द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

INTRODUCTION 13
would be called 'Chakravartin' or 'Mandaleswar' and
elaborate ceremonies—Rājasuya or Vājapeya or Aswamedha
—would be held to celebrate such victories. This tendency
towards the centralisation of authority grew stronger during
the Vedic and Epic periods of Indian history till from the
sixth century B.C. the movement for the political unification
of India took definite shape. This movement reached its
fulfilment during the next era—namely the Buddhistic or
Maurya period—when the Maurya emperors were able to unify
India politically for the first time and establish an empire.
After the retreat of Alexander the Great from India,
Chandragupta Maurya founded his empire in 322 B.C. About
this time and also later on, there were many republics in
India. The Malavas, Kshudrakas, Lichhavis and other tribes
had republican constitutions. Mr. K. P. Jayaswal in his book
Hindu Polity gives a long list of such republics. There is no
doubt that when India was unified politically under one
emperor, these republics continued to flourish as autonomous
states recognising the suzerainty of one emperor. Besides,
the popular assembly was a well-established institution
during this period of Indian history. The greatest of the
Maurya emperors was Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta,
who ascended the throne about 273 B.C. Asoka's empire
embraced not only modern India but also Afghanistan,
Beluchistan and a portion of Persia. Under the Maurya
emperors, public administration reached a high level of
efficiency. The military organisation was perfect for that
age. The government was divided into separate departments
under different ministers. The municipal administration of the
capital, Pataliputra, near modern Patna, was also creditable.
In short, the whole country was politically unified for the first
time under one sound administration. And when Asoka
accepted Buddhism, the entire state machinery became the
handmaid of the Buddhistic faith. Not being contented with
political sovereignty or with propagating Buddhism within
the limits of his empire, Asoka sent missionaries to all parts
of Asia—from Japan on one side to Turkey on the other—
to preach the lofty tenets of Buddhism. This period has
been regarded by many people as the Golden Age of Indian