Megasthenes

Megasthenes ek prachin Greek itihaskar, bhugolvetta aur rajdoot the. Unke janam aur mrityu ki sahi tithiyan pakki nahi hain; itihaskar unka samay mote taur par chauthi aur teesri sadi BCE ke beech maante hain. Ve Bharat ke baare mein vistaar se likhne wale shuruaati Greek lekhakon mein se ek the.

Megasthenes Seleucus I Nicator ki or se Maurya samraat Chandragupta Maurya ke darbar mein rajdoot ke roop mein aaye the. Ve Maurya rajdhani Pataliputra (aaj ka Patna) gaye aur unhone Bharat mein jo dekha aur suna, use apni kitab 'Indica' mein likha.

Mool 'Indica' ab uplabdh nahi hai. Iske ansh baad ke lekhakon jaise Strabo, Diodorus, Arrian aur Pliny ki rachnaon mein uddharan ke roop mein bache hain. In anshon mein Pataliputra shahar, Maurya shasan, Bharatiya samaj ke saat vargon, kheti, nadiyon aur jaanwaron ka varnan milta hai. Itihaskar maante hain ki inmein kuch baatein sahi hain aur kuch sunsunaayi ya badha-chadha kar likhi gayi hain, isliye inhe dhyan se padha jaata hai.

Phir bhi Maurya-kaaleen Bharat ko samajhne ke liye 'Indica' ek mahatvapurn srot maana jaata hai. HindiAudiobook.com par 'Indica' Hindi mein sun sakte hain, jo in bache hue anshon ke zariye Megasthenes ke varnan se parichay karati hai.