist in their outlook. Like all other nationalist Indians, the Andhras were beside themselves with mortification and indignation at the foreign Saka attack on the vast Indian region from Sindh to Ujjain, and at the sad and humiliating fact that there should be no Indian power to resist it. Moreover, since some of the Saka hordes had reached as far as Aparantak (Konkan) after having crossed the Narmada river, the safety of the Andhra kingdom itself was seriously endangered. For these various reasons, the rulers of Andhra marched with a mighty army against the Sakas with a view to annihilating them completely, and for the first time they challenged the Saka might, driving them back beyond the Narmada river. Simultaneously, with this impact of the Andhras, the Sakas, who had till then spread upto Ujjain in the north, suffered another defeat at the hands of the Youdheyas and Malavas. It has already been described (in paragraphs 38 to 40 and 50 to 62) with what invincible valour, these two republics had offered sanguinary battles in the defence of Indian liberty, even at the time of Alexander’s invasion. So, being attacked by the Andhras from the South and in the North by Youdheya-Malavas, the very sting of the aggressive fang of the Sakas was completely blunted and devenomed. Their progress