Hear, hear!
Hear, Kambojas! Hear, residents of the town of Avarana!
Our country is said to be the most beautiful of all countries in the world, its men are said to be the most noble and its women to be the most beautiful in all three worlds, and both are the most skilled in their respective arts and such pursuits – this is held by the Indians and Iranians alike, that we are the most exemplary of Āryas.
Yet they continue to treat our country as a commercial article for their enjoyment, as subject to their rule, not to be afforded any independence of our own.
Far too long has Takṣaśilā enjoyed a special autonomy under the Persians. As a result of this accord, the Gandhāras have grown closer to the Persians than they are to the Kambojas, their own brothers in blood!
Unacceptable! says the noble Prince Sanjaya of Takṣaśilā from whom this message is relayed to you.
Either the Gandhāras shall be placed under the same rule as the Kambojas are – or the Kambojas shall be elevated to the same status as the Gandhāras enjoy. No longer must the Kambojas tolerate this differential treatment from the Persians, this subjugation of our people to a distant king with whom we share few bonds.
Prince Sanjaya is intelligent and brave, he has the endorsement of many great scholars even as they are too afraid to pronounce their endorsement publicly. He is affected towards a Kamboja maiden, the apsara Sukeśī, and he has married her in the Gandharva style, for this he has been disowned by King Āmbhi, his father, and for this reason he has rebelled.
Your most blessed town has been selected by Prince Sanjaya as the location for a fort of his construction. He seeks your support in his secession from Takṣaśilā and promises you far better treatment than what you have been given by the Persians, he promises you a kingdom that has the strength to stand for interests, that is not merely at the mercy of the Persians.
To this end, he has already secured the support of the powerful King Puruṣottama of the Vṛṣṇis, the mightiest enemy of the Persians, and of the mighty Queen Kṛpā of the Matsyaka Scythians, whose tribe is known for having vanquished the Persians and beheaded the emperor Koorush many centuries prior. Each of these allies has been prophesied to be great conquerors and liberators, and they are the natural allies of a people of such dignity and stature as the Kambojas.
The residents of Avarana are directed to start building a great fort for Prince Sanjaya – directors will be dispatched to employ craftsmen, builders, guards, mercenaries and servants for this purpose. Those who co-operate with the prince will be rewarded handsomely for their efforts, both individually and via their service to a Kamboja victory – for Prince Sanjaya is not short on wealth nor on his capacity to acquire it from his enemies. And those who act as traitors to the cause of the Kambojas, who refuse to provide their labour for the Kamboja cause, will be regarded as such, and will be punished by the gods for their betrayal.
Rejoice, noble Kambojas! For today marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the Kambojas, an era in which we shall reclaim that glory which has been so wrongfully seized from us. Salute Prince Sanjaya, for he is the saviour that you have been awaiting, the hero of ancient prophecies.
