|
Saśigupta (Arrian Sisikottos; Curtius Sisocostus) was an historical personage of considerable eminence hailing from the Paropamisadaen region i.e. region lying between Hindukush and Indus. His name appears ''twice'' in Arrian's ''Anabasis'' and ''once'' in ''Historiae Alexendri Magni'' by Curtius. The name Saśigupta literally means "moon-protected"---the "Saśi" part of the name being equivalent to ''Chandra or the moon''. Though many scholars write that Saśigupta was a ruler of some frontier hill state south of Hindukush,〔Cambridge History of Ancient India, ed . E.J. Rapson, p.314.〕 it is however, more appropriate to call him a military adventurer or a corporation leader coming from the warlike background of the fierce Kshatriya clan of the Asvakas from Massaga or Aornos (Pir-Sir) or some other adjacent territory of the Asvakas. No ancient evidence is available which attests Sasigupta's royal background prior to his appointment by Alexander as ruler of the Asvakas of the Aornos country. Scholars are also at variance on the identity of Saśigupta. While some identify him with Chandragupta Maurya, the others say that Saśigupta and Chandragupta are two distinct historical personages —-- one from the north-west and the other from eastern India. There is also a third school of scholars who tend to connect both Saśigupta as well as Chandragupta to north-west frontiers and relate them both to two separate branches of the Asvakas.〔Proceedings, Volume 1, Punjabi University. Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies, 1968, p - Page 33.〕〔Punjab past and present: essays in honour of Dr. Ganda Singh, 1976, p 28, Harbans Singh, Norman Gerald Barrier - History.〕〔Punjab revisited: an anthology of 70 research documents on the history and culture of undivided Punjab,1995, Ahmad Saleem - History.〕 Scholars like Dr J. C. Vidyalankara identify Saśigupta as a chieftain from the Kamboja land. ==Early life of Saśigupta== Nothing is known about early life of Saśigupta. He was presumably a military adventurer, a leader of ''corporation of professional soldiers'' (''band of mercenary soldiers'') whose main goals were economic and military pursuits. An important statement in Kautiliya's Arthashastra 〔 :Sanskrit: :Kamboja. Suraastra.Ksatriya.shreny.aadayovartasastra.upajiivinah| :Licchivika. Vrjika.Mallaka. Madraka.Kukura. Kuru.Panchala.adayo raaja.shabda.upajiivinah|| :: (Kautiliya Arathashastra, 11.1.03). :Trans: ''"The corporations of warriors (Kshatriya shrenis) of the Kamboja and Surashtra and some other nations live by agtriculture, trade and by wielding weapons. The corporations of Lichchhivika,Vrijika, Mallaka, Mudraka, Kukura, Kuru, Pánchála and others live by the title of a Rája"'' (Kautiliya's Arathashastra, 1956, p 407, Dr R. Shamashastri).〕 abundantly proves the fact that the corporations of warriors (''Ksatriya Srenis'') of the Kambojas etc. existed in this period which offered military assistance to the outsiders on purely economic grounds. In all probability, Saśigupta was a professional soldier and led a corporation of mercenary soldier to help Persians especially Bessus, the Iranian Satrap of Bactria but once his case was lost, Saśigupta, along with band of warriors (''obviously as mercenary soldiers''), threw his lot with the invaders and thereafter, rendered a great help to Alexander during latter's campaigns of Sogdiana and later also of the Kunar and Swat valleys. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Saśigupta」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|