Suicide

Published on 26th December, 2021, in Mid-day. Chandragupta Maurya would always eat only what his guru Chanakya provided. One day, out of love, he gave this food to his favourite queen who died instantly. Chanakya rushed to the spot and explained to the king that his food contained poison given in small doses over years to protect him from special assassins called Vishkanya, women whose saliva contained venom. The queen at the time was pregnant. To save the child, Chanakya cut open her abdomen and pulled out the child. The child saved was named Bindusara. The mother died. When Bindusara grew up, his friends told ..