Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/32

10 notes of the Greek authors, Ktesias, Herodotus, the historians of Alexander, and Megasthenes.

The Kashmir chronicle, composed in the twelfth century, which is in form the nearest approach to a work of regular history in extant Sanskrit literature, contains a large body of confused ancient traditions, which can be used only with much caution. It is also of high value as a trustworthy record of local events for the period contemporary with, or slightly preceding, the author's lifetime.

The great Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, while of value as traditional pictures of social life in the heroic age, do not seem to contain matter illustrating the political relations of states during the historical period.

Sanskrit specialists have extracted from the works of grammarians and other authors many incidental references to ancient tradition, which collectively amount to a considerable addition to historical knowledge. These passages from Sanskrit literature, so far as they have come to my notice, have been utilized in this work, but some references may have escaped attention.

The sacred books of the Jain sect, which are still very imperfectly known, also contain numerous historical statements and allusions of considerable value.

The Jatakas, or Birth stories, and other books of the Buddhist canon include many incidental references to the political condition of India in the fifth and sixth centuries B. C., which, although not exactly