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Post No. 13,694
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Four years ago, I wrote about murderous queens of ancient India. But the names were not found in the resource materials. Last week I took a book from the University Library in London. It provides the names and their methods of murders. Now we know about the Lady Macbeths of India.
Niti vakyamrit is a tenth century Sanskrit work written by Somadeva suri. Not much is known about his life except that he was a Jain saint and the author of a major work Yashastilaka. He composed Nitivakyamrit in 922 CE. He deals exclusively with the statecraft
Under the chapter Protection of the King, he says
It is heard in the country of the Yavanas the queen Manikundala desirous of wanton conduct killed the king of the Angas by means of a mouthful of wine mixed with poison for the sake of kingdom for her son.
Vasantmathi in the country of Shurasenas killed Suratavilasa by her lower lip smeared with poisonous red lac.
Vrikodari in the country of Dasharnas killed Madanarnava with the jewel of her girdle soiled in poison..
Madirakshi in the country of Magadhas killed Manmathavinoda by means of a mirror with sharp edges.
Chandarasa in the country of Pandyas killed Pundaika by means of a dagger concealed in her braid of hair.
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If you have nod read my old articles, please go through them now:
MURDEROUS QUEENS OF ANCIENT INDIA! (Post No.4930)
Date: 19 April 2018
Post No. 4930
Chanakya gives very interesting details of the lady Macbeths of ancient India. after the Non- Kshatriya rule in Magada empire, the morality had gone down very much. Kalidasa in the first chapter of his Raguvamsam describes the excellent qualities of the kings of the Solar Dynasty. But after the invasion of Persians and Greeks, the situation had changed.
Kautilya alias Chanakya in his monumental work Artha sastra warns against the conspiracies in the harem of the kings. Here are some interesting tit bits:-
P C Chunder in his book Kautilya on Love and Morals says,
“The royal harem stinks with an air of suspicion and concealed dangers. The Artha sastra mentions detailed precautions against palace intrigues. Provided with many compartments, enclosed by parapet and ditch, furnished with delusive chamber, underground rooms, secret doors, passages and hollow pillars, the harem is sought to be made proof against snake, fire and poison (Artha sastra 1-20)
women’s compartments are provided with medicines and herbs useful in midwifery and diseases. Guards under the command of Antarvamsika (harem chief) stand on watch between two compartments. Asoka mentions a minister if charge of affairs of women-folk. The officer is called Stri-Adyaksha- Mahaamaatra.
According to Kautilya, a minster who has passed the ‘Love Test’ may find employment in the royal harem. It is interesting to note that Antarvamsika is a highly paid officer. According to Kautilya he draws 24,000 Panas, second in rank in the matter of pay to the Prime Minster, Chief Priest, Commander-in-chief, the Crown Prince, the Queen and the Queen Mother who receive 48,000 Panas each(AS 5-3).
Pana= ancient coinage in gold or silver
With spies in various garbs, ole men and eunuchs watching the inmates including the palace guards, the harem is sealed off from inside. Ascetics, buffoons and public prostitutes are not allowed to go in. Even queen’s relatives are not allowed in unless someone falls sick.
Vatasyayan too observes in Kamasutra: No woman of place should be allowed to go out of the palace nor any outside to enter except who are known to be of good character. (KS 4-2-83)
According to Kautilya, before meeting the king even the queen has to submit to body searches by old maid servants. The proof of personal purity must be established before the king could touch any woman.
Kautilya cites number of instances in which the king was surprised by assassins in the harem, “for hidden in queen’s chamber, his own brother slew king Bhadrasena; hiding himself under the bed of his mother the son killed king Kaaruusa; mixing fried rice with poison, as though honey, his own queen poisoned Kaaasiraaja . Similarly, many other queens slew their husbands with poison painted an ankletor coated on a gem or her zone, or a looking glass or with a weapon hidden under her tuft of hair (AS 1-20; also, Kamandaka 7-51-54.
Kautilya’s apprehension for the personal safety of the king is justified by other sources.
Both Roman historian Curtius Rufus (first century CE) and Greek author Diodoros Siculus (first century BCE) refer to the episode of an eastern queen who fell in love with a low born person, a handsome barber, advanced him in the court circle, murdered or caused to be murdered her first husband, the reigning and king and finally, set up the paramour on the throne. She was the mother of Agrammes, ruler of Prasii and Gangaridae.
The Jain traditions also record a similar story. They describe Nanda as the son f a barber by a courtesan (Parisistaparvan 6-232)
The Divyaavadaana reports that Asoka kept a close watch on his harem. once a royal lady gossiped with a prince. Both were beaten to death at the king’s order (Divya.377)
The Mudraaraaksasa also confirms the tradition of intrigues and palace revolutions. According to Manu, only women devoted to him and well examined and found safe as regards their dress and ornaments should be allowed to touch him when fanning or bathing him or applying perfumes to his body (Manu 7-219) Even the Mahabharata states that the king should trust nobody, not even his sons (Santi parva 85-33
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SECOND PART- MURDEROUS QUEENS OF ANCIENT INDIA (Post.4933)
Date: 20 April 2018
Post No. 4933
Chanakya adds more details in his work Arthasastra; let us look at them in bullet points:
Chanakya says that greed, lust and other follies will destroy a king. He gives the following examples: Bhoja Dandakya perished with his state and relations for making lascivious attempt on a Brahmana girl. Karaala Viadeha perished because of lust Various other kings paid the penalty for different vices (Artha Sastra 13-2)
Kautilya’s Tricks
Kautilya/Chanakya suggested that the spy should spin out a story of the queen’s love for the minister. That the fabrications are likely to be believed suggests the probability of such incidents. Conversely, when, according to Kautilya the minister’s wife is likely to have liaison with the king, who might send her love letters and presents to invite her into the harem, the luckless husband will merely fret and await his opportunity to take revenge (AS 12-2).
A story of confidence trick is suggested by Kautilya. Dressed as a merchant, a spy is to pick up friendship with a beautiful servant maid of the queen, feign love with the new sweetheart, give her presents and jilt her with an ulterior motive. Another spy is to give her love charm to regain her lover who in turn purports to yield to the woman. Prompted by the immediate success of the love charm, the maid naturally conveys its efficacy to the queen. The queen in turn seeks to repeat the performance on the king. This the poisoned charm kills the king.
The Divyaavadaana narrates the legend of Prince Kunala and his step mother queen Tisyaraksitaa, which indicates palace intrigues. A similar legend finds place in the Jain Parisistaparvan. Here the step mother wanted to sponsor the claim of her own son to the throne. Both ‘Parisistaparvan’ and ‘Mudrarakshasa’ record the tradition of the death of Chandragupta’s ally Parvataka through his contact with poison maid.
Chanakya ‘poisoned’ Chandragupta
As a safeguard against a poison, Parisistaparvan states: On Chanakya’s order, the food of Chandra Gupta was mixed with a gradual dose of poison, so that in the end even the strongest poison had no effect upon him. Once the Queen Durdhara who was big with child was dining with the king, when Chanakya came upon them. Observing that the poison almost immediately killed the queen, he ripped upon her womb and extracted the child. He had been nearly too late ; for already a drop (bindu) of the poison had reached the boy’s head, who, from his circumstance, was called Bindusara.
Manu also adds how the bad rulers were thrown out in his Manu Smrti:
“Many kings have been destroyed, together with their entourages, through lack f humility, while even forest dwellers have gained kingdoms through humility.
Vena was destroyed through lack of humility, and so was King nahusa, Sudas, the son of Pijavana, Sumukha and Nimi.
But through humility Prthu won a kingdom, and so did Manu and Kubra become Lord of Wealth and Visvamitra, son of Gadhi, became a priest.
Manu 7-40/42
Manu’s Gem Therapy
Manu also warns the king against oisoning. “The king should partake of food that is well examined and prepared by servants that are trust worthy, that know the proper times for dining, that cannot be won over, and over the food spells/mantras destroying poison should have been muttered. He should fix in all that he partakes medicines that are antidotes against poison and should always wear gems that work against poison”.
Manu- 7-217/218
Megasthanes says,
King cannot even sleep in peace, for Megasthenes states: “By night he is obliged to change his couch from time to time with a view to defeat plots against his life”.
Safety First was the code advised by Chanakya and Manu. We did not read any such incidents except one or two in Mahabharata where Duryodana tried to kill the Pandavas in an arson attack by setting fire to the lac palace.
But after the contact with Persians and Greeks from the sixth century BCE, the political scene in India changed completely.
–Subham—-
Tags- Murderous, Queens, Indian, Nitivakyamrit, Somadeva suri, Names, Pandya queen, Yavanas, Surasenas, Lady Macbeths of India.
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