6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

74 SIX GLORIOUS EPOCHS OF INDIAN HISTORY
preached, "Anger should be conquered by the negation of
anger" and was trying to succeed in the application of the
Buddhistic doctrine by keeping indoors !
WAVE OF NATION-WIDE RAGE AMONG THE
VEDIC HINDUS : THE VALIANT KHARVELA,
THE KING OF KALINGA, MARCHES ON
THE GREEKS
179. Although the Buddhists were neither enraged nor
disturbed, nor for that matter, even ashamed of the fact
that the Greek aggression was undermining the national
honour of India or that it endangered the nation's liberty,
the Vedic Hindus at least were highly enraged at this
national insult and the imminent national calamity. Unfor­
tunately, they had no political power left in the north of
India which could immediately resist this national calamity.
But within a decade of Asoka's death the provinces of
Kalinga and Andhra in south India had renounced the para-
mountcy of the Buddhist Mauryas and established their
independent kingdoms^'. The kings of both these provinces-
were staunch followers of the Vedic religion and so equally
staunch Indian patriots. Both of them had built up mighty
armies well-equipped with arms. The news that the Greeks
had conquered northern India, and that the Magadha king,
a weak Buddhist, could not at all resist it, caused a great
furore amongst the Vedic population in South India. At last,
the king of the independent State of Kalinga, the valiant
Kharvela, decided to march himself at the head of an army
against the Greek army of Demetreos.
THE YAVANAS ROUTED : THEIR HASTY
RETREAT !
180. First of all with a mighty army he conquered
Magadha^s and joined battle with the Greek forces some­
where near Ayodhya^^. The strong Indian army of Kalinga
dealt such a crushing defeat upon the Greeks that Demetreos'"'
immediately turned his face backwards, and marched off with