4th Glorious Epoch - Yashodharma the Conqueror of the Huns

Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History: Chapter 4

Chandragupta(308 A.D. - 318 A.D.) -> Samudragupta ( 318 A.D - 375 A.D.) ->Chandragupta-2(Vikramaditya) -> Kumargupta -> Skundgupta

The Hunnish Onslaught over the World

• Huns routed all the Saka and Kushan tribe from their original homes and occupied the lands.
• These were fiercer and far more cruel than their predecessors.
• They use to raid in night as well with sword and fire. At the end of every bloody battle, they celebrate and drink liquors in cups made of the very skull of slaughtered enemy.
• In order to protect themselves from their terrible raids, Chinese Emperor built The Great Wall of China.
• This wall is indeed the greatest monument to Hunnish Terror.
• One of Huns leader Attila, organized horsemen who pillaged Central Asia and made straight to Europe.
• After trampling down Russia, they rushed to Poland, then Goths in Germany and France.
• They crushed Roman Empire.
• Even today most of European Languages use 'Hun' as the foulest of abuses.

Gupta Empire - Kumargupta

• But fortunately India was not ruled by coward like Dhananand who brought disgrace when Greeks invasion happened.
• It was now under the sovereignty of Kumargupta, son of Emperor Vikramaditya, the avenger of Saka-Kushan domination.
• He was aware of Hunnish onslaught so kept a very strong war-like and well-organized army.
• The moment he learnt of Hunnish aggression on Gandhar, he sent his valiant son Skundgupta as the head of four-fold army.
• Skundgupta destroyed army of Huns, but Huns kept pouring like ant form anthills. They fought battle after battle with irresistable Huns, destroying them steadily but surely for years together.
• Huns lost their strength. This kept them away for next 40 years.
• On return of Skundgupta in Patliputra, Kumargupta performed the Horse-sacrifice according to the age-old Indian tradition.
• After death of Kumargupta, Skundgupta lead the throne.

Second Hunnish Invasion of India

• Second invasion started under Huns King Khikhil and they overthrew the imperial frontier guards at one or two places.
• The moment Skundgupta heard of this, in spite of old age, he left his capital and marched as far as Panchnad.
• He keep fighting battle after battle against Huns.
• Skundgupta in old age spent almost 15-20 years last days of his life in camp on the western frontier to guard the border against Huns, even after knowing that his cousin Purgupta conspiring against him. But still he chose to guard the borders instead of coming back to save the throne. 
• This shows two things, first how much deadly was Huns invasion and second how much Nationalist Skundgupta was to protect the motherland and didn't care about the throne.
• After the death of Skundgupta, Purgupta captured the throne. Whose inability encouraged Huns to push again forward under King Khikhil.
• After Khikhil, Torman took the charge and razed the University of Taxila to ground.
• Torman pushed ahead of the Punjab into Malava (around 511 A.D.) and took its capital Ujjain.
• Mihirgula succeeded his father Torman, became a sincere devotee of the Vedic God, Rudra and held the cult of Buddha in the greatest spite.

The Patriotic Vedic Hindus and Treacherous Buddhists

• Even when this Hunnish aggressor Mihirgula accepted Vedic religion and brutally oppresed the Buddhists, who became inveterate enemies of the Vedic Hindus, the latter did not accept his political dominance.
• English historian Vincent Smith mentioned - "This strong national feeling of the Vedic people were the born enemies of any foreign political power, trying to subdue the country".
• Under Purgupta, most of the vassals and provinces began to rule independently.

King Yashodharma - The Hunjeet ( one who defeated Huns)

• At this critical juncture, Yashodharma, from a relatively small principality in the province of Malava vowed to take Mihirgula head on.
• He organized almost all the neighbouring independent Indian states to fight against Huns.
• In the battle of Mandasore or Korur around 528 A.D. crushed Huns for ever. 
• Mihirgula was captured and ordered to hanged for the atrocities against Indians.
• But Baladitya, the Emperor of Magadha as a memeber of Combined front insisted that the Hun be spared.
• Yashodharma did so only to avoid displeasing Baladitya.
• Baladitya not only spared Mihirgula but allowed him to go honourably to the remnant of the Hunnish territory to the north-west.
• After this Mihirgula hurried straight to Kashmir, organized Huns and killed the king, annexed Gandhar, persecuted people of the land.
• He killed thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns.
• Mihirgula died a natural death(540 A.D.).
• Yashodharma came back to Ujjain after this victory and became Maharajadhiraj.
• He erected two pillars to commemorate the victory against Huns.
• Huns were fully crushed within a century of Mihirgula death by the successive Hindu dynasties.
• Vincent Smith - "After the defeat of Mihirgula and the extinction of the Hun power on the Oxus, India enjoyed immunity from the foreign attacks for nearly five centuries.

So, during this Ancient Period in Indian History from 600 B.C. to 700 A.D. no foreign aggressor was able to rule India. Most of the land was completely independent. We can say from Indus river till Ayodhya, Ujjain and north of Narmada bore the brunt of  foreign onslaught in these 1300 years. But no one foreigner was able to rule these parts at a particular time.

Author: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
1> https://swarajyamag.com/politics/veer-savarkar-the-man-and-mission-beyond-the-mercy-petitions

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1> https://www.jatland.com/home/Yasodharman

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