ORIENTAL SERIES.

68 CHANDRA-GUPTACHANDRA- VANSA.
Chandra-gupta was then raised to the throne and founded the
Mauryan dynasty, the third king of which was the great Asoka,
grandson of Chandra-gupta. The Brahmans and Buddhists
are widely at variance as to the origin of the Maurya family.
, descended
The drama Mudra-rakshasa represents Chandra-gupta as being
related to Maha-padma Nanda, and the commentator on the
Yishwu Purawa says that he was a son of Nanda by a woman of
low caste named Mura, wherefore he and his descendants were
called Mauryas. This looks very like an etymological invention,
and is inconsistent with the representation that the low caste of
Nanda was one cause of his deposition ; for were it true, the
low-caste king would have been supplanted by one of still lower
degree. On the other hand, the Buddhists contend that the
JVEauryas belonged to the same family as Buddha, who was of the
royal family of the /Sakyas. The question of the identification
of Sandracottus and Chandra-gupta has been discussed at length
by Wilson in the preface to the Mudra-rakshasa in his Hindu
Theatre, and in the Yislmu Purawa, voL iv. p. 185 ; also by
Max Muller in his History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature.
CHANDEA-HASA. A prince of the south, who lost hia
parents soon after his birth, and fell into a state of destitution,
but after going through a variety of adventures came to the
throne. See Wheeler, voL i. p. 522.
CHANDEA-KANTA, c
The moon-stone.' A gem. or stone
supposed to be formed by the congelation of the rays
of the
moon ; a crystal is perhaps meant It is supposed to exercise a
cooling influence. So in the Megha-duta
" The moon's white rays the smiling night illume,
And on the moon-gem concentrated fall,
That hangs in woven nets in every hall ;
Whence cooling dews upon the fair descend,
And life renewed to languid nature lend."
It is also called Mafti-chaka.
CHANDEA-KETU. i. A son of Lakshma^ 2. A king
of the city of Chakora. 3. A country near the Himalayas.
CHAKDEA-YAN^A. The Lunar race. The lineage or
race which claims descent from the moon. It is divided into
two great branches, the Yadavas and Pauravas, respectively
from Yadu and Puru. Krishna belonged to the line
of Yadu, and Dusliyanta with the Kuru and P&ndo. princes to