6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

194 SIX GLORIOUS EPOCHS OF INDIAN HISTORY
itself which was considered to be the basic foundation of all
other smritis. He ruthlessly tested the laws of political
conduct propounded therein on the anvil of Chanakya's
•Arthashastra^^. In this way, with the original Manusmriti
of the Aryans in one hand and the empire-worshipping,
conquest-loving Kautilya's Arthashastra in the other
Medhatithi declared as irreligious all the codes of conduct
which had been rendered impotent because of the imbecile
and intellectually sterile Hindu Ahimsai^. With one stroke
of remonstrance like the following :—
489. m ^? ?I^JT: i
lie rendered not only all the silly 'codes of conduct' buc
even the smritis that called them caste-laws absolutely
defunct and valueless.
490. Most probably Medhatithi might have seen and
heard about all the religious persecution by the Muslims in
Sindh and the Punjab and the failure of the Hindus, for
various reasons already discussed, to avenge it or even to
counteract it effectively. Naturally, in order to din once
again into the ears of the then defeated, fallen and perplexed
Aryan nation the echoes of the smritis of the old Aryavarta,
which was on its way to glory and which 'with the motto
^cjriiit stl^ on its banner was conquering in all directions,
Medhatithi picked up and extolled in his own critique, as
Manu's original commandments, only the warlike, arms-ador­
ing, and imperialistic religious rites and precepts. All others
he condemned as ^