PR E F A C E

A V OL UM E on A soka
Maurya by Pr ofessor Rhys
David s was intended to be the fir st of the Rulers
of I ndi a ser i es but u nfortunately ci rcum stances pre
,

v ented the fulfilment of th at intention an d the seri es ,

was closed leaving vacant the niche destined for the

great Buddhist emper or With the approval of Pr o
.

fessor Rhys Davids I have undertaken the pr eparation

of a supplementary v olume giving in a popular for m

the substance of what is known concer ning the

Maurya empir e Th e sources of ou r knowledge of
.

anci ent I ndian history ar e so meagre that i t is im

possible to tr eat the subject of this v olume in a

manner similar to that in which the biogr aphies of
A kbar A lbuquer que an d other I ndian worthies hav e
, ,

been treated All minute biogr aphi cal details ar e

.

lacking an d a distinct pictur e of the man A soka

,

cannot be painted Nevertheless enough is kn own

.
,

to r ender the subject interesting an d i f my book ,

should fail to inter est r eaders the fault will li e

,

rather with the author than with the subject .

Th e chapter entitled Th e H istor y of A soka will

be found to di ffer widely from all other publications ,

such as C unnin gham s Bhilsa Ta wh ch t e t

’
p es i r a of,

O
that topic I hav e tried to follow the example of
.

the best modern historian s an d to keep the legends

,

8 9 0 47
6 PREFA CE

separate fr om what seems to me to be authentic

histor y Among the legends I have placed the stor ies
.

of the conve r sion of Ceylon an d of the deli ber ations o f

the so called Thir d Council A ll the for ms of those

-
.

stori es whi ch h ave r e ached us ar e cr owded with

absur di ti es an d contr adiction s fr om whi ch legi ti mate

criticism cannot extr act tr ustwor thy histor y .

I r eject absolutely the Ceylonese chr onology p r ior

to the r eign of Du tth agami n i in about B 0 1 60 Th e . . .

undeser v ed credit given to the statements of the mo nks

o f Ceylon h as been a gr eat hindr ance to the right

d er stan din g of ancient I ndian histor y .

Th e tr anslations of the inscr iptions in thi s v ol ume

ar e based on those of Bii hler checked by compar ison
,

with the v er sions of other schol ars especially those of ,

MM Ker n an d S enart an d with the texts A lthough

.
, .

I d o n ot pr etend to possess a criti cal knowledge o f the

Pfili an d Pr akr i t languages an d hav e ther efor e rar ely
, , ,

v entured on an i ndependent i nter pretation I hope that ,

the r evised versions in th is volu me may be found to

be both accurate an d r eadable .

A difficul ty experi enced by all translators of th e

Asoka inscriptions is that of fin ding an adequate
compendious translation of d a an d its com
p ounds Religion righteousness tr uth the law
.
,
’
,
’
,
’
,
’

the sacr ed law an d I dar e say other phr ases have

,
’
, , ,

been tr ied : all these ar e unsatisfactor y To my mind .

the render in g piety or law of piety seems the

‘

best Th e fundamental pr inciple of Asoka s ethics is

.
’

filial piety the Latin pi etas the Chinese H ci ao which

, , ,
 PREFA CE 7

is presented as the model an d basis of all other virtues

.
.

Th e first maxim of the Chinese S acr ed Edi ct the

’
,

document most nearly resembling A soka s Edi cts is

’
,

this : Pay just regard to filial an d fr aternal duties in ,

o rder to giv e due impo rtance to the rel ations of li fe

’
.

Asok a s system may be said to be based on the same

’

maxim Such a system may well be described as

.

the law of piety .

’

I n dealing with the v exed question of transli teration

I hav e shunned the pedanti c atr ociti es of inter national
sy stems whi ch d o n ot shrink from presenting Krishna
,

in the guise of Kr sna Champa as K ampa an d so on

, , .

The con sonants in the I ndian words an d n ames in

this book ar e to be pronounced as in English an d ,

the vowels usually as in I talian Th e short a h as

. .

an indistinct so und as in the word wom an Long

’
.

vowel s ar e marked when necessar y ; other diacriti cal

marks have n ot been used in the text .

 C O NT E NT S

a r . PA G E
1 . Tm: H x sr o nv '
or AS OK A
Ca no x onocx or r a n M A U RYA Pax t on

II .mn r A ND An n mx sr m n on o r m a En p mn
Ex ' ' ' '

III Tm; M ox mamr r s

.

IV Tm: Ro cx I n se amn ou s
.
-

V TH E CA V E A ND FI L M
. I n scmm ox s
V I Tm: CE Y L ONES E L E G END o r Asolu
.

V II Tm; IND IA N m n o s or Ason

.

A pp nn mx
I n n nx

I LL USTRA TI ONS

1 . Ta n PI L L A B A T LA U RI Y A -
NA NDA NG A RH F r on tiapiece

z . I n scnn ’
n ox on m Bu n n n mzi P am
 C H A P TE R I
TH E H I STORY or A SOKA

WH EN A lexan der in vi nci ble befor e all enemies

,

sav e death passed away at B abylon in the summer

,

of the year B 0 32 3 an d hi s gener als assembled in

. .
,

council to di vide h is empire they wer e compelled ,

perfor ce to decide that the di stant I ndi an pr ovinces

shoul d r emain in th e h ands o f the officer s to whom

they h ad been entrusted by the ki ng But the .

decision of the fate of I ndia n o longer r ested wi th

Gr eek generals in council at Babylon for the natives ,

of the coun try took the dec isi on into their own hands .

I n the cold season followin g th e death of A lexander

th e nati v es rose kill ed the officer s wh o repr esented
,

Macedonian author ity an d while thinki ng to achi ev e

, ,

independence mer ely effected a chan ge of master s

,
.

Th eir leader was a man of humble or igin by name ,

C handr agupta Maurya wh o assembled an d or ganized

,

fr om the predatory tr ibes of the north western frontier -

of I ndi a a powerfu l for ce wi th whi ch he expelled

the for eigners H aving conquer ed the Panj ab an d

.

neighbouring countr ies Chandr agupta tu rned h is ,

ar m s against Dh ana Nanda King of M agad h a whom , ,

m A S OK A

he dethroned an d slew Th e usurper seated himself

.

upon the vacant throne of Patali pu tr a an d ruled the

,

realm with an iron hand .

M agadh a was at that time the premier ki ngdom of

I ndia an d the irresistible combin ation of its for ces
,

with those pr eviously r ecruited in the upper provin ces

enabled Chandr agupta to extend h is rule over the
gr eater part of I ndia from sea to sea .

S eleucus su mamed Nikator or the Conquer or by

, , ,

reason of h is many victor ies h ad established him self

,

as S atr ap of Babylon after the second d i vi sion of

A lexander s emp ir e mad e at Par ad eisos in B c 32 I

’
. .

S ix year s later he was dr i ven ou t by hi s r i val

A ntigonus an d compelled to flee to Egypt
, A fter .

three year s exile he r ecovered Babylon an d devoted

’
,

himself to the consolidation an d ex tension of hi s

'

power H e attacked an d subj ugated the Bactr ians

.
,

an d di rected h is victor ious ar my against I n di a i n

the hope of regaining the provin ces whi ch h ad been

for a br i ef space held by hi s late master But the .

v ast hosts of teem ing I nd ia led by Chand r agupta

wer e mor e than a match for the powe r of the

Macedonian wh o was compelled to r enounce h is
,

ambiti on of surpassing A lex ander by e ffecting the

conquest of I ndia an d to withdr aw fr om the countr y

, .

Ter m s of peace wer e ar r anged which compr ised a

matr imonial alliance between the two royal h ouses ,

an d the cession to Ch andr agupta of all the I ndian

provinces of A lexander s empir e includin g the r egions

’
,

n ow kn own as A fghanistan as far as the Par ap a

,
 H I S H I S TOR Y 13

nisus or H indoo Koosh mountain s On hi s part .

,

Chandr agupta gav e five hundr ed elephants to S eleucus .

I n the year B 0 306 S eleucus assumed the r egal title

. .
,

as also d id the other gener als of A lexande r i n thei r

respective provi nces H enceforth S eleucus is known

.

to hi sto r y as King of Syria .

A bo ut this time or a l ittle later the Syr ian

, ,

monar ch dispatched M egasth en es as hi s ambassador

to the court of Chandr agupta at Patalipu tr a on the ,

Gan ges the modern Patna an d Banki por e Mega

, .

sthenes resi ded there for a consider able time an d , ,

fortunately for poster ity took the trouble to r ecor d ,

what he saw A lar ge part of h is book h as survi ved

.

in fr agments which ar e almost the sole author ity for

,

what is known of I ndia in the days of Chand r agupta .

Th e am bassador found the go ver nment of the I ndian

king strong an d well or ganized established in a ,

magn ificent fortified city worthy to be the capital ,

of a great ki ngdom Th e royal camp at the capital

.

was estimated to contai n soul s an d an effici ent ,

standing army numbering infantr y ,

cav alry ,
elephants an d a mul titude of char iots
, ,

was maintained at the king s expense On active ’

.

serv ice the ar my is sai d to hav e attained the huge

to tal of men 1
.

Th e auth ori ti e fo th e h i to y of Ch a d agupta ( Sa dr a

s r s r n r n

kottos, San d r akoptos, An d r okottos) ar e Ar r ian , A n abasis, Bk v . .

ch . p
6 ; I n d i ka, var i ous assages ; Q Cu r ti us, Bk vii i ch 9 ; . . . .

l
P utar ch , L ife of A lex an der , ch 62 ; Justi n, Bk x v ch 4; . . . .

pp
A i an , Syr iake, ch 5 5 ; Str ab o, ii 1 9 , an d x v 1 36 ; ib i
‘
. . . . . d .

i 5 3 an d i 5 7 ; Ath enai os, D eipnowph ists, ch 1 8 d ; P in ,

. . . l y
1 4 A S OKA

With this ov erwhelming an d well equipped force -

C handragupta crushed all ri val s an d became the ,

first Emper or of I ndia A fte r twenty four years of .

-

stron go vernment he di ed and tran m i t t ed the

g s ,

empire which he h ad won to hi s son Bin d usfir a

A mitr aghfita 1
wh o r eigned for twenty five year s
,
.
-
.

Th e only recorded ev ent of his reign is the dispatch

to h is court of an ambassador nam ed Deimach os
by the Ki ng of S yr ia I n the year B 0 2 80 S eleucus . . .

Nikator wh o was in the seven ty eighth year of his

,
-

a e was murder ed an d was succeeded on the S yrian

g , ,

H ist Nat . . vi. 2 1 . 8 2

—
3 . All th ese pa ssages h ave b een co lle ted c

an d accu r ately tr an s at e l d by M r . M Cr i n d le i n h is
c
v al ab le
u

b ooks en titl ed , The I n vasi on f

o I n d i a by A lex an d er the G r eat

( Con st able ,
an d A n cien t I nd i a as d escr ibed by M ega
att an d A r r ian( Tr fibn er , Th e p assage in Justin i s

most imp
th e or tan t Justi n
. b dged
a ri th e wor k of Tr ogus
Pompei us wh o , li d
in th e time
ve of Au gustus . Th e u ltimate
auth or i t y of all th ese wr i ter s i s ch i efl y M egasth en es, wh om
Ar r ian ( I nd ika, x vii ) escr i b es as a man d ‘
of a pp
r ove ch ar acter
’
d .

d d y
St r abo, wh o was i sguste b th e tr ave er s tal es wi th whi ch
’
ll
ll d
th e amb assad or emb e ish e hi s wor k, for me a ess favour ab e d l l
p
O i n ion of M egasth en es, wh om h e u n ust sti gmatize as a j ly d
li ar For all matter s wh i ch came u n er h i s er son a ob ser vati on
. d p l
M egasth en es seems er fe ct tr ustwor th p ly y .

1
Bi nd u sar a ( Vish nu Par ana, M ahd varhsa, Dip avmizsa, Par i
sish apar van of
t B h ad r th e Jai ns)
asar a (d a P a r an a) ; N an a d
Sar a (Bmh md nda Par ana) VAr isar a (BM gavata Par ana) .

d
St r ab o (qu ote , A ncien t I n d ia, 7 )
0 r ecor s t h e m i ssi on of p . d
Déimmh os t o Amitr och ad es, th e son of Chan r agu ta Ami d p .

t r och ad es ( Skr Ami tr agh ata) must th er efor e be a tit e of

. l
Bin d usAr a . d
In i an kin gs ar e fr equ en t kn own two n ames ly by .

See M iss
’
ll
Duff s ex ce en t wor k, The Chr onology of I n d i a
( Const ab le ,
 H I S H I S TOR Y 1
5

throne by h is son A ntiochus Soter Eight years after .

the death of S eleucus Asoka a son of Bin d u sfir a an d

, , ,

the thi r d sov er eign of the Maurya dynasty ascended ,

the throne of Pfitalipu tr a an d un dertook the govern

,

ment of the I ndian empir e .

A ccor di ng to the silly fictions of mendaciou s monks ,

A soka waded to the throne thr ough a sea of blood ,

securing hi s posi tion by the m assacr e of ni nety nine -

brother s on e brother only the youngest being sav ed

, , ,

al i v e . These fictions an extr act of which will be

,

found in a later chapter d o n ot merit ser ious cr iti

,

cism . Th e inscr ipti ons p r ov e that the br othe r s an d

sisters of the ki ng we r e still li vin g in the mi ddle of

the reign an d that they an d all the members of the

,

r oyal fam ily were the objects of the so v er e ign s anxi ous
’

soli ci tude
1
Th e empir e won an d consolidated by
.

the genius of Chandr agupta h ad passed to h is son

Bin d usar a an d when after the lapse of twenty five
, ,
-

years the sceptr e again passed from the hands of

,

Bin d usar a to those of his son As oka ther e is n o ,

r eason to suppose th at bloodshed was necessary t o

secur e the succession Of the events of the fir st

.

eight years of A soka s r eign n o recor d h as sur vived

’
.

I n his ninth ye ar he unde r took the conquest of th e

kingdom of Kalinga on the coast of the Bay of
Bengal H is arms wer e successful an d the extensiv e
.
,

terr itor ies of Kalinga wer e in corpor ated with the

empire But the ho rror s which must accompany
.

d
Rock E icts IV, V, VI ; Pi lla Edi
r ct VII ; Qu een
’
s d
E i ct .
16 A S OK A

war even successful war made a deep impression on

, ,

the heart of the victor ious monar ch wh o h as r ecor ded ,

on the rocks in imper ish able wor ds the suffer ings

of the van quished an d the remor se of the v ictor .

Th e record is instinct with personal feeling an d still ,

car ries acr oss the ages the moan of a human soul .

Th e king wh o adopts in hi s edicts the title of

,

Pr iy ad ar sin (or Piy ad asi) meaning the H umane an d

’
, ,

om its h is personal name of Asoka speaks thus ,

j sty K i g P iyad ar sin in th e nin th y a of h is

H is M a e n r e r

r eign co q d th e K al i gas
n u er e n .

O eh
n d ed a d fifty th o an d p
un r on s we
n th e ce car r i d us er s re n e

away cap tiv o h d r ed th o sa d we

e, neth er e sl ai
un an d u n re n,

ma y times th at mb pe ish ed
n nu er r .

Eve si ce th e a e atjo of t h e K ali gas H is M aj sty

r n nn x n n , e

h as eal o sl y p otecte d th e L aw of Piety h as b e n d vote d

z u r , e e

to th at L aw a d h as p oclaimed its p cept s

, n r re .

H is M aj sty f ls mor se o acco n t of th e co q t of

e ee re n u n u es

th e K ali ga b eca se d i g th e s bj gation of a p vi ousl y

n s, u , ur n u u r e

un con q d co t y
u er e l a g h t d eat h a d
un r t aki n g a
,w as
y u er , , n

cap tiv of th e peopl

e ecessa i ly occ wh r eat H is M aj esty
e n r ur , e

feels p r ofo d sor r ow a d un g et n re r .

Th er i s h owever a oth er r easo fo H is M aj est y fe l i g

e , ,
n n r e n

sti ll mor egr et i asm ch a i n s ch a co t y d w ll

e r ,
n u s u un r e

B ah ma
r a d asceti cs m n of d iff r e t sects a d h o s
ns n ,
e e n ,
n u e

h old e wh o all p actise obedi ce to ld s ob d i

r s, r t en e er ,
e en ce o

fath a d moth
er nob d i ce to t a h s p op
er ,
t atm t e en e c er ,
r er re en

of f i en ds acq ai t a
r ,s com ad es r l at iv s sl av s a d
u n n ce ,
r ,
e e , e ,
n

ser va ts wi th fi d l ity of d vot io

n , e e n .

To s ch peopl dwelli g in th at co tr y h app en violen ce

u e n un ,

sl a gh te
u a d sep ar atio
r , fr om th o th ey lov
n n se e .

Even th ose per sons wh o ar e th emselves pr otected et ai ,

r n
 111 5 H I S TOR Y 1
7
t heir afiections dimin ish ed r in falls on th eir f ien ds
'

un : u r ,

acq ain t a
u es com ad e an d ncel at ive an d in this way
, r s, r s,

v i le ce is d o e to th e feel i gs of th ose wh o ar e per so all

o n
( ) n y n n

u n h ur t .

A ll th is d ifiused miser y is matter of r egr et to H is

M aj est y . For th er e is n o coun tr yi n wh ich ar e n ot fou n d
l
cou n t ess co mmu n i ties of Br ahmans an d ascet ics, n or is th er e
an y coun tr y wh
p ople h a faith in o sect o ly
er e th e e ve ne n .

Th e loss of ven th e h un d edth o th e th o sa dth p ar t

e r r u n

of th e per so s wh o w r e th n sl ai n car r i ed away capti ve e e n, ,

or do e to death i K ali ga wo ld ow be a matter of

n n n u n

deep gr et to H is M aj sty
re e .

A lth gh a man sh o ld d o h im an i j y H is M aj e ty
ou u n ur ,
s

h ol d s th at it m st be p ati e t ly b or e s far as i t p ossi b ly

u n n , o

can be b or n e .

Even u pon th e fod mi i s H is M aj esty

r est tr i b es i n h is o n on

h as comp as sion th o gh ad vi d to d st oy th m in detail

, u se e r e ,

an d th o gh th p ow to h a y th m is in H is M aj sty s
u e er rr e e
’

h an d s Th y ar e war ned t th is ff ct
. e Sh vi l doi g o e e un e -
n ,

th at y may escap d t ct io
e For H i s M aj esty d sir es
e es r u n .
”
e

for all an imate bei n gs sec ity con tr ol over th e p assio s ur ,

n ,

p e ace of m i n d an d j oyo s ess u n .

An d th is is th ch iefest co q est i n H is M aj esty s

e n u ,
’

opin io th e co q est by th e L aw of Pi ty
n, n u e
‘

Th e only authentic account of the r easons whi ch

induced Asoka to adopt the Buddhi st d ha r ma or Law '
,

of Piety as the rule of his l ife an d the foundation of

,

publi c mor ali ty is the edict abov e quoted Th e , .

grotesque an d contr ad ictor y tales to ld by monkish

romancer s as ex planations of the great king s change ’

Ro k Edi t X I II M S a t i J R A S
c c f 9
.
00 . en r , n . . s. oc
. or 1
pp 335 34 p p
,

.
-
t ai 2 ti ba d
ro a f agm
oses cer t n cor r ec on s se on r en
re e tly di
c n o e ed at Gi ma Cp M i o Ro k Edi t I
sc v r r . . n r c c .

B
 18 A S OKA

,
hear t ar e in themselv es incr edible as well as in
of ,

compatible with the simple an d credible ex planation

giv en in the king s own words
’
.

Doubtless some n ow for gotten pr eacher wh o ,

possessed the gift of per suasi veness must have so ,

expounded the doctr ine of the S it ky a sage as to

awaken the r oyal consci ence an d to evoke the feeling
,

of remor se for the horrors of war whi ch is so vi vi dly

exp r essed in the edict Th e feeli ng however ar oused

.
, ,

was genuine an d is the keynote for the in terpretation

,

o f the whole se r ies o f the edicts Th e passage quoted

.

was composed in the thirteenth year of the r eign Th e .

last of the dated edicts belongs to the twenty eighth -

year Nothi ng that was wr itten in the inte r val is

.

inconsistent with the declar ation that the onl y true

conquest is that effected by the Law of Piety an d n ot ,

conquest by force of arms .

Th e conclusion i s ther efore justified that the su b

jugation of Kalinga was the only gr eat mili tary
ach ie v ement of the r eign an d that fr om h is ninth
,

year A soka eschewed militar y glor y an d de voted ,

h imself to the pr oblems of inter nal admini str ation ,

with the special object of promulgatin g an d enfor c ing

the Buddh ist Law of Piety as being the best means
,

of secu r i ng the h app iness an d welfar e o f h is subjects

an d ne ighbours .Th e tenth Rock Edict published ,

in the fourteenth year of the r eign h as for its special ,

subject the contr ast between true glor y an d m il itary

renown .

We have A soka s own authori ty for stating that in

’
 H I S H I S TOR Y 19

the ninth year of his r eign for the reasons above,

explained he j oined the Buddhi st commun ity as a lay

,

He tells us that for about two years an d a half he

displayed little zeal as a conver t Towar ds the close .

of the elev enth year of his r e i n hi s i nterest in the

g
Buddh ist teachi ng was in some way stimulated ; an d
he resolved to devote h is life an d all the resources
of hi s imper ial powe r to the p r omu lgation an d pr o

a ati n of the doctr ine whi ch in his opini on opened

p g o , ,

the gate of heaven an d secur ed the happiness an d

,

welfar e Of man ki nd her e an d hereafter .

H e therefore took upon himself the vows of a

Buddhi st monk or fr iar an d j oined the Order (sam
,
h
g )a .

Th e spectacle of a r eigning monarch turned monk is

so str ange to moder n European eyes th at the fact of

Asok a s or dination h as been doubted an d attempts

’
,

have been mad e to explain away the plain language

in whi ch the king ( Minor Rock Edi ct I ) contr asts
hi s posi tion as a careless lay disciple wi th that whi ch
he h ad attained as a zealous monk But n o sufficient .

reason exists for hesitation in accepting Asoka s ’

language in its natur al sense Buh ler h as been able

.

to cite on e par allel case that of the Ch au lu ky a ki ng

, ,

Ku mar apala a Jain wh o assumed the title of lor d

, ,
‘

Of the O r der an d at v ar ious per iods of h is r eign

’
,

took vows of contin ence temper ance abstention from

, ,

an i m al food an d r efr aini ng fr om confiscatio n of the

,

property of the faith ful I t i s pr obable that Asoka

sim
.

ilar ly undertook vo ws of imperfect an d limited

B 2
20 A S OK A

o bligation I t is also possible that he once or sever al

. ,

times adopted the pr actices of a Buddhi st mendicant

,

friar for a few days at a time dur ing whi ch per iods ,

of r etr eat h is m inister s would hav e admi nistered the

kin gdom Th e Buddhi st cer emony of ordi nation

.

( p
u asa m pa dd ) d oe s n ot con v ey indeli ble o r der s or ,

i n volv e a li fe long vow Bo th in Bu rma an d Ceylon

-
.

men commonly enter the Or der tempor ar ily an d after ,

a time r esume civil li fe Asoka could hav e done the .

same an d a p r oceedi ng whi ch is easy for an or din ar y

,

man is doubly easy for an emperor A for m al com .

li an ce with the r u les r equir ing the monk to beg h is

p ,

br ead could have been ar r anged for without difficulty

,

withi n the p r ecincts of the palace Th e fact that .

A soka d id r eally become a Budd hi st m onk is vouched

for by an in dependent testimony whi ch is the mor e ,

valuable because i t is contained in an inci dental

remar k A thousand year s after Asoka s time the

.
’
,

Chin ese pilgr im I tsing notes that the statues of ,

-
,

Asoka r epr esent h im as wear ing a monk s r obe of

’

a p articu lar patte r n Th e empe r or could n ot have .

wor n such a r obe unless he h ad j oined the Or der as , ,

he says that he di d
1
I h ave a o d pt d B h le u er s an d
’
Kem s i n t er
’
p r etati on of M in or
Rock Edi ct I ( I nd A n t . . vi . 15 4; M an u al of I n d ian Bud d h i sm,

p . 1 Th e statu s Of upd saka, or lay di sci-

pl e, i s con tr ast e d with
t h at Of th e p er son wh o h as en t er ed th e Or d er (
sarh gh a ) . See
H ar d y ,
E aster n M on ach is m , p .
46 . I tsin g (A Recor d
-
o f Bu d d hist
Pr acti ces, ch . x i ) , wh en di scu ssi n g th e mode i n wh ich d
Bu d h ist
mon ks sh ou ld wear th ei r gar men ts , ex pl ai ns a p a t i la
r cu r fash ion ,
an d adds ( p 7 3 ed Takakusu) .
, . Th e image Of kin g Asoka .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 21

A soka s
e l for the propagation an d enfor cement
’
z a

o f the pr actical moral code of Buddhi sm or Law of ,

Piety led h im n ot only to adopt wi thin h is own

,

v ast domin ion s the me asures wh ich seemed be st

adapted to the purpose but al so to engage in a well

,

consider ed scheme of m issionar y effor t 1

I n the .

space of two ye ars between the emperor s entry in to

’

the Or der in the eleventh year an d the publi cation

of h is ear li est inscr i ptions in the th ir teenth year of

the r eign missions char ged with the pr eachi ng of the

,

doctrine of the Sakya sage h ad been dispatched to

Ceylon an d the independent kingdoms in the south
Of the Pen i nsul a to Mysor e an d the Bo mbay coast to
, ,

th e Mahr atta country to the m ountaineers of the

,

H im a l ayas an d Kashm ir an d to Pegu A lthough

, .

cr i ticism can not accept the wonderful tales told by

monkish wr iter s of the sudden an d wholesale con
v ersions effected by the mi ssionari es of A so k a ther e ,

is n o doubt that the m issions laid the foundations of

th e Buddh ist church in all the countr i es named In .

Ceylon their wor k abides to this d ay .

Th e dispatch of m issionar i es by A soka is indeed , ,

has its gar men t i n th is way Cu n n in gh am (Bh i lsa Tapes,

’
.

p d
1 9 7 , PI x ) gu esse th at th e fin e statu e cr own in g th e n or th er n
. .

d et ach e d p ll
i ar at san ch i migh t be On e Of Asoka bu t th at figur e
l d l
i s c othe i n a wai st c oth ( dhoti ) on , an d h as a n imb u s ly .

It can n ot , th er efor e, be i n ten d dt

e o re p r esen t th e e mp er or .

d
See Rock E ict V I : An d wh at i s t h e Ob ect of all my
‘
j
ex er ti on S im ply —d
t o acqu it my eb t to i vi n g b ei n gs th at l
Imay make some Of th em h appy h er e, an d th at h er eafter th e y
may attai n to h eaven ’
.
22 A S OKA

on e of the fac ts of primary impor tance in th e

history of mankind For about two centur ies
.

an d a h alf p r ior to A soka s con v er sion Buddhism

’

h ad m aintained its posi tion in a por tion of the valley

of the G anges as a sect Of H induism I ts founder .
,

Gautam a Sakyamuni was bor n liv ed an d di ed

, , ,

within the region compr ised between 82 an d 86 ° °

east longitude an d 24 to 2 8 nor th latitude or in

° °

, ,

othe r wo r ds th e c ountry between G aya A llah aba

,
d , ,

an d the hi ll s .

S o far as we can see the tr ansfor mation of this

,

l ocal sect into a wor ld r eligion is the wor k of A soka

-

al one . Th e rom ances wr itten by m onks naturally

r ep r esent the king as a tool in the hand s Of hi s

cler ical adviser s to whom all th e cr edi t of the

,

m issionar y enter pr ise is given But the monuments .

d o n ot support thi s vi ew A soka cl aim s all the cr ed it

.

for hi m self . I nasmuch as he must hav e been an

exceptionally able man to hav e succeeded in gover ning
with distinction a v ast empir e throughout a long
r eign i t is n ot probable that he was ev er the sl av e
,

o f the p r i ests an d he is fair ly enti tled to the c r edi t o f

,

the measur es taken in h is name .

Withi n h is own dominionsA soka prov ided for the

comfort of man an d beast by the plantation of shade
giving an d fr u it bear ing tr ees the digging of wells
-

, ,

an d the er ect ion o f r est h ouses an d water ing pl aces at

- -

con v en ient inter vals along the hi gh r oads H e devoted .

sp ec ial attention to the culti vation an d di ssem in ation

Of medic in al he r bs an d r oots both w ith in h is own

,
 H I S H IS TOR Y ,
23

dominions an d in the territor ies of friendly in d epen

dent sov er eign s
I n the thi r teenth ye ar of the r eign as a special ,

mean s for the inculcation of the r oyal teaching all ,

local gov er nors were or der ed to hold assemblies in

which the Law of Piety should be pr eached expounded , ,

an d discussed Th e officials of subor dinate rank we r e

.

bound to attend these assemblies to receive instruction

from their superiors an d wer e war ned that this duty
,

must n ot be allowed to inter fer e with the dischar ge

o f or d in ary Offic ial busi ness I n most pl aces these .

assembli es were to be conv oked qui nquennially but ,

the Vicer oys stationed at Taxila in the Panj fib an d ,

at Ujj ain in Central I ndia wer e required to hold such ,

assembl i es once ev ery thr ee year s

2
.

Th e experi ence of another ye ar con v inced the ki ng

that mor e elaborate official or ganization was n eces
sary in order to give full effect to h is in struction s .

H e ther efor e ap pointed special Officers whose ti tle ,

d r ma mahd mdtr a) may be r endered as Censo rs of

( ha

the Law of Piety to super v ise the execution of his

,
’

pr ecepts These Oflicer s wer e instructed to devote

.

themselves to the establishment an d further ance Of

piety n ot only among the king s faithful lieges but
,
’
,

am ong the sem i independent bor der tribes

-
They .

1
d
Rock E i ct II ; Pi ar E ict V II Th e wor ll d ch ikisalca . d
( ch i ki cch a, Gi r n ar ) i s t r an s ate r eme es l d
b M Sen ar t d y . .

l ld p
Buh er ad Opts th e O er i n ter r et ati on an d tr an s ates h os ita s ’
l p l .

d l d d
It i s ifficu t to eci e wh i ch is r igh t .

Roc k Edi ct II I ; Detach e d (Kali n ga ) d

Rock E i cts .
2 4 A S OK A

wer e in gener al ter ms dir ected to use th eir best

endeav our s to secur e the welfar e an d happiness of
all cl asses of the populati on an d we r e spec ially orde r ed
,

to watch ov er the inter ests of the p oor an d aged to ,

pr event the infliction Of wrongful imprisonment or

cor por al punishment an d to gran t r emissions Of
,

sentence in case s wher e the c r im in al was ad vanced

in year s burdened w ith a l ar ge fam ily or over

, ,

whelmed by sudden cal amity Th e censor s wer e .

fur ther enj oined to superintend both at the capital ,

an d i n the prov i ncial to wn s the female establishments

,

of the k ing s br others an d sisters an d o f all other

’
,

member s Of the r oyal family ; an d also to exer cise

a gener al contr ol ov e r all person s de voted to p iou s

wor ks an d almsgivi ng .

L ater i n the r eign a Royal A lmoner s depar tment

’
,

adm inister ed by the censors an d othe r high Officials ,

was or gan ized an d char ged wi th the distribution

,

Of the gifts made by the sov e r eign an d hi s queens .

A shor t special edict known as the Q ueen s Edi ct

’

, ,

addr essed to official s Of the A lmoner s dep ar tment h as

’
,

been pr eser ved 1

.

Th e edi cts fur nish se ver al summ ar i es Of the dhar ma ,

or Law of Pi ety on the e stabl ishment an d propaga

,

tion Of which the king h ad set h is hear t By combining .

these summaries the leading pr ovisions of that Law

may be stated as foll ows
A ll men ar e r egar ded by the so ver eign as his
ch ildren owing h im filial Obedience an d entitled to
, ,

1
Rock Edi cts V X II ; Pilla Edi ct V II ; Quee
, r Ed i t
’
n s c .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 5

re ceive from h im a par ent s car e Every man is ’

.

bound to cultiv ate the virtues of self contr ol pur ity -

,

of m ind r atitude an d fidel ity On the the r h and

g , o , .
,

he should abstain from the v ices Of rage cruelty , ,

an ge r pride an d jealousy H e should constantly

, , .

practise self exam ination an d be str ictly truthful -

, .

Gr eat str ess is laid on the imper ativ e duty of r e

spectin g the sanctity of all anim al li fe an d of tr eat ,

in g all l i vin g cr eatur es with k indness Obedi ence .

to father an d m other is declar ed to be essential ; the

aged ar e to r ecei v e due r ev er ence from the young an d ,

the teacher from h is pupil Relatives ascetics an d .

, ,

Br ahmans ar e to be tr eated with decor um ; ser v ants ,

an d e v en slav e s w ith kindness Li ber ality must be, .

shown to fr iends acqu aintances r el ativ es ascetics an d , , , ,

Brahman s All sects an d cr eeds ar e in fundamental

.

agreement about e ssential s an d all al ike aim at the ,

attainment of puri ty Of mind an d self control ther e -

,

fore h e wh o follows the path mar ked ou t by the Law

Of Pi ety mu st abstain fro m speaking aught evil

con cer n ing hi s neighbour s faith

1 ’
.

S mma i e of th e Law of Pi ety a e gi e i Rock Edi t

u r s r v n n c s

I II IV V II IX XI X I II ; M i o Rock Edi t NO 2 Of Siddap a

, , , , ,
n r c , . . ur

Pill a Edict I II a d VI I C mpa e th e Ch i e e d oct i e of

r s n . o r n s r n

h ia o fil ial r e e e ce wh i h i t eated a th e fo
s o, r v rdati o of n , c s r s un n

all vi t e Th e Sa ed Edi t e mo
r u . ofi i ally i ed by th e
cr c , s r ns c ssu

seco d a d th i d emp e o
n of th e p e e t dy asty i th e ea e t
n r r rs r s n n , s n r s

pa allel t th e A ka Edi ct Th e Sa ed Edi t wa well

r o so s . cr c s

t a lated by th e Re
r ns W illi am M il e de t h e title of Th e v . n , un r

Sa ed Edi ct co tai i g i tee ma i m of th e empe

cr , n Ka g n n sx n x s r or n

h e ampli fied by h i
, o th e emp e o Yoo g hi g ( Lo d on s s n, r r n -
c n
’
n ,
26 A S OKA

Supplementar y instr uctions ddr essed to the royal

’

Officers in their Offici al capaci ty point ou t th at the

ideal Official should be fr ee fr o m envy harshn ess an d , ,

i mp atience Perseverance an d the fir m deter mination

.

to r esist all temptations to indolence or discour age

ment ar e the root of success in the per for mance of
ofli cial duty Ofli cer s ar e war ned that they cannot
.

hope for the favour either Of heaven or of their

sov er eign i f they fai l to c omply fully with h is com

mands an d the Officials in the conquer ed pr ovince of

,

Kalinga ar e censur ed for a par tial failur e in th e

execution of the duties laid upon them 1

I n a passage of the True Conquest Edict alr eady

’
,

quoted A soka declar es h is unwillingness to proc eed

,

to extr em ities against the wild jungle folk wh o at -

many points dwelt on the bor ders Of h is settled

pro vinces Such folk abou nded on the bor der s of
.

Kal inga as they d o to this d ay an d a v er y in

, ,

ter estin g edi ct dating fr om the four teenth year

, ,

spec ially addr e ssed to the gov er nor an d m agistr ates

o f that p r ovince an d publ ished in i t only

,
gives ,

particular instr uction s concer ni ng the pr inciples on

which the wild tr ibes should be tr eated Th e king .

r eite r ates h is decl ar ation th at all men even wild ,

jungle tr ibes ar e h is childr en an d insists that hi s

-

, ,

Office r s mu st i v e effect to h is v i ews T hey ar e

g .

instr ucted that it is H is M aj esty s will an d immutable

’

r esol v e that e ver y effor t must be m ade to in spir e the

bor der tr i bes wi th confidence an d to per suade them ,

Deta h ed Ro k Edi t
1
c Pi lla Edi t I IV
c c s r c s ,
.
 H I S H I S TOR Y 27

th at the king desir es them to r eceive at h is h ands

happiness an d n ot so rro w I f they wi ll but trust
.

in the royal sincerity they may r eliev e their m inds

,

Of all di squi etude an d abi de in pe ace Th e Ofli cials .

ar e further enj oined to persuade the tr ibes th at th e

best way to secur e the sov er eign s good wi ll an d to ’

,

assure their own welfare both in thi s w or ld an d in

the next is to faithfully practise the Law of Piety

,

which his or ders commend to them 1

.

I f A soka h ad the h appiness to fin d m any frontier

O fficer s wh o wer e c ompetent to fully act up to th e

pr inciples thus enun ciated he was indeed a fortun ate

, , ,

sov er eign ; but unfortun ately whi le the admirable

, ,

instr uctions h av e sur vi v ed little is known concer ning

,

their pr actical oper ation .

S ev eral edicts r ecord the succe ssiv e steps taken by

the king to giv e e ffect to the pr inciple of the sanctity
of an im al li fe which was on e O f h is car d in al doctrines
,
.

In the first eight years of h is r eign he was n ot

tr oubled wi th an y scruples on the subject an d vast ,

multitudes of anim als wer e each d ay slaughter ed for

the supply of the royal kitchen s Fr om the ninth to .

the thi rteenth year of the r eign two peacocks an d on e

deer wer e as a rule killed daily for the king s table
, ,
’

but from the latter year when the edicts of the Law
,

Of Pi ety we r e first issued an d the r eli gious assembl i es

,

wer e instituted ev en this modest supply was stopped

, ,

an d n o li ving cr eatu r e was c ompelled to surrender its

l ife in or der to gr atify the r oyal appetite .

Detach ed Rock Edi ct o alled No I I

, s -
c . .
28 A S OK A

In the eleventh year of h is r eign when Asoka to , ,

u se h i s own phr ase enter ed on the path of true know

,

ledge he gave up the pleasur es Of the chase an d sub

, ,

sti tuted for hunting par ti es p ious to ur s or pilgr images

-

, ,

devoted to almsgiving pr eaching an d ethical discus

, ,

sion . I n the thir teenth year o f the r eign in addition ,

to the sto ppage of slaughter for the supply of the r oyal

table slaughter of animals for sacr ifice was prohibited
,

at the c api tal Th e king d id n ot app ar ently attempt

.

to p r ohibit anim al sacr i fices thr oughout h is dominions ,

knowin g that such a prohibition could n ot be en

forced At the capital holiday feasts whi ch or dinarily
.
,

in vol v ed the de struction Of an im al l ife wer e also pr o ,

h ibited I n the twenty se v enth ye ar of the r eign

.
-

A soka felt him self stron g enough to fur ther protect

the sanctity Of animal l ife by an elaborate code Of
detailed regulation s bindi ng on all classes of the
,

population without distinction of cr eed social ,

customs or r eligious feeling

, .

A lon g list was published Of animals the slaughter

Of which was ab solutely p r ohibi ted an d th is absolute ,

pr ohibition was extended to all four footed animal s of -

which the carcasses ar e n ot eaten or otherwi se utilized

by man Thi s r egulation lar gely inter fered wi th the
.

spo rtsman s liber ty an d i ts ter m s w ould seem to

’
,

denounce the killing Of a tiger or a lion as being

unlawful Th e r emain ing rules wer e dir ected to the
.

imposition of r estr i ctions on the sl aughter of ani mals

per mitted to be killed an d to the prohibition or miti
,

a ti n of differ ent ki nds of mutil ation

g o .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 29

On fifty six specified days in the year fish m ight n ot

-

be either caught or sold an d on the same days e ven

, ,

in game preserv es animals m ight n ot be destr oyed

, .

On all festival days an d many other specified days ,

aggregati ng about a quar ter Of the year t h e castration ,

Of bulls an d other quadrupeds was prohibited Th e .

capon in g of cocks was absolutely pr ohi bi ted at all

times Du rin g five par ti cular for tnights the br anding

.

Of h orses an d cattle was declar ed unl awful Th e en .

forcement Of these mi nute r egulations must have given

plenty of employment to the censors an d magistr ates 1
.

Mon kish legend mendacious in this par ticu lar as

,

i n so many others asserts that Asoka abolished the

,

pun ishment Of death H is legislation pr oves that

.

the idea Of such abolition never enter ed h is thoughts .

H is language implies that he r egar ded the death

penalty as an unavoidable necessity which might ,

be made less horrible than it h ad been but could ,

n ot be done away w ith A soka whil e rec ognizi ng

.
,

the necessity for ar ming the magistr ates wi th power

to inflict th e extr eme penalty Of the law exercised ,

his royal p r erogati v e of pardon an d on each anni ,

s

v er sar y of hi s so lemn cor onation l iber ated all con

d emn ed prisoners I n the twenty se venth year of

.
-

the reign a rule was introduced that e ver y prisoner

condemned to death should invar iably be gr anted
a respi te of thr ee days befor e execution i n w hi ch to ,

prepar e himself for the next wor ld 2

.

Ro k Edi ct I VI II ; Pi lla Edi t V V II

c s , r c s , .

3
Pi lla Ed i ct IV
r .
30 A S OK A

Asoka ttached the greatest importance to the

a

utmost possible pr omptitude in the admini stration of

justice an d to the r eadin ess Of the sovereign to hear
,

complaints at all times an d at all places H is vi ews .

would still meet with gener al approval fr om the

natives of I ndi a wh o prize v er y hi ghly r eadi ness of
,

access to their rulers an d set n o value whate ver up o n

,

r egul arity of p r oced ur e Asoka announced to h is

.

people that he was ready at an y place an d at an y ,

hour of the d ay or night to receive an d redr ess

,

complaints No mor e popular announcement could

.

be made by an I ndian so vereign although to the ,

Wester n mi nd it seems unpr acti cal an d unbusiness

like When Asoka adds to thi s an nouncement the
.

emphatic declar ation

I am n ever sati sfi ed with th e adequ acy of my e er ti s x on

or t h e p r omp titu d e of my d ecisi on Of cases W o k I m st

. r u

fo th e p b l i c ben efit a d
r u , th e Obj ect Of all my ex r tion
n e

i s simply to acqu it my deb t to li vi n g b ein gs so th at I may ,

make some of th em h appy i n this wor l d an d th at h er eafter

,

th ey may att ain h eave n,

’

— h e i s entitled to be bel ie v ed 1 Th e immense tr ouble

.

which he took to pr omulgate an d pr opagate h is

teachin g pr oves both h is sinceri ty an d h is habits of
industr y Th e vigor ous impulse whi ch hi s power ful
.

patr onage undoubtedl y gave to Buddhism demon

str ate s that hi s effor ts wer e n ot in vai n an d that h is ,

missionary zeal although it must have encounter ed

,

many obstacles an d su ffered many di sappointments ,

Ro ck Edi ct VI
1
.
 H I S H I S TOR Y 31

was justified by success in the propagand a so ener

g e tically w or ked .

Asoka placed great reliance upon h is personal

example as a power ful influence in th e conversion Of
h i s people an d his neighbours tohis way Of thi nki ng .

H e h ad n o hesi tation in r ecor ding mor e than once

the belief that he h ad done m any good deeds an d ,

was per suaded that the good deeds of the sover eign
wer e readily imi tated by loyal subjects .

Wh atsoever mer itor i ous deeds I h ave don e h e Obser ves ,

’
,

th ose deed s th e p eopl e h ave cop ied an d imi tate d ; wh ence

foll ows th e con sequ en ce th at g owt h is n ow taki n g pl ace
r ,

an d wi ll fu r th er in cr ease i n t h e vir tues of Ob e d i en ce to

,

fath er an d moth er obe die ce to teach er s r eve e ce t o t h e

,
n ,
r n

aged an d kin dly tr eatme t of B ah man s a d ascetics of

, n r n ,

th e p oor an d wr etch ed yea ev, of sl aves a d s r va ts

, en n e n

No doubt the person al example of the sover eign ,

suppor te d by all the efforts o f a highl y or gan iz ed

bur eaucracy an d a rich an d zeal ous cler gy must hav e ,

been a poten t factor in securing popular adherence to

the r oyal views .

Th e Bhabra Edi ct stands alone in its outspoken

avowal of Asoka s de votion to Buddhism Th e other
’
.

edicts ar e concer ned with pr actical mor al s only an d ,

ar e so dr afted th at thei r teachi ng m ight be accepted

by the members Of an y I ndi an sect Th e Bhabra .

document is addr essed to the Buddhi st cler gy ex

elusi v ely an d was recor ded at a m onaster y situated
,

on the top Of a remo te hill I t was probably n ot

.

Pillar Edict I I V I I Rock Edi ct V

s ,
.
32 A S OK A

co mmun icated to the general public an d th e existence ,

Of this pecul iar composi tion must n ot be taken as

e vidence that Asoka forced the distinctiv e doctr ines

of Buddhi sm down the thr oats Of an unwill in g p eople .

H e seems rather to hav e confin ed his official pr opa

ganda to th e inculcation of practical mor ali ty an d ,

t o hav e car ed little whether or n ot h is pupils for mal ly

j oined the Buddhist church 1

Asoka looked back with satisfaction on th e legis

lation which pr escribed minute r egulation s for the
conser vation Of ani mal life an d the mitigation of
su ffer in g an d on m any other pious or dinances of whi ch
,

he was the author but candi dl y admi ts that such ,

ordi nances ar e in themsel v e s of small account an d ,

that the growth Of li ving piety must ultimately

depend n ot on external r egulations but on the inwar d
, ,

conviction wrought in the minds of men by medita

tion on mor al truth 2
I n the same spir it he tr eats .

with scor n the many corrupt an d wor thless cer emoni es

commonly per for med by the womenkind an d extols ,

I pt M S a t
acce gg t i . th at t h e p
en r h a s t
’
h s su es on r e e

M agadh a l gy p bab ly m a th B ddh i t l gy M a

n c er ro e ns e u s c er ,
’

g ad h a b .i g g a d
e n d a th fre t ai h
r ea d f Be dd hi m sFi e oun n O u s . ve

ou t f thO pa ag it d i th di t a f m th B ddhi t
e seven ss es c e n e e c s ro e u s

scr ipt ha
ur es b id tifi d i th Nikay
ve een ( Rh y enDa i d e n e as . s v s,

Di l ga o u es f th B d d ho p iii ; J e l f th Pd li T t
u a, . x ou r n a o e ex

S i ty 89 6 ; J B A S
oc e , 1 1 89 8 p . A t th
. s. it f thoc , .
, . s o e s e o e

in scr i pt i C i gh am R p t ii 4
on , see un n n8 a d C p I ip , e or s, . 2 ,
n or us n scr

t o
. num I di m i 24 Th
n car u i id, th at th
. .di t wa er e s n o ev en ce ee c s

add d t th C il f Patalip t a
r esse o e i f th at C
ou n c il o u r , even ou n c

wa s ever h ld S K e M . l f I di
ee B dd h i m p 1
er n , an ua o n an u s , . IO .

Pill a Edi t VII

2
r c .
 H I S H I S TOR Y’

33

as the on ly tr ue cer emon ial a life Of piety which , ,

even i f i t sh ou ld fail to secur e temporal advantages ,

will certainly ensur e a har vest of in fin ite meri t to be

r eaped in the world to come
1
.

Th e eighth Rock Ed i ct as h as been alr eady Ow er ved , ,

r ecord s th e in sti tu ti on in th e elev enth year of the,

r ei gn of r o al pro resses or to ur s dev oted to pious

, y g
pur poses in lieu Of the hu nting par ti es whi ch h ad
,

e nj oyed by Asoka in his unr egener ate days must have

been con ducted in th e same way as those of his grand
fath er whi ch ar e descri bed by M egasth en es as follows
,

A n oth er pur pose for wh ich h e [th e kin g] leaves h is

p a l ace is t o Ofi er sa c ifice a th i r dri s t o go t o t h e ch ase for ,

wh ich h e d epar t s in Bacch an alian fash i on Cr owds of .

women sur r oun d h im an d o tsi de of th i ci cl sp ear m n

,
u s r e e

ar e r an ged Th e r oad is ma ke d OE wi th r opes a d it i s

. r ,
n

d eath for men an d women al ike t o p ass with i th e r op es

, ,
n .

M en with d r ums an d gon gs l ead th e p r ocessi on Th e ki g . n

h un t s in th e en cl osu r es an d sh oots ar r ows fr om a pl at for m .

A t h is si de stan d t wo or th r ee ar med women I f h e h n ts . u

i n th e op en gr ou n d s h e sh oots fr om th e b ack of a el ep h an t
. n .

Of th e women , so me ar e in ch ar i ots, so me on h or ses, an d

so me even on e e l ph app d with w ap o

n ts, an d y
th e ar e equ i e e ns

of eve y ki d as i f th y w
r n goi g a cam peai g er e n on n

Th e employment of an A mazonian gu ar d composed

of foreign
w m en is kn own to hav e been a r egul ar

institution Of the ki ngs Of an ci ent I ndi a .

For the pleasur es of the chase as described abov e ,

R k Edi t IX
1
oc c .

St ab i M C i d l A i t I d i p 7 2
1
r o, n c
r n e, nc en n a, . .

C
34 A S OKA

those Of pious to ur s seem to be rather an inadequate

substitute They ar e de scr ibed in the eighth Ro ck
.

Edi ct as consisting Of v isits an d almsgivi ng to

Br ahmans an d ascetics visits to elder s inspection of
, ,

the country an d people pr eaching an d discussion ,

Of the Law Of Pi ety an d l ar gess o f gold

,
I n these .

l atter days the king r emar ks thi s is th e kind of

, ,

pleasur e whi ch he enj oys .

S uch a pious tour was undertaken by A soka i n

the twenty fir st year Of his r eign Following
-
.
,

probably the route taken by the Buddha when

,

on the wa t o hi de ath the k i ng star ted from h is

y s ,

capi tal PAtalipu tr a crossed the G anges an d enter ed

, ,

the Vaisali ter r ito ry of the Lich ch h avi tr ibe n ow ,

known as the M uzaflar pu r an d Ch ampar an districts

'

H is line of march is m ar ked by the r uin s Of Vaisa li

( B asfir), wh i ch i nclude the B ak hi ra l i on p i ll ar by -

,

the stupa of Kesariya an d the lion pillars of Laur iy fi

,
-
.

A r ar aj an d L aur iya N a ndang ar h H e m a y then .

either have kept to the east p assing Rempur wa , ,

wher e another lion pillar lies an d hav e then cr ossed

-
,

the passes over the hills to K u sl n agar a the scene ,

Of G autama Buddha s death or he may hav e tur ned

’
,

westwar d cr ossed the Gandak r iver an d proceeded

, ,

dir ect thr ough the Tar ai to the Lumbini G ar den the ,

r eputed scene o f the bi r th of G autam a Buddh a At .

the sacr ed gar den he er ected a pillar sur m ounted by

the figure of a hor se an d r ecor ded upon it in beautifully
,

i ncised char acter s as pe r fect to d ay as they wer e

,
-

when first engr aved the br ief recor d

,
 H I S H I S TOR Y 35

H is M a j sty
e ,
K in g Pi yad asi ,
i n th e t wen t fir st ear of y -
y
h is r ei gn , h avi n g come in per son , di d r ever en ce Because .

h er e was b or n Bu ddh a , th e Sii kya sage, h e h ad a ston e

h or se made an d set u p a st on e pi llar . Becau se h er e th e

V en er a b le On e was b or n , th e vi ll age of Lu mmin i h as been
made r even u e -
fr ee, an d h as p a takr en of th e kin g s
’
boun ty .
’

Th e ki ng then passed on some mi les fur ther west ,

an d di d re v erenc e to the stupa of K an ak amun i or ,

Kon akAman a on e of the Buddh as wh o pr eceded

, ,

Gautama H ere the king set up another pillar an d

.

recorded his visit adding the inter esting r emar k that

,

he h ad alr eady in the fift eenth year of his reign for

, ,

the second time enlar ged the stupa There can be

, .

little doubt that the tour was continued into Nepal

as far as L ali ta Patan an d Kathm a ndu an d again ,

towar ds the west until the r oyal pilgr im reached

S r fivasti where the ri v er Rapti emer ges from th e
,

hills an d that h e ther e did rever ence to the sacr ed

,

spots where G autama so l ong dwelt an d preached .

But the gr eat pillars each seventy feet hi gh whi ch , ,

h e er ected at Sr ai v asti though r umoured still to exist

'
, ,

remain to be di scov ered an d at pr esent the course of ,

the pilgr image can be v er ified at two points only .

.

Th e memory of this pilgri mage was pr ese r v ed by

tradition an d the story of it is to ld in the Sanskr it
,

rom ance called the A sokd vad d n a A lthough th e .

chronology of the roman ce which places Asoka only ,

a centur y after the death of Buddha is m ani festly ,

erroneous an d n o r eliance can be placed upon th e

,

details related th e inscr iptions in the Tar ai pr ove

,

C 2
36 A S OK A

that the legend h ad a foun dation in fact A ccor ding .

to th e sto ry which will be found in a later chap ter

, ,

the king under the guidance of a saint named

,

U pagupta vi si ted in succession the Lumbini G ar den

, ,

K apilav astu the Bodhi tr ee at Buddha G aya Rishi

, ,

patana or Shmfith near Benares K usin agar a the

, , , ,

Jetavan a monastery at Sr fivasti the std pa of V akkula , ,

an d the std pa of An anda giving great l ar gess at ,

ever y place except the stupa of Vakkula where the ,

king gav e only a sin gle copper coin because Saint ,

V ak ku la h ad h ad few obstacles to surmount an d h ad ,

con sequently done little good to h is fell ow creatures

1
.

Th e r eason giv en for r efusing lar gess at the sti lpu

of Vakku la althou gh legendar y is in accor dance with
, ,

A soka s character as rev ealed by h is wr itings No

’
.

student o f the edicts can fail to be struck by the

pur ely human an d se v er ely pr actical natur e of the

teaching Th e object aimed at is the happi ness of
.

li ving cr eatur es man an d beast Th e teacher assum es

, .

an d categor i cally asser ts that fili al pi ety an d the

other vi r tues comm ended open the path to happiness

her e an d her eafter but n o attempt is made to prov e ,

an y p r o position by r easoni ng No foundation either .

1
Th e si te of Kusi n agar a i s sti ll un kn o wn . I a m con vin ced
th at it li es i n Ne a plby d e on th e fir st r an
ge Of h ills See my
.

wor k en ti t e ld The Remai ns n ear K asia, th e r epu ted site of

K ufan agar a (A ll ah a a b d ,
As t o th e p ositi on of Sr fivasti ,
see J R A S
. . . .
, l
Ju y , 1 89 8, an d Jan u ar , 1 9 00 y .

A sokd vad d n a, see Bur n ou f, I n tr od ucti on a l H istoi r e

’
For th e
d u Bou d d h isme, an d Raj en d r alfila M it r a s S an skr i t Nepal ese
’

L i ter atu r e .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 37

of theology or of metaphysics is laid an d the ethi cal ,

pr ecepts inculcated ar e set forth for pur ely pr actical

pur poses as being self evidently true Men ar e ex .

h or ted to wor k ou t their own salv ation .

W h atsoever ex er ti on s H is M j y Ki
a est ng Pr iyad ar si n h as
made , all ar e made with a vi e w to th e lif e h er eafter , so

th at ever y on e may b e fr eed fr om p i l wh ich p il i sin

er ,
er s .

Difi cu lt , ver i ly ,
it is to att ai n su c h f dom wh th a ma
r ee ,
e er n

be of low dgor of h igh e r ee, sa ve b y th tm t r ti e u os ex e on

a d
n mpl t self d i al b t
co e e -
en ,
u es ecp i ally d ifi c lt it i f r th u s o e

ma of h igh d g ee ( T th R k Ed i t)
n e r en oc c .

Thi s passage suggests as d o se ver al other pas ,

sages familiar Biblical texts but the spir it of

, ,

the Bible is to tally di ffer ent fr om that of A soka s ’

teachin g Th e Bi ble whether in the Old Testa

.
,

ment or the New insists upon the r elation of man ,

with God an d upon man s dependence on the gr ace

,
’

of G od A soka in accor dance with the teaching of

.
,

h is master ignores wi thout denying the existence

, , ,

of a sup r eme deity an d i nsists th at man should by ,

his own exer tions fr ee himself fr om sin an d by his ,

own vir tue win h app in ess her e an d her eafter .

Th e exact natur e of A soka s beli ef concer ni ng

’

a futur e l i fe is n ot easily ascer tained Fr equent .

r efer ence is m ade to the l ife her eafter ; heav en

( w ar g )
a is held ou t as an Obj ect of desir e an d in on e ,

passage the appr oval of heav en is r efer r ed to When .

the passages of the Buddh ist scriptur es mentioned in

the Bhabr a Edict as A soka s favou r ite texts shall ’

hav e been published an d tr anslated it may be possible ,

38 A S OKA

to deter mine with mor e accur acy the kin g s attitude ’

towards the great pr oblems of existence A t pr esent .

only on e of these p assages that entitled Fear s of the ,

Futur e is accessible in English This passage

,
’
.

enume r ates the physical danger s to whi ch r ecluses

ar e exposed such as disease attacks of wild beasts
, , ,

&c an d r ec ommends the use of r enewed an d timely

efforts to aver t such per ils Ten mor al dangers ar e .

then enumer ated of which th e pr i ncipal ar e cor r up

,

tions in doctr i ne an d di scipline an incli nation to appr e ,

ciate the liter ar y beauty of the scr i ptur es r ather than

their intr insic worth laziness luxur y an d a taste
, , ,

for p r omi scuous company A gai nst these per i ls th e

.

recluse is war ned to be sedul ously on h is guar d an d ,

to see that they ar e ave r ted in good time 1

Of cour se .
,

like all H indoos he must hav e believ ed in the

,

doctr ine of r ebirth in some Of its for m s an d the

, ,

heav en at which he aimed would have been to his

mind but on e stage in the long cycle of existences .

Th e inten se feeling for the sanctity of l ife whi ch ,

is char acter isti c both of Asoka s Buddhism an d of

’

Jainism is closely connected with the doctr i ne

,

Of r ebi rth which binds together in on e chain all

,

l iving cr eatur es whether angels or demons men or

, ,

One of the m ost noticeable featur es in the teaching

of A soka i s the enlightened r eli gious tole r ation which

i s so fr equently an d emphatically r ecommended .

While applauding an d admir i ng with justice the

Jo 1
al f Pali T t S i ty 1 896 p 9 6
ur n o ex oc e , , . .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 39

e xtraordinary br eadth an d liberality of Asoka s senti ’

ments we should remember that in h is days n o r eally

,

diver se r eligions existed in I ndia Th e cr eeds of .

Jesus Muhamm ad an d Z or oaster wer e then unknown

, , .

Th e only or ganized r eli gion was H indooism an d that ,

complex phenomenon is mor e accur ately descr ibed as

a soc ial sy stem than by the name eithe r of r eligion

or creed Th e H in doos then as n ow enj oyed the

.
, ,

pr i vilege of absolutely free thought an d wer e at ,

liberty then as n ow to di scuss afi r m or deny the

, , , ,

existence of God or of the soul an d an y other pr o

, ,

position in metaphysics or p sychology which can

suggest i tself to specul ativ e m inds H indooism h as .

n ev er produced an exclusiv e dominant orthodox , ,

sect with a formula of faith to be pr ofessed or

,

r ejected under p ai n of damn ati on A H indoo h as at .

all times been fr ee to beli e v e what he pleases so l ong ,

as he eats the correct food mar r ies the pr oper ,

woman an d so for th Buddhism an d Jainism ar e

, .

both in their or igin mer ely sects of H indooism or —

rather schools of philosophy founded by H indoo r e

,

formers— which in course of time gather ed an accr etion

of mythology round the or i ginal specul ativ e nucleus .

When A soka speaks of the toler ation of other

men s cr eeds he is n ot thin king of exclusiv e aggressiv e
’
, , ,

mili tant r eligions like I slam an d Chr istianity but of ,

H indoo sects all connected by m any bonds of common

,

sentiment Th e Buddhi st Su ttas; an d the tr eatise o f

.

I tsing on Religious Pr actices endeav our to expl ain

-

the differ ences between var ious schools but these ar e ,

40 A S OK A

so ubtle an d often seemingly so tr ivial that a

s , ,

Wester n mind does n ot readily grasp them .

A so ka was therefor e in a position whi ch enabled

, ,

hi m to r ealize the i dea that all I ndi an sects funda

mentally agreed in essentials all of them alike aimin g ,

at self control an d puri ty of li fe ; an d he felt fully

-

justified in doing honour in var ious ways to Jain s

an d B r ahmani cal H indoos as well as to Buddhists ,
.

Whi le lav ishi ng h is tr easure chi efly on Buddhist

shr i n es an d monaster i es he d id n ot hesi tate to spend ,

lar ge sums in hewing out of har d gr ani te spacious

cav e dwellin gs for the Brahmani cal Aj i vika ascetics
-

an d there can be n o do ubt although p r oo fs in the ,

shape of monuments ar e n ot at p r e sent known that ,

the Jains too shared in hi s bounty H is censors .

were as we have seen equally concer ned with Bud

, ,

dhists Jains an d Br ahman ists S imilar toler ation

, , .

was pr actised by later p r i nces Kh ar avela of Or issa .

,

for instance av ows him self in language almost iden

, ,

tical with that of A soka to be a per son wh o di d ,

r e v er ence to the cr eeds of all sects But n otwith

1
.
,

standi ng o r per hap s in c onsequence o f h is toler ant

, ,

disposition A soka resented the claims of the Br ahman s

,

to be gods on ear th an d too k pr i de in the measures ,

which he h ad adopted to humble the ar r ogance of the

Br ahmani cal teachers H e h as ther efor e been almost
2
.
, ,

1
Fo th e Kh fi a ela i
r i pti o ee C i gh am Co p
r v n scr n, s un n n , r u s,

i
. 27, Pl . x vi i, an d Bh agvan Lal In d r aj i in Comptes Rend us d u -

m‘
ci
’
Con yr és I n ter n.
’
d Or i en ta listes, vol . iii , pp . 2, 1 49 .

1
I fo ll owM .
’
Sch ar t e in ter p r etati on of th e Rfipn ath M in or
Rock Edi ct .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 4 1

ignored by Br ahmani cal liter ature an d is mentioned ,

in only on e inscr iption other than hi s Own v oluminous

wr itings Buddhist wr iters alone profess to giv e an
.

account of h is r eign in whi ch so much was done for ,

the diffusion an d exaltation of the teachin g of Gau

tama Un fortunately the Buddhist accounts of hi s
.
,

reign ar e so ov er laid with superstitious imbecilities ,

an d di storted by sectar ian an d ecclesiastic al bi as that ,

they cannot be accepted as independent author ities ,

although usefu l as commentari es on an d supplements ,

to the authentic mater i als for hi s hi story

, .

Th e true full personal name of the gr eat emper or

would appear to have been Asoka var d h an a as given ,

in the Puranas Th e inscr iption of Ru d r ad fiman in

.

Guj arat dated in A D I 5 0 simply giv es h im the name

, . .
,

o f A sok a Maurya an d refe r s to Ch andragupta Maur y a

,

as on e of hi s pr edecessor s .

I n the edicts h e uses hi s name in r eligion Pr iya ,

darsin (Pd li Piy ad asi) which means the H umane

, , ,
’

an d nev er m ake s use o f h is personal na me

1
When .

the edicts wer e fir st discover ed an d good texts wer e

n ot avail able some schol ars felt dou bts as to the
,

identity o f A soka an d Pr iy ad ar sin but such doubts

ar e n ow obsolete an d the id en tl ty is absolutely
,

cer tain .

Th e Dipavamsa the m ost ancient of the Ceylonese ,

1
I t eem to me cl ea f om th e t ti mo y of th e R d ad a
s s r r es n u r

ma i n iptio an d th e t adi tio of N th

n scr n, I di a i cl di g r n or er n n ,
n u n

N pal a d Kash mi of th e Ch i e e a d of C ylo th at th e

e n r ,
n s , n e n,

emp e o pe o al name was A oka o in its f lle fo m

’
r r s rs n s , r , u r r ,

Asoka var d h an a .
42 A S OK A

chr onicles dating probably fr om the fourth centur y

,

A D uses the n ames As ok a an d Piy ad asi as con v ertible

. .
,

ter ms To enumer ate the other pr oofs of the identity

1
.

of A so ka an d Pr iy ad ar sin in thi s pl ace is super flu ous

an d woul d be we arisome but on e item of the over ,

whelmin g evidence may be cited Th e pillar at .

the Lumbini Gar den (Rummin d ei) the tr aditional ,

birthplace of the Buddh a the inscr iption on which ,

h as been alr eady quoted was accor ding to the Chinese , ,

pilgr im H iu en Tsian g er ected by A soka Th e in

C
,
.

sc r i ption is as in the case of the othe r monuments

, ,

r ecor ded by Piy ad asi Raa wh o was ther efor e iden

j , , ,

tical with A soka .

Nothing definite is known as to the affini ties an d

social position o f the Maur ya cl an or tr ibe to whi ch

Chandr agupta belonged Justin s statement that th e .

’

founder of the Maur ya dynasty was of hu mble or igin

is p r obably based on statements r ecor ded by con
tempor ar ies an d may be accepted Th e tr ibe or clan .

must ther efor e hav e r anked low in the social scale .

S ome Buddhist wr iter s er r oneously r epr esen t t h e

M au r y as as a pr incely r ace 2
Cer tain for ms of the .

legend descr ibe Chandr agupta an d Asoka as d escen

dants of the ear lier Sisu n ziga an d Nanda dynasties ’
,

an d it is possi ble that the fir st Maury a ki ng may

Old b e g editio of th e D ip ama pp 1 4

1 ’
en r s 6 9 3; cti o n av s , .
-
se ns

vi . 1 , 2 , 1 2 -
1 5 , 1 8, 2 3, 2 4; vi i . 8, 1 416
—
18; x v 88 ; x vi 5 .

m h
, . .

1
M ahaM
va sa, c . v :
.
‘
or iyd n an K atti yanan va mseid ta n ai r i
dha d d by T m
r an,
’
r en er e u ou r an d Wij esi h a, m a d escen da n t Of

th dy a t y f M iy a
e n s o or n sover eign s, en d o wed with i ll ustr i ou s
an d ben eficen t b
attr i utes, su mamed Ch an d agutta .
’
 H I S H I S T OR Y 43
hav e been an illegitimate son of the last Nanda ,

whom he dethroned but it is perhaps more pr obable

, , ,

that the dynasties of the Nandas an d M aur y as wer e

n ot co nnected by blood
1
.

Th e authentic hi sto ry of A sok a closes with the

twenty eighth year of his r eign when he recor ded
-

the se venth Pillar Edict r ecapitulating the measur es

,

taken by him for th e propagation of the Law of Piety ,

the wor k to which he h ad de voted the greater par t

of h is long reign Th e small supplementar y Pill ar
.

Edi cts it is true seem to be somewhat later in date

, , ,

but they ar e n ot of an y hi stor ical importance .

Aso ka always r eckons h is regnal years fr om the

date of hi s coronation (abhisheka) an d he was in the ,

habit of celebrating the anniver sary of hi s cor onation

by an amnesty to criminals Th e Ceylonese tr adition .

whi ch places a con siderable inter val between th e

accession an d the coronation of As oka is the r efor e

probably corr ect an d in the absence of an y e vi dence

, ,

to the contrary the tr adi tion may be accepted that

,

the cor onation took place in the fourth year after

A sok a s accession to supr eme p ower Th e inscr iptions
’
.

pr ov e that the reign lasted at least twenty eight years -

1
d p
Accor in g to th e r ose A sokavad d n a ( Bur n ou f, 391 pp .

Bi n d u sAr a was th e son of Nan a Cp Hin en Tsian g s

’
d . .

st or y b
a ou t th e five Stu p as at Patali pu tr a ( Bea , i i an d l .

Roc kh i ll , The L ife of th e Bud d ha, 1 86 I t is p . . p ossi b le , as

suggeste d by y d
Pr of Rh s Davi s (Bu d d h ism,
. p . th at th e
Nan da ki n g may h ave been al o k
s no wn as Asoka, an d t h at
so me of th e contr adiction s in th e Asoka lege d n s may be d ue to
th is cau se .
4
4 A S OK A

a fter the cor onation Th e Ceylonese tr adition that .

the total len gth of the r eign fr om the accession was

for ty or for ty on e years does n ot seem to be open to
-

objection a n d ma be p r o vi sional ly accepted

y, .

Th e inscr iptions recor d the fact that As oka h ad

brothers an d sister s bu t whether or n ot he was the ,

eldest son of Bin d usfir a does n ot appear H e nev er .

makes the slightest allusion to h i s ancestry H e .

distinguishes two r anks among hi s sons the queens —

’

son s or pr i nces an d the ki ng s sons the latte r e vi dently

’
, , ,

being hi s sons by ladi es of infer ior r ank H is second .

queen (d evil) had the name or title of KAr fivak an d i

,

h er son was n amed Ti vara (Tivala) or per haps , , ,

Titivar a Pr inces of the r oyal family probably the

.
,

kin g s sons were stationed as V icer oys or Gover nors

’
,

at Taxi la in the P anj Ab Ujj ain in C entral I ndi a , ,

Tosali in Kalinga an d S u var n agir i in the Peninsula

,
.

Beyond these few facts ou r authentic information

concer nin g the family of As ok a does n ot go 1

FA hi en the Chin ese pilgr im in A D 4

-

, 00 gi v es . .
,

Dh ar mavivar dh an a as the name of the son of As oka ,

wh o r ul ed over Gandhar a an d must hav e been the ,

Vicer oy at Tax ila Th e r efer ence seems to be to the

.

per son wh o is in other for ms of the legend gener ally

called Kunala concerni ng the blinding of whom a
,

pathetic r omance is told which will be found on ,

a subsequent p age Th e histo r i an of Kashmi r men

.

tion s a son of A soka named Jalanka as being gov er nor

Pi ll a Edi t V II ; Q ee Edi ct Detach ed (Kali ga) Rock
1 ’
r c u n s n

Edicts ; Si ddap r a M i o Rock Edict u n r .

 H I S H I S TOR Y 45
of that pr ovince an d a zealous devotee of the Brah ,

mani cal gods .

Th e Vishnu Pu r fin a names Su y asas ( d l S u per sva) .

as the son an d successor of Asoka an d Dasar ath a as ,

the son an d successor of Suy asas Th e name of .

Dasar ath a is genuine bein g confirmed by the in ,

scr i pt ions in the Na g jr u n i cav es near G ay e whi ch

‘

i
z ,

recor d the bestowal of the cav es upon th e Aj ivikas

by Dasar ath a immediately aft er hi s accession Th e .

ch aracter s of these i nscr i ptions ar e the same as in

those of A soka an d consider ing the fact that th e , ,

Buddhist tr aditi ons affirm that the son of K unfila

immedi ately succeeded h is gran dfather the probabili ty ,

is that Dasar ath a was the i mmedi ate successor of

Asoka whose ben efactionsto the Aj i vikas he continued
,
1
.

Th e C eylonese chr onicles ascr i be the conv ersion of

Ceylon to the mir aculous proceedings of Mahendra
P dl i M ahi nda) an d h is sister San ghamitr a (Sangh a
( , ,

mitta) the illegitimate ch ildren of A soka by a lady

,

of V ed i sagir i the r ui ned ci ty of Besn agar near Bhil sa

,

in Central I ndi a .

Th e story of the mission of M ahendra an d hi s

sister although suppor ted in the chr oni cles of Ceylon
,

by an imposing ar ray o f dates is a tissue of absur di ,

-
v

ties an d h as been rightly r ejected as unhistor i cal by

, ,

Professor Oldenber g Most wr i ter s hav e been content .

al a l ge d ee B
’
a d Raj e d ala
1
F th e K or o f un la e n , s ur n u s n n r

a d H i e T i a g ( Beal
’
M it a acco t f th e A kd dd
‘

r s un s o so va n a, n n n s n ,

i 1 39
. Th e Da a ath a i c i pti o we e edited by Bii h l
s r ns r ns r er

(I n d . A nt . x x . For n oti ce of Jalau ka, see Ind . A nt .

x vi ii . 68 .
46 A S OK A

to lop ofl the mir acles an d to accept the r esiduum of

'

th e sto ry as authentic hi story S uch a method of .

inter pr eting a legend does n ot seem tobe consistent

with sound principles of histor i cal criticism .

Th e name of A soka s daughter San gh amitr a whi ch

’
,

means friend of the Buddhi st order is extr emely ,

’

su sp i ciou s an d the only safe course is to treat the

,

whole tale as a mon ki sh legend I t will be found in .

the sixth chapter of this volume .

A soka hi mself is silent concerning the alleged

mission of hi s son an d daughter I n the thir teenth .

Rock Edict he enumerates the for eign countr i es to

whi ch he h as di spatched hi s missionaries an d includes ,

i n the list the Chola an d Pandya kingdoms in the

extreme south of I ndi a an d Ceylon I n th e second Rock
, .

Edict he mentions Ceylon as on e of the for eign coun

tr ies in which he h ad dissemi nated remedi es for man
an d beast .These ar e the only two passages in whi ch
he r efers to Ceylon I f there were any truth in the
.

sto ry told by the monks of the isl and Asok a woul d ,

n ot hav e been sl ow to cl aim the mer i t of h avi ng

d ev oted his son an d daughter to religi on an d of ,

having converte d the king of Ceylon .

Pr o fessor Oldenber g h as much justification for hi s

op inion that the sto r y of Mahi nda an d S an gh ami ttfi .

seem s to have been

I n ven te d for th e p p
possessi g a h i to y of th e
ur ose of n s r

B d d h i st instit tio s i th i sl a d a d to co
u u n n e nt i t with
, n nn ec

th most d i st i gu i h d pe s n
e n s e ceiv ab l e
r th gr eat A soka
o con — e .

Th e h i stor ical l ge d i s f d of p oetically e alti g o di a y

e n on x n r n r
 H I S H I S TOR Y 47
occu r r en ces i n to gr eat an d br illian t act ion s ; we may
assu me th at ,
in r ea l ity , th in gs wer e acco mp lish e d in a mor e
gr a d al a d l
u n ess st r i kin g man n er th an su ch l egen ds make
th e m appea r .
’

Th enatur alization in Ceylon of the immense mass

o f Budd hist li te r atur e must necessar i ly h av e been

a w or k of time an d would seem to be the frui t of

,

a per i od of l ong an d continued intercou r se between

Ceylon an d the adj acent parts of I ndia 1

H iu en .

Tsiang mentions on e stdpa in the Chola country ,

an d an other in th e Dra vi da or Pa ndya kingdom as ,

ascr ibed to A soka I n asmuch as the edi cts r ecogni ze

.

the ind ependence of the Chola an d Pandya ter r itories ,

these std pas if r eally constructed by Asoka can hav e

, ,

been er ected only by the fr i endly co oper ation of the -

local kings Their existence confir ms the statement of

.

the edi cts that missionar y wor k was extended into

the extr eme south of the Peninsula whi ch was in con ,

stant communi c ation with Ceylon

1
.

S till mor e signi ficant is H iu en Tsian g s testimony

’

concer ning the an cient buildi ngs in the kingdom of

M alakfita the countr y south of the Kav eri (Cauv ery )
, .

H e r el ates that in thi s kingdom

Some fo llow th e tr ue gi ven t o h e rd oct in

e s r e, oth er s ar e y .

y l
Th e d o n ot esteem ear n i n g mu ch , b u t ar e wh o g i ve n t o lly
commer ci a gain lTh er e ar e th e r u in s of man old con ven ts,
. y
but on ly th e wall s ar e p r eser ve d ,
an d th er e ar e few r e igi ou s l
1
O lde b
n er g, I ntr od uction to th e Vi n ayapitakaih ( ahacagga),
M
p 4( )
ii
1
H iuen Tsiang ( Bea l , 11 . 2 2 7,
48 A S OKA

ll w s Th
fo o er . er e ar e man y h un d r ed Deva temples an d a ,

m ltit de of h
u u er eti cs, mostly belon gi n g to th e Nir gr an th as .

Not far to th e east of th i s cit y [ e

t h pital] is a old
ca n

san ghd r d/ ma [mon aster y] of wh i ch th e v ti b l

es a d cour t
u e n

ar e cov er e d with wi ld sh r u b s ; th e foun dati walls o ly on n

su r vi v e . Th is was b u i lt b y M ah en dr a, th yo e g b ot hun er r er

of Asoka r aj a -
.

To th e east of th is is a stup ,
a th e lofty walls of wh i h c

ar e b ur ied i n th e ly th
ear th , an d on e c w in g p ar t of th
r o n e

cu p lao re main s . Th is was b ilt b y Asoka u -

r aj a

This interesting passage pro v es that

the days of ,
in
A soka an d for a conside r able per iod afterwar ds the ,

country aro und Tanj or e the scene of busy commercial ,

acti vity was also a centr e of Buddh ist religiou s li fe

, .

Mahendr a it will be Obser ved is descr ibed as being

, ,

the younger br other of Asoka n ot hi s son as the , ,

Ceylonese monks state FA hien tells br i efly an d with .

-
,

v er y l ittle super n atural decor ati on so me anecdotes of ,

this yo unger brother of A soka wh o found h is delight ,

in sol itude an d qu i et 2
A much mor e dev eloped .

for m of the stor y is giv en by H in en Tsiang wh o 3

,

adds that the p r i nce was the autho r of the con v ersion

of Ceyl on Th e kingdom of S imh ala writes the

’
.
,

pilgrim
For mer ly
ddi ted t i mmo al l igi wo h ip
was a c o r re ou s r s ,

b t aft
u th fi t h
er d d y a s f llowi g B ddh a d ath
e rs un re e r o n u
’
s e

th eyo g b th of A ka ej a M ah d a b y am
un er ro er so -
r , en r n e,

gi vi g pn w ldly
u d i g h
ort wi t h a d t h f i t f
es r es, sou
o r our e r u

Hi 1
T i a g ( B al
n en I d A t s iii 24
n e ,
11 . n . n . x v . 1 .

1
Fa h i h ap t -
en , c er x x v n .

Hi 1
T ia g ( B al
u en 9 1 s n e , 11 .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 49
A r h atshi p .H e gain e dp ossessi on of th e si x su per n atur a l
po wer s an d th e ei gh t mean s of l i ber ati on ; an d h avi n g
th e p ower of in stan t locomotion h e came to, th i s cou n tr y .

He p
s r ea d
l d of th e t law a d
th e kn ow e ge r ue n wi d lye

diff d th b q ath d doct i e F m h is tim th h as

u se e e ue e r n . r o e er e

fall en o th e p opl
n a bel i i g h ar t a d t h y h ave
e e ev n e ,
n e

con st cte d
r u 00 v t co t ai i g some
1 con p i sts
en s, n n n r e .

Th y p i i p ally f llow th e t a h in g of B ddh a a co d i g to

e r nc o e c u ,
c r n

th e d ha ma f th Sth avi a sch ool of th e M ah aya a sect

r o e r n

Compar ison of the two for ms of the legend of the

mir aculous con ver sion of Ceylon j ustifies the infer ence
that a pr incipal agent in the conv ersion of the island
was Mahendra a near r elati v e of the emperor A soka
, .

Th e conver sio n was of cour se much m ore gr adual than , ,

it is r ep r esented in either for m of the legend to hav e

been an d Mahendr a cannot have been mor e than a
,

pioneer in the work Th e monuments in Ceylon con .

n ected by tr adition with the n ame o f Mahendra

supp ort the theo ry that a person be aring that name was

really an apostle of Buddhism in the isl and an d it is ,

certai n that the teachi ng of Gautam a h ad made con

si d er able progre ss in Ceylon soon after the time of

Asoka Th e existe nce in the delta of the Kav er i of a

.

ruined monastery ascr ibed to Mahendr a the younger ,

bro ther of Asoka is some evidence of the r eal existence

,

o f that personage an d o f his m ission ary efforts in the

so uth of I ndia Th e for m of the legend which ascr ibes

.

the conver sion of Ceylon to the younger brother ,

rather than to the son an d daughter of A soka h as ,

pr obably a basis of fact .

1
H iu en Tsiang, 1 1. 2 46.

D
5 0 A S OK A

Th e edicts prove conclusively that numerous mission

a ries h ad been dispatched an d h ad effected exten siv e
conver sion s pr e vi ous to the thir teenth year of A soka s ’

r eign I nasmuch as the emper or j oined th e Buddhists

.

as a lay di sciple for the first time in h is ni nth ye ar ,

an d did n ot di spl ay much zeal until two an d a half year s

later the first con sider able dispatch of missionaries

,

must have taken place when the emperor h ad been

about ele v en ye ar s crowned . Ceylon h ad ther efor e
, ,

been visited by missionar i es in the twelfth year of

the reign befor e the issue of the second an d thi rteenth
,

Ro ck Edi cts in the thir teenth year an d the Ceylonese

,

annal s ar e in er r or i n dating the missi on to the island

eighteen years aft er the cor onation of Asoka .

Th e so called Thir d Council of the Buddhist Church

-

alleged to hav e been held at PAtalipu tr a unde r the

patr onage of A soka eighteen years after h is coronation

, ,

an d t wo hundr ed an d thi r ty six year s aft e r the death

-

of Buddh a is gener ally tr eated as an undoubted fact

, ,

an d as on e o f the leadi ng e vents of the r eign of As oka .

But the str ict hi stor ical cr iticism whi ch r ejects the
sto ry of M ahi nda an d S an h ami tta along wi th the
g ,

Ceylonese chronology anter ior to B O 1 60 justifies

. .
,

equal scepticism concer ning the alleged Thi r d Council .

Th e m onks of Ceylon r elate that the Buddhi st

canon was first settled at a council held at RAj agr ih a ,

then the capital of the kingdom of M agadh a by the ,

leadi ng disciples of the Buddha immediately after h is

,

decease Th e S econd Council is alleged to have been

.

held at V aisfili about a centu r y after the death of the

 H I S H I S TOR Y 5 1

Buddha pr imar i ly to condemn the heretical opinions

,

cur r ent at Vaisé li and secondar ily to examine an d , , ,

confir m the canon of scr ipture .

Th e thir d Council i s sai d to hav e been held at

Petalipu tr a two hundr ed an d thi rty six years after -

the death of the Buddha the coronation of A soka ,

havi ng taken place eighteen year s ear lier This .

Council is alleged to hav e been summoned pr im ar ily

for the suppr ession of a m ul titude of pestilent her etics
wh o h ad caused an inter r uption o f r eligious services
for se ven year s an d the oppo rtun ity was again taken
,

to r e vise an d confir m the sac r ed canon Tish y a (Tissa) .

the son of M u dgaly a (M oggali ) the Pr esident of the ,

Council is alleged to hav e published the treatise known

,

as the K ath fivatth u at the same time .

Al though the tales of the Ceyl onese monks hav e

too often been accepted as genuine histor y scepticism ,

about their value an d i ncredulity concer ning the

alleged Councils ar e nothin g new Many years ago .

M ax M ii ller wro te

In our t ime, wh en d
ev en th e con te mp or an eous ev i en ce

of H od ter Th ydi d L i vy o Jo a d s i s si fte d by

o u s, uc es, , r rn n e

th mo t
e mp omi in g s pti ism w m t t
s un co r s pect ce c ,
e us no ex

a mor e m if l t eatm t fo th
er c u a al sr f B ddh i m en r , e nn o u s .

Sch ol a a
g g d i
r s en
e p ec i al s a ch a nt oo w i
s ll i g t o re e r es re n

acq i s i
u e ce id p a tic l a ly if th at vi d
n ev en ce, ha r u r e ence s

bee d i on d by th i ow ff t a d comes b f
sc ver e e r n e or s, n e or e

th m with all th
e h a m of ov lty e c r s n e .

B t in th e b ad d ayl igh t of h i to i al r iti ism th

u ,
ro s r c c c , e

p estige of h a wit
r as B d d h agh sh a oo
su c dwi dl s
n ess u o s n n e

away a d h i s st atem t
,
n a to ki gs a d c i ls igh t
en s s n n ou n c e

D 2
5 2 A S OKA

hun d ed y
r ear s befor e h is ti me ar e i n tr uth wor th mor e no

th an th e st or ies to ld of A r th u r by Geofir ey of M on mouth ,

or th e accoun ts we r ead i n Liv y of th e ear ly h istor y of

Rome 1

Th e wise scepticism of M ax M ii ller concer ni ng the

tales of Buddh agh osh a is equally applicable to the
chr onicles kn own as the M ah fivamsa an d Dipavamsa ,

of which the last named i s the earli er in date h aving ,

been composed in the fourth centur y A D . .

All the thr ee Cc n cils ar e alike unable to bear

the search light of cr iticism Professor Oldenber g for
-
. ,

reason s which need n ot be here discussed fin ds that ,

the story of the First Council is n ot histor y but ,

pure invention an d moreover an in vention of n o

, , ,

v er y ancient date Out of the story of the S econd ’

.

Council he selects on e par t for acceptance an d another

for r ejection that is to say he accepts as hi stor ical
, ,

the account of the condemnation of the ten her etical

Opinions while he r eject s the account of the re vision
,

of the can on 1
A lthough this findin g cann ot be
.

regar ded as wholly satisfactor y the learned Pr ofessor s ,

’

ar guments may be accepted i n so far as they p r ov e

the unhi storical char acter of the tale concerni ng the

r evision of the canon at the alleged Council of
V aisfili .

Th e Thi rd
Council which is Said to have been held ,

at PAtalipu tr a under the p atronage of Asoka Mau r ya ,

1
Ch ipsfr om a G er man Wor kshop zu d cd , p 1 99
vol i, . .

ayap itaka m pp
. .
,

1
O ld b e gen r , I ntr od u ction to the Vi n ,
-
. x x vu

to x x ix .
 H I S H I S T OR Y 53

is accepted by the same critic as an undoubted h is

tor i cal fact But if su ch a Council were r eally held
.
,

it is str an ge that n o allusion to it occurs in the Edicts ,

an d that it is i nor ed by all or alm ost all I ndian an d

g ( )
Chinese tr adition .

Th e histor y of the alleged Council of Petalipu tr a

pr actically r ests on the authority of the Ceylonese
chr onicles whi ch is untr ustworthy Th e Ceylonese
, .

authori ty r equi r es exte r nal supp or t an d such suppo rt

,

is n ot forthcomi ng Tissa the son of M oggali wh o is

.
, ,

supposed to hav e been the p r esi dent of th e C ouncil ,

is wholly unknown to the tr aditions of Chi na Tibet , ,

an d Nepa il whi ch substi tute for h i m as the spiritu al

,

gui de an d confessor of Asoka Upagu pta the son of , ,

Gupta the perfumer

, .

Th e legends whi ch wi ll be found in the sixth an d

sev enth chapter s of this volume ar e in som e r espects

common to U pagu pta an d to Tissa son of M oggali .

Th e legends ad d to the confusion by m ixi ng the

stor i es of the S econd an d Thir d C ouncils ; the saint

Yasas for instance being mentioned as a p r ominent

, ,

per sonage of both Th e r esult is that although the

.
,

in scribed r eli c caskets of S i nchi demonstr ate the exi st

ence of an unnamed saint the son of M oggali wh o was
, ,

app r ox imately con tempor ar y wi th A soka n o r eli ance ,

can be placed on the account of the p r oceedings o f

either the S econd or the Thi r d Council Th e ela .

bor ately falsified chr oni cles of Ceylon hav e cer tai nly
dupli cated the r eal A soka Maur ya by the inv ention
of Khlfi sok a an d it is p r obable th at they have effected
,
54 A S OK A

a si milar duplication of on e r eal Council But .

,

whether that Council was really held in the r eign

o f A sok a Maur ya at Petali u tr a or in the r eign of
p ,

a p r edecessor per haps Chandr agupta at Vaisali

, , ,

cannot at pr esent be deter mined .

Fu rther e vidence of the utter ly un histor ical char acter

of the nar r ativ es of all the thr ee alleged C ouncils is to

be foun d in the fact that the thr ee narrati ves ar e all

cast in on e mould an d that the pr ocedure for the
,

verification of the canon at all the th ree assembli es

is said to have be en i dentical Th e Chi nese mor eo ve r

.
, ,

tell of a council held by K an ish ka emper or of Nor ther n

,

I ndia in the latter part of the fir st centur y A D which .

is unkn own to the Ceylonese Th e tr uth pr obably is

.

that the Buddhist canon like the New Testament , ,

gr ew by a pr ocess of gr adual accr etion an d acceptance ,

with little if an y help fr om for m al councils in its

, ,

ear li er stages Th e statement that certain commen

.

tar i es wer e author ized by a Council in the time of

K ani sh k a may well be tr ue but the ear li er councils
,

ar e n ot entitled to a pl ace am ong the e v ents of

authentic histor y .

Th e stories abo ut the alleged p r evalence of her esy

durin g the ear lier par t of A soka s r eign which caused ’

a suspen sion of r eligious or din ances for se v en year s ,

an d induced the r etir eme n t of Tissa the son of M oggali

for that pe r i od bear a suspicious r esemblance to the

,

tales undoubtedl y false whi ch ascr ibe the most

, ,

hor r ible cr uelties to the emper or pr ior to h is con

v er sion to Buddhism Th e Obj ect of the ecclesiastical
.
 H I S H I S TOR Y 55

ro mancer s was appar ently to heighten the contrast

, ,

between the period when the emperor was accor ding ,

to their vi ew or thod ox an d the per iod when he held

, ,

othe r op in i o n s
. Th e Ceylonese v er sions of the A soka
legend seem to have r eceiv ed a special colouring with
the object of enh ancing the r eputation of the school
favour ed by the monks of the M ah fiv ih é r a monaster y ,

wher e both the Dipavamsa an d the M ah i vamsa wer e

composed .

Th e list of the m issionar i es dispatched by A sok a

to v arious countr i es as giv en in the twelfth chapte r
of the M ahi v amsa is mor e deser ving of cr edence than
.

most of the particular s giv en in that wor k being to ,

a consi de r able extent cor r obor ated by the e vidence

of inscr i ptions extr acted by Cunn ingham an d Maisey

fr om the stupas at an d near Si nchi Th e chr onicler .

,

wh o ascr i bes the cr edi t for the dispatch of the m ission

aries to the m onk T issa the son of M oggali i nstead ,

of to the emper or enumer ates the missions as

,

follows
M ajj h an tika se n t to Kashmir an d G and har a ; Mahd
deva sent to M ah isaman d ala ( Mysor e) ; Rakkh ita sent
to V an avfisi (North Kanar a) ; Y on a Dh ammar ak khita
-

sent to A par an tak a ( the coast north of B ombay ) ;

M ajj hima (accompanied by Kassap a M eli kAd eva , ,

Dh u n d h abh in n ossa an d Sah asad ev a) sent to H ima

,

v anta ( the H ima l aya) ; Sona an d U ttar a sent to

Sov an abh fimi ( Pegu ) ; M ah fidh ammar akkh i ta sent to
Mahar atta (West Centr al I ndia) ; M ah fir akkhita sent
to the Yon a (Yavan a) r egions on the n or th weste r n
,
-
5 6 A S OKA

fr ontier ; MahaMahi nda (accompani ed by I ttiy a U ttiy a , ,

S ambala an d Bh add asa , l a all disciples of the son of

—

M oggali ) sent to Ceylon .

Th e r elics of M ajj hi ma (M adh y ama) an d Kassapa

s y apa) we r e found enshr i ned together
( K fi i n one

casket in No 2 stupa at SAn ch i an d also in another

.
,

casket at No 2 stupa of S oni r i

. K assapa being ,

described in the br i ef inscr iptions on the lids as the

apostle (d chd r ya ) o f the H imavan ta S tupa No 2 at . .

san ch i also contai ned r elics of the son of M oggali

hi m self Th e list of missionar ies given in the Maha
.

vamsa would ther efor e seem to be authenti c subj ect

, , ,

to the p r obable cor r ection that Mahi n da ( Mahendr a)

should be r egar ded as the br othe r n ot as the son of , ,

A soka 1
.

T h e tr aditional chronol ogy of the r eign is of n o

independent v alue Th e appear ance of p r ecision in
.

the dates given by the Ceylonese chr onicler s is nothing

but a deceptiv e appear ance an d n o valid r eason exists ,

for accepting either their statement that two hundr ed

an d eighteen year s el apsed between th e accession o f

A soka an d the death of the Buddha or the statement ,

that the death of the Buddha occur r ed in the year

BC 54
. .
3 Th e d.ate o f the death of Gautama Buddha

must be deter mined on other gr ounds if deter mined ,

at all Th e Chinese p ilgr ims an d the S anskr it legend

.

books give another set of contr adictor y chr onological

data ; Tar an ath an d the Jains supply yet other an d
M ah d ama ch
1
v; Cs i gh am Bh il a Tap
, . x 11 pp 2 7 1
un n n , s es, .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 57

equally contr adi ctory statements Nothi ng can be .

made of these so called authoriti es whi ch ar e of u se

-

onl y as occasionally th r owi ng a sidelight on authentic

evidence 1
.

Th e Ceylonese dates for the accession an d con v er sion

of A soka ar e adm ittedly i nconsistent as they stand , ,

with the evidence of the Edi cts an d it is contr ary to ,

all r ul es of sound criticism to select fr om a si n gle

authori ty on e date for acceptance an d another for

r ejection This un cri tical cour se h as been adopted by
.

too many wri ters on the subject wh o p ick an d choose ,

at wi ll am ong the dates an d figur es of the M ah a v amsa

an d Dipav amsa In this wor k th e Ceylonese chrono

.

logy prior to B c 1 60 is absolutely an d completely

. .

r ejected as being n ot me r ely of doubtful author i ty

, ,

but positiv ely false in its p r incipal pr opositions .

Th e ear li e r A soka dubbed K alasoka by the C eylone se ,

chronicler s to distinguish hi m fr om Dh ar masoka the

, ,

gr eat Maur ya emper or appear s to be a fiction Th e , .

extreme confusion of the legends about As oka an d

the existence of sever al contr adictor y tr aditional
chronologies give some colour to the theor y that a
histor ical basis in the shape of two Asokas should
be sought to explain the contr adictions But the .

supposed A sok a the Fi rst r em ai ns w r apped in a cloud

Th a hth accoun t h a b ee t a l ated by M i E Lyall

1 ’
r n s s n r ns ss .

f om V a ili f wo k o B ddh i m i I d A t i I
'
r ss e s r 36 1 t n u s n n . n . v. .

i h op el e ly co f ed
s ss P of J ac ob i h a edit d th e Jai
n us . r . s e n

Pan é h ta p is a Fo th e Nep ale e ch o ology ee I d A nt

ar c n . r s r n s n . .

Th e Ch i e e p ilg i m h a e bee al ead y

’
x iii 41 2 . . otice n s r s n s v n r

q u oted .
5 8 A S OK A

fr om which he r efuses to emer ge an d cann ot be ,

v erified as a fact 1
H istor y knows only on e A soka
. ,

the son of Bin d usar a an d gr andson of Chandragupta ,

wh o r uled I ndia for some ear s in the third

centur y B c . .

Th e r eal e vidence of the date of the histo rical

A sok a is fur n ished chi efly by two author ities Justin ,

an d the Edicts This evi dence h as n ot been an d

.
,

cannot be shaken by an y amount of mon kish fiction

,

or c ontr adi ctor y legends .

A lthough A soka Pr iy ad ar sin is hi mself silent as to

-

his li neage the concur r ent testimony of Buddhi sts

, ,

Jains an d H indoos suppor ted to some extent by the

, ,

Ru d r ad aman inscr iption r epr esents him as being ,

the thir d sov er eign of the Maur y a dynasty an d the ,

gr an dson of Chan dr agupta the founder of the dynasty ,

.

T his ev idence may be accepted Chandr agupta was . ,

beyond all question the contempor ar y of S ele ucus ,

Nikator .

Th e statements of Justin fix the possible dates of th e

accession o f Chan d ragupta w ithin v e r y n ar r ow l im its .

I n this wor k the ye ar B C 32 1 h as been adopted as . .

the date because it is plain fr om the wor ds of Justin

,

that the r evolt against the Macedonian gover nor s

1
M ahd oa ma s , ch . iv : Sisu n fig a . He r ei gn e d
,
ei gh teen

y ear s . H is son Kelfisoka r eign e d twen t y -

eigh t y ear s . Th us,
i n th e t en th y ear of t h e r eign of Kin g KaIASoka, a cen tu r y
lp d
h ad e a se fr om th e eath of Bu h a
’
d
Tu r n ou r er r on eou s y dd . l
gi ves tw ty en y ear s as th e l en gth of th e r eign of Kalasoka .

W ij esimh a cor r ect s th e er r or . See my pap er s in J R A S for

. . . .

1 89 1 , for fu ll di
er scu ssi on .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 59

of the Pan ] ab occur r ed at the ear liest possible

moment that is to say in the cold season following
, ,

the death of Alexander at Babylon in the summer

of B c 32 3
. . Th e emp ir e of A lexander was held to
.

gether solely by h is personality an d the moment ,

that the personality of A lexander disappear ed th e ,

empir e vanished Th e r evolt headed by Chandr a

.

gupta must ther efor e have taken place in B c 323 2 2

, , . .
— .

Th e r ecov er y of the Panj fib an d the usurpation of th e

throne of M agad h a may be assumed to hav e taken plac e
befor e the close of B C 32 1 which year may be r eason
. .
,

ably taken as that of the accession o f Chan d ra upta

g .

Th e dur ation of twenty four year s assigned to his

-

reign is supported by the authority of the Puranas ,

the Dipavamsa an d the M ah fi vamsa Thi s concur

, .

r ence of Br ahm ani cal an d B u ddhist li ter ar y tr adition

may be regar ded as su fli cien t pr oof of the fact alleged .

Th e reign of twenty fiv e years assigned by th e

-

Puran as to Bin d usar a fits into the chr onologi cal

fr amewor k better th an th e per iod of twenty eight -

years assigned by the M ah zi vamsa an d h as ther efor e

‘

been adop ted .

Th e aggr egate per i od of for ty nine year s thus -

allotted to the two r eigns o f Chand r agupta an d his

son agr ees well with the e v idence der i v ed fr om sy n

ch r on isms by whi ch the chr onology of both A sok a an d

Chandr agupta is satisfactor ily deter mined with a ver y

nar r ow mar gin of possible er r or .

We hav e alr eady seen that the date of the accession

of Chandr agupta may be fixed in the year B C 32 1 . .
,
60 A S OK A

because h is accession cannot hav e been v er y lon g

defer r ed after the death of A lexander the Gr eat in
B c 32 3
. . Thi s conclusion is suppor ted by th e state
.

ment of Justin th at Chandragupta was alr eady r eigning

while S eleucus was laying the foundation s of h is futur e
greatness Assuming B o 32 1 as the date of the
. . .

accession of Chand ragupta his gr andso n A soka should ,

hav e ascended the thr one forty nine year s later in -

,

B c 2 72
. . .

Th e thi r teenth Rock Ed ict establishes the sy n

ch r on ism of A soka w ith fiv e H elleni sti c kings

A ntiochus (I I ) Theos of Syr ia ; Ptolemy (I I ) Phil a

,

delphus of Egypt ; An tigonus (II ) Gon atas of

, ,

Macedonia ; Alexan der king of Epir us ; an d Magas

, ,

king of Cyr ene .

Th e latest date at which all these ki ngs wer e aliv e

together is B o 2 5 8 Th e Rock Edicts belong to th e
. . .

thir teenth an d four teenth year s of the r eign of Asoka

r eckoned fr om h i s cor onation which ev ent ther efor e , , ,

should h av e taken pl ace about B c 2 70 Th e year . . .

B O 2 69 is p r obably near ly cor r ect an d accepting the

.
, ,

tr adi tion that the accession of Asoka preceded h is

cor onation by thr ee complete year s h is accession may ,

be placed in B C 2 7 2 the year obtained by the

. .
,

abso lutely independent calculation starting fr om the

acce ssion o f Ch andr agupta .

Th e synchr onism of Chandr agupta wi th S eleucus

Nikator an d his opponent A ntigonus I killed at I psus
in 30 1 B O h ar monizes accurately with the synchr onism
. .

of A sok a the gr andson of Chandr agupta with A ntio

, ,
 H I S H I S TOR Y 61

chus Th eos the grandson of S eleucus Nikator an d

, ,

with A ntigonus G on atas the gr andson of A ntigonus I

, .

Th e tr aditional per iod of for ty nine year s for the -

reigns of Ch and ragupta an d Bin d usfir a fits accur ately

in between the two sets of synchr onisms .

Th e chr onology of A soka s r eign is consequently

’

fir mly established on the foundations l aid long ago by

Sir William Jones an d James Pr in sep an d is known ,

with accuracy sufficient for all pr actical pur poses .

Th e mar gin for er r or cannot exceed two year s .

Th e foll owing chronological table h as been con

str ucted in accor dance with the ar gument abo ve stated

in bri ef .

E ven t. A u th or i ty .

3 7 25
2 -
d p
In ian cam aigns of Al ex an er d Ar r i an , & c .

th e Gr eat .

d p y
Ch an r agu ta in hi s outh met l
P utar ch
l d
.

A ex an er .

Satr a p p
Ph ili d by
mu r d er e
mu tino us mer cenar ies, an d
th e In iand p r ovi n ces t em

or ar il y pl dace in ch ar ge of
u d emus an d K in g Tax iles Ar r ian .

( O m p
hi a) .

d
Death of Al ex an er at Ba byl on ,
in M ay or Jun e .

3 3 22
2 -
l
Revo t of I n ian d p r ovin ce Ju stin .

u n erd l d p
ea ers hi d
of Ch an
msuptw
A cce ssi o n of C h an d r ag u p t a
p
as em er or of In ia d .

b l
Ba y on assign e to Se eu cu s d l
l ator in secon ivisi on of dd
l d
A ex an er s em ir e at Tr i a
’
p p
r ad eisos .
 A S OKA

Defeat of th e Roman s b th e y
Samn ites at th e Cau in e d
For ks .

31 6 1
-

5 Death of Eu men es, for mer ly

secr etar l d
to A ex an er y .

l
Se eucus compe e ll d
g o t
n us t t o r e lre o
Re e y
cov r f Baby ] o
le ucus.
E tab li h m t
s s f S l e ida en o e uc n
e a ( 1 t O t be )
r s c o r .

E te i
x by S l
n s on f hi e eu cu s o s
w
o era twa d a d i to
e s
pdia wh h i h k d
r n n
n , er e e s c ec e
by Ch a d ag pta n r u .

Sel eu cu s
a m ti tl f Ki g ssu es e o n

ci r ca 305 S l t Ch a d e eu cu s o n Str abo,

r ag pta u f th I dia p o o e n n r
i
v n ce wi th a l a g p a t of r e r

M ission of M egasth en es .

Coal iti on of Se eu cu s, Ptol l

y
an d L simach us against
tigon u s
d
.

Defeat an d eath of Anti gon us

b l
at th e att e of I su s p .

A ccessi on o f Bi n d u sAr a A mi
t r ag h At a as e mp er or
In ia d .

M issi on o f Deimach us sent by

l
Se eu cus .

l bj
Fin a su u gati on of th e Sam
n ites by
th e Ro man s .

Accessi on of Pto em Phi l y l

n g of Eg t yp .

Seleu cu s N
ki n g of Sy n a .

Accessi on of An ti och us Soter ,

h is son .

Accession ofAn tigon u sGon atas,

ki n g of M ace onia, gr an son d d
of An tigon us I .
 H I S H I S TOR Y 63

E ven t. A uth or ity .

Pyr r h u s exp ll d f m Ital y by

e e ro
th e R mao ns .

i
ccess on o f Al e a de ki g f x n r, n o
p
E ir u s, son of Pyr r h us, an d
Opp on en t of An tigon us
Gon atas .

A cce ssi o n of A sok a- Pr i y ad

ar si n M aur y a, gr an d son of
Ch an dr agupta .

C or on ati on ( abh ishelca ) of

A sok a .

Outb r eak of Fir st Pu nic W ar .

Con qu est of Kalin a y Asoka by

fi
.

Asoka ecomes a u d d hi st lay

b
di sci e pl .

Accessi on of An ti och u s Th eos,

ki n g of S r ia y .

Asoka en ter e th e Bu hi st d dd
d
Or er , a oli sh e b
h un tin g d ,

in stitute d
tou r s evote to d d
wor ks of i et , p y
p d
atch e missi on ar ies .

oath ofM agas, kin

8 of C r en e, y
l b
h a f r oth er
-
t Pto em l y
Ph ilad elph us .

Death of Al ex an er , ki n g of d
g
Aso a com oec Rock d
I II an d 1 .

d
Dedi cate Caves Nos 1 an d 2 at .

Bar ebar to th e u se of th e
Br ah mani ca A i vikas l j .

st it u te u i d
q n quen n ia l Ro ck E II I
. .

sembli es for th e
l
t
of th e Bu dd
h ist e w O Pi aty f f
64 A S OKA

p l
Asoka u b i sh e th e com d ete Rock E V , .

ser ies of th e Fou r teen ock an d th e Bar

d
E icts, an d th e a
’
d er er s Edi ct ,
’
d
Bor er er s E i ct (No d . I a ppa r en t l y
ofsa me date .

r s of th e

mana Bu ddh a n ear p la

Ka i
vastu .

ed th e Ka
d
E ict (No I .

p bli h ed th e M i
u s n or M in or Rock
R k Edi t
oc a d th e c s, n E I .

Bh ab a Edi t
.

r c .

A ka d di ated No 3 Ca e at
so e c . v
Bar ebar t o th e u se of th e

th e stupa of Kon Akaman a .

Ph i ladelph us,

2 47 4
or z6 H (Th ),
gg
us
kmg 0f Syu a, an d gr an
'

n g
l
of Se eu cu s Nikator .

ci r ca 2 4
6 l
Re vo t of Di od otu s ( Th eod ot os),
p
an d se ar ati on Of Bactr i an
ki n d
om fr om S r ia ( Oth er y
g
.

an t or i ti es give B O 2 5 0 as . .

t h e d at e ) .

2 7 th p d ll
Asoka com ose Pi ar Ed i ct VI . l
Pil ar E VI .

l y ll
.

2 8th Pub i cati on b Asoka of th e Pi ar E

l d
.

Seven Pi lar E icts . VI I .

 H I S H I S TOR Y 6s

(
some

gi ve 2 39 as th e

l
C ose of Fir st Pun i c War
d
.

Ri se of th e ki n g om of Per

blish ed th e Sup

A wessi on ofD asar ath a

Dedi cation of th e Ni ger j un i Nagar j u n
caves Cave I n sc
y
.

Va u Pu
 C H A P TER II

EXT ENT A ND A DM I NI S TRA TI ON or TRE EM PI RE

TH E limits of
the v ast empir e governed successfully
by A soka for so many years can be fixed with su fli
cient accuracy by means of the statements of the
Gr eek an d Latin author s the inter nal evidence of the ,

edi cts an d the d istr ibution of the monuments sup

, ,

p lem en t ed by t r ad i tio n 1
.

Th e I ndi an conque sts of A lexander extended to

the ri ver H yph asis the moder n Bifis in the eastern
, ,

Panj Ab These wer e all ceded by S eleucus Nikator

.

to Chandragupta an d S tr abo infor ms us that the

,

cession included a lar ge par t of A r isi n é Thi s state .

ment may r eas onably be inter pr eted as implying that

the limits of the I ndian Empir e were deter mined by
the natur al fr ontier of the moun tain range known
by the names of Par opani sus Indi an Caucasus or , ,

H indoo Koosh an d included the provinces of A r ach osia

,

( W este r n A fghani stan an d G ed r osia

) ( M ek r an
) Th e .

cities of K Abu l Ghazni Kandah ar an d H erdt n ow

, , , ,

Th e t e timo y f th e G eek a d Lati a th o s i coll ected

1
s n o r n n u r s

te t ally i M M C i d le e ell t b ook A i t I d i a

c ’
x u n r . r n s x c en s, nc en n a s

d escr ibed by M egasthen es and A r r ian (Tr fibn er , 1 87 7 ) an d The

I n vasion of I n d ia by A lex an d er the Gr eat, as d escr ibed by A r r i an ,
Q . C u r ti us, D iodor us, Plutar ch , an d J usti n ( Con sta e, 1 bl
 A DM I NI S TR A TI ON OF TH E EiI PI RE 67

under the rule of the A mi r of A fghanistan were , ,

ther efor e all comprised within the terri tories inh erited
,

by Asoka fr om his gr andfather .

I n the time of A lexander the kin gdom of M agad h a ,

th e mode r n Bi har the capital of whi ch was fir st

,

t g a r ih a Rfi
( jg i r in the G ay a Di stri ct) an d su bse ,

quently PAtali putr a ( Patna an d Bankipor e) was the ,

premier kingdom of Indi a an d the last Nanda (vari ,

ously called Nan d r us A r ammes an d X an d r ames

g , ) ,

was sover eign bath of the Pr asu of Bihfir an d of

the G an gar id ae of Bengal Chandr agupta aft er his .
,

successfu l camp aign in the Panj Ab an d hi s usu rp ation ,

of the Nanda s throne made hi mself master of I ndia

’
, ,

except the extr eme south Th e Ru d r ad fiman in scr ip .

tion indi cates that his rule incl uded the Kathiawar
peninsula on the wester n coast .

Thi s enorm ous empir e passed appar ently in peaceful , ,

succession to Bin d u sAr a A mi tr aghAta an d from hi m ,

to A soka Th e tr aditions of Kashmi r an d Nepfil

.

relate that those countr ies were included in the

Maurya empire Asoka is remembered as the founder
.

of S r i nagar whi ch is still the capi tal of Kashmir

, ,

an d whi ch replaced th e old capi tal on the si te of

Pan d r eth an S ev eral ruined buildi ngs ar e also at

.

tributed to the great emperor by the local h istorian ,

wh o mentions a son of h is named Jalan ka as go v ernor ,

of the prov i nce Th e fact of the inclusion of Kash

1
.

mir in the Maurya empire is confirmed by a wild

1
Stei n, A i e t Geog aph y of Kas
nc n mi in J A s Soc Be gal
r r ,
’
. . . n ,

Par t i pp 1 38
-

4 0. 1 5 8
68 A S OKA

legend r elated by H iu en Tsian g which concludes ,

with the statement that A soka RAj a for the sake ,

of the A rhats built five hundred mon aster i es an d

, ,

gave this country [ Kashmi r ] as a gift to the pr iest

hood 1

Th e inclusion of the Nepalese Tar Ai or lowlands , ,

in the empire is conclusi v ely proved by the in scr ip q

tions on the pillars at Nigli va an d Rummin d ei .

Genuine tradition n ot mer e li ter ar y legend whi ch

, ,

is confir med by the existence of well preser v ed monu - a

ments attests with almost equal cer tainty A soka s

,
’

eflecti v e possession of the secluded Valley o f Nepi l

'

Th e p ilgr image descr ibed in the last chapter was

continued eith er th r ough the Ch fir ia Ghati or the
,

Gor amasan Pass into the enclosed valley of Nepal

, ,

o f whi ch the cap i tal was then known by the name

of Manju Patan I t occupi ed the same site as the

.

moder n city of Kathmandu Asoka r esolved to per .

p etu a t e the mem o r y o f hi s visi t an d to te sti fy to

hi s p iety an d mu ni ficen ce by the er ection of a n umbe r

o f stately m onuments an d the foundation o f a new
,

city Pfit an Bhatgaon an d Kirtipur which at var ious

.
, , ,

dates in later ages sev er ally became the capitals of

mountain kingdoms wer e n ot then in existence, .

A soka selected as the site of his new city some

rising gr ound about two miles to the south east of -

the ancient capital an d ther e built the city n ow

,

known as Lalita Patan Exactly in its centr e he .

built a temple which is still standi ng near the south

,

Beal B dd h i t R o ds of th Wester n Wo ld i 1 5 0
1
, u s ec r e r , . .
 A DM I NI S TRA TI ON OF TH E EM PI RE 69

si de of the palace or Dar bar an d at each of the four ,

’

sides Of the city fac ing the car din al po ints he er ected
, ,

four gr eat hemispher ical std pas whi ch likewise r emain ,

to this d ay Two small shr ines an d a tomb at Lali ta

.

Patan ar e also ascr ibed to A soka Th e emperor was .

accomp an ied in hi s pi lgrim age by his daughte r Ch a r u

mati the wife of a Kshatr iya named Devapala Sh e

, .

devoted herself to r eligion an d r emain ed in Nepal ,

as a nun r esid ing at a conv ent whi ch sh e built at

Pasu patin ath a mile or tw

,

o n orth of Kathma
,
ndu ,

an d which still exi sts an d bears h er name

1
,

Th e Buddhist legends all seem to imply that the sea

port Of Tamr alipti (the moder n Tamluk in the M id n a s
-

u r Distr i ct thir ty fiv e miles fr om Calcutta whe e

p , ) r -

tr aveller s from Ceylon landed was part of the Maur ya

dominion s an d this infer en ce 1s suppo rted by the fact
,

that Chandragupta took ov er from h is pr edecessor

Nanda the sover eignty of the countr y of the G anga
ridas or Bengal whi ch probably included Tamr alipti
, , .

A soka ther efor e i nherited an empire whi ch ex

, ,

tended from sea to sea But at h is accession the .

,

kingd om of Kalinga str etchi ng along the coast of ,

the Bay of Bengal from the Mahanadi river on the ,

north to the south as far per haps as Puli cat was

, , , ,

sti ll i ndependent I n the ni nth year of the r eign this

.

region was conquer ed an d per manently annexed 2

.

1
Bh agwan l In d r aj i an d Buhler , Hi stor y f N pal
o e ,
’
in I nd .

A n t , Dec 1 884
.
, x iii
.
4 1 2 seqq ; an d O fi e . . ld ld Sk t h
, e c es f m
ro

Nipal, ii 2 46 8 . .

1
Ro ck E i ct X III d .
7 0 A S OKA

Th e uther n limits of the empire ar e fixed by the

so

occurrence of the S idda pur a inscr iptions in the Mysor e

State (about N lat 1 4 an d by the enum er ation
°
. .

in the edi cts of the nation s in the south of the

p eni nsula whi ch r etained their independen ce .

Th e Chola kings in those days h ad thei r capital at

Ur aiyur near Trichi nopoly an d ruled ov er the south ,

east of the penin sul a Th e capital of the Pandya

.

kingdom farther south was at Madura ; an d the

, ,

Malabar coast between the Wester n Ghats an d the

,

sea down t o Cape Com orin was kn own as the kin g

, ,

d om of Ker ala 1
All these thr ee kingdoms ar e like ,

C eylon recognized by A soka as independent po wers

, ,

outside the lim its of hi s domini ons .

Th e southern boundary of the Mau rya empire

may be defined with a near approach to accuracy
, ,

as a line connecting Pondi che r r y on the east coast

with Cannanor e on the west or approximately as , , ,

the twelfth degree of north latitude North of thi s .

line as far as the H imalayas an d the H indoo Koosh

, ,

all I nd ia acknowledged either the di r ect rule or the

o v e r l or dshi p of A soka .

This definition of the extent of the Mau rya empir e ,

which exceeded the ar ea of Br itish Indi a excluding ,

Bur ma is supported by the distr ibution of the rock

,

inscr iptions an d by H in en Tsian g s enumer ation o f

’

the monuments ascribed to Asoka .

Th e rock in scr iptions cove r the area bounded by

1
Sewell Sketch Of th e Dy asti es of So th er n I dia i
, n u n ,
’
n

A r chaeol Sur . vey o f S I nd i a, ii

. . I5 4 1 95
, , an d 2 1 4
.
 A DM I NI S TRA TI ON OF TH E EM PI RE 7 1

the lower H imalayas the Bay of Bengal Mysore an d

, , ,

th e A rabian sea .

H in en Tsian g enumer ates in detai l about on e hun

d red an d thirty std pas ascribed to A so ka besides ,

mentioning in general ter ms many other edifices

referred by tradition to h is reign A few of the .

st ilpas sto od in independent ter r ito ry wher e their ,

erection must hav e been dependent on the oodwill

g
an d perm ission of the local sov ereigns but the great ,

maj or ity were situated in provinces which belonged

to the empir e Three ar e mention ed as existing in
.

the countr y n ow kn own as A fghanistan Th e Pilusar a .

stupa a hundred feet h igh was at K ap isa an d a won

, , ,

d er fu l stone stupa beautifully ador ned an d carv ed

, ,

thr ee hundred feet in height was the glor y o f Naga ,

r ah a r a near Jal alabad A Small stupa al so the gift

.
,

of A soka stood to the south of thi s stupendous

,

monument Other notable stupas existed in the

.

S wat valley an d Taxila possessed thr ee Four stupas

,
.

built by Asoka graced the capital of Kashmir an d ,

legend ascr ibed to hi m the erection of five hundr ed

monasteri es in that country .

On the east coast stupas built by A soka ar e

,

recorded as existing at Tamr alipti (Tamluk) at the ,

capi tal of Samatata (probably in the S un d er bun d s) ,

in Orissa an d in Kalin ga
, .

On the west side of I ndia V alabhi in Gfij ar at an d ,

the province of Sind with its dependencies wer e r ich

, ,

in monuments ascr ibed to the great Maurya Th e .

Ru dr ad aman inscr iption recor ds the fact that h is

7 2 A S OKA

Persian gov er nor Kathi awar made the can al s in

of

connexion with the G ir n ar lake which h ad been

for med in the time of Chan dragupta In the pr o
1
.

v ince of A r ach osia Tsau kflta f wh ch the c p t

( ) o i a i al ,

is plausibly identified with Ghazni ten stupas wer e ,

r egar ded as the w or k of A soka .

I n the south he erected a stupa at the capi tal of

the Dr avida country the mod er n Conj eever am an d , ,

an other at the capi tal o f the An dhra ter r ito r y the ,

mod ern Vengi forty three miles south west of Mad ras
,
- -
.

Th e edi cts refer to A ntiochus Theos kin g of Syria , ,

as a neighbouring potentate an d so agree with the ,

other e vidence which indicates the H indoo Koosh as

the north wester n fr ontier of the empire

-
.

A soka s empire therefor e comprised all I ndia pr oper

’
, ,

from the twelfth degree of latitude to the H imalayas ,

an d included the v all ey of Nepa l the valley of Kash ,

mir the S wat valley an d adj oining regions the

, ,

Yusufzai country A fghanistan as far as the H indoo

,

Koosh Sind an d Balfichistan

, , .

Th e m achi nery for the gov ern ment an d admi nistra

tion of this vast empire will n ow be examined .

Th e histor ian isjustified in assuming that the system

of gov er nment de v eloped by the gen iu s of Chand ra

gupta the first emperor of I ndia was pr eser v ed intact

, ,

in its main features although supplemented by some ,

nov el institutions an d modified by certain refor ms in

, ,

the reign of h is grandson .

1
I nd . A nt . 63; an d ( inaccu r ate
vn . 25 7 -
ly) in Pr akr it and

Sanskr it I n scr iptions of Kattywar ( Bh avnagar , n.

 A DM I NI S TRA TI ON OF TH E EM PI RE 73

recor ded a tolerably full account

M egasth en es h as
of the insti tutions of Chandr agupta an d a combin ,

ation of his account with the e v idence of the edi cts

thr ows mu ch light u pon the or ganiz ation of A sok a s ’

empire .

Th e kin g s po wer was of course absolute an d all

’
, , ,

insti tu tions depended on his will Th e royal will .

was communi cated to the li eges through the agency of

a bureaucr acy at the head of whi ch stood the Vicer oys
, ,

gener ally sons or other near relativ es of the sovereign .

One of these great officers h ad h is seat of gov e

ment at the famous city Of Taxila n ow r epr esented by ,

the ruins at Shah Dheri in the Rawalpindi Distr ict of

the Panj ab A ll the ter r itor ies west of the S atlej as
.

far as the H indoo Koosh may hav e been withi n h is

jurisdiction A nother pr incely Viceroy r uled Western
.

I ndia from the anci ent ci ty o f Ujj ain in Mahwa .

A ccordin g to tr adition A soka hi m self held this ,

gov er nment when the news of h is father s mortal ’

illness reached h im an d obliged him to hasten to

,

the capital in order to secur e the succession .

A thi rd Viceroy stationed at Su v ar n agir i the site

, ,

of which h as n ot yet been identified r epr e ,

sented the emper or in Peni nsul ar I ndia Th e con .

quered province of Kalinga was controlled by a fourth

prince stationed at Tosali of whi ch the site is n ot kn own
,

with cer tainty ; it may be represented by Jsugad a 1

1
Th e pig aph i al a th ity f th e f p i
e r c u or or ou r r n ce ly Vi e y c ro s

is t o be f d th e D ta h d Edi t f Dh a li
ou n In e c e c so u , so- call d N I e os.

an d II , a d th e Si ddap
n aMi Ro k Edi t
ur n or c c .
74 A S OKA

Th e home provinces wer e probably ad ministered

by local gov er nors acting under the direct order s of
the emperor .

Th e officials next in rank to the Viceroys so far as ,

can be in ferred from the language of the edi cts were ,

the Rajj ukas or Commissioners set over hundreds ,

of thousan ds of souls Below them were th e Pr a

.
’

d esi kas or District ofi cer s .

Magistr ates in general were designated by the term

M akd/md tr a an d this gener ic ter m in combination
, ,

with deter minativ e wor ds was also applied to special

,

departmental officers as for instance the Censors of

, , ,

the Law of Piety wh o were known as Dhamma

,

mahd/mdtr as These C ensors wh o were for the first

.
,

time appointed by Asoka in the fourteenth year of the

reign as r ecited in the fifth Ro ck Edict h ad instruo
, ,

tions to concer n themselv es with all sects an d to pr o ,

mote the advance of the principles of the Law of

Piety among both the subjects of H is Majesty an d the
semi independent border tr ibes of Yonas G an dha
-
ras , ,

an d others . They wer e di rected in general ter m s to

care for the h appiness of the l ieges an d especially ,

to r edr ess cases of wrongful confin ement o r unjust

corp or al punishment an d were empowe r ed to gr ant
,

remissions of sentence in cases where the cr iminal was

entitled to consider ation by reason of advan ced years ,

sudden calamity or the burden of a lar ge fam ily

, .

These Officials wer e further charged with th e deli cate

duty of super intendin g the female establishments of
the members of th e royal family both at the capital
 ADH M S H U H ON 01 "
TH E EN FI RE 75

oth er ofi cials the Cm n nd cd as r oy nl nh non e m and

distr ibuted the gi fts mad e by th e sover eign an d his

ar e also men tion ed , nn d it is m) t ensy to un d e mtan d

Censor s of th e Law of Piety

m
.

All th ese special a eer s wer e supplemen tar y t o th e

r egular ma ist r ac Th t m va en em in th e
g y e ex
. r e e gu

defini tion of th e d u ties en t r usted to th em must h ave

wher e ani mals h ad been killed or mu tilated contr ar y

to r egulations or gr oss disr e spect h ad been sh own by
,

a son to h is father or mother an d so forth They also

, .

took cognizan ce of i r r egularities in th e condu ct of the

r oyal l adi es.Th e general du ty of r epr efi n g unlawful
indulgences of the fai r sex seems to hav e fallen to the
Censor s of Women wh o n o doubt wer e also r espon
, , ,

sible for the due regulation of th e cou rtesans .

M egasth en es testifies th at the official reporter s d id

n ot scor n to make use of inform ation suppl ied by the

public women .

Asoka mentions that he h ad appoin ted man y classes

of ofli cials for v ar iou s departmental pu rposes A llu .

sion is made to certain inspectors whose duties ar e n ot

clear ly explained Th e wardens of the mar ches ar e

.

mentioned as being a special class of ofi cials .

7 6 A S OKA

Th e emperor attached the highest impo rtan ce to th e

n ecessity of being acce ssible to the aggr i eved subjec t

at an y pl ace an d at an y hour an d unde r took to dis ,

pose at once of all complaints an d r eports without

r e ard to his perso n al c on v eni ence I the e rder
g n s o s .

( R o ck Edi ct V I ) A sok a only c on fir med an d emph asized

,

the pr actice of h is gr andfather wh o used to r emain ,

in cour t the wh ole d ay without allow ing the interr up ,

tion of business ev en whi le h is attendants pr actised

,

massage on hi m with ebony rollers H e contin ued .

to hear cases while the four attendants r ubbed him 1

.

Th e I ndian emperor like m ost O r iental sov er eign s , ,

r eli ed much up on the r eports of n ew s writers empl oyed -

by the Cr own for the purpose of watchi ng the

execu tive officers of Gover nment an d r eporting e ver y ,

thi ng of note whi ch came to their knowledge Th e .

empero r seems to h av e h ad r eason to be su sp icio us for ,

it is reco rded that Chandr agupta coul d n ot v enture to

sl eep in the dayt ime an d at ni ght was obliged to change
,

hi s bedroom from ti me to time as a pr ec aution against

tr eacher y A soka pr obably continued the routine of
1
.

cour t life laid down by his gr eat ancestor .

Th e standing army mai ntained at the king s cost

’
, ,

was for midable in numbers compr ising accor ding , ,

to Pl in y , infantr y cavalr y an d , ,

elephants besi des ch ariots ; an d was wi th r efer ence to

, ,

the standard of anti quity v er y highly or ganiz ed , .

Th e War Ofli ce was dir ected by a co mm ission of

1
St ab o x v 1 5 3 6 i M C i d le A ci ent I d ia p 7 2
r , .
,
-
, n c
r n
’
s n n , . .

1
I bi d p 7 1
.
, . .
 A DH I NIS TRA TI ON OF TH E “PIKE
in g five member s, wi th d epar tmen ts sever all y assign ed

Boar d No . I : A d mir alty in , coo per ation with th e

Boar d NO . 2 : Tr an spor t , co mmissar iat , an d ar my

mechan ics an d gr ass cu tt er s ;

,
-

Boar d No 3 In fan tr y ; . :

Boar d NO 4: Cavalr y .

Board NO 5 : W ar c har iots ; .

-

Board No 6 : Elephants . .

Th e ar ms when n ot in use wer e stor ed in ar senals

, , ,

an d ran ges of stables wer e rovi ded for th e hor ses an d

p
elephants Char i ots when on the mar ch wer e drawn
.
, ,

by oxen in order to spar e the horses Each war

, .

char iot which h ad a team of either two or four horses

,

harnessed abr east car r i ed two figh tin g men besides th e ,

-

driver Th e char iot used as a state conveyance was

.

drawn by fourhorses Each war elephant carr i ed thr ee .

-

figh tin g men in addi ti on to the dr iv er

-
A r r i an gi v es .

some inter esting details concer ni ng theequi pment of the

infantr y an d cavalr y whi ch may be quoted ver batim ,

p r oceed ow h ay to d sc i be th e mode in wh ich

I n ,
’
e s s, e r

th I d i a s q i p th m l
e n n f e wa p misin g th at it is
u e se ves or r , re

n ot to b e ga d d a s th ly
re o e i n vro guee Th e foo t e on n .

soldi ca y a b ow mad e of
er s rr q al l gt h w i th t h e m an e u en

wh o b a s it Th is th ey est p th g
e r . d an d p ssi g r u on e r oun ,
re n

again st i t wit h th i l ft fo t th s disch a ge th e a ow e r e o u r rr ,

h avin g dr awn th e st in g fa b ackwa d ; f th e sh aft th ey r r r s or

78 A S OKA

use is itt l le sh or t of bein g th r ee y ar ds lo n g, an d th er e is

n oth in g wh ich can r esist an I n i an d ar ch er s sh ot
’
— n eith er

sh ie ld n or b r east pl ate , n or an y str on ger d efen ce if su ch

th er e be left h a d th y car r y b ckl r s of dr essed

. I n th eir n e u e un

o x h i de wh ich ar e n ot so b r oad as th ose wh o ca y th em

-
,
rr ,

but ar e ab o t as lon g Some ar eq i pp ed with j avel in s

u . e u

i nstead of b ows b t all wea a swor d wh ich i s b oad in , u r ,

r

th e b l ad b t ot l o ger th an th r ee c h its ; a d th is wh en
e, u n n u n ,

th ey e gage in cl ose fi gh t ( wh i ch t h y d o with el ct a ce)

n e r u n ,

th ey wi ld wi th b oth h a d t o f tch d own a l st i

e b l ow n s, e u er .

Th e h o sem a eq i pp d with t wo l a ces l ik th

r en l a ces
re u e n e e n

call d sa e ta a d with a h o t un b ckler th a th at car r ied

,
n s r er u n

by th e f t soldi r s B t th y d ot p t saddl s o th eir

oo -
e . u e o n u e n

h or ses o d o th y cur b th m wi th h its l ike th b its in u se

, n r e e e

amo g th e G eeks or th e K l ts b t th ey fit o
n r d th e e ,
u n r oun

extr emity of th h or se s mo th a cir c l ar p iece of ti tch ed ’

e u u s

r aw ox h i d e t d d ed wi th p icks of i on o
-
s u b ass p i ti g r r r r o n n

in war ds b t ot ve y sh a p ; if a ma is r i h h
, u n es p i cks r r n c e us r

made of i vo y W ith in th h or se s mo th is p t a ir on
r . e
’
u u n

p o g l ik a skewer to wh i h th e r eins a attach ed

r n e ,
c re .

Wh n th i der th e p ll th r ei s th e p o g co tr ols th e
e e r , n, u s e n , r n n

h or se an d th p icks wh i h a attach d to t h is p o g goad

, e r c re e r n

th e mo th so th at i t ca
n t b t Ob y th e
,
i s n no u e re n

civil administr ation of which some featur es

Th e ,

mentioned in the edicts hav e been alr ead y n oticed ,

was an or gani zation of considerable complexity an d ,

1
In ika, d ’
x vi, in A n cien t I nd ia, p . 220. For sh a es of Inp di an
ar ms at th e b egin ni n g of th e Ch r istian er a see Cu n n ing ,

h am Bh i lsa Tapes p 2 1 7 an d PI x x x iii ; an d M aisey Sd nchi

, , .
, .
, ,

Pl . Cf woo cut of Ve ah r awi n g h is bow in

x x x v, x x x vi . . d dd d
’
Tenn an t s Ceylon , 3r d cd , i 4 99 A n e ar ife size figu r e . . . ly l -

of an in fan tr so y ld
i er ar me as escr ib e b M egasth enes is d d d y
gi ven i n C u n ni n gh am , Stup f
a o Bha r h ut, P l x x x ii , 1 . .
 A DM IIVI S TRA TI ON OF TH E EM PI RE 79

a ppar ently n ot in ferior to that elabor ated by Sher

S hah an d Ak bar We read of an I rrigation Depart
.

ment whi ch per for med fun ctions similar to those of

,

the an al ogous depar tment in Egypt regulati ng th e ,

rivers an d contr olli ng the sluices so as to distr ibu te

the canal water fair ly among the farmers Th e lon g .

inscription of Ru d r ad aman executed in A D 1 5 0

, . .
,

r ecor d s h ow Tush as the Pe r si an gov er nor of San r ash

p ,

tr a K athiawar ) on behal f of Asok a constructed ,

canals an d br idges to utilize the water of the gr eat

artificial lake at G ir n a r whi ch h ad been for med in

the r eign of Ch an dr agupta This instan ce shows

1
.

the care th at was taken to promote agr icultur al

improv ement an d to de velop the land r ev enue e v en ,

in a r emote provi nce di stant more than a thousand

miles fr om the capital .

Th e r e v enue ofli cer s wer e char ged with the collection

of the land rev en ue or Crown rent then as n ow th e
, , ,

mainstay of I ndian fin ance All agr icultural lan d .

was r egar ded as Cr own property A ccording to on e .

acc ount the culti vators r etai ned on e fourth of the -

pr oduce ; accor din g to another ( whi ch is mor e pr o

bable) they paid into the tr easu r y on e fourth of the
,
-

produce in ad dition to a r ent of u nspecified amount .

Th e castes whose occupation conn ected them with

,

the land such as woodcutters carpenters blacksmiths

, , , ,

an d miners wer e subject to the supervision of the

,

revenue officers .

Ro ads were maintain ed by the royal ofli cer s an d ,

See ote p 7 2
1
n , . .
80 A S OKA

pillar s were erected on the pr incipal hi ghways to

serv e as mile stones at inte r vals of about an English
-

mile an d a quarter Ex amples of similar pillar s.

( kos m i n dr
) erect ed many centur i es later by the
,

Mughal emperors still exist 1

A soka p r ided hi mself
, .

on h aving furthe r consu lted the comfort of trav ellers

by planting shad y trees an d di gging wells at fr equent

intervals along the main roads 1
.

Patal ipu tr a the capital city stood at the confluence

, ,

of the S 611 an d Ganges on the souther n bank of the ,

l atter r iver in the position n ow occupi ed by the large

,

nativ e city of Patna an d the civil station of Ban kipore .

Th e riv er 8611 h as changed its course an d n ow j oins ,

the Ganges near the cantonment of Dinapor e (Dhana

pur) abov e Banki pore but its old course can be easily ,

traced Th e ancient city like its moder n successor

.
, ,

was a long an d narr ow par allelogr am about nine ,

miles in len gth an d a mile an d a hal f in breadth .

Th e wooden walls seen by M egasth en es whi ch were ,

1
Th e officer s con str u ct r oa s, an d at ever d y te n stad ia set u
p
a pilla r to sh o w th e byr oads an d di ta s n ces ( Str a bo , x v. 1 .

5 0—2
,
in A n ci en t I n d ia, p . Th e stad i u m in use at t h at
pe i d wa q al t
r o s e u o 202 } y a d r s; ten stad ia, th er efor e, = 202 2!
ya d Th e M gh al ko
r s. u s, th e in ter va lb et ween th e still ex i sti n g

ko smi d pilla
n r s, or r s, aver ages 45 5 8 ya dr s( El i ot ,lS uppl .

G lossar y, 8 a
. . kos) . Th e Asoka pill a rs wer e th er efor e set up at
ever y l
h a f kos, a pp r ox i mate ly , accor di ng to th e M ugh a l con
p utat i on .

1
Rock E i ct II, d an d Pi lla Edi r ct VI I . It i s ex p r ess ly r ecor dde

th at th e we ll
wer e d u g at inter vals of hal f a kos each , th e
s

same in ter val whi ch is appr ox i mately ex p r essed by M egasth en es

as ten stad ia .
 A DM I NI S TRA TI ON OF TH E EM PI RE 81

pro tected by a wide an d deep moat wer e pier ced by ,

si xty four gates an d crowned by five hundred an d

-

se venty to wer s A soka built an outer masonr y wall

. ,

an d beau tified the ci ty with innume r able stone build

ings so r i chly decor ated that in after ages th ey were ,

ascr i bed to the genn Th e gr eater p ar t of the ancient

.

city still li es bur i ed in the silt of the r i v ers under

Patna an d Banki por e at a depth of from ten to twenty

feet I n sever al places th e remains of the wooden
.

palisade mentioned by M egasth en es hav e been ex

posed by casual excavations an d numerous tr aces ,

have been found of massive br ick an d magni ficent

stone bui l di ngs A few of the br ick edifices in a
.

r uined conditio n ar e still abo v e r ound an d it w ou ld

g ,

pr obably be possible by a car eful survey conducted ,

under competent super vision to identify with cer , ,

tainty the sites of the pr incipal Asoka bu ildi ngs

mention ed by the Chinese pilgr ims Owing to the .

want of such a sur vey the iden tifications made by ,

Maj or Waddell wh o is entitled to the cr edit

,

of di scove r ing the fact that Pa talipu tr a still exists ,

ar e n ot altogether c on vincing although many of them ,

may be cor r ect .

Th e excavations as far as they h av e been car r i ed

, ,

fully con fir m the accuracy of the accounts given by

M egasth en es an d the Chinese p ilgr ims of the extent
an d m agnificence of the Mau r ya capi tal
1

1
Ar r i an , I n d ika, x , in A n cien t I n d i a, pp . 68 an d 2 05

l y
P in , H ist . Nat vi
. . 22, bd p
i i
Solin u s, 5 2 ,
. .
7
1 39 ; ,
i b i 6 1
— d p
. .

1 55 Waddell , D iscover y f
o th e E x act S i te f
o A so ka
’
s Classi c C a pi tal
E
82 A S OKA

Th e dministr ation of this gr eat an d splendid city

a

was or ganized with much elabo ration Like the War .

Office the metropolis was administer ed by a commis

,

sion o f thi rty mem bers di v i ded into si x Boar d s with

fiv e members each Th e fir st Board was char ged wi th
.

t h e super i ntendence o f the industr ial arts an d ar tisans .

Th e second was entr usted with the duty of super

intending foreigners an d attendi n g to the ir wants
, .

Th is Board provided medi cal aid for for ei gner s in

case of sickn ess with decent bur ial in case of death
, ,

an d administer ed the estates of the d ec eased r em i ttin g ,

the net proceeds to the persons entitled Th e same .

Boar d was also bound to pr ovide proper escort for

for eigners leaving the countr y Th e thi rd Boar d was .

r espo nsible for the r e istr ation of bi rths an d death s

g ,

whi ch was enforced both for r evenue purposes an d

for the infor m ation of the G ov er nment .

Th e fourth Boar d was the B oar d of Tr ade which ,

exe r ci sed a gene r al su per i ntenden ce o v e r tr ade an d

commer ce an d r egulated weights an d measur es I t
, .

is said that th e author ities took car e that commodi ti es

wer e sold in the proper season by public notice ,

whi ch probably mean s that pr ice lists wer e officially

fixed accor di ng to the u su al I ndi an custom
, An y .

tr ader wh o desir ed to deal in mor e than on e class

o f goods was obliged to pay double licence t ax .

Th e fifth Board was conce r ned wi th manufactur es ,

of Pa tal ip utr a, th e Pal i bath r a f

o the G r eeks, an d D escr ip ti on of the

l
S uperficial Remai ns ( Ca cutta. Ben gal Secr etar iat Pr ese, 1 89 2
pi r ce on e r u pee) .
 A DM I NI S TRA TI ON OF TH E E M PI RE 83

the sale of which was subjected to regulations similar

to those gov er ning the sales of impor ted goods .

Th e sixth Board was char ged wi th the duty of

levying a tithe on the pr ices of all articles sold .

Evasion of this tax was punishable by death 1

This .

sangu i nar y law is but one of sev eral indi cations th at

the pen al cod e of Chandr agupta was on e of extr eme

sev er i ty Th e same cod e seem s to hav e been ad min is
.

ter ed by A soka with sl ight m itigations , .

Th e gene r al sev er ity of the gov ernment of Chan d

r a u ta is testified to by Justin wh o says that that
g p ,

prince wh o freed his countrymen from the M ace

,

d on ian yoke a fter hi s victor y forfeited by his

,

tyr anny all title to the name of liberator for he op ,

pr essed with servitude the v er y people whom he h ad

emancipated from for eign thraldom I n addition
to the law about evasion of mu nicipal taxes j ust
quoted other illustrations of the ex treme sev er ity
,

of the pen al law ar e on record When the king was .

on a huntin g exped ition an y person man or wom an , , ,

wh o went inside the ropes mar king off the path of

the royal procession was capitally punished Th e .

same for m i dable pen alty was attached to the offence

of causi ng the l oss of a hand or eye to an ar tisan ,

the r eason apparently being that skilled wor kmen

wer e r egarded as being specially devoted to the king s ’

1
Str a bo , x v . I, — 2
5 5 ,
0 in A nci en t I n d ia, p . 86
.

1
Justin , x v. 4, in M Cr i n d le,
c
Th e I n vasion f
o I n d ia by
A lex and er th e Gr eat, p .
32 7 . See a so l W atson ’
s l
tr an s ati on
( Boh n ), p . 1 4 2 .
84 A S OK A

e ce I n other cases wounding by mutilation was

s r vi .

puni shable by the amputati on of the cor r esponding

member of the offender in addition to the loss of hi s ,

right hand Th e cr ime of giving false evid ence was

.

punished by mutilation of the extr emities A ccor di ng .

to on e wr i ter some unspecified heinous offences wer e

,

pun ished by the shaving of the offender s hai r whi ch ’

,

penalty was r egar ded as specially infamous 1

.

Th e m itigations of thi s sangui nar y code introduced

by A soka the H umane wer e n ot v er y mater ial Late .

in hi s r eign he or d ained that ev er y cr imi nal condemned

to dea th shou ld have thr ee days r espite befor e ex ecu ’

tion to enable hi m to pr epar e for the other wor ld but ,

the edi ct does n ot indicate an y diminution in the

number of capital offences or of the convicts condemned
to death Th e censor s of the Law of Pi ety we r e com
.

man d ed to r edr ess cases of wr ongful imprisonment

or undeser v ed cor por al punishment an d wer e em ,

power ed to r emit sentence when the offender deserv ed

mer cy by r eason of advanced age sudden calamity , ,

or the bur den of a lar ge fam ily dependent on hi m for

suppor t Th e actions of the censor s in pur suance of

.

these instr uctions cannot hav e h ad much pr actical

'

efl ect . On each anni v er sar y of h is solemn cor onation

A soka was in the habit of p ar doning cr i minals aw ait
i n g execution but conside r ing the fact that n o
, ,

condemned pr isoner ever h ad mor e than thr ee days ’

r e spi te between sen tence an d execution the numbe r ,

1
Nicol as Dama c 4 4; Stobaeu S m 42 in M C i dle
s . s, er .
,
°
r n
’
s

A i t I d ia p 7 3
n c en n , . .
 A DM I NI S TRA TI ON OF TH E E M PI RE 85

wh o benefited by the r oyal clemency cannot have

been v er y gr eat 1
So far as the e vidence goes i t
.
,

indi cates that A soka m aintained in substance the

ster n pen al legislati on an d summ ar y procedu r e of

h is illustr ious gr andfather wh o h ad gov er ned by ,

despotism the empir e won by bloodshed .

I t would howe ver be r ash to infer from these

, ,

pr emises that the pr ofessed humanity of Asoka was

hypocr itical Th e temper of the times an d the
.

univer sal custo m of O r iental monar chies demanded

se v e r ity in the puni shment an d dispatch in the ,

adju di cation of crime as i ndi spen sable ch ar acteristi cs

,

of an efficient gov er nment A soka deser v es cr ed it .

for inculcating on h is officer s pr inciples which if ,

followed must have r esulted in impr ov ed ad min is

,

tr ation of justice an d for measur es which in some

,

degr ee mitigated the fer oc ity of established pr actice .

Th e so called Detached Edicts of Dhauli an d

-

Jan gad a addr essed to the gover nor s an d magistr ates of

,

the conquer ed pr ovince of Kalinga di splay the sov e ,

r eign s ear nest desir e for mer ciful an d consider ate

’

admini str ation .

Th e mer e extent of the empir e which was tr an s

mitted fr om Chandr agupta to Bin d u sar a an d fr om ,

Bin d u sar a to A sok a is good e vi dence that the or gan i

,

zation of the gove r nment whi ch was strong en ough ,

in mi li tar y for ce to defeat for eign attacks an d to su b ,

1
Pill ar Edi ct IV :
‘
To pi
r son er s wh o h ave been con vi cte d
an d con d e mn ed to d
eath I gr an t pite
a r es of th r ee dy b
a s efor e
’
ex ecuti on .
86 A S OKA

due an extensiv e k ingdom was also adequate for the

,

per for mance of civil duties Patalipu tr a situated in

.
,

an e aster n pro vi nce continued throughout the r e igns

,

of the three i m per ial M aur y as to be the capital of

an empire exc eeding B r i tish In dia in area an d extend
,

in g fr om sea to sea . Th e emper or though destitute

,

of the power fu l aids of m ode r n ci vilizati on was able ,

t o enforce hi s will at Kabul di stan t twel v e hun dr ed

, ,

an d at G ir n a,
r distant a thousan d miles fr om h is
capital H e was str ong enough to sh eath s h is swor d
.

i n the ninth year of h is r eign to tr eat unruly bor de r

,

tribes with for bear ance to cover h is dominions with

,

splendi d bui ldings an d to de vote hi s ener gi es to the

,

diffusion of mor ality an d piety .

H ow long the efforts of A sok a continued to be ar

fr u it after the close of hi s protr acted an d br illiant
r ei n we kn ow n ot En v ious time h as dr opped an
g .

impenetr able v eil ov er the deeds of his successor s ,

an d n o man can tell the stor y of the decline an d fall

o f the M au r y a emp ir e .
 C H A P TER II I

TH E M on umENT s

TH E extr avagant legend which ascr i bes to A soka

the er ection of eighty four thousand stupas or sacr ed
-

cupolas within the space of thr ee year s pr oves the

, ,

depth of the impression made on the popular imagin a

tion by the magnitude an d m agnificence of the gr eat
Mau r y a s ar chitectur al achi evements SO imposing
’
.

wer e h is wor ks that they w er e univer sally belie ved

.

to hav e been w r ought by supe r natur al agency .

Th e r oy al p al ace an d h all s i n th e mi dst of th e city

( P at alip tr
u a
) w h i,ch e i st n ow as of o
xld w er e all m ad e b y ,

sp i it s wh ich h e employed an d wh ich p i le d

r p
,
t h e sto es u n ,

r e a e d t h e wall s an d gates
r an d ex ec t ed th e el ega t ,
u n

car i g an d
v n i n l ai d sc lp tur e wo k i n a way wh ich n o
u -
r ,

h u man h a ds of th is wor ld co ld accompl ish

O
n u

Thus wr ote the simple minded Fahi en at the begin - -

ning of the fifth centur y A little mor e than two .

hundred year s later when H iu en Tsiang tr avelled the

, ,

anci ent city was deserted an d i n ruins the effect of ,

the depar tur e of the court an d th e r av ages of the

Whi te H uns Now .
,

Th e cl o d cap pe d t ower s th e go geo s p alace

u -

,
r u s,

Th e solemn temp les

’
,

Ch ap x vn Legge t anslati o
1 '
. x , s r n.
88 A S OK A

lie bur i ed d eep beneath the silt of the Ganges an d

8611 r i ver s an d ser v e as a found ation for the East
,

I ndi an Railway the city of Patna an d the ci vil

, ,

station of B anki por e .

No example of the secular ar chitecture of A soka s

’

r ei n h as sur v i v ed in such a condition as to per m it of

g
its pl an an d style being studi ed Th e r em ains o f the .

Maur ya palace undoubtedly lie h id under the fields

an d h ouses o f the vi llage of K u mr a h ar south of the ,

r ail wa l ine c onnecti ng B ank i p r e an d P atn a but

y o ,

the slight excavations which hav e been undertaken

d o n ot suffice to r ender the r em ains intelligible an d ,

the expense of adequate explor ation would be pr obi

1
bitiv e .

Th e numer ous
t tely monaster ies which A soka
an d s a

er ected at many places in the empir e hav e shar ed

the fate of h is pal aces an d n ot ev en on e sur viv es in
,

a r ecognizable state .

Th e stupas or cupolas on which the emp er or

, ,

lav ished so much tr easur e hav e been mor e fortunate , ,

an d a lar ge gr oup of m onuments of this cl ass at

S anchi in Central I ndia h as been pr ese r v ed in a

to] sr ably complete state 1
.

A stupa was usually destined ei the r to enshr i ne the

r eli cs of a Buddha or saint or to m ar k t h e scene o f ,

1
Wad dell , Discover y of the E x act Si te of A soka s Classi c Cap ital
’

f
o Patalipu tr a ( Ca l cutta, an d an u n p b li h d p
u s e re or t by
8t
13 P C M u kh ar j i
. . .

1
Cu n n in gh am, Th e Bh i lsa Tapes ( Lon on , d 1 85 4) Repor ts,
x .
57 ; E i
pg p r a h ia I n d i ca ( Biih ler ) , i i 87 3
, 66 . .
 TH E M ONUM E N TS 89

so me event famous in the hi stor y of the Bud dhist

chur ch Sometimes it was built mer ely in honour of
.

a Buddha I n A soka s age a stupa was a solid

’
.

hemispher ical mass of masonr y spr inging from a ,

plinth which for med a per ambulating path for

wor shippers an d was flattened at the top to car r y
,

a squar e altar shaped str u ctur e -

sur m oun ted by a ,

ser i e s of stone umbr ellas Th e base was usually .

sur r ounded by a sto ne r ailing of whi ch the p ill ar s , ,

bar s an d coping stones wer e commonly though n ot

,
-

in var iably r ichly car v ed an d d ecor ated with el abor ate

,

sculptur es in r elief .

Th e gr eat stupa at san chi was a solid dome of

br i ck an d stone 1 06 feet in di ameter spr inging fr om
, ,

a pl inth 1 4feet high an d wi th a p r ojection of 5 1 feet

,

fr om the base of the dome Th e apex of the dome .

was fl attened into a ter r ace 34 feet in diameter ,

surrounded by a sto ne r ailing with in w hi ch stood ,

a squar e altar or pedestal surrounded by another

r aili ng. Th e to tal height of the building when ,

complete must hav e exceeded 1 00 feet

, .

Many of Asoka s stupas wer e much loftier H iu en

’
.

Tsiang mentions on e in A fghanistan which was 300

feet in height an d in Ceylon on e famous stupa when
, ,

per fect tower ed to a height exceeding 400 feet

, .

Th e base of the gr eat sanchi stupa was surro unded

by a massive sto ne r ailing near ly 1 0 feet high ,

for ming a cloister or pas sage round the sacr ed

monument Thi s rai ling which is v er y highly
.
,

decorated is later than Asoka s time

,
’
.
9 0 A S OK A

S e v er al the stupas at an d near Sanchi wer e

of

opened an d found to contai n reli c caskets hi dden

inside the mass of mason r y I n No 2 the r elic . .

chamber was discovered 2 feet to the westwar d of

the centr e an d 7 feet above the ter r ace I nside the
,
.

chamber was a san dstone box 1 I inches long an d , ,

9 1 inche s h igh w hi ch c o ntai ned,

four sm all ste ati te
v ases in which fr agments of bone h ad been ensh r i ned
,
.

Numerous I nscr iptions v ouched for t hese r eli cs as

belonging to some of the most famous saints of the
Buddhi st chur ch including two of the missionar ies
,

named in the M ah avamsa as the apostles of the

H imalay an r egion an d the son Of M oggali (M au dgaly a)
, ,

pr esumably Tissa wh o accor ding to the Ceylonese

, ,

chronicle presided over the thir d Council

, .

A v er y inter esting r eli c of the age of A soka was

di scover ed by S ir A lexand er Cunningham in 1 87 3 at
a v illage n am ed Bhar hut ( Bar ah u t) in Bagh elkh an d ,

about ni nety five m iles south west fr om A ll ahabad

- -
1
.

H e found ther e the r emains of a br i ck stupor of .

mod er ate size near ly 68 feet in diameter surr ounded

, ,

by an elabor atelycar ved stone r ai ling bear ing numer ous

inscr iptions in characte r s similar to those of the Asoka
edi cts Th e stupa h ad been cover ed with a coat of
.

pl aster in which hundr eds of tr iangul ar shaped

,
-

r ece sses h ad be en m ade for the reception of lights

for the illumin ation of the monument On festival .

1
Cu nn i n gh am, Th e S t upa of Bh ar h u t ( Lon d on , Th e
d l
istan ce of 1 20 mi es fr om A ah abad , state ll d by C u n n i n gh a m , is
n ot cor r ect accor di ng to th e maps
, in c l di
u ng hi s .
 TH E M ONUM ENTS 9 :

o ccasions it was the practice of the Buddhists to

decor ate stupas in ever y p ossible way with flower s , ,

gar l ands banner s and lights

, , .

Th e r ai ling of the Bhar hut stupa was a little mor e

.

than 7 feet high an d was divided into four quad r an ts

,

by openings facing the car dinal points Each opening .

was appr oached by an or namental gateway of the

‘
.

kind called tar an Th e beams of each tor an wer e

.

suppo r ted on comp osite pill ars each composed of fou r

,

octagonal shafts j oin ed together Each of these sh afts

.

is cr owned by a distinct bell c apital Th e four bell

.

capitals ar e cover ed by a single abacus on whi ch ,

r ests a m assi v e upper c ap i tal for med of two lions an d

t wo bull s all couchant

,
A lthough the r emains of th e
.

o rnamental gateway s o r tor a ns at Bh ar hut ar e v er y

imper fect en ough is left to pr ove that these elabor ate

,

str uctu r es cl osely r esembled the better pr eser ved

examples of later date at S anchi Th e complete cast
.

o f on e of the sa nchi gates exhi bited in the I ndian

Museum at South Kensingto n ser ves as an illustr ation
o f the sim i lar gateways at Bhar hut S uch of the .

Bhar hut scu lptu r es as wer e sav ed from the r uthless

hands of the villager s wer e con veyed to Calcutta ,

wher e they n ow for m on e of th e chief tr easur es of the

I mper ial Museum One of the gateways h as been
.

parti ally r esto r ed an d por tions of two quadr ants of

,
‘

the r ailing hav e been set up beside it in or der to ,

con vey to visito r s an idea of the n atur e of the

str uctur e .

Th e r ailing was compose d of pillar s th r ee cross bar s

,
-
,
9 2 A S OKA

l
r ai s, an da heavy coping Each of the pillars is
'

or .

a m onol ith bear i ng a centr al medall ion on eac h face ,

with a half medallion at the top an d another at the

bottom Ever y mem ber of the r ailing is cov er ed
.

with elabor ate sculptur e which is of exceptional ,

inte r est for the hi stor y of Buddhism because it is to ,

a lar ge extent inter p r eted by expl an ato r y c ontem

p o r ar
y i nsc r i ption s .

Th e r emains o f v er y sim il ar r ailings of A sok a s

’

age exist at Budd ha G aya; an d B a ba P C M u k h ar j i . .

found par ts of at least thr ee differ ent sto ne r ailings

at Patn a some of which ma be e v en ear li er in date
, y
than Asoka 1
.

Besn agar near sanchi the anci ent V ed isagir i the , ,

home accor ding to t h e l egend of Devi the mother of

, ,

Mah en d r a an d San gh amitr a son an d daughter o f ,

A soka h as yi elded specimen s of another sculptur ed

,

r aili ng of M aur y a a e be ar i ng ded icator y inscr iption s

2
g , .

I n ancient I ndia both the Bud dhists an d the Jains

wer e in the habit O f defr aying the cost of expensive
r el igious edifices by subscr iption e ach donor or gr oup ,

of d on or s being gi v en the cr edit of having contr i buted

a p ar ti cular p illar coping sto ne or other por tion of

,
-

the edifice on which the name of th e donor was

in scr ibed I t is inter esting to fin d that the same
.

1
Bab ii P C M ukh ar j i s i scover ies ar e d escr ib e in an u n pub
. .
’
d d
p
lish ed r e or t For Bu h a Ga a, see Cu n n in gh am, M ahd bod h i
. dd y
( L on o nd, R aj en d r al ala M i tr a, Bu ddh a G ayd ,
an d Gu n

n i n gh a m Repor ts,
, l
vo s . i , iii, vi ii , x i, x vi.
1
Cun nin gh am, Repor ts, x .
38 .
 TH E M ONUM ENTS 3

practice cr editing indivi dual donor s with the pre

of

sen tation of single p ill ar s exi sted in H ellen isti c A sia .

A t the temple of Labr an d a in Car i a datin g fr om the ,

reign of Ner o or a little later Sir Char les Fellows

, ,

found twel v e fluted columns each of whi ch bor e a ,

panel recor ding that it was the gift of such an d such a

person 1
Th e subscr iptions of cour se must hav e been
.

collected in cash an d the wor k must have been car r i ed

,

ou t by the architect in accor d an ce wi th a gener al

plan Th e recor d of indivi dual donor s was intended

.

n ot o nly to gr ati f the i r v anity an d the natur al desire

y
for the per petu ation of their n ames but to secure for ,

them an d their families an accumulation of spir itual

mer it Th e I ndian inscr iptions frequently expr ess
.

thi s latter pur pose .

I n addition to the statues of animals on the summi t

o f monoli thi c pillars whi ch wi ll be desc r ibed p r esently ,

a few specimens of sculptu r e in the ro und belongin g

to the Maur ya per iod h av e been pr eser v ed in a

to lerably complete state .

Of these rar e specimens on e of the most remar kable

is the colossal statue of a man sev en feet in height
found at Par kham a village between M ath u r a an d
,

A gr a . This wor k is executed in gr ey sandstone

hi ghly poli shed Th e ar ms ar e unfortunately br oken
.
,

an d the face is mutil ated Th e dress whi ch is v er y .

,

peculiar consists of a loose r obe confin ed by two bands

, ,

on e below the br east an d the other round the loins

2
.

1
Fellows A i a M i no pp 2 6 1 331 an d p late ( Lo do
, s r , .
, , n n,
1
Cun nin gh am, Repor ts, xx .
4 Pl0, . vi .
94 A S OK A

A colossal female stat ue of the same per iod found

at Besn agar 6 feet 7 in ches in height i s of special
, ,

interest as being the only specimen o f a fem ale statue

in the r oun d that h as yet been disco ver ed of so early
a per iod
1
.

A stand ing statue of a saint with a halo which ,

cr owned the norther n detached pillar near the gr eat

stupa at sa nchi is considered by Cunningh am to be
,

on e of the finest specimens of I ndian sculptu r e

1
.

A soka h ad a special fondness for the erection of

monolithi c pillars on a gigantic scale an d er ected them ,

in gr eat number s i nscr ibed an d w ithout inscr i ptions

,
.

Two on e at the souther n an d the other at the nor ther n

, ,

entr ance gr aced the approaches to the gr eat stupa of

,

sanchi . Th e norther n pillar whi ch supported the ,

statue o f the sain t was about 4 5 feet in

,
he ight ;
th e souther n pill ar which was cr owned by four l ions
,

standing back to back was some 5 feet lower , .

Both pillars like the other monuments of the same

,

class ar e composed of highly polished fin e sandstone

, , .

Th e mono li thi c shaft o f the sou ther n pillar was 32

feet in height .

Th e S anchi pillar s o f whi ch the so uther n on e bear s

,

a mutilated in sc r iption cor r espond ing wi th par t of the

,

K ausambi Edi ct on the A llahabad p illar hav e been ,

thr own down an d suffer ed much injur y Two only of .

A soka s m onolithi c pillars still stan d i n a condition

’

pr actically per fect ; on e at Bakhir a near Basar in the

1
Cu n n in gh am, Repor ts, x .
44 .

1
Bh i lsa Tapes, 1 97 , P] p . . x .
 TH E M ONUM ENTS 95

District, the other at Lauriya

'

M uzaflar pu r an d

Nan d an gar h ( Navan d gar h ) in the C h ampar an Distr ict .

A detailed descr iption of these two monuments

will suffice to give the reader an adequate idea of the
whole class .

Th e Bakhi r a pi ll ar is a m onoli th of fin e sandstone ,

hi ghly polished for its whole length of 32 feet abov e

the water level A squar e pedestal with three steps is
.

said to exist un der water Th e shaft tape r s unifor mly

.

from a di ameter of 49 8 inches at the water level to

8
3 7
-
a t the top Th . e p r i nci p al mem b er o f the c ap i tal
is bell shaped in the Per sepoli tan style 2 feet 1 0
-

i nches in height an d is sur mounted by an o blong

,

abacus 1 2 inches h igh whi ch ser v e s as a pedestal

,

for a li on se ated on its h au nches 4 5 fee t i n

, h ei ght .

Two or th r ee m ou ldin gs ar e inser ted between the

shaft an d the bell capital an d on e inte r v ene s between
,

the latter an d the abacus .

Th e total height abov e the water lev el is 44

feet 2 inches I ncluding the submer ged position
.

the length of the monument must be about 5 0 feet ,

an d the gr oss weight is e stim ated to be about 5 0

tons 1

I n gener al design the Laur i ya Nandan gar h pillar -

resembles that at Bakhir a but is far less massi ve

, .

T h e pol ished shaft which i s 32 feet 9 1 inches in

,

height diminishes fr om a base diameter of 35 5 inches

,

to a diameter at the top of 2 2 1 inches Th e abacus is

.

cir cular an d is decor ated on the edge with a bas r elief

,
-

1
Cu n n i ngh am, Rep or ts, i 5 6 ;
. x vi . 1 2.
9 6 A S OKA

repr esenting a r ow of geese pecking their food Th e .

height of the capital including the li on is 6 feet , ,

I 0 inches Th e whole monument therefor e is near ly

.
, ,

4 0 feet in he ight (Fr an t ispi ece)

1
.

Th e mutilated pillar at Rampur wa in the same

distr ict is a duplicate of that at Laur iya Nandangar h -
.

Th e capital of this pillar was attac hed to the shaft by

a bar r el shaped bolt o f pur e c oppe r measur i ng 2 feet
-
,

an d half an inch in length w ith a di ameter of 4

5
3, ,

inches in the centr e an d 3; inches at each end Thi s

, .

bolt was accur ately fitted into the two masses of stone
,

without cement 1
.

Th e circular abacus of the A llah abad p illar is de

cor ated in stead of the geese wi th a gr aceful scroll
, ,

of alter nate lotus an d honeysuckle r esting on a ,

beaded astragalus moulding per haps of Greek ,

ori gin
3

Asoka s monoliths fr equently ar e placed in situations

’

hundr eds of miles distant from q u ar r i es capable of

supplying the fin e sandsto ne o f whi ch they ar e com

posed Th e massiveness an d exquisite fin ish of these

.

huge monuments bear eloquent testimony to the skill

an d r e sour ce of the ar chi tects an d sto necutters of the

Mau r ya age .

Th e t wo Aso ka pillar s which n ow stand at Delhi

1
Cun n i n gh am, Repor ts, i 7 3, Pl x x iv ; x vi 1 04 ,
. PI . . . x x vu

( co p d
i e i n fr on ti s i e ce ) I am i n forpm e th at th e cor r ect
. d name
of th e gr eat mou n d
is Nan an gar h , n ot Navan d gaghd .

1
d
Ibi , x vi 1 1 0, PI viii ; x x ii 5 1 , Pl vi, vu
. . . . . .

1
d
Ibi , i 29 8
. . .
 TH E M ONUM ENTS 97

wer e removed in A D 1 35 6 by Fi roz Shah Tughlak . . ,

the on e from Topr a in the A mbala ( Umballa) District

o f the Panj ab an d the other fr om M i r ath (Meer ut) in
,

the North Wester n Provinces Th e pr ocess of r emoval

-
.

of the Topr a m on ument is descr i bed by a contempo r ar y

author an d h is graphic acco unt is w orth tr anscr i bing

,

as sh owing the nature of the di fficulti es whi ch we r e

successfully an d frequently surmounted by A soka s

’

architects .

K h i zr ab a d ,
’
sa s y th e h i stor i an , is n in et y kos fr om
l
De h i , i n th e lls Wh n th S lta
vicin it y of th e h i . e e u n

v i it d th at d i t ict a d saw th
s e c l m
s r i t h e vi ll age of
,
n e o u n n

T p a h
o r , lv d to r em v it to Delh i a d th
e r eso e t it o e ,
n er e er ec

as a m m i al t e f t r ge
or at i s A fte th i k i g ove
o u u e n er on . r n n r

th b t m a
e es f l w i g th
e ns o l m d sw i s d o er n e co u n, or er er e s ue

c mma di g th e atte d a
o n n of all th e p eopl dw lli g i n n ce e e n n

th e bour h ood with in an d with ou t th e Doab an d all

n eigh , ,

soldi er s b oth h or se an d foot

,
Th ey wer e or d er ed t o br i n g .

all implemen ts an d mater i als su i t ab le for th e wor k Dir ec .

t i ons wer e issu ed for b r in gi n g p ar cels of th e cotto n of

th e lk
si -
cotton t r ee .
Q u an t i ti es of th is si lk cotto -
n wer e
pl a ce d r ou n d th e co u l mn ,
an d wh en th e ear th at it s b ase
was r emove it fell gen t ly over on th e bed
d,
p pa d f
re re or it .

The cotton was th en r emoved b y degr ees ,

an d after so me
d ay s th e p i lla r lay safe u p on th e gr oun d . Wh en th e
fou n datio n s of th e p i lla r wer e ex amin ed , a lar ge squ ar e
ston e was fou n d as a b ase, wh ich also was t aken ou t .

Th e p i ll ar was th en en cased fr om top to b ott om i n r eed s

an d r aw skin s, so t h at n o d amage mi gh t accr ue to i t .

A car r i age wit h for ty two wh eel s was constr u cted an d r opes
-
,

wer e attach ed to each wh eel Th ou san ds of men h au led at .

ever y p ro e, an d after gr eat l ab our an d diffi lty cu th e p ill ar

G
9 8 A S OK A

was r aise d p wa fa t
'

on t o th e car r iage . A str on g r o e s s en ed

to each wh eel , an d t wo h u n dr e d men p ll d at ach

u e e of

t h ese ro p es . mu lt an eou s e x er tion s of so man y

By t h e si

t h ou san dm
e n t h e car r i age was move d an d was b r ou gh t t o
,

t h e b an ks of th e J u mn a H er e th e Su l t an came t o meet i t
. .

A n u mber of l ar ge b oat s h ad b ee n collecte d some of wh ich ,

co u ld car r y an d mau n d s of gr ai n , an d t h e
least of th em mau n ds Th e col u mn was ver y in gen .

i ou sly t r ansfer r e d t o th ese b oats , an d was t h en con d d

u cte

t o Fir oza a b d [ o ld l
De h i ] , wh er e it was l an de d an d co n ve e yd
i n t o t h e K u sh k with in fin ite l ab ou r an d ski ll .
’

Th e histor ian then pr oceeds to nar r ate h ow a

special building was p r epar ed for the receptio n of the

m onument which was r aised to the summi t wher e it

, ,

still stands w i th p r ecautio ns sim ilar to those at tending

,

its r emoval fr om its or iginal site 1

Th e p illar thus r emov ed w ith so much ski ll i s the

most inte r esting of all the A soka columns being the ,

only on e on wh ich the in v aluable Pillar Edict V II i s

incised Fahi en the fir st Chinese p ilgri m whose

.
-

, ,

tr av els lasted for fifteen year s fr om A D 39 9 mentions . .

,

only thr ee A soka p ill ar s namely two at Pa talipu tr a , , ,

an d on e at S ankasya .

Th e later p ilgr im H iu en Tsiang wh o tr av elled , ,

in the se v enth centur y n otices specifically sixteen ,

pillar s ascr ibed to Asoka Of these only two have been .

,

i dentified wi th absolute cer tainty the un inscr ibed ,

c olumn at Bakh ir a an d the inscr ibed on e at Ru mmin d ei .

A thir d the Nigli va pillar whi ch does n ot occupy its

, ,

Sh am i Si aj q oted i St ph e
’
1
s- -
Ca r A h ology of
,
u n rr e n s r c ae

D lh i p 1 31
e , . .
 TH E M ONUM E NTS 99

or iginal position is pr obably that seen by H iu en

,

T siang near the std pa of K an akamu n i Th e two gr eat .

pillar s sev enty feet high one sur mounted by the figu r e
, ,
'

o f an o x an d the other by a wheel which stood at ,

the entr ance of the famous Jetavan a m onaster y near

S r av asti ar e believ ed to still exist bur i ed in a Nepa
,

lese for est but their actual discov er y r emains to r ewar d

,

some fo r tunate expl or er Fr agme nts of sev er al pillars

.

o f the A sok a pe r iod h ave been d iscl osed by excav ations

at an d near Patna wh ich probably include the two

,

mentioned by the Chinese pilgr ims as existing ther e .

Nine pillar s bear ing inscr iptions of A soka ar e

known to exist none of which ar e mentioned by the
,

pilgr ims except the monument at Ru mmin d ei an d

, ,

probably that at Nigli va I t is a v er y cur ious fact .

that the Chi nese tr av eller s nowher e make the slight

est allusion t o the A so ka edicts whethe r incised on ,

r ocks or p ill ar s Th e i nscr iptions on pillar s whi ch

.

they noted wer e brief dedicato r y or commemor ativ e

r ecor ds Th e following list o f the known inscr ibed
.

pill ars will be found useful for r e fer ence

I NS CRI B ED PILLA RS OF A S OKA .

Nm
a e. Posi ti on .

On summi t of Koth i a l Ci te d by
Cu n n i n g
d
in th e r u i n e city Pi h am as De h i Si
‘
l -

r ozabad n ear De h i
r emoved i n A D 1 35 6
. .
l l ’
va i k, an d by Sen ar t
‘ ’
as ld t o f Fi r oz , or
ll d

Topr a i n Am ‘
D 1 ’
Pi ar E i cts
.

b l
a a Distr i ct , Pi by I — VII n ear ly
com
r oz Sh a h Tu gh lak .
p l et e C a ita p l
m o
d
.

er n .
1 00

D lh i M i
e -
On i ge at De hi,
r d l Cite b d y
Sen ar t as
wh er e it was t e ’
De hi 2 or l D 1

l d
.

( M eer u t ) e r ecte En g ish d by l Pil ar E i cts 1 VI

Gover n men t i n 1 867 ; much muti ated l .

Br oken in to five
pieces, n ow oin e j d
to eth er
g C a ita . p l
mi ssr n g .

l
Al ah a bad ll Pi Ed icts I VI
ar -

l d ’
a so Queen s E i ct
at Allah ab ad b t u Kan sambi
d d p
,

bably
ro em r ove E i ct , all im er fect
p l d
.

Ka éambi
on u Ca ita mo er n ,
pt abac
.

ex ce us .

At th La riy a h am Cited by Se a t a
e u n r s
l t a mil f mtem
’ ’
e Rad h iah
e ro R ‘
or
‘

d
.
, ,

p l f M a
e oh ad A Pill a E i t I V I
eo r r c s —

a a j 0 mil N W a ti ally p f t r c c
papital ll t
r , 2 es . . er ec .

of K a iya td a es r s ,
os .

an d on th e 1 0 to
Bettia, i n th e Ch am
ar an Di str ict of
or t h Bih ar
d by Se a t a
.

Cite n r s
’ ’
‘
M ath iah o M , r
‘

Pilla Edict I V I
.

r s -

an d 1 5 mi les NNW ti ally pe fe t

r ac c
papital mpl t
. r c .

of Betti a, i n th e co e e .

Ch ampar an Distr ict

Impe fectly e a a
.

At Rampur wa h am r x c v
t d I
e . ipti nscr on , so
fa a e a at ed i
r s x c v n
d d
,

g oo i ti thcon on , e
s am a e N 4 s on os
Capital m
.

a d 5
n . 1
pa a r n Distr ict f t
er ec
lip ll
. .

san chi a d b
‘
A t sou th er n e n tr an ce en k n ro en ,
to gr eat stupa of b t th
u ap ital e c re
an ch i i n Bh o mai I n s. i ti n scr on
State, Cen tr al In a m h m tilate b
°

. uc u , e
i ga
n io f thver s n o e
Ka sambi Edi t
u c on
th Allah abadp illa
e r .
 TH E M ONUM E NTS 1 01

Posi ti on . Remar ks .

Nigli va On west b an k of Ni 11 two p

i eces, and
g li va ( N i Ii sa
) g ar n ot in or i al osi p
n ear Nig i va vil age l t ion ; capl tal miss
pl
i n Ne a ese Tar ai , in g . p
I m er fect i n
n or th of th e Basti p
scr i tion , r ecor i n g d
Dist r i ct . vi sit of A soka to
stu p a of K on ak a
mana .

At Rummin d ei in d y
Cite b Bah ler as
p
th e Ne al ese Tar ai , Pad er i a, fr om n ame
a out 6 mi es n or th
b l l
of vil ag e t o south .

fr om Du lh a in th e S it b pl y l i gh tn i n g
Basti Di st r i ct , an d p
an d i m er fect ; th e
1 3 mil es n ear SE ly . ll p
b e or tion of th e
fr om NO 8 . . ca i ta p l r emai n s .

Abso u te l ly p er fect
p
i n scr i tion , r ecor d
i n g vi sit of Asoka to
th e Lumbi ni gar en d .

Th e rock inscr iptions of A soka ar e the most peculiar

an d char acte ristic monuments of his r eign Th e .

longer inscr iptions all consist of di fler en t r ecensions of '

th e fo urteen Rock Ed icts published in the thi r te enth

,

an d fourteenth year s o f the r e ign an d we r e r ecorded ,

at l ocalities situate d i n the m or e r em ote p r o vinces o f

the empire .

Th e village of S hahbazgar hi i s situate d on the site

o f an anci ent ci ty the Po lu sh a of H iu en Tsiang in
,
- -

the Yasu fzai countr y forty miles nor th east of

,
-

Peshawar an d mor e than a thousand miles in a dir ect

,

line distant fr om Patalipu tr a ( Patna) the capital of ,

the Maur ya empir e Th e principal inscr iption is

.

r eco rded on both the easter n an d we ster n face s o f

a mass o f tr ap rock 2 4 feet long an d 1 0 feet high

, ,
1 02 A S OK A

which lies on the sl ope of the hill south east of the -

v illage Th e Toler ation Edict No X II di scov er ed by

.
, .
,

C olonel Deane a few years ago is incised on a separ ate ,

rock about fifty yar ds d istant from the m ain r ecor d .

Th e text of all the fourteen edicts is near ly per fect 1

.

A nothe r copy of the fourteen edi cts (om ittin g th e

fourteenth ) h as been r ecently discov er ed at M an ser a
in the H azar a Distr ict of the Panj ab inscr ibed on ,

t wo r ock s Th e text is less complete th an that at

.

S hahbazgar hi Both these r ecension s agr ee in being

.

inscr ibed in the for m of A r amai c char acter w r i tten ,

fr om r ight to left an d n ow gener ally known by th e

,

name of Khar oshthi They also agr ee in givin g .

special p r omi nenc e to th e Toler atio n Ed ict whi ch h as ,

at M anse r a on e si de o f the r ock to i tself an d at ,

S hahbazgar hi is in scribed on a sep ar ate r oc k 1

.

Th e thir d v er sion of the edicts found on the

nor ther n fr ontier of the emp ir e is at Kalsi in t h e
Lower H imal ayas on the r oad fr om S ahar anpur to
,

the cantonment of Chakr ata an d about fifteen mile s ,

westwar d fr om the hill station of Mu ssoor i e (M an -

shr i ) Th e r ecor d is incised on a block of white quartz

.

about ten feet l ong an d ten feet h igh wh ich stands ne ar ,

the foot of the upper of two ter r aces over lookin g the
junction of th e Tons an d Ju mna r i ver s Th e text of .

1
Cun n i n gh am, Repor ts, v .
9
-
2 2, Pl
. ii i — v ; Ep igr aph i a I n
d i ca, ii 447 ; M Fou ch er in 1 1 th I n ter n Congr ess f Oti en tali sts,
'

. . . o

Par is, 93 p . . This r ecen sion i s often ci t e d un d er th e me

na of

Kapu r d agi r i , a n eigh bo u r i n g vi llag e .

Epigr aph i a I n d i ca, ii 447 ;

1
. I n d ian A n ti qu ar y, x ix .
43 .
 TH E M ONUM E N TS 1 03

the edicts is near ly complete an d agrees closely wi th ,

the M anser a r ecension 1

Th e character used as in .
,

all the A soka in scri ptions except S h ahbazgar hi an d ,

M anser a is an ancient for m of th e Brahmi ch ar ac te r

, ,

th e par ent of the moder n De vanagari an d alli ed

Two copies of the fourteen edicts wer e published

on the wester n coast Th e fr agment at Sopar a i n the
.
,

Thana Distr ict north of B ombay consists only of a ,

few wor ds fr om the eighth edict but is enough to show ,

that a copy of the edicts once existed at this place ,

which under the name of S fir par aka was an impo r

, ,

tant port in ancient times for m any centuries 2

.

Th e Gir n ar r ecension the e ar lie st disco ver ed is , ,

incised on the face of a gr anite block on the G ir n ar

h ill to the e ast of the town of Jfin agar h in th e pen
insula o f K ath l awar M S en ar t s tr anslations ar e 11
. .
’

based pr incipally on this r ecension which h as suffer ed ,

many injur ies .

T wo copi es of the edicts ar e found ne ar the coast of

the Bay of Bengal within the limits of the kin gdom ,

o f K alinga c onquer ed by A sok a in the ni nth year of

1
Th eme is wr itten Kh al si by Cu n n in gh am an d Sen ar t
na ,

b u t Kalsi seems t o be th e cor r ect for m ( Cun n in gh am Repor ts , ,

i 24
.
4, P I x 1 1 ; C o
.r
p u
.s I nscr I n d i car u m i 1 2 ; Ep igmph ia .
, .

I n d i ca, ii .

1
I n d i an A n tiqu ar y , i i 8 d Bh a va
.
32
; 1 v 2 2 ; vn 2 59 ;
. an g n .

Lal I n d r aj i , ar ticle ‘
So p ar a i n J ou r n al Bomb Br R A S for
’
. . . . .

1 882 ( re p r in t ) .

1
Corp u s, p .
4; S1
en ar t , I nscr i p t ion s d e Piyad asi ,
n . 2 66, &c ; .

Epigr aph ia I n d i ca, ii 447 . .

 10 4 A S OKA

h is eign Th e norther n copy is incised on a rock

r .

named Aswastama near the summit of a low hi ll near

Dhauli about four miles a little west of south fr o m
,

Bh u van esvar i n the Katak Distri ct of Or issa A space .

measuring fifteen feet by ten on the face of the r ock

h as been pr ep ared to r e ce iv e the insc r iption 1
.

Th e southern copy is engrav ed on the face of a rock

situated at an elev ation of about 1 2 0 feet in a mass

of gr aniti c gneiss r ising near the centr e o f an anci ent

fortified town known as Jsugada in the Ganj am

Distr ict of the Mad r as Pr esidency eighteen m iles west ,

north west fr om the town of Ganj am in 1 9 1 3 1 5

-
,
° ' ”

’
north latitude an d 84 5 3 5 5 east longitude 1
,
° ’

Th e Dhauli an d Jsugad a recensions ar e pr actically

duplicates an d agree in omitting Edicts X I X I I an d
, , ,

XII I They also agree in exhibiting two special

.

edicts the Borderers an d the Provincials Edicts which

,
’ ’
,

ar e n ot found anywhere else Th e texts of the .

Kal inga recensions ar e v er y imper fect 1

Th e ser i es of the fourteen Rock Edicts is ther efor e

known to occur in a for m more or less complete at , ,

1
Cor pus, p . 15 (
some statemen t s i n accu r at e) ; Repor ts, x iii 9 5
. .

1
Cor p us, p . 17 ; Repor ts, x iii 1 12 ; Sewe ll L i t f
, s s o A ntiqu i
ties, M ad r as, Gr ah ame s Re por t ,
i .
4; M e 2 2 , 1 87 2 ,
r .
’
dated F b .

i n I n d ian A n tiquar y , i 2 1 9 . .

1
For th e Ka i n ga l ’
Se ar ate or Detach ed ) E i cts, see p d
Corp us, 20 ; p
I n d i an A n t iqu ar y , x ix
. 82 A ll th e . .

p
Asoka i n scr i tion s ex ce t t h e mor e r ecen t iscover i es, n ame , p d ly
th e M au ser e ver sio n of th e four teen e icts, E ict X I I at Sh ah d d
b azgar h i , t h e Tar h i Pi ar E i cts, t h e Rampur wa Pil ar , th e ll d l
p
So ar a fr agmen t , an d th e Si a ur a in scr i ti on s, ar e ea t wi th dd p p d l
in M . Sen ar t s b ook, I nscr iptions d e Piyad asi ,
’
p b li h ed i
u s n 1 87 8.
 TH E M ONUM E NTS
‘

1 05

e en places namely S hahbazgar hi M an ser a Kalsi

s v , , , ,

Sopara Gir n ar Dhauli an d J au gad a I t is possible

, , ,
.

that other v ersions may yet be discovered .

Th e Minor Rock Edicts present a single short edict

in var iant for ms to whi ch a second sti ll shorte r edict
, ,

a summary of the Buddhist mor al law is ad ded i n the ,

Siddapur a group of copies only These Minor Edicts .

ar e scattered nearly as w id ely as the four teen Rock

Edicts being found at Bair at in Ra

, jputana Rfipn ath in ,

the Central Pr ovinces Sah ase in Bengal an d Sidda , ,

pura in Mysor e Thr ee copies exi st at an d near .

Siddapur a 1
.

Th e Bhabra Edict forms a cl ass by itself I t i s in .

scribed on a detach ed boulder of re d d ish gr ey gr an ite -

of mode r ate size which was discov ered in 1 8 7 o n , 3

the top of a hill near the ancient city of Bair at in
Ra jputana wher e a copy of the fir st Minor Rock Edict
,

exists Th e boulder is n ow in the rooms of the

.

Asiatic S oci ety of Bengal in Calcutta This edict i s .

pec u l ia r in be ing ad dr e s sed t o t h e Buddh is t cle r gy

2
.

Th e S upplementary Pillar Edi cts ar e shor t docu

ments of compar atively sm all impor tance inscr ibed
on the pill ars at A ll ahabad an d Sfim ch i
3
.

Th e two inscr ibed pillar s in the Nepalese Tar ai

ep o t E d i t
’
M r Ric . e s r f A k i rM y
, o e F eb 1 8
cs o 2
9 ; so a n s r , .
,

Buh l e i Epigmph ia I d i a i ii 1 34
r , n n c , . .

3
Q o
ut e d a s eco d B ai r
‘
at o
s k i C am
n us p 2 4 ; I d i a r c
’
n , . n n

A ntiqu ar y , x x . 15 4 .

Buh l ’
er s e diti on s o f th e Q u een s
’ ’
an d Kau éambi
‘
E ict s d
ar e i n I n d ian A n tiquar y , x ix . 1 23 . He edi ted th e Sfin ch i
fr agmen t in Epigr aph i a I n d ica, i i 87 , 366 . . Th e San ch i pilla r

d bd
i s escr i e i n Bh ilsa Tapes, 1 93 p . .
1 06 A S OKA

record the visits paid by A soka to two Buddhist holy

pl aces of gr eat sanctity an d the br ief inscr iption s in ,

the Bar abar cav es near Gays r ecor d the pr esentation .

to the Aj iv ik a ascetics o f r ock hewn cav e dwell ings -

.

These dwell ings ar e hewn ou t of soli d gr an ite an d the ,

walls have been polished with infinite pain s 1

Th e known A soka i nscr i ptions may be conv eni ently

ar r an ged app r o xi m ately in ch r onologi cal o r de r
,
in ,

e ight classes
I Th e Fourteen Rock Edicts in se ven r ecensions as
.
,

al r eady enumer ated ;

I I Th e two Kalin ga Edicts at Dhauli an d J au gad a ;

.

I I I Th e Minor Rock Edicts in four r ece n sion s as

.
, ,

abov e enumer ated of the first edi ct an d in thr ee cop ies , ,

o f the second edict ;

IV Th e Bhabr a Edict ;
.

V Th e thr ee Cav e I nscr iptions ;

.

VI Th e two Tar al Pill ar I nscriptions at Nigli v a

.
,

an d Ru mmin d ei ;
V I I Th e S ev en . Pillar Edi cts ; in si x r ecensions , as

b e enumer ated an d
a ov

VI I I Th e Supplementar y Pillar Edicts namely the

.
, ,

Q ueen s E di ct a n d the’
K au sam bi Ed i ct o n the A ll ah
abad p ill ar an d a v ar iant of the K au sfimbi Ed ict on th e
,

S anchi p illar .

Th e number of distinct documents may be r eckoned

as thi r ty fo ur I 1 4 I I 2 ; II I 2 V I
( -
I V 1 , 3; V 2 , , , , ,

V I I 7 ; VI I I
, ,

1
C i gh am C p
un n n p 30 ; R p t i 45 B h l h
, or us, . e or s, . . u er as

edit d th i
e ipti i I di A ti q
e n scry 36
on s 1 n n an n u ar , x x . .
 TH E M ONUM E N TS 1 07

Th e inscriptions ar e wr itten in forms of Pr akr i t

all ,

that is to say ver nacular dialects near ly allied to

,

li ter ar y Sanskr it But the dialects of the inscr iptions

.

ar e to a c onsider able extent pecul iar an d ar e n ot

,

i dentical either wi th Pali or an y of the li ter ar y

Pr akr its Most of the inscr i ptions ar e wr i tten in the
.

di alect known as Magadhi then cur r ent at the ,

capital of the empir e wher e the text was evi dently

,

pr epared T h e v ersions published at the distant

.

stati on s of G i r n ar an d S h ahbazgar hi wer e pr epar ed in

the vicer egal offices an d exhibit m any local peculiar
,

i ties Th e texts in the Centr al Provinces an d Mysor e

.

ar e i nter medi ate in char acte r between those of Gir n a r

an d those of the east .

Th e mi nute study of the A soka in scr iptions by

man y scholar s among whom M Emile S en ar t an d the
'

.
,

late Dr B uhler occupy the place of honour h as

.
,

greatly contr ibuted to the elucidation of numerous

pr oblems in the histor y of I ndian civi lization but ,

a full discussio n of the r esults obtained w ould be too

tech nical for these pages .

Th e ar ts in the age of A sok a h ad un doubtedly

attained to a h igh stand ar d of excellence .

Th e royal ar chitects wer e c ap able of de signing an d

e r ecting spacious an d lofty edifices in br ick wood an d , ,

stone of h andling wi th success enor mous m onol iths

, ,

o f con str uctin g m assi ve emb ankments w i th conv eni ent

sluice gates an d o f excav atin g c ommod ious chamber s

-

in the most r efr actor y rock S culpture was the hand

.

maid of archi tecture an d all notable buildings wer e

,
1 08 A S OKA

freely an d r ichly ador ned with decor ativ e patterns an ,

infin i te v ar i ety of has r eli efs an d numer ous statues o f

-
,

men an d an imals Th e ar t of painting was n o doubt

.

pr actised as we know it was practised with success

,

in a l ate r age but n o specimen that can be r efer r ed to

,

the Maurya period h as escaped the tooth of time .

Th e skill of the stone cutter may be sai d to hav e

-

attai ned perfection Gigantic shafts of har d sandstone

.
,

thir ty or forty feet i n length an d enor mous sur faces ,

of gr ani te were p olished li ke jewels an d the j oint s o f

, ,

masonr y wer e fitted with the utmost ni cety White .

ants an d o the r destructi ve agencies hav e p r ev ented

the pr eser vation of an y specimens of woodwor k save ,

a few p osts an d beams bur i ed i n the silt o f the ri v er s

at Patna but the char acte r of the car penter s ar t o f

’
,

the per iod is known from the ar chitectural decor ation ,

wh ich as Fer gusson so persistently poin ted ou t is

, ,

der iv ed fr om wooden prototypes Th e beads an d other .

jeweller y an d the seals of the Maur ya per iod an d

ear lier ages whi ch hav e been fr equently found
, ,

p r ov e that the I ndian lap idar ies an d gold smiths of the

ear li est histori cal period were n ot inferior to those of
an y other countr y Th e r ecor d ed descr iptions an d
.

scul ptur ed r ep r esentations ofch ariots har ness ar m s ac , , ,

cou tr emen ts dr ess te xti le fabrics an d other articles of

, , ,

necessity an d luxur y indicate th at the I nd ian empir e

h ad then attained a stage of m aterial c iv ili zation pr o
bably equal to that attained under the famous Mughal
emper or s in the sixteenth an d se venteenth centur i es .

Th e G r eek writers speak wi th the utmost respect of

 TH E M ONUM ENTS 1 09

th e power an d resources of the kingdoms of the

Pr asii an d G an gar id ae that is to say M agadh a or
, ,

Wri tin g was in common use Th e Brahmi alphabet . ,

the parent of the modern Devanagari an d most of the

other alphabe ts n ow used in I ndia a descendant from ,

remote Phoenician an cestr y exhibits in the in scr ip ,

tions so man y v arieties that it must hav e been already

in use for sev eral centuri es Th e Sanchi relic caskets .

pr o ve that the use of in k for writing was familiar .

Th e care taken to publish the em peror s sermons by

’

inscribing them on roc ks boul ders an d pillar s along , ,

the mai n lines of communication impli es the existence

of a con side r able publ ic able to read the documents
1

Asok a s selection of sev en passages fr om the

’

Buddhi st scriptures as h is specially cher ished texts , ,

impli es the existence at the time of a lar ge body o f

collected doctr ine which must h av e been pr ese r ved in
,

a written fo r m Th e v as t m ass of prose books in

.

cluded in the Buddhist canon could n ot hav e been

preserved for centuries by memory only .

Th e histor y of the origi n an d dev elopment of all

thi s advanced civilization is v ery imper fectly known .

With v er y small exceptions consisting of a few coin ,

legends the shor t dedicator y inscription on the r elic

,

See Buh l e
1
ad mir ab le di er tati o s i h i I d is h e Palaeo
r s
’
ss n n s n c

a
g p
r h ie ( G d iss r un a d h i prap e s ,o th e o i gin of th e n s r n r

B ah mi an d Kh ar o h th i alph ab et
r epr in ted f om Ban d cx x i i
s s, r r x

of th e S itzu n gsbemch te d er kais Aloud d er Wiss Wien ,

'

. . . in 1 89 5
an d H oer n le, p
An E igr a h ica Note p l on Pa m l l -
eaf, Pa pe
r , an d
Bir ch -
bar k ,
’
in J A S B , Par t i , x ix
. . . . l . 1 30 .
1 10 A S OKA

casket in the Pipr avastd pa an d possibly two or thr ee ,

o the r v e r y brief r ec ords the A soka inscr i ptions ar e

,

the ear liest known I ndian documents Th e historical .

links connecting the alphabet of these documents with

its S emitic pr ototype ar e ther efor e wanting ,
But ,
.

B uh ler was probably right in der i ving the Br ahmi

alph abets o f A sok a fr om Mesopotam ia an d i n dating ,

the intr oduction of the ear li est for m of those alpha

bets into I ndia in about B c 800 Dr H oer n le . . . .

br ings the date a century or two lower down .

Th e Kh ar oshthi alphabet w r itte n fr om r ight to left

, ,

in which the S hahbazgar hi an d Mau se r sr ecensions o f

the edicts ar e r ecor ded is undoubtedly a for m of the
,

Ar am ai c or Syr ian character intr oduced into the r egions

on the north weste r n frontier of I nd ia afte r the con
-

quest of the Panj ab by Dar ius the son of H y staspes , ,

about B o 5 00
. . Th e Persian so vereignty in those
.

r egions p r obably lasted up to the in vasion of A lex

ander .

Th e imposing fabr i c of the A ch aemeni an empir e of

Per sia ev idently impressed the I ndian mind an d ,

se v er al c ir cum stances indicate a Per sian i nfluence o n

I ndian civilization Th e fr onti er r ecen sio ns of the

.

edicts ar e n ot only wr itten in the char acter used by

the Per sian cler ks they also use a pur e Per sian wor d
,

t o exp r ess writing an d each edi ct opens w ith a

’
,

for mula Thus saith King Pr iy ad ar sin which r ecalls ,

’

the state ly langu age of the Achaemenian monar chs .

Th e p illar s both the detached m onumental mon o

,

li ths an d the structur al columns of Asoka s ar ch itec ,

’
 TH E M ONUM E NTS 1 1 1

tur e ar e obviously Per sian Th e char acter istic features .

,

the stepped base the bell capital an d the combined

, ,

ani mals of the upper capital ar e distinctly A ch aeme ,

nian Th e has r eliefs gi ve i nnumerable ex amples of

.
-

such p illar s i n addition to the c onside r able number of

,

existing str uctur al specimens Th e winged lions an d .

,

se v e r al othe r details o f ar ch i tectur al dec or ation ar e ,

exp r e ssions o f As syr ian i nfluence Th e acanthu s .

leaves astr agalus an d bead mou lding an d honeysuckle

, ,

decor ation of some of Asoka s capitals ar e probably to ’

be explained as bor r owed fr om Gr eek or H ellenistic , ,

or igin als
1

I n the Buddh ist Jfitaka stor ies whi ch depict the li fe ,

o f I ndi a in the fifth an d sixth centur i e s B c ar ch i . .

,

tectur e is all wooden I n Asoka s age the mater ial of

.
’

ar ch itectur e is gener ally ei the r br ick or stone imi tating ,

wooden prototypes This change is probably in the

.

m ain to be ascr ibed to Asoka H iu en Tsiang r ecor ds .

the tr adition that he built a masonr y wall round the

capital r eplacing the old wooden palisade which con
,

tented the founder o f the Maur ya empir e 3

A l though .

this is the only r ecor ded instance of the substitution of

br i c k or stone for timber it is p r obably a symbol of a ,

gen er al tr an sfor mation for n o cer tain example of an y

,

masonr y bui ldi ng older than A soka s time except a ’

,

few v er y plain stapes is known to exist Th e stupa , .

,

See C u n n i n gh am, Repor ts, i 24

1
3, iii 9 7 , 1 00 ; v 1 89 ; . . .

V A Smith , G r acco Roman I n flu en ce on th e Civi i zat ion o f

. .
-
l
’
d
An ci en t I n i a, i n J ou r nal A s Sac Ben gal, Par t i an d
. . .

Per r ot an d p
Ch i iez, H istory of A r t i n Per si a, pp . 86 t o 1 20 .

2
Bea l ,
ii 85
. .
1 12 A S OKA

or sacr ed cupola itself is of cou rse an exception to the

, , ,

statement th at Mau r ya archi tecture followed wooden

for ms the stdpa being obviously a dev elopment of

,

the ear then tumulus Th e or namental r ailings which

.

surrounded the p r incipal std pas an d the tor a n gate ,

ways of those r aili ngs ar e in ev er y feature an d ever y

,

detail copies of woodwor k .

Th e im itation of woodwor k in these structures is

so obvious an d the fo rms ar e clear ly so much more
,

sui table fo r wood than stone that e v en the finest ,

examples excite along with admiration a feeling of

, ,

disapproval based on the incongr u ity between the

design an d the mater ial Th e faoad es of buildings
.

repr esented in the has reliefs suggest timber models

-

with equal distinctness an d wood of course must hav e

, , ,

been actually u sed to a large extent for balconi es an d

other features of the front ele vatio ns of buil di ngs as i t ,

is to thi s d ay .

Th e art istic mer i t of the sculpture s although n ot ,

compar able wi th the m aster p ieces of Greek gen i us ,

i s far fr om being contemptible Th e few sur vivi ng .

spec imens of statues of the hum an figur e in the

round ar e either so mutilated or the descr iptions ,

an d pl ate s rep r esenting them ar e so i mperfect th at ,

i t is di fli cult an d hazardous to pronounce an op ini on

on the ir mer i ts as wor ks o f ar t Th e lion s o f the .

B akhira an d Laur iya Nandangar h pillars though some

-
,

what stifl an d for mal ar e credi table perfor mau ces

'

, ,

an d the p aws ar e executed wi th r egard to the facts

o f n atur e
. Th e elephan ts as usual in I ndian sculp ,
 TH E M ONUM ENTS

ture , the best of the animals Th e fore half of

ar e .
-

an elephant is car v ed in the round from the rock

ov er the Dhauli copy of the edi cts an d seems to be ,

well executed I t occupies that position as an emblem

.

of G autam a Buddha an d is r epl aced at Ka

, lsi by a
dr awing of an elephant incised on the stone .

Th e sculptur es in bas r eli ef if they cannot often be

-
,

descr ibed as beauti ful ar e full of life an d vi gour an d

, ,

fr ankly r ealistic No attempt is made to idealize the

.

objects dep icted although the artists h av e allowed

,

their fancy consider able play in the r epresentations

of tr i ton s an d othe r fabul ous cr e atur es Th e pi ctorial .

scenes ev en wi thout the help of per spectiv e tell the ir

, ,

sto ri es wi th v ivi dne ss an d many of the figures ar e

,

designed with much spiri t A s in almost all I ndi an .

sc u lptur e the treatment of the muscles is conv enti onal

,

an d in adequate .

I m ages of the Buddha we r e n ot kn own in the age

of A soka an d ar e consequently absent fr om his
,

sculptur es Th e Teacher is r epr esented by symbols

.

only , the empty seat the pair of foot prints the

,
-

wheel .

Th e decorati v e or naments of the A sok a sculptures

much r esemble those found on many Buddhist an d
Jain str u ctures for sev er al centuries subsequent .

They exhibi t gr eat v ari ety of design an d some of ,

the frui t an d flower patter ns ar e extremely elegant .

 C H A P T ER I V

TH E ROCK I nscmr '

r l ox s

1 . T h e F o ur te en R ock E d i cts

( Th ir teen th an d F our teenth Year s)

EDI CT I
1
T H E sk cann x nss or e E

Tms pious edict h as been wr itten by comm and of

H is S acred Majesty Kin Pr iy ad ar sin 2

H er e [2 in the capital n o an i mal may be slaugh

3

d
Th e h ea i n gs to th e e i cts, of
1
d cour se, do n ot ex i st in th e
or igi n a l
Th e h ave been evise
. y d d an d inser te d to faci itate l
th e un d er stan di n g of th e d ocu men ts, an d to br in g ou t c e r l a ly
t h e fact, whi ch i s li abl e t o be b
o scu r e d by th e r epetiti on of

ph r ases, that pp p iat d t a p ial bj t

each edi ct is a ro r e o s ec su ec .

Th titl d d d m p iy ( Pali d d
3
e e n piy ) i li t ally
ev n r a , ea n ai a s er

t a lat d b l d f th g d h a lite al
’
r ns e
‘
d
e ove B t o e o s, or eaas . u suc r

t a l ati
r ns i mi l adi g Th titl wa t h
on s fli ial ty l
se fn . e e s e o c s e o

ki g i th th i d e t y B c a d wa
n s n e r d by Da ath a
c n ur . .
, n s use sar ,

gr an d f A ka a
son o d Ti h y (
a T a ) K i
so g f C yl
,
nw ll s i ss , n o e on , as e

a by A Th p h a d M aj ty m b i fly ’
s ka so H i Sa
. e r se s cr e es ,
or , or e r e ,

H i M aj ty m t b a ad q at l
’
s es , see
q i a t I sth o e n e u e e u v en . n e

Sh ah b a gar h i Kal i a d M a
z e ,i f R k Edi t V I II
s, n u ser ver s on s o oc c ,

t h t itl i th pl al Th i M aj ti
e e n e i d a th q i al t
ur , e r es es,
’
s use s ee u v en

o f aj a r ki g i
n a,t h ‘
G i e t t
n S p s,1 4
’
tn e r n r ex . ee . 2 , no e 1 .

b
Th e Sh ah azgar h i an d M an ser a r ecen si on s u se t h e San skr i t
for m Pr iy ad ar s
in ; th e o th er r ecen si on s u se th e Pa i for m l
Piyad asi . I n t h is wor k th e San skr it for ms of p p r o er na mes
h ave gen er a lly b e en p f d
r e er r e .

Th e wor d h er e p bably f
ro r e er s t o t h e ca i ta p l Patalipu t r a,
,

or ,
p ossi bly , to th e pala e ly c on . So, i n th e Sh ah b azgar h i,
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS 15

ter e crifice n or may holiday feasts be held for

d for sa ,
-

H is Majesty Kin Pr iy ad ar sin sees m ani fold e vil i n

holiday feasts -
ev er t h eless cer tai n holiday feasts
.
,
-

ar e me r i tor ious in the sight of H is M ajesty King

Pr i y ad ar sin 1
.

For mer ly the kitchen of H is Maj esty King

, in
Pr iy ad ar sin each d ay m an y thousan ds of li ving crea
,

tur es wer e slain to make cur r i es .

A t the p r esent m oment wh en this pious ed ict i s ,

being wr itten only these thr ee livin cr eatur es , ,

namely two peacocks an d on e deer ar e lled daily

'

, ,

an d th e de er n ot inv ar i ably .

Ev en these thr ee cr eatures shall n ot be sl aughte r ed

in futur e .

EDI CT I I

PROV I S I ON or co mr oar s '

FOR M EN A ND A NI M A L S

Ev er ywher e in the dominions of H is Majesty King

Pr iy ad ar sin , an d li kewise in neighbo ur i ng r ealm s,
2

such as those of the Chola Pa ndya S atiy apu tr a an d , , ,

K er alapu tr a in Ceylon , in the dominion s of the Gr eek

,

King A ntiochus an d in those of the other kings sub ,

o rdi nate to that A ntiochus ev er ywher e , on behalf of

3

K alsi , an d M an ser a r ecen si on s of Rock E i ct V, th e d ph r ase

h er e an d in all th e p r ovi n ci a lt o wn s cor r es on p d s to at Peta

th p pa
’
lipu tr a, & c . of th e Gir n er r ecen si on . In e r esen t ssage

M Sen ar t
.
’
s r en d er in g
‘
i s i ci bas -
.
’
See p . 1 2 0, n ote 4 .

1
Ho l day f a t
i -
e s see ms to be th e best r en d er i n g for sa maj a .

Su ch feasts wer e u sua lly atten dd e wi th d estr ucti on of an imal

life . If su ch d t ti es r u c on wer e avo id d

l day f a t
e , even ho i -
e s s

migh t be con s id d m it er e er or i ou s ( dd h m t
sd G i a )
u la ,
rn r , or ex ce

len t (sr estamati , See Rh y Da i d Dial g

s vp 7 s, o u es,
’
. .

Sh ah azgar h i omits th e wor d ki n g

b ’
.

l
p l at
Th e Ch o a ki n g om h ad its ca ita d Ur aiy ur , n ear
Tr ich i n o p ly M ad a wa th apit l f th
o . ur s e c a o e Pandy a ki n g

d om . K ala i th M alaba
er a t Th p iti os e r co s . e os n of th e Satiy a

H 2
1 16 A S OKA

H is Majesty Kin g Pr iy ad ar sin have two kinds of ,

remedies [1 hosp t l ] been d ssem nated r emedies

i a s i i —
for men an d r emed I es for beasts
,
1
H ealing her bs .
,

medicinal for man an d medicinal for beast wher ever ,

they wer e lacking have ev er y wher e been impor ted an d ,

planted .

I n like manner r oots an d fr uits wher ev er they , ,

wer e l ackin g have been imported an d planted , .

On the roads tr ees have been planted an d wells , ,

hav e been dug for the use of man an d beast 2

EDI C T II I

T H E Q U I NQ U ENNI A L A SS EM BL Y

Thus sai th H is Majesty Kin g Pr iy ad ar sin

I n the thir t eenth year of my r eign I issued
3
this
command
Ev er ywher e in my dominions the lieges an d the ,

4
Commissioner s an d the District O fficer s must ev er y ,

p t a i ot k ow A tio h = A tioch u Th eo (B c 2 6 1
u r s n n n. n c us n s s . .

Th e ki g s b o di ate to A ti h ca ot be i de tifie d
n s u r n n oc us nn n .

1
M . Sen ar t tr an slates ch ikisalcd ( ch iki chh a , Sh r . ch i ki tsa ) as

re med es Buh l er fo ll ws th e
o o ld er ver sion s, an d r en d er s

h os ita p l s.
’
I a m d isp osed to agr ee with M . Sen ar t .

1
Th e pa b egi n i g at H eali g is given i n a b r iefer
ssage n n n
’

for m i n th e Sh ah bazgar h i ver si on Th e tex t foll ows th e fu ll e . r

r ecen si on s.
1
lly by m a i t d tw l e yea
Liter a , e no n e e v rs .
’
Th e r egn a l yea rs

ar e alway k d f m th time f th
s r ec on e ro e o e so e l mn con secr ati on

or an oi n ti n g ( abhisheka ), wh i ch may be co m enien tly r en d d

er e
’
cor on ati on .

In r en d er i n g yutd (yu t a ) as an a dj ective mean i n g ‘

l yal
o
’

an d qu ali fyi n g r a uka j Buh l er h as over l ook e d th e th r ee

wor ds ah a an d
’
) in t h e Gi r n ar tex t ( y uta aha r dj uke cha

pr adesike aha) , which n ecessitat e th e in ter p r etation of y a as a

u t
b
su stan ti ve .

Th e ra fiuk as ( j
r d uk e) wer e h igh r even u e an d ex ecutive oflicer s,
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS ‘
11 7

five year s r epair to the Gener al A ssembly for the ,

special pur pose in addition to other business of , ,

pr oclaiming the Law of Piety to wit Obedience , ,

to father an d m other is good ; liber ality to fr i end s ,

acquaintan ces relati ve s B r ahm an s an d ascetic s i s, , ,

good ; r espect for the sacr ed ness of life is good ;

avoidance o f extr ava ance an d v iolence of lan guage
g ’
is ood .

he cler gy will thus instr uct the lieges in detail ,

both according to the letter an d the spirit 1

.

EDI CT IV
TH E PRA CT I CE or PI ET Y

For long time past even for man y hundred years

a , ,

the slaughter of living cr eatur es ,

beings disr espect to r elativ es

, ,

B r ahmans an d ascetics hav e gr own ,

.

But n ow by reason of the pr actice of piety by H is

,

Majesty Kin g Pr iy ad ar sin instead of the soun d of the

war dr u m the sound of the dr u m of piety is hear d
,

, ,

while heaven ly spectacles of procession al car s ele ,

p h an t s i llum in a,tio n s an d the li ke a r e d ispl ayed t o , ,

th e people 2
.

s p e io i
u r r an k to th e p dd
r n ikas I h a e tr a l ated th e two r es . v ns

wo d by familia A gl o I dia te m P of Ker n tr a lat th e

r s r n -
n n r s. r . ns es

te ma h yd a as tou r of i pecti on i st ead of a emb ly

’ ’
r n u sar n ns , n ss .

1
Pa i a le gy (sa ngha) acc d i g to M Sen a t wh om
r s c r i , or n . r ,

I foll ow Buh le p ar aph a e th e teach e

. a d a ceti
r f all r s s r s, n s cs o

ch ool a d co ti ues will i lcate wh at is befitti g at

,

’
s s, n n n n cu n

divi e e i e I follow M S a t i t a slati g y te (y ta i )

n s r v c .
’
. en r n r n n u u n

as t h e li ege d l ’
( fid ele ) a d a
g n a d y
sa h ( ganan asi) a s i seta i , n n i n .

Lite ally ( Sen ar t i r Bu t n ow by r easo of th e , .

‘
, n

p r actice f piety by H i M aj e ty th e sou nd of th e war d m

o s s ,
-
ru ,

o r ath e th e o
r d of the law of piety [i h ea d] b i gi g with
r s un , s r r n n

it th e di play f h eave ly p ecta le & c Th e p og e

’
s o f th e
n s c s, . r r ss o

Buddh i t tea h i g i comp a ed to th e r e e b er ati o

s c n fa d m
s r v r n o r u ,

and i accompa i ed by mag ifi ce t r eligi ous p r ocessi o s an d

s n n n n
 A S OK A

A s for m any hundr ed years pas t h as n ot hap ened ,

at th is p r esent, by reason of H is Majesty Ki ng r iya p
d ar sin s r oclamation of the law of p iety, the cessation
’

of slau g ter of li vin g c r e at ures, the p r ev ention o f

cruelty to an imate beings, r espect to r elati v es, respect
to B r ahm ans an d asceti cs, obedience to parents an d
obedience to elder s, ar e gr ow in g .

Thus, an d in many other ways the ractice of piety

p
,

i s growing , an d H is Majesty King r i ad ar sin will

y
cause that practice to gr ow still more . .

cer e mon ies whi ch , ly pe ta l taki g

ar e d escr i e bd as h eaven s c c es, n

th pla f mili ta y pagea t Fa h i

e ce o d ipti r f a n s. -
en s
’
escr on o

g a
r d Bn dd h i t p u i a t P e al
t p
si t a al th gh
r ocess on t i e u r , ou cen u r s

lat i date i th b e t mm ta y th i pa age a d i

er n , s e s co en r on s ss , n s

th f
er e or e
q t d i fu ll uo e n

E y y a th e igh th m th th y l b at a p e i
ver e r on e on e ce e r e r oc ss on

o f i mag Th y mak a fo
es . wh e l d a a d
e it e t a ur -
e e c r , n on er ec

t t
s r u c ur e f fi t y by m a of b amb ti d tog th
o ve s or e s e ns oos e e er .

Th i i pp ted by a ki g p t with p l a d la
s s su or la ti g n -
os , o es n n ces s n n

f m i t a d i ath
ro , nm th a tw ty
sr b it high h a i g th
er or e n en cu s , v n e

s h ap f a t 0p
e o W hi t a d ilk lik l th f h ai
e . Ca h e n s -
e c o o r s

m ) i w app d all
er e s rd it whi h i th pai t d i a i
e r oun , c s en n e n v r ous

l
co o u r s .

Th y m k fig e
e f d a wi th g ld il
a e ur a d lapi l a
so li ev s, o , s ver , n s zu

g a
r dlny b l d d a d h a ieng il k t
e a m , a d
n a p i h vn
g s en s r e er s n c no es un

ou t th m O th f
over e id a . i h with a B ddh a eated
n e our s es ren c es u s

in a h a d a B dhi att a ta di g i
e c , n at t o da hi m
s v s n n n en n ce on .

Th may b tw ty a all g a d a d imp i g b t a h

er e e en c r s, r n n os n , u e c

on e diff t f m th th er en O th d ay m ti
ro d th
e o er s . n e en on e , e

m k a d lai ty wi th i th b d
on s n all m t g th ; th y n e or er s co e o e er e

ha i g
ve s n a d ki l f l m i ia
er s ; t h y pay th i d
n s ti
u us c ns e e r evo on s

wi th flower s an d in cen se . Th e Br ah man s co me an d i n vite th e

Bu ddh a s to en t er th e cit y . Th ese d o so in or d er , mai n
an d r e

two n igh t s in it . Al l th r ough th e n i gh t th e kee y p lamp s bu m

i n g , h ave ski fu l l music, an d r esen t offer in gs p .

Th is is th e p r actice in all th e oth er ki n g d oms as well .

’

(Ch . x x vii ,
’
Legge s t r an s ati on l .
)
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 19

Th e gr andson s an d gr eat gr andsons of H is

son s, ,
-

Majesty Kin g Pr i adar sin will promote the gr owth of

7

that pr actice un til th e end of the cycle an d abidin g , ,

in piety an d m or ality will proclaim the law of pi ety ; ,

for the best of all deeds is the p r oclamation of the

law of p iety an d the p r actice of pi ety is n ot for the
,

imm or al man 1

I n thi s m atter gr owth is good an d n ot to decr ease ,

i s good .

For this v er y purp ose h as this wr iting been m ad e ,

i n or der that men may in thi s m atter str i ve for

gr owth an d n ot suffer decr ease
, .

This h as been wr itte n by comm and of H is Majesty

King Pr iy ad ar sin in the thir teenth year of h is r eign .

EDI CT V
C E NS ORS or TH E L AW or r mr r '

Thus saith H is M a esty Kin Pr iy adar si n

'

g
A good deed is a cult thi n
Th e author of a good deed oes a d ifli cu lt thi ng f .

ow by me many good deed s hav e been d one S hould .

my son s gr andsons, an d my descendants after them

,

un til the end of the cycle follow in thi s path, they

will d o well ; but in thi s matter , shoul d a man neglect
the commandment , he will d o ill, inasmuch as sin is
2

easily committed .

Now in all the Ion ages p ast , oflicer s known as

Censor s of the Law of ety h ad never been appointed
°

whe r eas in the four teenth year of my r eign Censor s

of the L aw o f P ety we r e app ointed by me
i .

They ar e engaged amon g people of all sects in 3

1
Si la mor ali ty , or vi r tue ; asi la immor al .

1
Besai n san d esarh , Buh er r en er s h e
‘
co mman dmen t .
’
l d ‘

ll
wh o wi give u p even a or tion of th ese vir tu ou s acts, wi p ll
commi t si n
’
I h ave fo owe M Sen ar t
. See ll
1 23, n ot e 2 d . . p . .

1
Savapdsandesu Con si er in g h ow c ose
. r e ate d
wer e all l ly l d
1 20 A S OK A

pro moti
the establishment of piety the pr ogr ess of ,

pi ety an the welfar e an d happiness of the lieges

,
1
,

as well as of the Yo nas K amboj as G andha r as RA sh , , ,

tr ikas Piten ik as an d other nations on my bor der s

,
2
, .

They ar e engaged in p r omoting the welfar e an d

happiness of my hir ed ser vants soldier s] of Br ah ,

mans of rich an d poor an d of the aged an d in

,
3
, ,

emoving hindr ances fr om the path of the faithful

rIe es

They
.

engaged in the pr ev ention of wr ongful

ar e
impr ison ment or chas ti sement in the wor k of r emov ,

in g hindr ances an d of deli v erance consider in g case s ,

wher e a man h as a lar ge fam ily h as been smitten by ,

calamity or is advanced in year s , .

H er e at Pfitalipu tr a 4 an d in all the pr ov inci al

, ,

th e for ms of re ligi on cur r en t i n Asoka s

’
e mp ir e , I p r efer to
r en d by er sects r ath er th an cr eeds .
’

1
D haah mayu tasa , as a co ll ecti ve, th e i eges, l ’
or th e faithfu l .
’

Th e Rock E i cts d b ein g add r esse d to th e o u p p lati on in gen er al ,

t h er e i s di fli culty i n r estr i cti n g th e t er m t o th e Bu dd hi sts on ly ,

as M Sen ar t
. d oes . Bfih ler t r an s ates l ‘
l y l bje t
o a su c s .
’

’
‘
1
Yon as ( Yavan as) , so me of th e se mi i d p d -
n e en en t for ei gn
tr i bes on th e n or th -
wester n fr on tier ; Gan dh ar as, th e eo e of p pl
th e Yusu fzai co u n tr y; K amboj as, l
a so a n or th wester n t r i b e ; -

M sh tr ikas, tain ; Pi ten ikas, u n cer tai n

u n cer .

1
d ly
Sen ar t an d Buh er i ffer wi e in th eir in ter l d p r etati on of

thi pa ags Am g my h i d
ss e . on re ser van ts, amon g Br ah man s
n ya am g th p t t d a
a d Vai s s, on e un r o ec e nd a mon g th e aged th ey ,

a b y with th e w lfa a d h appi

re us e re n n ess, with th e r emoval o f
ob ta l am g my l yal
s c es ( Buh l on o on es
’
er ) .

’
I ls s occupen t d es gu er r ier s, d es br ah ma n es et d es r i ch es,
d es pa u vr es, d es vi ei lla r d s, en l
vu e de eur uti lité et de l eu r

bo p l
n h eu r t , l our t le ever ou s es ob tacl e de a
s s v n s fid eles d e la
[vrai ] l iegi ( Srea t) on
’
en r .

Th gl
1
at Pa
e t p
a li t a i
ossf d i th e Gi u r
’
s oun n r nar t ex t on ly
a d wa
n i d tly i e t d l al ly to make th e
s ev en ns r e oc wor d h er e
i telligible See p 1 1 4note 3
n . .
, .
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 21

towns they ar e engaged in the super i ntendence of all

,

the female establish ments of my brother s an d sisters

1

an d other r elati v es .

Ev er ywher e in my dominions these Censor s of the

Law of Pi ety ar e en gaged with those amon g my
li eges wh o ar e de voted to piety establi shed in piety ,
3
,

or add icted to alms i vin

m
g
For thi s pu c h as fill s p ious ed ict been w r i tten
that it may e s for lon g an d that my subj ects may ,

act accor di ngly 3

.

EDI C T V I

TH E PROM PT DI SPA T C H or BUS I NESS

Thus sai th hi s Majesty King Pr iy ad ar sin

For a long time past business h as n ot been disposed
of, n or h av e r epo rts been receiv ed at all h ours
4 .

1
M e mb er s of th e y l fami ly w tati ed a i y
ro a er e s on s v cer o s or

gover n or s at at l a t f p i ial t w Ta i la Ujj ai

e s our r ov n c o n s, x , n,

Tosali , an d Suvar n agi i I ab t ai f om t a lati g al d h

r . s n r r ns n o anesu

by h ar em B
( h
u l er ) , or zen an a,
’
b ecause th ose ter ms con n ote

th e l
sec usi on of women , wh i ch was n ot th e cu stom of an ci en t
d
I n ia . M Sen ar t tr an slates th e wor d by l in tér i eu r
.
’ ’
.

1
Th e ph r ase dh r amad h i tane, esta b lish ed in piety ,
’
is omitte d
l
fr om th e Ka si tex t For dhmnmayutasi , see age 1 2 0, n ote 1
. p
p
in thi s assage it seems t o be an adjecti ve qualify i n g viiitasi ,
d o mi n i on s .
’

1
M
Sen ar t tr an s ates
. C est l
an s cc bu t que cet edi t
’
d
a été gr ave Pui sse t il u r er on gtem s, et ui ssen t les cr a
.
- -
d l p p é
tur es sui vr e ain si mes ex em es
’
Paj d ( pr aj a) is b etter tr an s pl .

l d
ate sub ects than j cr eat ur es
’
It stil h as th e mean in g of . l
j
su b ects i n H i n i d .

Th e i n stituti on of ofli cial r e or t er s (pati aed akas) ex iste i n p d

th e t ime of Ch an d r agu pta . Th e over seer s, to wh om is as

sign e d th e d ty f watch i g all that go

u o a d maki g n es on , n n

p t
r e or s s cr e et ly t th ki g S me a
o e t t d wi th th
e n . o r e n r us e e

pe ti
in s c on of th e city a d oth wi th th at of th e a my Th e
, n er s r .
 A S OKA

have accordin gly ar r anged that at all hour s an d

I
in all places whethe r I am din ing or in the ladi es
’
—

apartmen ts in my bedroom or i n my cl oset in my

, , ,

car r iage or in the palace gardens the oflicial

,
1—

r e or t er s S hould keep me co nstantly infor med of the

p
people s business which business of th e people I am
’
,

r ead y to dispose of at an pl ace 2

y .

A n d if pe r chan ce I personally by word of m outh

, ,

command that a ft be made or an order executed or

°

an yth in g u r gent I s entr usted to the ofli cials 3

an d i n ,

that business a dispute ar ises or fr aud occurs among

t h e cler gy 4 I hav e comm anded that i mmediate r epor t
,

for mer e mploy as th ei r coa dj utor s th e cou r tezan s of th e ci t y ,

an d th e latte r th e cou r tezan s of th e ca mp . Th e a bl e t s an d

most tr ustwor th y men ar e app oin ted to fill th ese offices

M
( ge asth en es q u oted b y Str abo x v , , . I .
48 ; in M Cr in d le,
°

A n cien t I nd i a, p .

1
Th e ex act mean in g of so me ofwor ds i s u n cer tai n
th ese .

G abhd gd r a, wh i ch I t r an s ate l bedr oom followin g M Sen ar t

’
, .
,

l d a t
i s tr an s ate f K s nc u r V a h lo et ma y by P ro . er n . r c a, c s ,
’
see s

t ma
o lat i
e n Vi i t mh i a iag
r ne .
( B’
uh l ); n a c rr es er re

t ait
r ligi
e re at o y ( S
euse, a t) I h a ad pted Buh l
’
or
‘
or r
’
en r . ve o er s
’

t a l at i
r ns on .

C mpa f Ch a d ag pta
’
1
o M ga th re a t e s Th en es ccou n o n r u e

ki g l a
n h i pala
e ves ot ly i tim f wa b t al f
s ce n on n e o r , u so or

th p p
e ur f j dgi g a
ose o H e th u mai i nt f c uses. en r e ns n cour or

t h wh l d ay wi th t all owi g th e b i
e o e , t b i t ou n u s n ess o e n er

ru p t d e t,h h t
even
g h h a i w
ou h h e m t d e ou r r r ves en us n ee s

att d t hi p
en o that i wh s h i to b
er son , b b d by s, en e s e ru e

c yli d n f w d
er s H o o ti h ai g a
oo . wh il th e c n n u es e r n c ses e e

f i ti
r c whi h i p f m d by f
on , c att sda t i till p
er or d e ou r en n s, s s r ocee

in g
’
( St r a o , x b
v 1 5 6, i n A n cien t.I n d ia.
,

1
Ofli cials, mah amd tesu
’
I n some assages I have tr an s ate . p l d
this wor d a m gi t at s a s r es .
’

Cl gy p i a M S a t id thi w d t
’
er , ar s b . . en r con s er s s or o e

a y ym f a hgha a d t lat l a mblé d cl gé

s n on o s r , n r ans es
’
sse e u er .
’

Bu h le t a lat
r committee [of a y a te o
r ns es n c s r
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 23

must be made to me at an y hour an d at an y place for ,

I am nev er fully satisfied with my exer tions an d my

dispatch of business .

Wor k I must for the public ben efit an d the r oot

—

of the matter is in exer t ion an d dispatch of b usiness ,

than which nothin g is mor e efi cacious for the general

welfar e A n d for what d o I toil ! For n o other end
.

than this that I may di schar ge my debt to an imate

,

beings an d that whi le I make some happy in this

,

wor ld they may in the next wor ld gain heaven

,
.

For thi s pur pose h av e I caused this p ious e di ct to

be wr i tten that it may lon endure an d that my sons
grandsons an d gr eat gr ang
, , ,

i sons may str iv e for the

,
-

public weal ; though that is a di fli cult thi n g to attain ,

sav e by the utmost toil

1
.

EDI CT V I I

I M PERFEC T F ULFI L M RNT or TH E L AW

H is Maj esty King Pr iy ad ar sin desires that in all

places men of all sects may abide for they all desir e ,

master y ov er the sen ses an d pur ity of mind .

M an howev er is unstable in h is wishes an d unstable

, , ,

in h is likin gs .

S ome of the sects will perfor m the whole others ,

will per for m but a par t of the commandment Even .

for a per son to whom lavish l ibe r ality is impossible ,

the virtues of master y over the senses pur ity of mind , ,

r atitude an d fidelity ar e always me r i to r ious

‘ 1
g ,

1
Th e te t of th e co l di g pa ag aph va ie ligh tly i th e
x nc u n r r r s s n

Th e Kal i te t add th e w d my wi e
’
di ffe e t e e si o
r n r c n n s. s x s or s v s .

M Se a t t an late p i e t il sub i t e lo gtemp ! et q e

. n r r s s u ss - -
s s r n s u

mes fils ,
’
&c .

1
I h ave fo ll o wed M . Sen ar t in h is amen ded r en d er in g of

ekad eéai n ( nd
I . A nt . x ix . see p . 1 1 9, n ote 2 ; an d i n h is
p
i n ter r etation of n i chd ( n ich e ) as n i tya m, a lway Buh l s er

takes th e wor d as n i cha , an d l

tr an s ates i n
‘
a l wly ma
o n.
’
12 4 A S OKA

EDI CT VII I
PI OUS T OURS

I n times past Their M aj esties Ki ngs, Gi r n d r ] used

’ 1

to go o ut on so called tour s of pleasur e dur in which

1 -
,

hunting an d other Similar amusements use to be

practised .

H is M aj esty Kin Pr iy ad ar sin , howe ver , in the

g
elev enth year of 1118 r eign went ou t on the road
1 to tr u e kn owledge , whence originated her e
1 1

tour s evoted to piety, dur in g which ar e pr actised the

beholdin g of ascetics an d Br ah mans, with l iber ality to
them the beholding of elder s, lar gess of gold the
, ,

beholding of the countr y an d the people, proclamation

o f the law of p i ety, an d discussion of the law of
piety 5
.

1
D evd n ai it pr iya d evan a pr iya ( M an d d ead n arnpiya .

( Ka si ) , a l
ll ur a for ms, mean in g Th pl
e ir M a estiles,
’
equi va en t t o j l
r a
j an a, ki n g ,
s
‘ ’
of Gi r n fir tex t . Th e wor d s ar e A tikdtan gaah tar ant
r dj d n a vi h d r ayatd i it iiaydsu an d A ti kar htant ar itta lant

d eod nar npiyd aih d layd tai it nd ma n ikh a misu M . Sen ar t

( i .
)
1 92 w as p r ovi de d wi th faul ty tex ts See p 1 1 4 n ote 2 . .
,
.

Th e wor d nd ma (nama) so call ed is omi tted in th e Gir n ar

1 ’
-
, ,

tex t .

1
M . Sen ar t s
’
co mmen t ar y (i . 1 86 ) r equir es modi fication .

Th e tr u e plai d by P f Rh y Da i d i D i l g
sense is ex ne ro . s v s n a o u es

of th B dd h e p 9 Th
u a d w
a, hi h . t h
1 m p
1. e t e
‘
ro
’
on c e e er or s

ou t i th igh t f ld path l ad i g t th e tat

s e e -
o f a A h at e n o s e o n r .

Th tep i th
e s igh t f ld p ath a
s n ( ) g i
e h t ei w ( ) -
i goh t re 1 r v e s, 2 r

f li g ( 3) i gh t w d ( 4
ee n s, ) g i h t b h
r a i (5) g i h t
or m d f
s, r e v ou r , r o e o

li lih d ( 6) igh t e ti ( 7 ) igh t m m y ( 8) igh t medi

ve oo , r x er on , r e or , r

tati a d t a q i ll ity ( Rh y Da i d
on n r B d dhi m p
n u s v s, u s , .

H 1 ‘
may m a at Patalip t a ( e p 1 1 4 t 3
er e
’
e n
‘
u r
’
se .
, no e

p 1 20 te
.
, i th
no mpi or
‘
n e e r e.
’

D 1
( d s )
asan em a t h p e tf l i
r a an e i t t a d i w i
e ns g e r es c u v s o n v e n

of a bj t de i g f e ati
n o ec h a a li i g ai t
ser v n o v n er on , su c s v n s n or

th e i mage f a god Th e wor d (da a ) i i comm

o . e to rs n s n on us
 TH E R OCK 1 25

sin ce th at time, t hese ar e th e pleas

for those of th e past .

EDI CT IX 1

TRUE C ERE M ONI AL

Thus Maj esty K in g sai th People H is Pr iy ad ar si n —

per for m var ious cer emon ies on occasions of sickn ess 1
,

the weddings of sons the weddings of daughter s th e 3

, ,

bir th of childr en an d depar tur e on j our neys On these , .

an d other similar occasio ns people per for m many

cer e momes .

But uch ti mes th e womankind per for m many

at s
1
,

th i d ays Th e dha a o law of pi ety equi e

. e e e ce to nn , r , r r s r v r n

be h ow to B ah man asceti c a d elde ; a d A oka th e e

s n r s, s, n rs n s , r

fo e co i de
r , th e e e e tial beh oldi g of
ns rs h pe o to b e r v r n n su c r s ns

a act of me it
n I hi capacity of e eig
r a d fath e
. f hi n s so v r n n r o s

people h e likewi e claim edi t fo beh oldi g i p e ti g s s cr r n , or ns c n ,

th e co t y a d peopl e un rTh e Gi A te t alo e i e t th e

n . r n r x n ns r s

wo d a d betwee th e ou t y a d th e pe pl e
r n
’
n
‘
c n r n o .
’

1
T a l ated f om th e Sh ah b a garh i te t i ge e al acc d
r ns r z x ,
n n r or

a ce wi th Buh le i te p etatio
’
n Th e e e io of th i edi ct
r s n r r n. r c ns ns s

d i fle mo e widely th a al
'

r r n usu .

1
Ce emo ie o ce rmo ial ma hgalam n s,
’
M a ngala n r re n ,
’
r .
‘
i i

emb r asse deu a d e ig i fi ati do t o a t ato

x nu n ces s n c on n n ou r ur

e agé é l impo ta ce pa ti li e e et q il e t pa aisé d e

’ ’ ’
x r r n r cu r , u n s s

mett e flisamme t a eli f da u e t ad ctio co ise

r su n u r e ns n r u n nc

l idec d e fete d e éj o i a e ( p l age p ali) et l idec d o

’
, r u ss n c c .
’
us ,
’

p atiq e eligie e q i doi e t po te b o h e a q i le

r u s r us s u v n r r n ur u s

ac ompli t
’
c ( Se a t i I th e J atakas a Mn S e a rt , . n , s . n r

i fo m me th e wo d i pe ially appli ed to th e wo h i p of th e
n r s , r ss c rs

H i d oo dei ti e
n s.
1
Aod ha, vivaha . Cf Latin d ucer e an d
. n u ber e.

W oman kin d str ip/aka ; mah idd yo ( Gir n Ar )

1
Skr ,
’
, .

mah ila; balika j an ika ( M an sor a) Sh r bd laka ; abakaj an iya , .

( K al si ) .
1 26 A S OK A

manifold cor r upt an d worthl ess ceremonies Cer e

, , .

monies cer tainly hav e to be per for med although that ,

so r t i s fr u i tless This sor t howev er

. the cer emonial ,
—

o f pi ety — bear s gr eat fr uit ; it includes kind treatment

of slav es an d ser vants honou r to teach er s r espect for , ,

li fe liber ality to ascetics an d Br ahmans These things

, .
,

an d oth e r s of the same kind ar e called the cerem on ial ,

of iety .

ught a father son br other master fr iend

er efor e o , , , , ,

o r c omrade n ay ev en a ne ighbour to say : This is

'

, ,

mer itor ious this is the cer emonial to be per for med
,

until the attainment of the desir ed end By what .

’

sor t of ce r em o ni es is the desir ed end attain ed for

th e cer emonial of thi s wor ld is of d oubtful efli cacy ;
per chance it may accomplish the desir ed end per ,

chance its effect may be mer ely of this wor ld Th e .

cer emonial of piety on the contr ar y is n ot tempor al ;

, ,

i f it fails to attai n the desir ed end in this wor ld it ,

cer tainly begets endless mer i t in the other wor ld I f it .

h ap us to attain the desir ed end then a gain of two ,

kin is assur ed namely in this wor ld the desir ed end

, , ,

an d in the other wor ld the begetting o f endl ess me r i t

thr ough the aforesaid cer emonial of piety 1

EDI CT X
T RUE G L ORY

H isMajesty King Pr iy ad ar sin does n ot believ e that

lor y an d renown br in much profit unless the people
th in the present andgthe futur e o bedi ently hear ken
to the Law of Pi ety an d confor m to its pr ecepts ,
.

e q i di ti g e la p atiq e d e la eligio
'
1
E efl t n e , c u s de n u r u r n s

p atiq d it el i a t Piyad a i
r u es u r u , t q e la p emie e pr o
su v n s ,
’
c es u r r

d it i fai lli bleme t de f i t q i éte d e t a l a t e m de

u n n s ru s u s
’
n n
’
u r on ,

ta d i que le a t e p e e t t t a pl
'

n s s u r a s i d eflet
uv n ou u us vo r es s

limité a temp p e e t et a la i co ta e pa tic li e e q i

s u s r s n c r ns nc r u r u
’
on a été l occasi on ( Sen ar t, i .
 TH E R O CK I NS CRI PTI ONS 27

For that y does H is Majesty King

ur pose onl
Pr iy ad ar sin esir e glor y an d ren own .

But whatsoev er exer tions H is Majesty King Pr iya

dar sin h as mad e all ar e for the sake of the li fe ,

her eafter so that ev er y on e may be fr eed from per il

, ,

which peril is Sin .

Difli cu lt v e r i ly it is to attain such fr eedom whether

, , ,

people be of low or of high degr ee sav e by the

1
,

utmost exer tion an d complete renunciation ; but this

is for those of hi gh degr ee extr ao rdi nari ly d ifli cult 1

EDI CT X I
T RUE C H A RI T Y

There is n o such char ity as the charitable gift of the

Law of Pi ety , n o such fr i endship as the fr i endship i n
pi ety n o such di str ibution as the distr ibution of piety,
,

n o such kin ship as kinship in pi ety .

Th e Law of Pi ety c onsists in these things to wit , ,

kind tr eatment of slaves an d ser v ants, obedience to

father an d mother charity to ascetics an d Br ahmans , ,

r espect for the san ctity of li fe .

The r efor e a fathe r son br other , m aste r , fr i end , or , ,

comrade n ay ev en a neighbo ur, ought

, to say : This
is m eri tor ious, this ought to be done
’
.

H e wh o acts thus both gain s this wor ld an d begets

infinite mer i t in the n ext wor ld , by means of this
v er y char i ty of the L aw of Pi ety 1
.

1
Peo pl je,
’
an en a ( Gi mAr
); vagr en a ( Sh d hb . an d M an ser a)
vagen a ( K al si ) . Var ga l
c ass of p pleo e .
’
Th e r ea di n
g i s

qui te cer tain .

1
Cf M att h ew
. x ix . 2 3: It is h ar d for a r i ch man to en ter

i n to th e kin g d o m of h eaven .
’
For th e ex h or tati on to ex er t ion ,
of. th e ser mon Nigr od h a fr om Dhammapada, v 2 1 , in D ipa
of .

r ai nsa, vi . 2 3: Ear nestn ess (appamad a) i s th e way to immor

l y
t a it ,
'

i n di fler en ce i s th e way to d eath ; th e ear n est do n ot d ie,

th e i n difler en t
'

ar e li ke th e d ade
’
( Old en ber g s tr an slati on ) .

1
l
Th e tr an s at ion is fr om th e Sh ah azgarh i tex t b . Th e oth er
 28 A S OK A

EDI CT X I I
TOL ERATI ON

H is M ajesty King Pr iy ad ar sin does rev erence to

men of all sects, whether ascetics or householders, by
donations an d var ious m odes of r ev erence .

H is Majesty , howe v er , car es n ot so much for don a

tions or external r everence as that ther e should be a
gr owth of the essence of the m atter in all sects Th e .

owth of the essence of the m atter assumes v ar i ous

‘

or m s, but the roo t of it is r estraint of speech, to

wit a man must n ot d o re ver ence to his own sect by
,

disparaging that of another man for trivial reasons .

Depr eciation should be for adequate reason s only,

because the sects of other people deserve r ev erence
for on e r eason or an other .

By thus acting, a man exalts his own sect, an d at

the same time does ser vice to the sects of other people .

By acting contrar iwise, a man hurts his own sect, an d

does disservice to the sects of other eOple For he .

wh o does rev er ence to h is own sect, w lo disp ar aging

'

all other sects fro m a feel ing of attachment to hi s own ,

on the supposition that he thus glor ifies his own sect ,

in r eality by such Conduct inflicts sever e

o wn ect s .

S elf con trol ther efor e is meritorious to wit h ear k

1 -

, , , ,

en in g to the law of other s an d hear kening wi ll ingly , .

t e t di ffe sligh tly i ph a eol ogy Th e n i th edi ct abo e may

x s r n r s . n v

be ompa ed
c Th e ge e al se e i th at eve y ma i b ou d to
r . n r ns s r n s n

c omm i cate th e Law of Piety to hi

un eigh b o a d th at uch s n ur , n s

comm i catio i bette th a an y mate ial alm gi i g In

un n s r n r s v n .

th at Law men a e b o d by t o ge ti es th an th ose of atur al

r un s r n r n

ki d ed
n r Compa e th e e p e io d agad a sdsa
. a elati o
r of x r ss n ne, r n

th e Faith i D ipa a i a ii 1 6 1 7 & c Buh le an d M S n a t

’
, n v r c
s , v .
, , . r . e r ,

h a e i gh t ly u de tood th is edi ct whil e Pr of Ke

v r n ( I d
rs A nt , . rn n . .

v. 2 7 0) h a er ed s r .

Self co tr ol sayama Gir n Ar tex t h as amavdya

1 ’
-
n ,
s ,

con co d
’
r .
 TH E R O CK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 29

Forthis is H is Majesty s desir e that adher ents of all ’

,

sects S h o uld be fully instr ucted an d sound in d octr ine .

Th e adher ents of the sev e r al sects must be infor med

that H is Majesty car es n ot so much for donations or
exter nal r ever ence as that ther e should be a gr owth ,

an d a l ar ge gr owth of the essence of the m atte r in all ,

sects .

For this v er y pur pose ar e employed the Censor s

o f the Law o f Pi ety the Censors of the Women the , ,

I n spector s an d other ofli ci al bo dies

1 1
A n d thi s
, .

is the fr uit ther eof th e growth of one s own sect

’
—
,

an d the gl or ificat ion of the Law of Pi ety .

EDI CT XI II
3
T RUE C ONQ U ES T

H is Majesty Ki ng Pr iy ad ar sin in the ni nth year of

h is r eign conquer ed the Kal ingas
1
Th e Cen sor s of W omen ar e a ll d d t i Pilla Edi
u e o n r ct VI I .

Vach abh umilcd , j

con ectu r al ly r en de d I pe t
re i fns c or s,
’
s o un cer

t ain mean in g .

1
Officia l b d ie o s,
’
n ih aya ( ni ko ye) . Of th e Boar
. d d s escr i bed
by M egasth e n es .

1
Wh en M . Sen ar t
’
s book was p blish ed u , th e i n ter p r etati on of

t h is l b d di t p l aq ll p q t t e ts i fai
ce e r ate e c , ou r ue e r es u e ou r s n
. r e,
’

d p d d hi fly a imp f t t a ipt f th Kal i t t

e en e c e on n er ec r n scr o e s ex .

Th p bli ati
e f a p a ti al ly
u c mpl te fa imil
on o f th r c c co e cs e o e

Shah ba g r hi t t ha z d d p ibl a t a lati i whi h

a ex s r en er e oss e r ns on n c

very littl d bt mai e ou re n s.

Th Kali ga K ali nga i ; th

1
e t y
n t di g al g th
s,
’
i n e cou n r ex en n on e

a t f th Bay f B
co s o g a l f m
e th M ah a adi i eo t h th
ent ro e n r v r on e n or o

or bey d th Kri hna i

on th e th ; ft all d th e Th
s r ver on e sou o en c e
‘
r ee

Kali ga wh i h a
n pp ed t b th ki gd m f Ama a ati
s,
’
c r e su os o e e n o so r v ,

A dh a
n Wa a gal a d Kali ga p p
r or rRaj amah d i
n , n n r o er or en r .

I th i
n di t th am i
s e d i b th t h i g l a a d th
c e n e s u se n o e sn u r n e

pl al Th Dh a li a d Ja gada k i ipti a it at d
ur . e u n u r oc n scr on s re s u e

i thi
n q ed p
s con i c e uer r ov n .
1 30 A S OK A

One hundr ed an d fifty thousand persons wer e thence

car r i ed away captiv e on e hundr ed thousand wer e ther e ,

sl ain an d m any times that num be r pe r ish ed

,
.

E ver since the annexation of the Kali ngas H is 1

,

Majesty h as zealously pr o tecte d the Law of Piety h as ,

been devoted to that law an d h as pr oclaimed its ,

p r ecepts .

H is M ajesty feels remor se on acco unt of the conquest

of the Kal ingas because dur i ng the subjugation of a
, ,

pr e viously unconquer ed countr y slaughter death an d , , ,

tak ing away captiv e of the people necessar ily occur ,

wher eat H is Majesty feels pr ofound sor r ow an d r egr et .

The r e is how ev er anoth er r eason for H is M aj esty

, ,

feeling still mor e r egr et inasmuch as in such a ,

countr y dwell Br ahmans an d ascetics men o f differ ,

ent sects an d householder s wh o all pr ac tise obedience

, ,

to elde r s obedi ence to fathe r an d mother obedience to

, ,

teacher s pr oper tr eatm ent of fr i end s acquaintances

, , ,

com r ades r elativ es Slav es an d ser vants with fidelity

, , ,

o f de v otion To such people dwelli ng in that countr y

1
.

happen violence Slaughter an d separ ation fr om those, ,

whom th ey lov e .

Ev en those pe r sons wh o ar e themsel v es p r otected

r etain th e ri m
affec tio n s undi in sh ed z r ui n fall s on
i —

their fr iends acquaintances comr ades an d r elatives

, , , ,

an d in this way v iolence is done to those wh o ar e

per sonally unhur t Al l thi s diffused miser y is matter
1 3
.

of r egr et to H is M ajesty For ther e is n o countr y .

wher e such communi ties ar e n ot found including ,

others beside s B r ahm an s an d ascetics n or is ther e an y ,

ed lad hesh u
’ ’
1
Con qu er ed,
iii ta an n ex a , .

1
That is to say wh o p r acti se th e dha r ma , , or Law of Pi et y , of

wh ich a summar y is given .

1
Th at is to say , th e ya re h u r t i n th ei r fee in gs l .

1 ‘ ’
Diflu sed miser y ,
’
equ i va en t l to B ’
ii h ler s all th i s fa ll s sever

all y on men .
’
M . Senar t d en ies th e di t ib
s r u ti ve Se n se of pr ati

bllagai it, an d tr an slates (i 309 ) . toutes les vi o l en ces de cc gen r e .

’
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 31

place in an y countr y wher e the people ar e n ot attached

to some on e sect or other 1
.

Th e loss of e v en the hundr edth or the thousandth part

of the per sons wh o w er e then S l ain car r i ed away ,

captive or done to death in Kalinga would n ow be a

,

matter of deep r egr et to H is Maj esty

A lthough a man shoul d d o hi m an inj ur y H is Maj esty ,

holds that it must be patiently bor ne so far as it can ,

possibly be bor ne .

Even upon the for e st tr i bes in h is dominions H is

Maj esty h as compassion an d he seeks their con v er sion , ,

inasmuch as the might e v en of H is M ajesty is bas ed on

r epentance They ar e war ned to this eflect S hun
'

e v il do ing that ye ma e cape de str uction bec au se

y s
-

H is M aj esty desir es for all ani mate bein 8 secur i ty

contr ol ov er the passions peace of mini
,

,
1
o u sn ess .

A n d this is the ch iefest c onquest, in H is Majest y s

’

op in ion— the c onquest by the Law of Piety ; th is al so

is that effected by H is Majesty both in his own
dominions an d in all th e neighbour ing r ealms as far
as six hundr ed leagues ev en to wher e the Gr eek
3—

k ing named A ntiochus dwell s, an d beyond that

A n tiochus to wher e dwell the fou r k ings se v er ally
named Ptolemy, A ntigonus, Magas , an d A lexander 1

an d i n the South th e k ings of th e Chol as, an d Pitn d y as,

,

1
Th is sen ten ce i s tr an s ate l d fr om th e fu ll er for m i n th e
l
K a si tex t , as cor r ect e d by M . Sen ar t fr om th e ne wly di scover ed
Gir n ar fr agmen t ( J R A S for . . . . . 1 900, p .

1 ’
J oy ou sn ess, r abh asiye md d aaai h ( G ir n ar ) mad am ,

( K a si ) l . Th e tr an s ation l of th e fir st sen t en ce of thi s pa ag aph

r r

is i n accor d an ce with M Sen ar t s cor r ection s

.
’

1
Leagu e, yaj ana, a var y in g
’
measu r e , co mmon ly t aken as

l S
equ a t o even or eigh t mi es l .

1
An t ioch u s Th eos, o f Sy ia ; Pt l my Ph i l ad lph
r o e e us, of Egy pt
A n tigon us C on atas, o f M a d ia ; Al a d
ce on f Ep i ex n er , o r u s; M agas,
of C y r en e.
1 32 A S OKA
’
an d Ceylon an d likewise her e in the King s
of
1—
,

dominions among the Yonas an d K amboj as in

, , ,

NAbh aka of the NAbh itis am ong the Bhoj as an d ,

Pitin ikas am ong the A ndhr as an d Pu lin d as ev er y

,
1
,

wher e men follow the Law of Piety as p r oclaimed by

H is Majesty .

Ev en in those r egions wher e the env oys of H is

Majesty d o n ot p enetr ate men n ow pr actise an d wi ll
3
,

continue to pr actise the Law of Piety as soon as they

hear the pious pr oclamation of H is Majesty issued in
acc or dance with the Law of Pi ety .

A n d the conquest whi ch h as ther eby been ev er y

wher e eflected the conquest e ver ywher e effected
—
‘

causes a feolin of delight .

Delight is ou n d in the conquests made by the

Law Nev ertheless that delight is only a small
1
.
,

matter H is Majesty thin ks nothing of much im

.

port ance sav e what concer ns the next wor ld .

1
Th e Ch o la apital wa c s at Ur ai ur y n ear Tr ich i n o p ly ; o th e
Pan dya apital wa at c s Ma d ur a . Tish ya ( Ti ssa) was th e con

t emp a y ki g f C yl
or r n o e on .

1
Th e Yon as ( Yavan as) must mean th e l
c an s of for eign r ace

( n ot n ecessar i ly G r eek ) on th e n or th -
wester n fr on tier in cl u ded ,

i n th e e mpir e ; th e Kamb oj as seem t o h ave been also a n or th

weste r n tr ibe I can n ot Ofler an y ex plan ation of Nabh aka of th e
‘
‘
.

Nabh itis ( Buh l er ) Th e An dh r as i n h abited th e coun tr y n ear

.

t h e Kri sh na r i ver , at th e south er n th e Ka in gas

ex tr emit y of l .

b
Su sequ en t ly , th e y esta bl d p
ish e a ower fu kin g om Th e Pu l d .

li n da m t o h ave Occu p d
s see ie th e cen tr a ar ts of th e Pen i n sul a lp .

Th e Pi ti n ikas may h ave b een th e i nh abitan t s of Paith an a on

th e God aver i ( S M S i 4 d R
‘

ee e n ar t n I n d A.n t x x 2 8 an J A S . . . .
, . . . .

for 1 9 00 p Th e n ames en u mer ated ar e t h ose of b or der

,
.

tr i bes u de n r th e suzer ai n t y f A ka o so .

1
M ission ar i es wer e di s pat h d i th l c e n e e even th or twe fth l year

of th e r ei gn .

1
Buh l ’
er s r en de i r ng acci en tall d y omits th e wor ds L ad h a
[ bh ati ] p r iti d h r amavtj a a
y p
s i .
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI P TI ONS 1 33

A n d for this pur pose h as this pious edict been

wr itten , towit that my sons an d gr andsons as many
, ,

as they ma h m a t upp e it t be the i duty

y e y n o s os o , r

to eflect a new conquest ; an d that e v en when engaged

’

in conquest by ar ms they may fin d pleasur e i n p atienc e

an d gentl en ess an d may r egar d as the only tr ue
,

conquest that whi ch is effected th r ough the Law of

Piety which avails both for this wor ld an d the next
1
, .

Let all their pl easu r e be the pleas ur e i n exer tion whi ch ,

av ail s both for this wor ld an d the next .

EDI CT X I V

E PI L OG U E

This set of edicts of the Law of Piety h as been 1

w r itten by command of H is Maj esty King Pr iy ad ar sin

in a for m sometime s conde n sed som etimes of m edium ,

length, an d sometimes expanded ; for ever yt hing is

3

n o t sui table in e v er y plac e , an d my domin ion s ar e

1

extensiv e .

Much h as alr eady been wr itten , an d I Shall cause

much mor e to be wr itten 1
.

Cer tain phr ases in the edicts hav e be en utter ed again

an d again , by r easo n of the honey ed sweetness of such
an d such a top ic , i n the hope th at the people ma ac t
y
up to them .

1
I thi n k I h ave given th e mean in g cor r ect ly , an d in accor

d an ce wi th th e i n ten tion of Buh er l .

1
D ha r itmalip i i s h er e a co ll
ective n ou n .

1
Th e M in or Rock E i cts d offer a ver y l c ear ex a mple of th i s
p r ac t i ce . l l
Sever a i lust r ation s may be obser ve di n th e Four teen
Rock E i cts d .

1 ’
l
Sui tab e, gh ati tam; Sen ar t tr an s ates l r éu m, or b r ough t

t ogeth er Ker n t r an s ates wor ke ou t

‘ ’
l d .

1
Th is p ro mi se is f lfill d
u e in th e M in or Rock E icts, Pill ar d
d
E i cts, & c .
13 4 A S OK A

I t may be that something h as been incompletely

wr i tten ou t— ii so, it is due to l ack of sp ace , or
to some speci al r eason , or to a blunder of the
engraver 1
.

2 ) T h e K ali n ga (ao call ed -

S epar ate or D et ach ed )
B o k E d i cts c
( Fo ur teen th y ear an d later )

TH E BORDERERS ’
EDI CT

( so C A L L E D No
-
. 11 )
1
TH E DUT I ES or O EEI C I A L S To T H E BORD ER TRI BE S

Thus saith H is Majesty

A t S amapa the ofli cials ar e to be in structed in the
King s commands as follows
’
3

I desir e my vi ews to be pr actically acted upon an d

car r ied into effect by suitable means ; an d , in my
0 in ion , the p r i nc ip al me ans for accomplish ing this
0 j ect ar e my in str uction s to y ou .

1
Buh le r , wh om I h ave foll owed , see ms t o be r i gh t in h i s
i n t er p r etati on of thi s pa ssage ; M . S en ar t takes a di ffe r en t

Vl eW .

1
Th is e di ct, ca ll d N II by P i
e O . r n sep an d all b
su sequ en t

wr iter s is man i fes , n nu tly a co ti at i

on of th e main ser i es an d ,

con t emp or ar y with th at ser ies i n th e four t een th year of th e

r eign Th e so call ed No I ed i ct i s of later date

.
-
It seems t o . .

me mor e i n con ven i en t t o r etain a mi sl ead in g n omen clat u r e

t h an t o make a ch an ge I p r opose t o call th ese ed icts th e
.

Kali n ga Edi cts ; th e n ames Sep ar ate Rock or Detach ed Rock

’
,

Ed icts b ein g awkwar d an d mean i n gless

’
.
,

1
Fr om th e J au gada tex t Th e d upli cate at Dh au l i wh ich i s .
,

n ot so well p r eser ved , is a dd r esse dt o th e pi r n ce an d magistr ates

at Tosali .
 TH E R O CK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 35

,
A ll men ar e my childr en , an d , just as for my
1

childr en I desir e that they should enj oy all happiness

an d p r ospe r i ty both i n th is wor ld an d in the next, so
for all men I d esir e the like happin ess an d p r osper ity .

I f y ou ask what is the King s will concer ning the

’

bor der tr ibes, I r eply that my will is this concer ning

the bor der er s that the should be con vinced that the
—

King desir es them to be r ee fr om disquietude I desir e .

them to tr ust me an d to be assur ed that they wi ll

r ecei v e fr o m me h a in ess, n ot sor r ow , an d to be
g
convinced that the I l n g bears them good will an d ,

I desir e th at (wh ether to win In good will or mer ely

to leas e me) they should pr actI se the Law of Pi ety,
an so ain both thi s wor ld an d the next .

A n d or this pur pose I giv e y ou instr uctions When .

in this m anne r I h av e once for all giv en y ou my

instructions an d signified my orders, then my re solu
tions an d my pr omises ar e immutable .

Under standing this, d o our duty, an d inspir e these

folk with tr ust, so that t ey may be convinced that
the King is unto them e ven as a father , an d that, as
he car es for’ himself, so he car es for them, wh o ar e
as the King s childr en .

H aving giv en y ou my instructions, and notified to

y o u my or de r s— m y r e so lut io n s an d r omises be in g
immutable— I expect to be well ser v by y ou in this
business, because y ou ar e in a position enabling y ou to
in sp ir e these folk with trust an d to secur e their happi
ness an d pr os er ity both in this wor ld an d in the next ;
an d by so actm u w i ll ga i n hea v en an d dischar ge
g y o
your debt to me .

I t is for this pu r pose that this edi ct h as been

inscr ibed her e in or der that the officials may di splay
per sever ing ener gy in inspir ing trust in these border ers
an d gui ding them in the path of p iety .

This edict sh ould be r ecited e ver y four m onths at

the Tish y a Naksh atr a festival an d at di scr etion as
, ,

Pair! (p aj a) mean s subj ects as well as ch i ldr en

1 ’
r .
1 36 A S OKA

occasion offer s in the inter v als it should be recited to

, ,

indi vi dual s Take c ar e by acting thus to dir ect

1
.

people in the r ight way .

TH E PROVI NCIA LS ’
EDI CT

( S O CA L L E D No
-
. I D E T A CH E D OR S EPA RA TE EDI CT ;
)
2
T H E D H A UL I T EX T

T H E DU TI ES OF OFFI C I A L S T O T H E PROV I NC I A L S

By command of H is Majesty
A t Tosali the ofli cer s in char ge of the adm inistr ation
of the ci ty ar e to be instr ucted as follows :
3

I desir e my v iews to be pr actically acte d upon an d

car r i ed in to effect by sui table means ; an d in my ,

Opin ion the p r incip al me an s for

,
accompli sh in g thi s
object ar e my in str uctions to y ou ; fo r y ou hav e

been set over m any thousands of living beings to

gain th e affection of good men .

All men ar e my chi ldr en an d just as for my , ,

childr en I desir e that they should enj oy all happiness

an d pr osper i ty both in th is wor ld an d in the n ext so
'

for all men I desir e the like happin ess an d pr osper I ty .

You howev er d o n ot gain the best possible r esults

, ,
1
.

1
yea wa di id d i t th
Th e r s v e n o r ee season s of fou r mon th s
ea hc Th day
. f th e m th w
e s o on er e n a med accor din g t o th e
t llati
con s e ( k h t ) i w
on hi h thna s a r a n c e moon was su pp osed t o be .

Ti h ya i a l ky
s tell ati
s uc con s on .

Th Dh a l i t t i th b t t
1
e u p ex s e e er r eser ve d . Th e cor r es on p d
i g J g d t t i add
n
'
au a ad t th ex s r esse o e ofli cer s in ch ar ge of th e
t own of Samapa, wh ich h as n ot been iden t ified .

1
M ah amd ta i s t h e ge n er i c te r m for ofli ci al s It su r vi ves in .

th e d
H in i mahd wat, with th e s ecia ize sen se of e e h an t p l d lp
di
r ver . Th e ci t y wa s p bably lik th apital
r o , e e c , in ch ar ge of

a muni cipal co mmissi on .

1
This pas age
s con fir ms th e i dicatio n n aflor d ed
‘
by th e po i s
 TH E R O CK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 37

Ther e ar e indivi dual s wh o

nly p ar t of my heed o
teachin g an d n ot the wh ole
You must see to such .

per sons so that the mor al r u le may be obser ved .

Ther e ar e again indiv idual s wh o hav e been put in

, ,

pr ison or to tor tur e You must be at hand to stop .

unwar r anted im r ison men t or tortu re A gain many .

,

ther e ar e wh o su er acts of violence I t should be your .

desir e to set such people in the r ight way .

Ther e ar e howev e r certain dispositions which

, ,

r ende r success impossible namely envy lack of , , ,

per sev er ance har shness impatience want of applica

, , ,

tion idleness indolence

, , .

You ther efor e should desir e to be fr ee from such

, ,

dispositions inasmuch as the r oot of all this teaching

,

consists in persever ance an d patience in mor al guidance .

H e wh o is in dolent doe s n ot r ise to h is duty an d yet ,

an ofli cer should besti r himself m ov e for w ar d o on

g , , .

Th e same holds good for your duty of supe r v ision .

For this r eason I must r epe at to y ou Consider an d ,

know that such an d such ar e H is Majesty s instr uo ’

tions Fulfilment of these orders bear s gr eat fr uit

.
’
,

n on fu lfilmen t br i ngs gr eat cal am ity

-
By ofli cer s wh o .

fail to gi ve such id an ce neither the favour of heaven

n or the favour o the Kin g is to be hoped for My .

spec ial in sistenc e on this duty is profitable i n two

ways for by followin thi s line of conduct you will
,

both win heaven an d isch ar ge your debt to me .

This edict must be r ecited at e ver y Tish y a Naksh atr a

festival an d at inter v als between Tish y as as occasion
, ,

offe r s i t S hould be r e ad to indivi duals A n d d o y ou take

, .

car e by acting thus to di r ect people in the r ight way .

For this pur pose h as this edict been i nscr ibe d her e
in or der that the ofli cer s in char ge of the c ity may
display persev er in g zeal to pr event unwar r anted
impr isonment or unwar r anted to r tur e o f the citiz ens .

A n d for th is purpose in accord ance with the Law of ,

ti o of th i ed i ct o th e ock th at i t i of l ater date th an t h e

n s n r s

so called No I
-
. .
138 A S OK A

Piety every five years I shall cause to be summon ed

1
,

to the A ssembly those men wh o ar e mild patient an d , ,

wh o r espect li fe in or der that hear ing these thi n gs

1
,

they may act accor di ng to my instructions .

An d the Pr ince of Ujj ain S h all for the same purpose

summ on an A ssembly of the same k ind but he mu st ,

per for m this duty e ver y thr ee year s without fail Th e .

same or de r applies to Taxi la .

Th e ofli cials attending the A ssembly whi le n ot ,

neglecting their spec ial duties will also lear n this ,

teaching an d must see that they act accor ding to

,

the King s instr uctions ’

.

( )
3 Th e M i n or B ock E di ct s

MI NO R RO CK EDI CT , NO I .

( )
3
T H E BRA H M A G I R I T Ex T

TH E FRUI T OF EX ERTI ON

By or der of the Pr in ce an d magistr ates at S uvar

nagir i the magistr ates at I sila after gr eetings ar e
, , ,

to be addr essed as follows 1

D h nm t ; M Sena t t an l ate
1
ai a e ég li e eme t. r r s s r u r n .
’

M Se a t t ake th i de c ipt i n a eq i ale t to B d

1
. n r s s s r o s u v n u

dh i t a d belie e th at th e A emb ly (
s s,
’
n nyd a) wa
v s ss an u sai n s

comp o ed Of B ddhi t o ly
s Th e e A emblies we e fi t i ti
u s s n . s ss r rs ns

t ted i th e th i tee th yea

o n r n r .

1
Th r ee r ecen si on s of th is edi ct an d th e n ex t ex ist on r ocks

at an d n ear Si ddap ur a in M y mely

sor e, n a , at Siddap ur a l
itse f,
at J a i ga Ra
t
n -
meéar a , an d at Br ah magir i . Th e la t s n am d e ,

being th e most per fect , h as been tr an slated . Var ian t r ecen si on s

of th e fir st e di ct al on e occu r at Sah asr am i n Ben ga , at Rup l

nath i n th e Cen t r a Pr ovin ces, l an d at Bair at i n Ra utan a Of jp .

th ese th r ee r ecen si on s th at at Rfipn ath i s th e best pr eser ved ,

an d a l
t r an s ati on of it is given .

1 ‘
Th e Pr in ce, gover n or
’
or vi cer o y of th e So uth , stati on e d at
 TH E R O CK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 39

H is M aje sty commands

For m or e than two years an d a half I was a lay
disciple without exerting myself str enuously A p er iod .

of six ye ar s, or r ath er m or e than six year s h as el a sed

p ,

since I j oined the O r der an d hav e str enuously ex

1

er t ed my self, an d during this time the men wh o we r e,

all ov e r I ndi a, r egar ded as true , h av e been , w ith the ir

gods shown to be untr ue
,
1
.

For this is the fr uit of exertion which is n ot to be ,

obtain ed for h imself by the gr e at man only ; bec ause

ev en the sm all man can if he choose by exer tion win , ,

for himself much heav enly bliss .

Fo r this pur pose h as been p r oclaimed this precept ,

namely 1
L et small an d gr eat exert themsel v es to
thi s en d .
’

My neighbours too should lear n this lesson ; an d , ,

may such exer tion long endu re !

A n d thi s pur p ose will gr ow y ea it will gr ow —
,

v astly at le ast half as gr e at again w ill be i ts gr owth .

A n d this p r ece t was procl aimed by the Dep ar ted .

2 5 6 y ear s h av e e a sed since then 2

[ ]
1
p .

S a agi i wh ich h as not bee i den t ifi ed

’
uv r n r , M agi t ates o n .
‘
s r , r

offi ial c m hd md ta Aft e g eeti g l ite ally t h e wi h ed

s,
’
a . r r n s,
’
r , o s

g d
oo h eal th Th e h ead i g of t h.i
’
ed i ct i s of i n ter est as a n s

s p ecime of official tyle i th e day of Asoka

n s n s .

I g e wi th Bii hle a d P of Ker n th at thi is th e o ly

1
a r e r n r . s n

l egi timat i te p etati e n r r on .

I dia J mb d ipa i C ompa e th e Rfip ath e

1 ’
All ‘
e ov r n , a u s . r n r

ce ions Th e p i ma y
n . fe e ce i to th e B ah ma
r Wh e
r r e r n s r ns . n

th ei a th ity wa r ejected th ei g d we e al o d epo ed

r u or s , r o s r s s .

P1
lai m d thi p e ept a
r oc e dp it Th e wo d ( e
s r c ,
’
s vane sav e. r s r

pla ed i Rfip ath te t by a

c n I t ) a e r epeat ed in th e
n x s van e ra e r

p li g fi al te c whi ch co eque tly efe o ly to th e

u zz n n sen n e, ns n r rs n

b i ef ma im Let mall a d gr eat e e t th em el e Buh le

r x , s n x r s v s .
’ ’
r s

r e d ni g of d a
er n by e mo i ot itable to a lac o ic
s v ne s r n s n su n

p ecept
r .

Th i pa age i th e mo t pu li g o e i th e wh ole e i e of
1
s ss s s zz n n n s r s

edi ct a d s, ob ody h as y et
n n cceeded i n devi i g a co vi ci g su sn n n n
1 40 A S OKA

TH E S A M E EDI CT

RUPNAT H )
( TE X T

Thus saith H is Majesty

For mor e than t wo years an d a half I continued
to be a b ear er of the Law without exerting myself
1

strenuously A per i od, howe ver, of mor e than S ix

.

years h as elapsed since I j oined the O r der an d hav e

strenuously exer ted myself .

i te p etati on
n r Buh le to th e l ast
r .
) m a i n r ( I n d A n t
. . x xn .
302

tain ed th at eyu then d (viau th en a) th e Dep ar ted mean t Sah y a

‘ ’
, , r

mun i Buddh a an d th at th e n umer al s 2 5 6 ex pr ess th e per i od

,

l p d Si e h i d ath If thi iew be co e t a d it m

e a se nc s e . s v rr c , n see s,

p h ap le p t bj tio th a th e i al i t p t ti
er s, ss O en o o ec n n r v n er re a on s,

th date f th e B ddh a d ath w ld b fi d i ab

’
e o t th e u s e ou e x e n or ou

y a B O 5 08 a dat wh i h m t be h i t i ally bj ti
e r . .
, e c see s o s or c un o ec on

ab l p ided th at th C yl e h
e, r ov l gy i di ga d d e e on es c r on o o s sr e r e .

Th al
e c lat i t d t h cu on s an s us

Co r on ation of Asoka
Con qu est of Ka in ga l In 9 th y ear ; Asoka becomes a lay
di iple sc

2 } y ea f md rs o o er at e ex er tion , pl u s a out b 65 y ear s o f

str en u ou s ex er ti on , l abo t 9 y a f om B c 61
t ota u e r s, r . . 2

to date of M in or R k Edi t
oc c s

To th i s ad d 2 5 6, an d th lt f Sakyam i B ddh a
e r esu or un u
’
s

d eath 1 9 5 08
Th e my ster i ous passage i s given in a fu ll er for m I n th e Rfipn ath
an d Sah asr am tex ts . Th e tr ans ation l of th e Rfipn ath r ecen si on

fo ll o ws .

M . Sen ar t th in ks th at th e r efer en ce i s to th e d e ar tu r e of p
256 missi on ar i es , an d t h i s i n ter p r etati on i s tem ti n g, i f n ot p
qui t e con vi n ci n g. y (J l A iatiq N D M Bo.89 8) er ou r n a s ue, ov . —
ec 1 .

sugg t th at t
es sh B ddh a d p a t f m h i eh m iu t h ’
s e r ur e ro s o e s e

event all ded t Thi ggu ti d e o t m

o. t b d s su es on o sn see o e soun .

H ea e of th e Law e p o di g t l ’ ‘
1
al r r p d i k ay , sav ce, cor r s n n o u s e,

di iple i th e B ah magi i t t
sc ,
’
n r r ex .
 TH E R O CK I NS CRI PTI ONS

Th e ds wh o
that time all ov er I ndia wer e
at
r egar degas tr ue go ds h av e n ow become untr u e god s
o , ,

For this is the fr uit of exertion which is n ot to be ,

obtained by the gr eat man only ; be cause e v en the

sm all man can by exe r tion win for h imself much

heavenly bliss .

A n d for this pur pose was given the pr ecept Let ,

sm all an d gr eat exe r t themsel ves

’
.

My neighbour s too should lear n this lesson ; an d

, ,

may such exer tion long endur e !

For thi s pur p ose of m in e will gr ow its gr owth
y ea i t
, w i ll gr ow v astly a t least h alf as l ar ge again —

will be its growth .

A n d this purpo se h as been w r itten on the rocks ,

both her e an d in distant places ; an d wher ever a stone

p illar exists it must be written on the stone pillar
, .

An d as often as a man se asons h is cooked food wi th

thi s condiment he will be satisfied ev en to satiety [or ,

i n alter nati ve as often as a man applies deep thought

,

to thi s wr iting he will r ej oice at being able to subdue

,

h is senses 1

Thi s p r ecept h as been gi v en by the Dep ar te d 25 6 .

ear s have elapsed] fr om the departure of the

ycacher
TH E S ECO ND MI NOR ROCK EDI CT

( BRA H M A O I RI TEX T )
SU M M A RY or TH E L A w or PI ETY
1

Thus sai thH is Majesty

Father an d m other must be obeyed ; simi lar ly , r e
spect for living creatur es must be enfor ced ; truth
1
Buhl er
’
s in ter p r etation .
1
p
Com ar e with th e su mmar ies of th e Law of Pi et given i n y
Rock Ed icts I II , I V, I X , X I, an d Pi l ar E i ct VII Th e n otab e l d . l
‘

l p
difier en ce in st y e r oves that th e secon e i ct of th e Si a ur a d d dd p
gr ou p of te x ts was com po ed i
s n th e office of th e South er n Vicer o y .
1 4 2 A S OK A

must be spoken These ar e the virtues of the Law of.

Piety whi ch must be pr actised Similar ly th e teacher .

,

must be r ever enced by the pupil an d pr oper courtesy ,

must be Shown to r elations .

This is the ancient standar d of piety this leads to -

len of days an d accor d in g to th is men must act

gh
tr itten by Pada the scr ibe
, .

4) T h e Bh ab r a E d i ct

( Pr obabl i
y g
e hteen th y ear o f the r eign )

TH E B H A BRA EDI CT

A DDRESS T o T H E C L ERG Y or M AC A DH A

Kin Piy ad asi sends gr eeting to the Magadhan

g
cler gy an d wishes them p r osper i ty an d good health
Ye know Re ver end S irs h ow gr eat is my r espec t for
, ,

an d de v otion to the Buddh a the Law an d the A ssem , ,

bly of the Cler gy 1

.

Rev er end S ir s all that h as been sai d by the ,

Vener able Buddha h as been well said an d y et , ,

Rev er end S ir s so far as I may giv e instr uctions

,

1
Th e scr i be ’
s s ign atur e i s in th e Ar amai c ch ar acter , wr itten
fr om r igh t t o left , n o w gen er ally kn own by th e n ame of Kh a
r osh th i .

1
d
M aga h an ,
’
magad hain , of M agad h a,
’
or Bih ar . As
M . Sen ar t su ggests, p bably q i l t t th e wor d h er e i s ro e u va en o

B ddhi t M agad h a h a i g b th b i th pl a f B ddh i m

’
u s , v n een e r ce o u s .

Th a eti m tim mad th at th i di t

sser on so add
e dt es e s e c Is r esse o

th e C i l aid t h a
ou n c b h ld at Patalip t a i
s ot wa ve een e u r s no r

ra t d by
n e id ev en ce .

Th fam B ddh i t T iad Th L aw d h h

1 ’
e t i at a
ous u s r , or r r n . e , av

m i ma h
as ,
th wh l b dy f B ddhi t d t i
e ns er e d e t o e o o u s oc r n e, an no

on ly th p i ipl f p a ti al pi ty wh i h a p d d i
ose r nc es o r c c e c r e ex oun e n

th edi t add
e ed t th ge
c s al p b li c
r ess o e n er u .
 TH E R OCK I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 4
3

onmy own account I ventur e to adduce the wor d of the ,

Buddha to wit Thus the Good Law will long endur e

,
1
,

Re ver end S ir s these passages of the Law namely , ,

Th e Exaltation of Discipline (vi n aya samu

Th e S uper natur al Powers of the A r yas (ali ya

Fears of what may happen (an oigata bhayd n i ) ;
Th e S ong of th e H er mit (mu n i gci thci ) ;
Th e Dialogue on the H er mit s Li fe (momeya
’

Th e Q uestioning of U patish y a
’
( u
pati sa pasi n e
);
an d

7] T h e A dd r ess to Riah ul a, be i nn ing wi th t h e

g
su j ect of F al sehood d h ovdd e mu sd vdd a m ad
( g
l u l
h i gi chya)
those p assa es of the Law wer e utter ed by the ,‘
1

Vener able u d d h a ; an d I desir e that m any monks

an d nuns S hould fr equently l isten to these passages ,

an d m edi tate upon them an d that the laity m ale an d , ,

femal e should d o the same

,
.

For th is r eason Re v er end Sir s I hav e caused this , ,

to be wr itten so that people may know my wishes , .

Th e G ood Law ad h mm ad d ha ma M Se a t adopt

1 ‘ ’
, s a e, s r . . n r s

th i e de i g i
s r hi
n e i ed e i o
r n i I d A t
n 1 65 P of
sr v s v rs n n n . n . x x . . r .

E H a dy h a poi ted o t
. r s fo 1 901 pp 31 45 77 ) th at th e
n u r .
,

say i g ab nt t h e G od Law i a q otati

ou f om th e ip t e
o s u on r scr ur s.

Pa ag
1
p li a
ss
y yd i ( Rh y D
es, a i
’
d ) O t af t h e n s v s . u o e sev n

pa ag fi e h a e ow bee ide tified i th e Nih ay a p tio of

ss es v v n n n n or n

th e ip t e a follo w
scr ur s, s s

No . 2 . Di gh a, Sangati Su tta
3 . An guttar a, iii . 1 05 -
1 08 ;

4 . Sutta -
Ni ata, p —
206 2 2 0 ;

5 . It No 67 . A, i . 27 2 ;

7 . M ajj h i ma, i .
41 442 0 -
.

( Rh y s Davi d s i n J R A S for . . . . 1 89 8, p . 639 ; an d

‘
l
Di a ogues of

th e Bu ddh a p ,
’
x ii i .
)
 C H A P TER V

TH E C AV E A ND PI L L A R I NSCRI PT IONS

( Th ir teen th to twen t ei
y g h th year -
o f r eign )

1 ) T h e C ave I nscr i pti ons

( Th i r teen th an d twen tieth year s o f r ei gn )

I NS C RI PTI O NS I N T H E CA V ES OF B ARABA R
H I LL

BEST OWA L or C A V E DW EL L I NGS ON T H E A J i V I X A S

-

I n sc r iption A , or No I .

King Piy ad asi in the thi rteenth year of h is r eign

, ,

besto wed thi s banyan tr ee cav e on the Aj ivikas

-
.
’

I nscription B , or No II .

Ki ng Piy adasi in the thir teenth year of h is r eign

,

bestowed this cav e in the Kh alatika hi ll on the Aj i vi kas .

I nscription C , or No III .

King Piy ad asi in the twentieth year

, , Of h is r eign ,

[ be sto wed thi s c av e

A lthough chr onological order the connected

ou t of ,

inscriptions of A soka s grandson Dasar ath a may be

’

most conveni ently noticed in this place They ar e .

three in number ( D E F ) an d recor d in identical

, , ,

terms the bestowal of th ree cav es sev erally name d ,

 TH E CA VE A ND PI LL A R I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 45
V ahiy ak a, G opik a, an d Vad ath ika in ,
the Nitgar j un i
hill , by Dasar ath a on the occasion of h is accession ,

upon the Aj i vikas . A tr anslation of on e will su flice .

VA H I YA K A CA V E I NS C RI PTI O N D
( ) or

DA SA RATH A
This V ah iy aka Cav e was bestowed by H is Maje sty
Dasar ath a imm edi ately afte r hi s accession, on the
,

v en er able Aj i vi kas, to be a dwe ll in pl ace f r them , as

g o -

long as sun an d moon endur e 1

.

2 ) Th e I nscr i pti ons of th e T ar di Pi l lar s

( Tw n
e yt -
fi r st year o f r eign )
TH E RU M M I NDEI ( PA DERI A) PI L LAR
C OM M EM O RA T I ON o r V I SI T T o BI RT H PL A C E or -

S AK YA M UNI BUDDH A

H is Majesty Ki ng Piy ad asi, i n the twenty fir st year -

o f hi s r eign , having come in pe r son, did r ev er ence .

B ecause her e Buddha the S akya ascetic was bor n , he

h ad a stone hor se made an d set up a sto ne pillar , .

Because her e the V ener able One was bor n , the village
of L u mmi n i h as been m ade r ev enue fr ee , an d h as -

par taken of the King s bounty

’ 2
.

1
Th e Ai i kas wer e a sect of Br ah man ical ascetics devoted to ,

Nar ay an a , a for m of Vish nu , wh o occu py a ver y p r omin en t place

i n th e an cien t h i st or y f I dia
o n n re ligi on s . p
I n scr i ti on No I I I .

is t oo mu ch damag e d t admi t
o of tr an s ati on l . Th e r estor atio n

i n th e Cor pus is n ot t r u stwor th y . I h ave u se d Biih ler

’
s fac
si miles an d p
t r an scr i ts in I n d A nt . . x x .
36 1 .

1
Ever yl etter of p
th is in scr i ti on is p
er fect, b u t so me of th e
wor d s h ave n ot been met wi th elsewh er e , an d h ave occasi on e d
di scu ssion . Th er e see ms to be little d bt ou th at aigad abh t

K
1 46 A S OK A

TH E NI G L lVA PI LLA R I NSC RI PT I ON

COM M EM ORA TI ON or V I SI T T o T H E S T UPA

or K ONAK A M A NA BUDD H A

H is Majesty King Piy ad asi in the fifteenth year of

his r e ign eh lar ged for the second time the std pa of
Buddh a Kon ak aman a, an d [in the twenty fir st year ] -

of h is r e ign , having come i n person , he d id r e v e r ence ,

an d set up a stone pillar
[ ]
1
.

( )
3 T h e S even Pi ll ar E d i ct s

( T wen ty
-
ser en i h an d twen ty eigh th year s
-
o f r eign )
EDI C T I
TH E PRI NC I PL E S OF G OVERNM ENT

Thu s saith H is Majesty King Piy ad asi

I n the twenty sev enth year of my r eign I caused
-

this pious edict to be wr itten .

I t is difficult to secur e both this wor ld an d the n ext

sav e by the utmost de votion to the Law of Pi ety, the

mean s ‘
i n the for m of a h or se .
’
H iu en Tsi an g r ecor d s th at th e
pi lla r h ad th e statu e of a h or se on th e su mmit . Th e suggestion

ly b
made th at aigad abh i sh ould be t r an slated ass
.

’
h as r ecen t een
‘
.

A th abh dgiye i s b est d er i ved fr om ar th a an d li ter ally r en d er ed ,

as sh ar er i n wealth
’
( S E I 4 J J
‘
ee i
pg r n d v.
; a n . . . . .

1 89 8, p .

1
K an d kaman a l
Pai K and gamana, San skr i t K anakamu n i .

p p
Th e in scr i tion i s i m er fect , bu t may safe be r efer r e t o th e ly d
same y
ear as th e Ru mmi n d ei i n scr i ti on , wh ich i t so c osel p l y
r esemb es l d
Th e istan ce b etween th e two i ar s is n ow abou t
. p ll
l
th ir teen mi es, but th e Nigliva i ar h as been move fr om its p ll d
or igi n a lp
osi ti on ( Se e B a b u P. C M u k h er j i
’
s R e or.t o n E.x p
p lo r ati on s i n th e N e a e se Te r ai ,
’
wi tpl
h P r e fat o r N o te b y y
Vin cen t A Smith , in Repor ts, A r chaeol S ur vey of I nd ia, Im er ia
. . p l
Ser ies, Ca cutta, l
 TH E CA VE A ND PI LL A R I NS CRI PTI ONS 147

utmost watchfulness the utmost o bedience the utmost , ,

d r ead the utmost ener gy

,
.

H o we ve r owing to my instr uctions thi s yearning

, ,

for an d de votion to the Law of Piety hav e gr own

fr om d ay to d ay an d will continue to gr ow , .

My agents too whether of high low or middle , , ,

rank themselv es confor m to my teaching an d lead the

, ,

people in the r ight way being i n a position to r ecall to ,

duty th e fickle minded as likewise ar e the war dens of

-

t h e m ar ches .

For this is the r ul e— pr otection accor ding to th e Law

o f Pi ety r egulation by th at law felic ity by that law
, , ,

an d secu r i ty by that law

1
.

EDI CT I I
T H E ROYA L EX A M PL E

Thus saith H is Maje sty King Piy ad asi

T h e Law of Piety is excellent .

But what is the Law of Piety !

I t r e qu ir es innocuousness, m any good deeds, com
p assion tr uthfulness, u r ity
,
.

Th e gi ft of spi r itu a i nsight I hav e gi ven in mam

fold ways ; whilst on two footed an d four footed
1 - -

beings, on bir ds, an d on the deni zens of the waters

ha e confer r ed many benefactions e ven unto the boon
v —

o f li fe ; an d many othe r goo d deeds h av e I done

1
.

1
I h ave fo ll o wed M Se n ar t (I n d A nt
. . . N E .
30 4) i n i n ter p r et

i n g th i s e i ct d as bei ng p r imar i ly add r esse dt o th e officia s l .

1
p
Th e gi ft of s i r i tu a i n sigh t , ch akh u d d ne l ’
. Th e metaph o
r i cal u se of chalch u , in San skr i t ch aksh us, ey e, for s pi it al
r u

i n si gh t or kn ow e ge, is common with all H inld d u sects. Piya

da i all
s u d es h er e t o th e d ha rit masd van d n i an d d ha r nman usath i n i ,
sermon s on an d i n st r ucti on , i n , th e sacr e d law, ”
of whi ch h e
sp eaks mo r e fully b el ow ( Vii . I ) co mpar e also d h arnmad d ne
( Rock E i ct X I d an d th e n ot e to th e latt er Bii h ler i n
E p I n d ii
. . . 2 5 0.
1
Th i s h r ase p occur s a so l in Rock E ict V d .

K 2
1 8
4 A S OK A

For this u r pose I hav e caused this pious edict to

be wr itten t at men may walk after its teaching an d
, ,

that it may long endur e ; an d he wh o will follow its

teaching will d o well .

EDI CT I II
S EL F EX A M I NAT I ON
-

Thus saith H is M aj esty K ing Piy ad aS I

M an sees hi s ev er y good deed , an d says This good ,

deed hav e I done ’

.

I n n o wise does he see h is e vil deed an d say , This

evil deed, this thi n in the natur e of sin , hav e I done ’
.

Difli cu lt v e r ily, I s the needful self exam ination

,
1 -
.

Ne vertheless, a man should see to this that r age , ,

cruelty, anger pr ide, an d jealousy ar e in the natur e of

,

sin , an d S hould say , L et me n ot by r eason of these

things br ing about my fall ’
.

Thi s is ch iefly to be seen to T h e on e cour se av ails

me for the pr esent wor ld, th e oth er cour se avails me
at an r ate for the w or ld to c ome
y

EDI CT IV
C OMM I SS I ONERS 3
T H E POW ERS A ND DUT I E S or

Thu s sai th H is Majesty King Piy ad asi

I n the twenty sev enth y ear of my r eign I -
caused
this p ious edi ct to be wri tten .

1
Th e n ee df l
u ,
’
lit ally th i
esd ; er s .
’

1
Th e tex t is b l t ly tai a
a so u e cer n, nd th e emen d ati on s su g
gest e d by M . Sen a t a
r i d mi ibl
re na ss e . I h ave fo ll wed Buh l er
o ,

( p
E I.n d i i
. . Th e o n e c ou r se ,
‘
gi vi n g way t o th e assi on s
’
p
‘ ’
th e oth er cou r se, r estr ai ni n g th e assi on s th e ai d of se f p by l
ex amin ati on .

1
Commission er s laj aka (r aj idkd )
’
, , h igh o flicer s in ter medi ate
in r an k b etween th e gover n or s an d th e di str ict ofli cer s ( pr a
 TH E CA VE A ND PI L L A R I NS CRI PTI ONS 1 49
Commissioners hav e been appointed b me to rule
o v er m any hundr ed th ousand persons 0 the p eople ,

an d to them I have gr anted i ndependence in the awar d

of hono ur s an d pen alti es
1
in or der that they may in ,

securi ty an d without fear per for m the ir duti es an d ,

besto w welfar e an d happiness on the people of the

countr y an d confer benefits upon them
, .

Th e commissioners W ill asc er tai n the cause s of

happiness an d unhappiness an d will in accordance , ,

with the Law of Piety exhor t the people of the ,

countr y so that they may gain both this wor ld an d

the next .

My commissioner s ar e eager to serv e me an d my ,

agents knowing my will ar e likewise r eady to

1
, ,

ser v e me an d will when necessar y gi v e exhortatio ns

, , , ,

wher eby the commissioner s wi ll be zeal ous to win my

favour .

For as a man feel s secur e after m ak ing ov er his

,

child to a skilful nur se an d says to hi mself Th e , ,

skilful nur se is dev oted to the car e of my ch ild ev en

’
,

so hav e I app ointed comm issione r s for the W elfar e

an d happiness of the c ountr y ; an d in order th at they ,

may with fearlessness secur ity an d confidence per , ,

for m their duties I have gr anted to the commissioners ,

independence in the award of honour s an d penalti es .

For asmuch as it is desir able that unifor mity Should

exist in administr ation an d i n p enal procedur e my 3

or de r extends so far namely : To pr isoner s con ,

i te p etati o
’
1
Bii h le r s n r r n.
1
Age t p li a i Sk pn s, hd h lite ally me ; p obab ly
’
u s n , r . u r us , r n
’
r

th e p ti d akd of Rock Edi ct V I a d th e

’
a ve i of M ega n en a x o n o c
' '

sth en es .

1
I con n ect c au se l
with th e or d er foll owin g ; samatd can
t h is
th en be gi ven its u su al mean i n g of u ni for mity an d th e
’
,

con n ex i on of th e wh ol e passage b ecomes cl ear With th i s .

ex cep ti on I foll ow Buh l er Th e un ifor mi ty en for ced i s mer ely

, .

i n th e pit g a ted to dem d

r es e r n con ne cr i min als , n ot a gen er a l
un i for mity of p e al p o du e n r ce r .
1 50 A S OK A

vict ed an d sentenced to death a r espi te of thr ee days

is gr anted by me Dur ing this inter val the r elati v es
’
.

of some at l east o f the cond emn ed men wi ll i n v i te them

to de ep meditation h oping to sav e their li v es or i f , , ,

that may n ot be they will pr esent v otiv e offer ings ,

an d under go fasts to p r om ote the pious med itations

o f those about to d ie
1
.

For my desir e is that the condemned ev en dur ing ,

th eir impr isonment may gain the next wor ld an d , ,

that among the peo le pious pr actices of v ar ious

kinds may gr ow a on g with self r estr aint an d ,
-

gener ous liber ality .

EDI C T V
REG U L AT I ONS RES T RI CT I NG S L AUG H T ER A ND
M UT I L AT I O N O F A NI M A L S

Thus saith H is Majesty King Piy ad aS I

I n the twenty se v enth year o f my -
gn the
r ei

following animals wer e exempted fr om sl aughte r ,

namely
Par r ots star lings (l) adjutants (am n a) Br ahman i
, , ,

ducks geese n an d i mu khas gelé ias (2) flying foxes

, , , ,

(j a ta k a s
) qu een a nt s
, te r r ap i n s
( i e s
-
m all to r to i se s
)
1
, . .
,

i
( ) p r awn s ve d av a y ak a s , g g p p t
a n i
c u u a ka s sk a te , , ,

tortoises por cupines , squir r els (p a r n n a s a sa ,

'

( sr i m a r a ) ded i ca ted bull s ,

kapi nda ) r hinoce r os gr ey do ves v illage , , ,

I eon s an d all four footed animal s which ar e n o t

pg ,

eaten or other wise util ized by man .

Th e t a l atio h a b ee amplified a li ttl e i o de to b i g

1
r ns n s n n r r r n

out th e mea i g l a ly n n c e r .

Th e q ee a t i eat e as an aph od i iac

1
u n -
n s n r s .

1
Ded icat d b ll th e familia
e B ah ma ee b ll
u s,
’
whi h r r n u s,
’
c

h ave bee dedicated i p

n a ce f ow a d wa d n ch e ked
ur su n o v s, n n er u n c

ove th e field
r Th e l a gh te of o e of th e e a i mal gi e
s . s u r n s n s v s

g rea t offe ce to Hin doo

n s
.
 TH E CA VE A ND PI L L A R I NS CRI PTI ONS 15 1

S h e goats, e wes, an d sows, W hether with young or

-

i n m ilk, must n ot be sl aughter ed , n or may their young ,

up to Six months of age .

C apon in g cock s is for bidden .

C h afl containing li ving things must n o t be bur ned 1

'

For ests must n ot be bur ned, either for m ischief, or

to injur e li v ing cr eatur es 1
.

T h e l i ving must n o t be fed w ith the l ivi ng 3

At .

each o f the th r ee season al full m oons an d at the full ,

m oon of the month Tish y a (December —J anuar y), for

thr e e days in each case , namely, the four teenth an d
fifteenth days of the first fortnight, an d the fir st d ays
o f the second for tnight, as well as on the fast d ay s

thr oughout the year , fish may neither be kille d n or

so ld .

On the same days n o other animals livin in ,

elephant pr eser ves or fish ponds may be d estr oy e

- -

On th e e ighth th e four teenth an d the fifteenth d ay , ,

o f each fortn ight as well as on the Tish a an d Pun ar

y ,

v asu d ays on the seasonal full m oon days a

, n d on the -

days of popular festi vals bulls h e goats r ams an d , ,

-

, ,

boar s may n ot be castr ated ; n or may an y other

an im al which is commonly c astr ated be castr ated on
those days .

On the Tish y a an d Pu n ar vasu days on the seasonal ,

full moon days an d dur in the full moon for tnights

-

,
-

th e br and ing of hor ses an oxen is for bidden 1

metime b ed i o de to
‘
1
Ch afl o a th e h i g floo in r s n -
r s so s ur n n r r

de t y mi
s ro ver n .

1
A f e t i ometi me fi ed wa to ly ometi me i o de to
or s ss s r n n , s s n r r

p mote th e g owth of g a a d ometime to d i e o t game

ro r r ss, n s s r v u .

1
A h awk with th e b lood of li i g p igeo
s s a c uel p acti e v n n s, r r c

sti ll i og e
n v u .

1
I a ie t I di a th e yea was di ided i to th ee easo
n nc n n r v n r s n s,

th e h ot ai y a d old
, r Th e th ee f ll moo
n , efe ed t o a e
n c . r u ns r rr r

p bably th o e of th e mo th Phdlg ( Feb M a h ) A h dd h

ro s n s una .
-
rc , s a

( J u n e J u
-
ly ) , K d r ttika ( Oct . Ti sh y a an d Pu n ar vasu
day s mean th e d a y s of th e mon th on wh i ch th e moon i s, or is
152 A S OKA

the per iod extending up to my twenty Sixth

In -

coronation d ay I have twenty five times liber ated the -

pr isoner s 1
.

EDI CT V I

T H E NE C ESS I T Y I N A L L SE CTS FOR PERS ONA L DEV OT I ON

Thus saith H is Majesty King Piy ad asi

I n the thirteenth year of my r eign I h ad piou s
edicts wr itten to pr omote the welfar e an d happiness
of the p eople , w i th the i ntent that the people ,
1

rejecting their old vices , might attain unto gr owth

3

in p i ety .

Thus aiming at the welfar e an d h appin ess of the

,

people , I devote my attention to those far an d near as

much as to my own r elatives, if haply I may gui de
some of them to h ap ) in ess
I
.

I n the same way devote my attention to all com

mu n ities 1
A ll sects have been r ev er enced by me w ith
.

su pp ed t os o be, i n th e aster i s m or con stel ation l ( n akshat r a ) so

n am d I e . n each mon th th er e wer e fou r fast d a -

y s. Th e nu m
be r of d ay s in th e y ear on wh ich th e ki lli n g an d sa e of l fish
was for b i dd en amoun t ed t o fifty six ( S ee-
fu d i scu
. ssi on ll by
l
Buh er i n Ep I n d . . 1 1. 2 6 1 2 65 ; an d K er n , M an u al of I nd i an
-

Bu dd h ism, p .

ally made twen ty d li Th e ki n g mean s

’
1
Liter ‘
-
five j ail I
e ver i es .

th at on each an n i ver sar y of h is cor o n ati on he p b li h d

u s e a

gen e r a l pa d r on of all con vi cts, most of Wh om must h ave b een

w
a ai tin g ex ecu t i on .

1
Pious e di cts,
’
th at i s to say th e Rock E icts, d a mon g wh ich
Nos I II . an d IV ar e ex p y dat d i th th i te
r essl e n e r en th y ear .

1
Re j ect i n g th eir Old v ces, i a pa aph a
’
ft r r se o a m apahata i n ,

accor da n ce with Bii hl er ’

i w M S a t
sv e . d . en r r en er s car r y in g a way
so meth in g ,
’
th at is t o say , fr om th e teach in g of th e Rock E i cts d .

1
mmun ities savan ikdyesu Th e r en der in gs cor or a
A ll co ,
’
. p
ti on s ( Bii h ler ) an d th e wh ol e b ody of my ofli cer s ( Sen ar t)
’ ‘ ’

ar e b oth too d efin i te Compar e Rock Edict X I II For th er e i s.

,
 TH E CA VE A ND PI LL A R I NS CRI P TI ONS 153

v ar ious for ms of r ev er ence Nev er theless per sonal 1

.
,

ad her ence to a man s p ar ticul ar c r eed seems to me th e

’

chief thin g 1

I n th e twenty se v enth year of my r eign thi s p ious

‘
-

edict was wr itten by my command .

EDI CT V II 3

’
T H E K I NG S M EA S URES F OR TH E PROPA G A T I ON OF T H E
1
L A W or PI ET Y

Thus saith H is Majesty King Piy ad asi

Th e kings wh o li v ed in p ast times desi r ed th at man
might somehow develop the gr owth of the Law of
Piety Mankind however d id n ot develop the gr owth
.
, ,

o f the Law of Piety acco r ding to expec tation .

Ther efor e , thus saith H is M ajesty K ing Piy ad asi

T h is thought occur r ed to me — Th e kin gs wh o l i ved
in p ast tim es desir ed that mankind m ight som ehow
dev elop the gr owth of the Law of Piety, but mankind
n o coun t r yi n whi ch ar e n ot fou n d su ch co mmu n iti es ( n ih aya) ,
in c l di
u n g oth er s b esides Br ah ma n s an d asceti cs.
’

1
Com pa re th e p
O en i n g sen ten ce of Rock E i ct X II d .

1
Per son a l adh er en ce to a man s ’
p a ti r cula r cr ee d ,
’
atu n d

p ach upaga
’
man e ( Sen ar t ) . Th is i n ter p r etati on see ms p f
r e er a b le
t o th at of Buh l er , th e pp
a r oach th r ough ’
on e s o wn fr ee wil l ,
’

th at is t o say th e l
vo u n tar y pp a r oach whi ch on e sect is t o
make towar ds th e oth er ,
’
as r eco mmen ded d
in Rock E i ct X I I .

1
I n th e old er e diti on s er r on eou s ly t r eate da st wo edi t c s, Nos .

V II an d V II I .

1
Th is im p or tan t e di ct,mmen tar ywh ich is a key to an d co

on th e wh ole of th e Piy ad asi i n scr i ption s comp r ises a p r eamb le , ,

th e r ecital of eigh t measu r es taken t o p r omote p i ety an d an ,

ep i logu e Th e eigh t measu r es ar e ( I ) ser mon s ; ( 2 ) i n scr i b ed

.

pillar s ; ( 3) ar r an gemen ts for comfor t of man an d b east ; (4)

in stitu tion of cen sor s ; 5 ) i n stitu tion of Royal Al mon er s d e
’

p ar tm e n t ; ( )
6 th e ki n g s p er son al cr am e ( 7) d
’
e tai l ed p i o u s m
r egul ati on s ; ( 8) en cour agemen t of medi tati on on p r i n cipl es .
15 4 A S OKA

did develop the growth of the Law of Piety

n ot

accor ding to expectation By what means then can .

m ankind be induced to Obey ! by what me ans can

mankind de velop the gr owth Of piety accor ding to
expectation ! by what means can I r aise up at least
some of them so as to de v el op the gr owth o f p iety !
Ther efor e thus saith H is Maj esty King Piy ad as i
,

Th is th ought occur r ed to me I will c ause se r m on s —

On the Law O f Piety to be p r eached an d with in ,

str u ct ion s in that law will I i nstr u ct S O that men ,

hear kening th er eto may Obey r aise themselves up , ,

an d gr e atly de vel op the gr o wth Of pi ety .

For this my pur pose I hav e caused ser mons on the

L aw o f Piety to be pr eached I h av e disseminated ,

var ious in str u ction s on that law an d I h av e appo inted ,

agents among the multitude to expound an d d ev elop

1

my teaching .

Commissioner s have been appointed by me over

2

many thousands Of souls with instr uctions to expound ,

my teaching in such an d such a manner among the

lie es

Thu
.

s sai th
Majesty Piy ad asi
H is 3

Consider in g fu r ther the same pur pose I hav e set up ,

illar s of the Law I hav e appointed censor s o f the

pw an d pr eached ser mons on the L aw of Piety
,
4
.
,

Thus saith H is Maje sty King Piy ad asi

On the r oads I hav e h ad banyan tr ees planted to -

give Shade to man an d beast ; I have h ad gro ves

of m ango tr ees pl anted ;
-
at e ve r y half kos I h av e
h ad well s dug ; r e st houses h av e been er ected ; an d -

numer ous water ing places have been pr epar ed here -

an d th er e fo r the enj oyment o f man an d beast 5

.

’
Agen t s, pa lasa See n ote 2 ,
’

. p . 1 49 b
a ove .

2
Commi ssi on er s, laj zikd
’
See . n ote 3,p . 1 48 b
a ove .

3
Note Omi ssion of th e wor d K i n g .
’

Cen sor s Of th e Law, d h arh mamahd md td

’
.

5
Refer s to Rock E i ct II d . See n otes 1 an d 2 , p . 80 a bove.
 TH E CA VE A ND PILL A R I NS CRI PTI ONS
' "

155

That so -
called enj oyment howe v er , , is a mall
s
matter .

With var ious blessings have for mer kings blessed

the wor ld eve n as I hav e done but in my case it h as ,

been done solely with the intent that men may yield
Obedience to the Law O f Pi ety .

Thus saith H is Majesty Piy ad a81

My censor s Of the Law of Piety ar e occupied with
v ar ious char itable i nstitutions wi th ascetics house , ,

holders an d all the sects ; I have also ar r an ged that

,

they should be occup ied with th e affair s of the

Buddhist cler gy as well as with the Br ahmans , ,

the J ains the Aj iv ikas an d in fact with all the

, , , ,

v ar ious sects
‘
.

Th e se v er al or dinar y magistr ates shall se v er ally

super intend their par ticu lar char ges wher eas the ,

censor s of the Law Of Piety shall super intend all sects

as well as such special char ge s .

Thus saith H is M ajesty Kin g Piy ad asi

The se an d m any other h igh Officials ar e employed
in the distr ibution of the r oyal al ms bo th my own ,

an d those Of the queens ; an d in all the r oyal

2

households both at the capital an d in the pr ovinces

these Officials indicate in diver s ways the m anifold
oppor tuni ti es for char ity
3
.

Th e same Officials ar e also employed by me in the

distr ibution of the alms of my wives sons an d of the ’

Refe t o Ro k Edict V
rs Comp a e Ro k Ed i t X II
c Some . r c c .

of th e e b iage i
v r th e O igi al h as b ee Omitted i th e t a
n r n n n r ns

l ati o n.

See th e Q ee Ed i t po t p 1 5 7
u n s
’
c , s , . .

I h e e f ll ow P fe
‘
r Ke oD B d dhi m vol 1ro ssor r n, er u s us, . 1 ,

p 386 wh o take t thd y t d m i e t h tydyata d i o ce

.
,
s u a an
‘

,
. . us n n ,
s ur s

of co t e t me t
n i th e e e Of Oppo t itie fo ch a i ty
n n ,
”
n s ns r un s r r .
”

S ch opp o t itie a
u t b e p oi ted o t to all th i mat e
r un s re o n u e n s

h a em ( B h le Ep I d ii I t a l at
’ ’
Of t h e K i g n s r u r , . n . . r ns e

eh old h a m b ca e th e ’ ’
l dh
o o i
an as h , ath e th aou s , r r n
‘
re , e us

s ecl io Of wome wa ot th e c tom of a cie t I d ia

us n n . sn us n n n .
1 56 A S OK A

queens sons in or der to pr omote pious acts an d

’ 1
,

the practice of piety For p ious acts an d the pr ac .

tice of piety depend on the gr owth amon g men Of

compassion liberality truth pur ity gentleness an d
, , , , ,

goodness .

Thus saith H is Majesty King Piy ad asi

Whatsoe ver mer itor ious deeds I hav e done those ,

deeds the people have copied an d will imitate whence ,

follows the consequence that gr owth is n ow taking

place an d will fur th er incr ease in the virtues of
Obedi ence to father an d m oth e r Obe dience to teacher s , ,

r e v er ence to the aged an d k indl tr eatment O f B r ah

y ,

mans an d ascetics of th e poor an d wr etched y ea , , ,

even of slav es an d ser v ants 2

.

Thus saith H is M ajesty King Piy ad asi

Th is gr owth of piety am on g men h as been e ffected
by two means namely by pious r egulations an d by, ,

meditation Of these two m eans pious r egulation s ar e

.

O f sm all account wher eas meditation is of gr eater ,

value .

Nev ertheless I hav e ) assed p ious r egulations fo r

bidding the Slaughter ofsuch an d such an imals an d
a
,

o the r r egulation s Of th e so r t But the effect Of medi .

~

tation is seen in the gr e ater growth of pi ety among

men an d the mor e complete abstention fr om inju r y to
,

anim ate c r eatur e s an d fr om slaughter O f l i v ing be ings

3
.

Thi s pr ocl amation h as been made with the intent

that it may endur e as long as my descendants continue 4

an d sun an d m oon exist an d th at men may pr actise

5
,

Th e d i ti tio i te ded I th i k i b etwee th e o

1
s nc n of
n n , n , s n s ns

th e qu een s con sor t -

an d th ose Of th e i n fer i or wi ves . See n ote,

p 1 57
. Buh ler su
. pp oses th at th e qu een s ll d d
a u e to ar e th e
wi ves Of th e ki n g s ’
p d re ecessor s .

See Rock Edi cts I V , IX, X I ; Pi ar E i ct I I

9
ll d .

3
Re fer s to Rock E ict I ; Pi ar E ict V See d ll d . a sol Ro ck
d
E ict I X .

Descen da n ts,
’
liter a l ly ‘
son s an d gr eat -

gr an d son s.
’

5
Com pa e th r e p
in scr i tions of Dasar ath a .
 TH E CA VE A ND PI LLA R I NS CRI PTI ONS 15 7

my teaching By the pr actice O f this teach ing the

.

gain is secur ed both of the p r esent wor ld an d of the

wor ld to come .

I n the twenty eighth year Of my r eign I or der ed -

this pious edict to be wr itten .

Concer ning this thus saith H is Majesty : Wher e ,

soe v er stone p ill ar s o r stone tablets exist the r e let ,

this edict be inscr i bed SO that it may long endur e , .

4
( ) Th e S u ppl e mentar y Pill ar E d i cts

( Twen ty eigh th year -

f
o r eign or later )

TH E Q U EEN S
’
EDI CT
T H E D ONA T I O NS OF T H E S EC O ND Q UEEN

By command Of H is Majesty the officials ever y

wher e ar e to be instr ucted that
Whatever donation h as been made by the second
queen be it a mango gr ov e pleasur e gar den char i
,
-

,
-

table hostel or aught else is to be accounted as the act

, ,

o f th at queen These thi ngs ar e [2all to gain mer i t

.

for ] the second queen K ar fivaki the mothe r of Ti var a 1

, , .

TH E K AU S AM BI EDI CT
D ONA T I ON T O BUDD H I ST M ONA ST ERY

Thi s docu ment which is found like the Q ueen s , ,

’

Edi ct on the A llahabad p illar is too imper fect to

, ,

Th i edi t edi ted by Bii h le i I d A t i 1 2 5 i p e fe t

s c , r n n . n . x x .
, s r c ,

e cep t f
x fi e or i ch a a t
v e p e i g th e p
or s x po e I h av r c er s x r ss n ur s . e

su pplied a c j e t al i te p etati
on Th e d oc me t i
c ur f n r r on . u n s O

i te e t i
n r s al n pect It p e th at A oka h ad at lea t
sever r es s. r ov s s s

tw t wh
o co n sor a ked a q ee
s ( d f)
o rth at th en o d O f s u ns ea , sec n

th e e l adie wa amed Ka fi aki ( Kalfi aki ) a d th at th ki g

‘
s s sn r v v , n e n

h ad a by h e amed T a a ( Ti ala) It i p ibl e t ead

so n r n iv r v . s oss o r

am a Ti ti ala ipti i i th e M agadh i

’
th e Th e i
‘

son s n e s v . n scr on s n

di alect which place Sa k it medial by l

, re s ns r r .
158 A S OKA

adm it Of continuous tr an slation Part Of it is r e .

pr oduced in the equally defaced inscription on the

S fin chi p illar which seems to r ecor d the donation
,

O f a r oad or p r ocession path to a m on astery

1

1
Buh l er , I nd A n t
. . x ix .
4
12 , 1 26 ; E pigr . I nd . n .
366
.
 C H A P TER V I

TH E C EYL ONES E L EG END or A S OK A

legends r elated in this chapter an d in that

TH E
followin g ar e r elated simply as legends without ,

cr i ticism or discussion of their histor i cal value

,
1

T H E CONV ERS I ON OF A S OK A

king of M agsd h a h ad ten sons wh o

K il lasoka, , ,

after h is de ath r uled the k ingdom r ighteously for

twenty two year s They wer e succeeded by other

-
.

nine br other s the Nandas wh o likewise in or der of , , ,

seni or i ty r uled the kingdom for twenty two y ear s

,
-

Th e l eg d t ld i thi ch ap te h a e b e
en s mpiled by
o n s r v e n co

comb i i g th e a ati e Of th e Di pa ama a d th e M ah a

n n n rr vath a v s v s n s ,

wh i ch may fai ly be c mbi ed b th b i g de i ed f om t h e

r o n , o e n r v r

t ad iti o p e e ed at th e M ah a ih a a m a te y W ij e i h a ’
r ns r s rv v r on s r s n s

Of th e M ah a ama
.

r e i d edi ti o of T o
v se t a lati o n ur n
’
ur s r ns n v s

( C l omo b G e m t
o,R o d Oflice 1 889
ov r n ) h a b e ed
en ec r , s en us .

a e mate ial
’
Hi o ti
s c r r ec of T o e i on s Fo th e ur n u r s v r s on r r . r

Dipavama Old be g diti a d t a lati h a bee ed ’

s , en r s e on n r ns on ve n us .

Th e i de e t o T M ah a a h a a d Old be g Di pa
'
’
n x s u r n ou r s v t s n en r s

v ama make ea y th
s e ifi ati of p a t i c la
s tat m t e v r c on r u r s e en s .

A th e no mma y of th e lege d will be f

r su rd i H a dy n s ou n n r
’
s

E aster n M on ach is m
m
.

3
Tu r n ou r o mi ts th e wor d s ‘
th e Nan das .
’
Th e Dipava sa
su Su sun aga for Kalasoka, makes
b stitu te s Asoka t o be th e son
o f Susu n aga, an d omi t s all men ti on of th e n in e Nan da b r oth er s,

an d th ei r r eign of twen t two y -

y ear s 97 ( p
D i . v 25,
. Th ese
di scr e pa n cies p r ove th e un tr u stwor th i n ess of th e ch r on i c es l .
1 60 A S OK A

A Brahman n amed Ch an akya wh o h ad conceiv ed ,

an i mplac able hatr ed again st Dhana Nanda the l as t ,

survi vor o f the n ine br others put th at king to death , ,

an d placed upon the throne Chandr a Gupta a membe r ,

Of the p r incely Maur ya clan wh o assumed the ,

sove r eignty of all I ndia an d r eign ed gloriously for ,

t wenty four years

-
1
H e was succeeded by hi s son.

Bin d u sar a wh o r uled the l and for twenty eigh t year s

,
-
.

Th e sons Of Bin d usar a the offspr ing of sixteen ,

mother s numbered on e hundred an d on e of whom

, ,

the eldest was named S umana an d the youn gest .

,

Tish y a (Tissa) A thir d son A soka uter ine bro ther

.
, ,

of Ti sh y a h ad been appointed V icer oy of Western

,

I ndia by hi s father On r eceiving news of Ki ng .

Bin d u sfir a s m ortal illness Asok a qui tted Ujj ain the
’
, ,

seat Of h is gov e r nment an d hastened to Pa talipu tr a ,

( P atna) the capi tal of the empi r e

, On hi s ar ri val at .

the capital he slew h is eldest br other S umana an d

, ,

ninety eight other br other s saving aliv e but on e

-
, ,

Tish y a the youngest Of all

, H aving thus secu r ed .

h is thr one A sok a became lor d of all I ndia but by

, ,

reason of the m assac r e of h is brother s he was known

as Asok a the Wicked .

Now it so happened that when Pr ince S um an a was

sl ain h is wi fe was wi th ch ild
, S h e fled fr om the .

slaughte r an d was obl iged to seek shelter in a vi llage

,

Not ‘
th i r t y fo
-
ur y ear s,
’
as gi ven b oth by Tur n o ur an d

Wij esin ha Th e figu r e 34 i s a copyi t bl u der ; see m

’
. s s n co

men tar y qu ote Tur n ou r , d by

In ( Rh p . y s Davi d s, A n cien t Coi n s
an d M easur es of Ceylon , 4, 1 n ote ) p . .
 TH E CE YL ONES E L E GE ND 161

of o utcastes beyond the easter n gate Th e headman Of .

the outcastes pityin g h er misery entr eated h er kindly

, , ,

an d doin g her r ev e r ence se r v ed her faithfully for

’

, ,

se v en years On that ver y d ay on whi ch sh e was

.

d r i ven for t h fr om the palace sh e gave bir th to a boy ,

On whom the name Ni r od h a was bestowed T h e

g .

child was bor n with the mar ks of sanctity an d when ,

he attained the age Of sev en was alr ead y an or dained

monk .

Th e holy child whose r oyal or igin was n ot known

, ,

happened on e d ay to pass by the palace an d attr acted ,

the attention Of the king wh o was struck by h is gr av e

,

an d r e v er end depor tment King Asoka high ly de.

,

lighted sen t for the boy wh o dr ew near with decor um

, ,

an d sel f possession
-
.

Th e king said My chi ld take an y seat which thou

, ,

thin kest befitting Nigr od h a seeing that n o pr iest

.
’
,

o ther than him self was p r esent ad vanced towards the ,

r oyal throne as the befittin g seat Wher eupon King .

A sok a understanding that thi s monk was destined to

,

b ecome lor d of the palace gav e the boy hi s ar m an d , ,

se ating hi m upon the thr one r efr eshed h im with meat ,

an d dr ink p r ep ar ed for h is own r oyal u se .

H aving thus shown hi s r espect the kin g questioned ,

the boy monk concer ning the doctr ines of Buddha an d ,

r ece i v ed fro m h im an exposi tion of the doctrine o f

ear nestness to the effect that ear nestness is the way

,

to immortal ity indiffer ence is the way to death This

’
.
,

teaching so wr ought upon the hear t of th e king that ,

h e at once accepted the r eligion Of Buddha an d gave ,

L
1 62 A S OK A

gifts to the pr i esthood Th e n ext d ay Nigr odh a

.

r etur ned to the palace wi th thirty t wo p r i ests an d

-
, ,

by pr eaching the law established king an d people in

,

the faith an d the pr actice of piety I n this mann er

.

was King Asoka constr ained to abandon the B r ahman

i cal faith Of his fathe r an d to accept as a lay di sci ple
,

the sacred law of Budd ha .

These things happened in the fourth year afte r

the accession of King A soka wh o in the same
,

year celebrated his solemn coronation an d appointe d ,

h is younger brother Tish y a to be hi s deputy or v i ce

ger ent .

Th e si xty thousand B r ahm ans wh o for three year s

,

h ad daily enj oyed the bounty of A soka as th ey h ad ,

enj oyed that of hi s pr edecessors on the thr one were ,

dismissed an d in their place Buddhist monks in equal

,

numbers were constantly entertained at the palace ,

an d tr eated with such lavish generosity that four

lakhs of tr easure wer e each d ay expended One day .

,

th e ki ng havi ng feasted the monks at the palac e

, ,

i nqui red the n umber of the sections of the law an d ,

h aving lear n ed that the sections of the law were

eighty four thousand in number he r eso l ved to
-
,

d edicate a sacred edifice to each Wher efor e the

.
,

k ing commanded the local r ulers to erect eighty four -

thousand sacr ed edifices in as many towns Of I n di a ,

an d hi mself constr ucted the A sokfi rama at the capital .

A ll the edi fices wer e completed wi thin thr ee year s ,

an d in a sin gle d ay the news of the i r completi on

r eached the Cour t . By means of the super natural

 Y
TH E CE L ONES E L EGEND 1 63

powers with which he was gifted King Asoka was ,

enabled to behold at on e gl ance all the se wor k s

thr oughout the empir e .

Fr om the time of his consecr ation as emper or of

I ndia two hundred an d eighteen years after th e death
,

o f the perfect Buddh a the m ir ac ulous faculti es of

,

r oyal m ajesty entered into King A soka an d the gl ory ,

which he obtained by his mer it extended a league

abov e an d a league below the earth .

Th e den izens of he av en we r e h is servants an d daily ,

br ought for h is u se water fr om the holy lake lu s ,

ciou s fr agr ant fruits an d other oo d th ings beyond

, g ,

measur e an d without stint .

Th e king lamenting that he h ad been bor n too late

,

to behold the Buddha in the flesh beso ught the aid of ,

the Snake King wh o caused to appear a most enchant

-

in g im age of Buddha in the ful l perfection of beauty

, ,

sur r ounded by a halo Of glo ry an d surmounted by the ,

lambent flame Of sanctity in honour of whi ch glor ious ,

v ision a ma n ificent festi v al was held for the spac e of

g
se v en days .

TH E S TO RY or M A H ENDRA A ND S A NG HA M I T RA, A ND

TH E C ONV ERS I ON or C EYL ON

While A soka during his royal father s li fetime was ’

stationed at Ujj ain as viceroy o f the A vanti co untr y ,

he for med a con nexion with a lady of the Setthi caste ,

named Devi wh o resided at Vedi sagir i (Besn agar

,

near Bhi lsa) 1

S h e accompani ed the pri nce to Ujj ain
.
,

Tu mour ’ ’
s tex t r ead s Ch etiyagir i .

L 2
1 64 A S OK A

an d ther e bore to h im a son named Mahen dra two ,

hundred an d four year s after th e death of Buddha 1

.

Two years l ater a daughter n amed S an gh amitr awas

bor n Devi continued to reside at V edisagir i after
.

Asok a seized the thr one ; bu t the children aecom -o

a n ied the ir father to the capital where S an h amitr a

p g ,

was giv en in m arr iage to Agni Br ahma nephew o f th e ,

king to whom S h e bor e a son n amed S umana

, .

I n the four th year after King A sok a s coron ation

’
,

h is br o ther Tish y a the v iceger ent hi s nephew A gn i

, ,

B r ahma an d h is gr andson S u mana wer e all or dained

, .

Th e king wh o h ad received the n ews of the comple

,
~

tion of the eighty four thousand sacr ed edifices held a

-
,

solemn assembly of mill ion s of m onks an d n u ns an d , ,

comin g in full state in person took up hi s station in ,

the midst Of the pr i esthood Th e king s piety h ad.

’

by this time washed away the stain of fr atr icide an d ,

he wh o h ad been known as A soka the Wicked was ,

hencefor th celebr ated as Asoka the Pious .

A fter hi s br other Ti sh y a h ad de vo ted himself to

r el igion A soka p r op osed to r eplace h im in the O ffice
,

o f v i cege r ent by P r i nce Mahendr a but at the u r gent ,

entr eaty Of h is spir itual dir ector Tish y a son Of ,

M oggali ( M u d galy a) the ki ng was per suad ed to per mit

,

Of the ordin ation bo th of Mahendr a an d his siste r

San gh amitr a Th e you ng prince h ad then attained

,

the canonical age of twenty an d was ther efor e at ,

o nce or dained Th e pr i ncess assumed the yellow r o be

. ,

but was obliged to defer h er adm ission to the Order

Th i date i given by th e Di pavam
1
s s sa vi 20 2 1 , .
, .
 Y
TH E CE L ONES E L E GE ND 1 65

for two year s until

, hould attain full age
sh e s .

Mahendr a was ordained in the sixth year Of the king s ’

r e ign dating fr om h is cor onation

, .

I n the eighth year o f the reign two saints,named ,

respecti v ely S umitr a an d Tish y a died Their d eath , .

was attended with such por tents that the wor ld at

lar ge became gr eatly devoted to the Buddh ist r eligion ,

an d the l i ber ality of the people to the p r i ests was

multiplied Th e pr ofits so Obtained attr acted to the

.

O r der many unworthy member s wh o set up their own ,

doctr ines as the doctr ines of Buddha an d per ,

for med unlawful r ites an d cer emonies ev en sacr ifices ,

afte r the m anner of the Br ahm an s as seemed good ,

u nto them H ence was wrought con fusion both in

.

the doctr ine an d ritual of the Chur ch .

Th e d iso rder s waxed S O gr eat that the her etics ou t

number ed the tr ue bel ievers the regular r ites Of the
,

chur ch wer e in abeyance for sev en years an d th e ,

k ing s spir itual dir ector

’
Tish y a son Of M oggali
, ,

was obliged to commit h i s disciples to the car e Of

Pr ince Mahendr a an d himself to r etir e into solitude
,

am on g the m o untai ns at the source Of the G anges .

Tish y a the son of M oggali h aving been per suaded

, ,

t o qui t h i s r etr eat expelled the her etics pro duced the
, ,

K ath avatth u tr eatise an d held the Thi rd Council of

,

the Chur ch at the A sokar ama in Patalipu tr a These .

ev ents happened in the year 2 36 after the death of

Buddha an d seventeen an d a h alf years after th e
,

cor onation O f King A soka

m
.

I n the same year King Devfin am y a Tissa (Ti sh y a)

1 66 AS OKA

as cended th e throne of Ceylon an d became th e fir m

,

friend an d ally Of King Asoka although th e two ,

so ver e igns n e ver met Th e Kin g O f Ceylon in or d er

.
,

to show h is frien dshi p an d r espect d ispatch ed a ,

mission to I ndia headed by hi s nephew M ahaAr itt h a

, , .

In se ven days the envoys reached the por t of Tamali pti

( T a mlfik i n Bengal
), an d in sev en days more ar r iv ed

at the I mper ial Co ur t They wer e r oyally en ter tain ed

.

by King Asoka wh o was graciously pleased to accept

,

the r ich an d rare pr esents sent by hi s ally in retur n ,

for which he sent gi fts Of equal value Th e en voy s .

r em ained at the capital for five month s an d then ,

r etur ned to the island by the way they h ad come ,

bear ing to their sov ereign this message from Kin g

A soka : I hav e taken re fuge in th e Buddha t h e ,

Law an d the Or der ; I have avowed myself a lay

,

disc iple of th e doctrine Of the son of the Si ky as .

I mbue your mind also with faith in thi s Tr iad i n ,

the highest r eligion Of the Jin a ; take refu ge in th e

Te acher
’
.

A fter the close of the Thi rd Council whi ch r emained ,

in session for nine months Tish y a the son of M oggali

,

resolved that the law Of Buddha should be communi

cated to for eign countr i es an d dispatched missionar i es
,

to Kashm ir an d Gan dha r a ; to M ahisaman d ala M

( y
sor e) ; to Van avfi si ( Nor th Kan ara ) ; to A par an taka

( c oast n o r t h of B o mb ay ) ; to M ah a
r ashtra ; to the
Yav an a country (on the n or th wester n frontier ) ; to
-

the mountain regions of the H imalaya ; to Suvar n a

bhumi ( Pegu) ; an d to Ceylon .
 TH E CE YL ONE S E L E GEND 1 67

Th e mission to Ceylon consisted of Pr ince Mahendr a

an d fiv e colleagues of whom on e was S umana h is
, ,

t ’
sis er s son .

Mahendr a r esolved with the king s per m ission to

,
’
,

v isit h is m other an d her r elations on his way to

Ceylon an d devoted six months to this pur pose

, .

H e fou nd h is mother at her home in V ed isagir i ,

an d having been r eceived with gr eat j oy was ac

, ,

commod ated in the Splend id m onastery at that place

which sh e h ad er ected 1 Th e preaching Of Mahend r a

.

conv er ted Bhan du a gr andnephew Of h is mother

, .

A fter this e vent Mahendr a lingered for another m onth ,

an d then w ith h is companion s to whom Bhandu ,

attached h imself rose aloft i nto the air

, an d flying , ,

as fl i es the ki ng of swans arri v ed in Ceylon an d

’
, ,

al ighted upon the Missa m oun tain .

Th e first discourse pron oun ced by the le ad er o f

the mission conv erted the king with for ty thousan d ,

Of his foll owers Th e pr incess A nula wi th fiv e

.
,

hundr ed Of h er attendants desir ed to enter the Order , ,

but was told that the male missionar ies h ad n o power

to ordain fem ales wh o howe v er m ight be ordain ed by
, , ,

the pr incess San gh amitr fl .

Th e k ing of Ceylon after due deli ber ation again

, ,

dispatched his nephew to King Asoka with in str uc ,

tions to br ing back San gh amitr a an d a bran ch Of the

sac r ed bo tree King Asoka although gr ieving sor ely
.
,

at the sep ar ation from h is beloved d aughter gav e h is ,

Th e all i on seems to be to th e ple di d build i gs at San ch i

us s n n ,

ab out five miles south west f om Bes agar

-
r n .
1 68 A S OKA

consen t to h er deputation to Ceylon an d proceed e d ,

with much cer emony to sev er a branch of the holy

tr ee .

Th e se ve r an ce was effected signalized by man y ,

mir acles an d the en voys accompanied by S an gh amitr a

, , ,

wer e dispatched to the por t of Tfimalipti esco r ted by ,

an ar my comm anded by King Asoka in per so n .

Th e v essel in which the bO tr ee was embar ke d -

briskly dashed through the water ; an d in the gr eat

ocean th r o ugh the circumfer ence of a le ague th e
’

, ,

wav es wer e stilled ; fl owers Of the five different colou r s

blossomed ar ou nd i t an d v ar ious melodies Of musi c
,

r ang in the air Th e holy br anch thus mir aculously

’
.
,

wafted to the Shor e of the island was r eceived wi th ,

due honour an d was planted in the M ah amegh a gar d en

, ,

which the king h ad dedicated to the u se Of the Order .

Th e br anch thr ew Ofl eight v igor ous shoots which

'

wer e di str ibu ted an d planted in as m any localities .

I n those days also the ki ng of Ceyl on bui lt for

M ahendra the M ah avih ar a the first m onaster y of th e
,

isl and an d the constr uction Of the Ch etiy agir i (Mihin

,

talé) m onaster y followed Soon after .

Th e p r incess A nula i n company with five hundr ed

,

vi r ins an d five hundred w omen Of the p alace was

g ,

duly or dained as a nun by S an gh amitr a an d str aight ,

way attained the rank o f A r hat Th e king er ected .

a nunner y for S an gh ami tr a wh o the r e abode in peace

, ,

until sh e died in the fifty ninth year after her -

or din ation that being the ninth year Of the r e ign O f

,

the Ceylonese King Uttiya H er brother Mahendra .

 TH E CE L ONES E L E GE NDY 1 69

h ad passed away in the pr evious year whi le Ob ser v ing ,

the sixtieth retr eat since h is or dination .

While King A soka was engaged in the festivals

connected with the dispatch of the br anch of the ba
tr ee another mission head ed by hi s gr andson S umana
, , ,

ar r iv ed fro m Ceyl on to beg for r el ics to be enshri ned

i n the great std pa by the island k ing Th e r equest

. .

of th is second mission also was gr anted by Ki ng

A soka wh o be stowed upon hi s ally a dishful O f holy

,

r eli cs to which S akra lor d of the De vas added th e

, , ,

r ight collar bone of Buddha extr acted from th e

-

Chul amani st12pa Th e r elics wer e r eceived with

'

extr eme honour an d enshr ined with due cer emony in

,

the Th upar ama etapa the moment being mar ked by ,

a te r r ific earthqua ke Witnessing thi s mir acle th e .

,

people wer e con verted in crowds an d the king s ,

’

younger brother j oined the Or der which in those ,

days r eceiv ed an accession of thirty thousand mon ks .

1
T H E L EG E ND or T H E T H I RD C H URCH C OUNC I L

When as h as been r elated the her etics waxed

, ,

gr eat in numbers an d wr ought confusion in the

Chur ch so that for sev en year s the rite of confession
,

an d other solemn ri t s r emai ned i n abeyance K ing

‘

e ,

1
See p lly
Dipava sa, i 2 5 ; v 5 5 ; vn 37 , 4
es ecia m 1 , 5 6—5 9
. . . . .

d
Th e ates d o n ot seem all t o agr ee, but t h e in ten ti on evi en t d ly
pl d
i s to ace th e Th ir Cou n ci i n 2 36, an d th e Secon Cou n ci i nl d l
1 1 8 A n n a Bu d d h ae, th e two in ter va s o f I 1 8 year s b ein g ex act yl l
equa l . d
On e of th e Ch in ese ates for Asoka i s 1 1 8 A B ( I t sin g, . .
-

ed . Takakusu, p .
1 70 A S OKA

Asoka d eter mined that th e di sor der sh ould cease, an d

sent a minister to th e Amkar ama to

mpel t h e co

mon ks to resume th e services Th e mini ster havin g .

,

n e there a ssembled th e monks an d proclaim ed th e

g o ,

r oyal co mm ands Th e holy men r eplied that t h ey

.

could n ot perform th e servi ces whil e th e her e tics

r emained Ther eupon the minister exceedi ng h is

.
,

i n structions wi th h is own h and smote off the heads

,

of se veral of the contumacious ecclesi asti cs as they

sat in con vocation Th e king s bro ther Tish y a inter

’
.

fet ed an d prevented further violence

, .

Th e king was pro foundly horrified an d greatly

alarmed at th e r ash act Of h is mi nister an d sought ab ,

solution I n accordan ce with the advice Of the clergy

.
,

the aged Tish ya son of M oggali was su mmoned fr om

, ,

h is distant r etreat an d conveyed by boat down th e

,

Gan ges to the capital where he was received by the ,

king wi th extraor dinary honour an d reverence .

A soka desiring to test the supernatur al powers of

,

the saint begged that a mir acle might be per formed;

,

an d specially requested that an earthquake con fined

to a l im ited space might be produced Th e saint .

placed a chariot a horse a man an d a vessel filled

, .
, , .

with water on e on each side of a square space exactly

, ,

on the bo und ary li nes an d produc ed an ear thquake ,

whi ch caused the half Of each object within the

boundary line to quake while the other half of each ,

r em ained unshaken S atisfied by this display of .

power A soka inquired if the sacrilegious mur der of

, .

the priests by the minister must be accounted as th e

 TH E CE YL ONES E L E GEND 1 7 !

king s sin Th e saint ruled that where ther e is n o

’
.

wilful intention ther e is n o sin an d accordingly , , , ,

absol v ed Asoka whom h e in structed fully in the ,

truth .

Th e king commanded that all th e priests in I ndia ,

without exception should be assembled an d taki ng his , ,

seat by the S ide of h is sp iri tual di rector examined ,

each priest indi vidually as to hi s faith Th e saint .

decided that the doctr ine of the Vaibfid h y avad in a

school was the true p rim itiv e teachin g of the master ,

an d all dissenters wer e expelled to the num ber of ,

sixty tho usan d A thousan d orthodox priests Of

1
.

holy char acter wer e then selected to form a convoca

tion or Council To these assembled priests Tish y a
.
, ,

son of M oggali r ec ited the treatise called K atha

,
vatt h u

in or der to di ssipate doubts on poin ts of faith 2

Th e .

Council following the procedur e of the Fir st Council

,

at Ra r ih a an d the S econd Council at Vaisali rec i ted

j g
a ,

1
M ah avar h sa, ch . v . Th e l fi ati
c assi c of th e B ddhi t
ons u s

sch oo s var l y much . I tsin g

-

( pp x x iii 7 ) ay th at all C yl
.
, s s e on

bel on ged to Am wsthavim n ih aya, whi ch h ad th r ee su bdi vi

th e -

sion s .Tibetan au th or ities ( Rockh i ll pp 1 87 seqq ) make two , . .

main divisions of Bu ddh ist s (i ) Sth avir a, (ii ) M ahdsanghika , .

Th e Sawdstivdd in a sch ool was a sub di visi on of th e Sth avi r a an d ,

th e Vai bdd hyavdd i n a was a sect of th e San dstivdd i n a Th e .

Vai bd d hyavdd in a sect again was su b divi ded i n t o fou r secti on s ,

‘ aka Dh ar m agnptaka, Tamr afatiya, an d d T h i

‘ ’

M ah isd s , a
y pyt a s .

ex pl ai n s h ow Fah i en was ab l e to Obtai n in Ceyl on a copy of th e

-

ya a di g to th M hi d
Vin a ccor n e a
‘
s saka sch oo l( ch .

Th l g d h a e p bably b
e e en s v ro een much in flu en ce d by sectar ian

bias .

Tu r nour
’
s l
tr an s ation is cor r ecte d by W j e i i s nh a .
1 72 A S OKA

an d erified the whole body Of the scriptur es an d

v , ,

after a session l asting n i ne m onths di spersed At , .

th e conclusion Of the Council the earth quaked as i f ,

to say Well done beholding the r e establishment of

’
-
,

religion Tish y a the son Of M oggali was then

.
, ,

se v enty two years o f age

-
.

TH E S TORY or T I S HYA , T H E vI C EG ERENT

One d ay Tish y a the younger br other Of A soka

, , ,

an d Vicege r ent of the empir e h appened to be i n ,

a for est an d watched a her d of elk at pl ay

, Th e .

thought occurr ed to him that when elks br owsing in

the for est divert themsel ves ther e seems to be n o ,

good r eason why monks well lod ged an d well fed in

monaster ies should n ot amuse themsel ves Coming .

home the viceger ent told h is thoughts to the king

, ,

wh o in or der to make him understand the reason why

, ,

conferred upon hi m the sover eignty for the space Of

se v en days saying Pr ince gover n the empir e for
, , ,

se v en d ays at the end pf whi ch I shall put thee to

,

death A t the close of the seventh d ay the king

.
’

asked the pr ince Why ar t thou grown so wasted 2

H e r eplied By reason Of the hor r or of d eath
’
,
Th e .

king r ej oined Child thou hast ceased to amuse thyself

,
‘
, ,

because thou thinkest that in seven days thou wilt be

put to death These m onks ar e meditating without
.

ceasing on death ; h ow then can they engage in

fr i volous diver sions 2 1

1
Com pa e th e leg d of M ah d a i
r en en r n ch a pte
r vn , os
p .t
 Y
TH E CE L ONE S E L E GEND 1 73

Th e pr ince un der stood ,became a con vert

an d .

Some time afterwards he was on a hunting expedition

in the for est when he saw the saint M ah ad h ar mar a
,
~

ksh ita a man of perfect piety an d fr eed fr om the

,

bonds of sin S ittin g under a tr ee an d being fanned

, ,

with a br anch by an elephant Th e pr ince beholding

‘

.
,

this sight longed for the time when he might become

,

ev en as that saint an d dwell at peace in the for est .

Th e saint i n or der to incline the heart Of the p r ince

,

u nto the fai th soar ed into the air an d alighted on th e

,

surface of the w ate r of the A soké r a ma tank wher ein ,

he bathed while h is r obes r emained poised in the air

, .

Th e pr ince was so delighted with thi s mir acle that he

at once r esol v ed to become a m onk an d begged the ,

king for per mission to rec eiv e or dination .

Th e king bein g unwilli ng to thwar t his pious

,

desir e hi mself led the p r ince to the monaster y wher e

, ,

or dination was confer r ed by the sain t M ah a d h ar ma ~

r akshi ta A t the same time on e hun dr ed thousand

.

other person s wer e ordained an d n o man can tell,

the number of those wh o became monks by r eason

of the example set by the r i nce
p .

T H E L A ST DA YS OF A SOKA

Th e br anch of the holy bO tr ee br ought to Ceylon

-
,

in the manner abov e r el ated was dispatched in the

,

eighteenth year Of the r eign of Asoka the Pious an d ,

planted in the M ah Amegh avan a gar d en in Ceylon .

I n th e twelft h year afte r that e vent A san d h imitr a , ,

1 74 A S OKA

th e beloved queen Of A soka wh o had shar ed his d e ,

votion to Buddh ism di ed I n the four th year afte r

, .

her decease the king pr ompted by sensual passion

, , ,

raised the princess Tish y ar akshi ta to th e di gni ty of

queen consort Sh e was young an d vain an d v ery
-
.
,

sensible Of h er personal charms Th e king s de votion

’
.

to the bo tr ee seemed to her to be a S light to her

-

attractions an d in the fourth year after her ele vation

,

h er jealousy induced her to make an attempt to

destr oy the holy tree by ar t magic Th e attempt .

failed I n the fourth year after that e vent Ki n g

.
,

ASOka the Pious fulfilled the lot Of mortality havi ng ,

r eigned thi rty se ven years -

1
.

1
Com pa e
r th e leg d
en of th e Dotage ‘
of Asoka i n
’
ch a pte r

vn , post .Acco r in g to th e Ti d betan d

t r a itio n , Asoka re ig d
ne

for fifty four

-
ear s ( Rockh i ,y ll p . 2
 C H A P TER V I I

TH E I ND I A N L EG ENDS or A SOK A

T H E L I NEA G E A ND FA M l L Y o r A SOK A

( ) 1 K I NG B i mb isar a r e i ned at Ra
g j a gr ih a H i s .

son was 2 ) Aj a tasatru whose son was ( 3) Ud ayi ,

bhadr a whose son was (4) Munda whose son was

, ,

5) K Gk av ar n in wh ose s
,on w as 6) S ah al in wh ose son ,

was ( 7 ) Tu laku chi whose son was ( 8) M ah fiman d ala

, ,

whose son was ( 9 ) Pr asen aj It whose son was I o) ,

Nanda whose son was ( 1 1 ) Bin dusar a

, .

King Bin d usar a reigned at Pat alipu tr a an d h ad ,

a son n amed S usi ma .

A cer tain B r ahman OfChampsh ad a lovely daughter . .

A p r ophecy declar ed that sh e was destined to be the

mother of two sons Of whom on e would become un i
,

v er sal monarch an d the other w oul d attain the goal

,

of the li fe of a reclu se Th e Brahman seekin g the ful

.
,

filmen t of the prophecy succeeded in intr oducing h is ,

daughter i nto the palace but the jealousy of the queen s ,

debar r ed h er fr om the royal embraces an d assigned to ,

1
l y
Th e gen ea og as gi ven i n th e tex t is fr om th e r ose A soka p
oad d n a i n th e D i oyd vad d na ( Bu mou f, I n tr od ucti on , 391 pp .

Th e d
r ea er will b
o ser ve th at Ch an d ag pta i mitt d
r u s o e ,

an d th at Bin d u sar a, th e fath er o f Aso ka i , p t da b i g

sr e r esen e s e n

th e son of Nan da . Th e metr ical A sokd vadd n a ( Raj en d r alala

M it r a, Nepalese Budd hi st L iter atu r e, 6 1 7) pp .

— su bstit ut e s M ah i
p l j
a a for A atasatr u, an d ex h i its oth er min or b var iations .
1 76 A S OK A

the menial duties Of a barber After some time

.

h er .

the gir l man aged to explain to the king th at sh e was

n o bar be r but the daughter of a Brah man When
, .

the kin g understood that sh e belonged to a caste wi th

a membe r of which he could h onour ably conso rt h e at ,

once too k h er into fav our an d m ade her chi ef queen .

I n due course the Br ahman s daughter whose n ame

’
, ,

was S ubh ad r fin gi bore to the king two sons the elder

, ,

named Asoka an d the younger named Vigatzisoka

,
‘
.

Th e as cetic Pi ngala V atsa j i va when co nsulted by ,

King Bin d usfir a concerni ng the destiny Of the two

boys fear ed to tell h is sover eign the truth because
, ,

Asoka was r ough looki ng an d displeasing in the sight

-

Of h is father ; but he fr ankly told Q ueen S ubha

d r angi that h er son A soka was destined for the
thr one .

I t came to pass that King Bin d usfir a desired to

besiege Taxila which was in rebellion Th e ki ng
,
.

O r de r ed h is desp ised son A sok a to un dertake the si ege ,

an d yet would not supply h im wi th char iots or th e

needful munitions of war I ll suppli ed as he was th e

.
-
,

prince obediently star ted to car r y out the king s ’

or de r s wher eupon the ear th opened

, an d fr om her ,

bosom supplied all hi s wants When Asoka with hi s .

ar my app r oached Taxil a the citizens came forth to

,

meet h im protesting that their quarrel was only with

,

oppr essi v e ministers n ot w ith the k ing or the ki ng s

’
,

son . Taxila an d the k ingd om of the S vasas m ade

their submission to the pr ince wh o in d u e course ,

r etur ned to th e cap ital ,

 TH E I NDI A N L E GE ND S 1 77

It came to pass that on e d ay Prince Susima the ,

king s eldest son was coming into the palace from the
’
,

gar den when he playfully th r ew h is glove at the head

o f the p r ime m in ister Kh alla taka Th e minister was .

deeply Oflen d ed an d from that d ay engaged in a con

'

S i r ac
p y w i th fiv e hundr ed p r i vy co unc i ll ors to exclude
S usima an d to place A soka on the throne
, .

Th e people of Taxi la agai n r e volted an d Pr i nce ,

S usi ma wh o was deputed to reduce them to Obedi

‘

ence failed in his task King Bin d u sfir a wh o was

, .
,

then Old an d ill desir ed to send A soka to Taxi la

, ,

an d to r ecall S usima that he m ight take up the su c

,

cession .

Th e min ister s howe v er continued to exclude the

, ,

elder prince an d to secur e the thr one for Asoka on

, ,

whose head the gods themsel ves placed the crown ,

at the moment when hi s father expir ed S usima . .

mar ched again st Patalipu tr a to assert hi s rights ,

an d expel the usurper ; but A soka an d h is m inister

Radh agupta Obtain ed the services Of naked giants ,

wh o successfu lly guarded the gates an d by stratagem ,

S usima was in veigled so that he fell in to a ditch full

,

Of burning fuel an d there m iser ably per ished

,
.

T H E T YRA NNY A ND CONVERS I ON OF ASOK A

On e d ay , when five hundred of h is ministers v en

tur ed to resist the royal wi ll A so ka, transpor ted , with

rage drew hi s sword an d with
, ,
hi s own hand cut off
the head s of all the Offender s .

M
1 78 A S OKA

A nother d ay , th e women Of th e palace, whom Asok a s

’

rough features failed to please, mocked hi m by br eak

ing Ofl the leaves of an woke tree in th e gar den
‘
.

Th e ki ng when he hear d of the inci dent caused fiv e

, ,

hundr ed women to be bur nt ali ve .

Th e min isters horr ified at these acts of cruelty

, ,

entreated the ki ng n ot to defile h is royal hands wi th

blood but to appoint an executioner to carry out
,

sente nces .

Th e ki ng accepted thi s ad vice an d a man named ,

Ch an d agir i ka a wr etch of unexampled cruelty wh o

—
,

loved to torture animals an d h ad slain h is father an d ,

mother was sought ou t an d appoin ted Chi ef Ex ecu

—

t ion er .For his use the ki ng caused to be bu ilt a

pr ison which h ad a most attr active exterior SO th at
, ,
‘

men might be tempted to enter it an d thus suffer all ,

the tortur es of hell whi ch awaite d them withi n ; for

the king h ad commanded that n o man wh o enter ed
th is pr ison should leav e it aliv e .

One d ay a holy ascetic named Bfilapan di ta un

,
1

wittingly ente red the gate an d was instantly seized ,

by the j ailer Th e holy man though given se ven

.
,

days r espite was at the end of the ter m of gr ace

’
,

r uthlessly cas t into a seething cauldr on of fil th ,

beneath which a gr eat fir e was kindled Th e cruel .

j ailer looking in beheld the saint seated on a lotus

, , , ,

an d unscathed by fir e Th e mir acle having been .

r eporte d to the palace the k ing hi mself came to see i t

, ,

an d be ing conv erte d by the sight an d the pr eachi n g

Samud a i th e met i cal ver si o

1
r n r n.
 TH E I NDI A N L E GENDS 1 79

of the holy man embr aced the true r eligion an d for

,

sook the p aths of wi ckedness .

Th e pr ison was demolished an d the j ailer was ,

bur nt aliv e .

Th e abov e legend fr o m the A sokd vad d n a which is ,

given with further details by H iuen Tsiang (Be al 11 , .

places the prison or hell at Patalipu tr a the

capital .

A nother for m of the legend which is merely r e ,

fer r ed to by H iu en Tsiang wi thout comment places ,

the hell at Ujj ain in M filwa (Beal 11

’
, .

Th e con ve r sion of the king accor ding to H i u en ,

Tsiang was due to the gr eat saint U pagu pta whom he

, ,

met after the destruction of the hell With the aid .

’

O f U pagu pta King A soka summ oned the gen i i an d

,

commanded them to build stape s throughout the land

for the r eception of the r elics of Buddha s body which
’
,

h ad been taken ou t Of the eight stupas where they h ad

or i ginally been enshr ined after the cmmation of the

S k a sage A t the moment of a solar ecli pse the

.

genii in Obedience to the commands Of the king an d

,

the saint simultaneously deposited the r eli cs in all

,

the stupas .

Th e A vad d n a story is that when King A soka

desir ed to di str ibute the sacr ed relics of the body of
Buddha among the eighty four thousan d stripe s -

er ected by hi mself he opened the Stupa of the U r n

, ,

wher ein King Aj fitasatr u h ad enshri ned the cr emati on

r el ics collected fr om se v en Of the eight or i gin al stupas
‘

Th e e ighth that at Ramagr Ama was defen ded by th e

, ,

M 2
1 80 A S OK A

u ar d ian Nfi as wh o wo uld n ot allo w it to be o pened

g g , .

T h e r elics thus withdr awn from the S tupa of the

U r n were distr i buted among eighty four thousand
std pas r esplendent as the autumn clouds whi ch were
’
, ,

e r ected in a single d ay by the descendant of the

M au r y as Th e wor ship ful the for tunate Maurya
.
,

caused the er ection of all these std pas for the benefit o f
cr eated beings ; for mer ly he was called on earth A soka
the Wicked but this good wor k h as ear ned for hi m
,

th e n ame of Asoka the Pious

Th e metr ical A vad oi n a is still mor e extr avagant th an
th e prose for m Of the tale an d alleges that ,

millions of stupas wer e er ected at the r equest of the

people Of Taxila an d that ten millions were er ected
,

by the Yaksh as on the shores Of the sea .

T H E PI L G RI M A G E OF ASOK A

H aving erected the eighty four thousand std pas -

King A soka expr essed a desir e to visit the holy places

of h is r eligion By the advice of h is counsellor s he
.

sent for the saint U pagupta son of Gupta the ,

per fumer U pagupta h ad been in accor dance wi th

.

prophecy bor n a century after the death Of Buddha ,

an d when summoned by the king was dwelling on

, ,

Mount Urumun da in the Natabh atika forest near

Mathur a .

Th e saint accepted the royal i nvi tation an d accom , ,

1
pa age p
Th is ss r oves th at th e h er o of th e A sokdoadd n a is
A oka M a ya
s ur .
 TH E I NDI A N LE GENDS 1 81

pan ied eighteen thousand holy men tr avelled in

by ,

state by boat down the J umna an d G anges to Pa tali

putr a wher e he was r eceived with the utmost
,

r e v e r ence an d honou r
1
.

Th e king said I desir e to v isit all the place s

wher e the Vener able Buddha stayed to d o honour ,

unto them an d to mar k each with an endur ing

,

memor ial for the instr uction of the most r emote

poster ity Th e saint approved of the pr oject an d
.
’
,

undertook to act as guide Escor ted by a mighty .

ar my the mon ar ch vi sited all the holy plac es in or der .

Th e fir st place v isited was the Lumbin i Gar den .

H er e U pagu pta said : I n this spot gr eat king the , ,

Vener able One was bor n 2

an d added : H er e is the
fir st m onument consecr ated in honour of the Buddha ,

the sight Of whom is excellent H er e the moment .

,

after hi s birth the recluse too k se ven steps upo n the

,

r ound
’
g .

Th e ki ng bestowed a hundr ed thousand gold pi ece s

on the people of the place an d built a std a H
p , e .

then passed on to K apilavastu .

Th e r oyal pilgr im next v isited the Bodhi tr ee at -

Buddha Gaya an d ther e also gav e a lar gess of a

,

hundr ed thousand gold pieces an d built a chai tya ,

.

Rishipatan a ( Sarn ath) near Benares wher e G autam a ,

h ad tur ned the wheel of the law an d K usin agar a

’
, ,

wher e the Teacher h ad passed away wer e also visi ted ,

1
Comp a e th e to y of Ti h y a o of M ggali i th e M g d
r s r s , s n o , n en

ci l i h ap te i p 1 7 0 ab o e
’
of th e Th i d Ch r ch Co ur un n c r v , .
,
v .

3
C ompar e th e R mmi d ei p i lla i c ip ti on i ch ap te v
u n r ns r n r .
1 82 A S OK A

with milar Observances A t Sr fivasti th e pilgr i

si .

d id r e v erence to the J etavan a m onastery where ,

Gautama h ad so long dwelt an d taught an d to the ,

stupas of h is disc iples S Ar ipu tr a M au d gali y an a an d

, , ,

M ahfi K fi
. s y apa Bu t when the king visited the stri pe
.

of V ak kula he gav e only on e copper coin inasmuch

, ,

as V akk ul a h ad met with few O bstacles in the path

Of holi ness an d h ad done l i ttle good to h is fellow

,

creatur es At the std pa of Ananda the faithfu l

. .
,

attend ant Of G autam a the royal gift am ounte d to ,

si x mill ion gold pieces .

TH E STORY or V IT AS OK A .

V itfisok a, the king s br other was an adher ent Of

’ 1
,

the Tir th y as wh o r eproached the Buddhi st monks

,

as be ing men wh o lov ed pleasu r e an d fear ed pain .

A soka s eflor ts to convert h is br other wer e met by

’ '

the r etor t that the king was merely a tool in the

hands of the monks Th e king ther efor e r esol ved
.

to effect h is br other s c on ver sion by stratagem

’
.

A t h is instigation the ministers tri cked V itésoka

into the assumption of the insignia of royalty Th e .

king when infor med of what h ad happened feigned

great anger an d threatened h is brother with instant
,

death Ultimately he was persuaded to grant the

.

Oflen d er sev en days r espi te an d to permi t hi m to

' ’

exer cise sover eign power dur ing those seven days .

Dur ing this per iod the fear of death so wrought upon
1
Vi tasoka Vigatasoka .
 TH E I NDI A N L E GE ND S 1 83

the mind of Vité so ka that b e embraced the doctr ine

Of Buddha in whi ch he was i n structed by the holy
,

S th avir a Yasas With difli cul ty the king was per

.

sue ded by the S th avi r a Yasas 1

to grant to h is br o ther
per mission to become a monk I n or der to ini tiate .

th e novice gr adually into the habits of the li fe of a .

mendicant fr iar A soka pr epared a hermi tage for h im

,

within the palace grounds Fr om this her mitage .

Vi tfisoka withdrew fir st to the K u kku ta i r ai ma mon

’ ’
,

aster y an d afterwards
, to V id eh a (Tir h ut) wher e ,

he at tained to the rank of a saint (ar hat) When .

Vi tasoka clad in rags r etur ned to the palace he was

, , ,

recei ved wi th great honour an d was induced to exhibit ,

hi s super natural power s H e then again wi thdr ew to .

a distant r etr eat beyond the frontier wher e he fell ill , .

A soka sent h im m edicine an d he recov ered , .

I n those days it happened that a devoted adher ent of

the Br ahman ascetics thr ew down an d br oke a statue of
Buddha at Pundra Var dh an a in Bengal As a penalty .

for the sacrilege eighteen thousand inhabitants Of

that city were massacred in on e d ay by or der of
A sok a S ome time after another fanatic at PAtalipu tr a
.

sim i lar ly ov erthr ew a statue of Buddh a Th e pe r sons .

concer ned with all their r elatives an d fr iends were

, ,

1
Th e Ce yl on ese M ah avt sa ( ch . iv) p
r e r esents th e Sth avir a
l
Yasas ( Yaso) as a ead in g er son age at th e p d
Secon or V aisali
l
Cou n ci in th e r ei gn of Kalasoka, or Asoka I . Th is fact i s on e

of th e man y i di n cation s th at KaIASOka is a fiction , an d th at no

reli a n ce can be placed on th e accounts of any of th e th r ee

ch u r ch cou n ci s l .
18 4 A S OK A

bur ned alive an d the king placed the pr ice of a d i n ci r a

,

on the h ead of e ve r y B r ahm anical ascetic .

Now, when the pr oclamation was pu bli shed Vi ta

soka cl ad in hi s beggar s gar b happ ened to be lodging
’
, ,

for the night in the bu t of a cowherd Th e good wi fe .

,

see ing the unkempt an d dishe velled appear ance of h er

guest was convinced that he must be on e of the

,

pr oclaimed ascetics an d per suad ed h er husband to ,

S l ay hi m in or der to e ar n the r eward Th e cowher d .

car r i ed h is victim s head to the king wh o was hor r ified

’
,

at the sight an d was per suaded by hi s m in iste r s to

,

r e voke the p r ocl am ation Not only di d he r evoke the.

cr uel proclamation but he gave the wor ld peace by,

ordain ing that hencefor th n o on e S hould be put to

death 1
.

I n FA hien s v e r sion of the legend the brother Of the

’
-

k ing is anonymous Th e pilgr im tells us that the

.

youn ger brother o f Ki ng Asoka lived the life of a

r ecluse on the Vultur e s Peak hill near
’
BAj agr ih a ,

wher e he h ad attained to the r ank of a saint (a r hat) f

.

Th e king in vi ted the r ecluse to the palace but the ,

invi tation was declined Th e king then p r omised .

that if hi s br other would accept the invi tation he ,

woul d make a hill for h im inside the city Then .

the ki ng pr ov iding all sor ts of meat an d dr ink

, ,

invi ted the genii an d addr essed the m thus :

, I beg
ou to accept my in vi tation for to m or r ow ; but as
y
-

th ere ar e n o seats I must r equest y ou each to br ing

,

1
The insc iptions p ove th at A oka d id ot ab li h capital
r r s n o s
 TH E I ND I A N L E GE ND S 1 85

h is own On the morrow the gr eat genn came each

.
,

on e br inging wi th h im a gr eat stone four or fiv e paces ,

squar e A fte r the feast he deputed the genii to pile

.
,

up their seats an d make a great stone moun tain ; an d

,

at the base of the m oun tain wi th fiv e gr eat squar e

stones to m ak e a rock chamber in l ength about 35 ,

feet an d in breadth 2 2 feet an d in height 7 1 feet

, ,

’
or SO .

Th e me stor y is told by H iu en Tsiang in or der to

sa

explain the or igin of the stone dwellin g which was

still to be seen at Pa talipu tr a in the sev enth centur y
A D
.
1
Th e name of Mahendra is gi v en to the her mit
.

pr ince by H in en Tsiang wh o r elates Of hi m a legend , ,

which may be compar ed with that of Vitfisoka Th e .

t wo stor i es have some points in common .

T H E S T ORY OF M A H END RA , A ND TH E C ONV E RSI ON OF

CE YL ON

King Asoka ear ly in h is r eign h ad a half br other -

the son of h is mother wh o was younger than the king , ,

an d belonged to a n oble family Th e young man was .

extr avagant wasteful an d cr uel in di sposition I n hi s

, , .

dr ess also he aped the r oyal costume .

Th e indignation of the people became so gr eat that

the ministers v entur ed to r emonstr ate with the king ,

1
Bea l ,
ii .
9 1 . Maj or W addell i d en ti fies M ah en da r
’
s Hi ll
with th e Bh ikh n a Pah ar i at Patn a, on wh i ch th e Nawa bs ’

pal ace stan d ad s, n states th at th e n eigh bour i n g muh alla ,

-
or
war d, is c all d M ah
e en d r u.
1 86 A S OK A

an d to Your majesty s brother in h is pride

say :
’

assumes a d ignity beyond h is due When the gover n .

ment is impar tial the subjects ar e contented ; when

,

the su bjects ar e content the sover eign is at peace ,

.

We desi r e that y ou should pr eser ve the pr inciples of

gover nment handed down to us by ou r father s an d ,

that y ou should deliver to justice the men wh o seek

to change those p r inciples
’
.

Then King Asoka weeping addressed hi s br other

, ,

an d said : I hav e inher ited fr om my ancestor s the

duty of pr otecting my people ; h ow is it that y ou my ,

own brother have for gotten my affection an d kind

,

ness ! I t is impossible for me at the v ery beginni ng

Of my r eign to disregar d the law s If I pu nish y ou .
,

I dr ead the r esentment of my ancestor s ; i f I pass ov er

your tr ansgr essions I dread the ill Opinion Of my
,

people .
’

Th e p r ince bo wing h is h ead admitted h is error

, , ,

an d begged for noth i ng m or e th an a re spite of sev en

days Th e ki ng gr anted this r equest an d thr ew

1
.
,

hi s br other i nto a dar k du ngeon though he provi ded ,

hi m with exqu isite food an d all other luxuri es A t .

the end of the first d ay the guard cried ou t to the

pr isoner : One d ay h as gone ; six days ar e left By .
’

the time the sixth d ay h ad expir ed the prisoner s ,

’

repentance an d discipli ne wer e complete H e attained .

at once to the r ank of a saint (ar hat) an d feeli ng ,

conscious of miraculous power s ascended into the air , .

Compa e th e Ceylo e e Sto y of Tishya th e Vi cege e t

1
r n s r , r n

i ch apt e vi p 1 7 2 ab e
n r , .
, ov .
 TH E I NDI A N L E GEND S 1 87

A soka went in person to the dun geon an d told h is ,

br other that having n ow contr ary to expectation , ,

attained the h ighest degree of holi ness he might

r etur n to hi s pl ace Mahendra repli ed that he h ad

.

lost all taste for the pleasur es of the wor ld an d ,

desir ed to live in solitude A soka consented but .

,

pointed ou t that it was unnecessary for the pr ince

to r etir e to the moun tain s as a hermitage could be ,

constr ucted at the capital Th e king then caused .

the genii to build a stone house as already related , .

Mahendra after hi s conv ersion j ourneyed to the

, ,

south Of I ndia an d built a monastery i n the delta o f

,

the Kav eri ( Cauver y) of which the ruins wer e still

,

v i sible a th ousand years l ate r

1
.

H e is al so r elated to hav e made u se Of hi s super

natur al powers to pass through the air to Ceylon ,

i n whi ch island he spread the knowledge Of the true

law an d wi dely d ifl used the doct rine bequeathed
,
’

to h is disciples by the Master From the time of .

Mahendr a the people of Ceylon wh o h ad been ad

, ,

dicted to a corrupt for m Of r eligion forsook their ,

ancient errors an d heartily accepted the truth Th e .

conv ersion of Ceylon according to H iu en Tsiang took

, ,

place on e hundred years after the death of Buddha 2

.

1
l
Bea , n . 2 31 .
1
Beal, i i 2 46 . p l
Com ar e th e egen s of th e M ah fivar hsa an dd
ma
.

Di pava s . H inen Tsian g, l

ike th e A sokdvad dn a, ace pl d
Asoka M aur y
a a cen tur y
after Bu dd
h a, th e at e assign e b th e d d y
Ceyl on ese lege d to Kala
n soka.
1 88 A S OK A

T H E S T ORY or K UNSL A

In the se venth centur y A D pilgr ims wer e Shown. .

a stupa at Taxila whi ch was said to hav e been built

,

by A soka to mar k the Spot wher e the eyes of h is

belov ed son K u n fila were tor n ou t Th e stor y of .

Kunala is to the following e ffect .

A fter the death of hi s faithful consor t A san dh i

mitra K ing Asoka late in li fe mar r ied Tish y ar a
, , ,

k shita a di sso lute an d un pr incip led young woman

,
.

S h e cast amor ous glances on he r ste pso n Ku nal a ,

h er w or thy pr edecessor s son wh o was famous for

’
,

the beauty of hi s ey es Th e v ir tuous pr ince r ejected

.

with horror the ad vances made by hi s stepmother ,

wh o then became filled w ith th e spite o f contemned

beauty an d changed h er h ot love into bitter hate .

I n pursuance of a d eep laid scheme for the d estr u c

-

tion Of hi m wh o by h is v irtue h ad put h er vice to

sh ame the queen with honi ed wor ds persuaded
,

the king to d ep u te Ku n ii la to the gover nment of

distant Taxila .

Th e prince obediently accepted the honour able

commission an d when departing was war ned by h is
,

fathe r to v er i fy orders r eceived which if genuine , , ,

would be sealed with an impr ession Of the king s ’

teeth 1
Th e queen bided h er time w ith e v er gr ow ing
.
,
-

1
Spr etae i n ta r ia for mae ( Ver gil) .

1
l d l
M r Bea h as cit e an ex act En g i sh ar a e i n th e ver ses
. p ll l
d b l d
escr i in g th e gift of an s t o th e Raw on fami , as q ote in
u d ly d
’
Bu r ke s Peer age, s . o. H astin gs
 TH E I NDI A N LE GE ND S 9
18

hatr ed A fter the lapse Of some month s Sh e wrote

.

a dispatch add r e ssed to the vi ceroy s m ini sters at

’
,

Taxila directing them immedi ately on r eceipt Of the

,

o r der s to put ou t the eyes of the vi ceroy Prince ,

Kun zila to lead him an d his wifeinto the mou ntains

, ,

an d to ther e leave them to perish .

S h e sealed the dispatch wi th royal r ed wax an d , ,

when the kin g was asleep furtively stamped the wax ,

with the impr ession of his teeth an d sent Ofl the orders ,

' “

with all speed to Tax ila Th e ministers wh o received .

the orders knew n ot what to d o Th e pr ince noticing .

,

their confusion compelled them to explain Th e min

, .

ister s wished to comp r omise by detaining the pr ince in

custody pending a refer ence to the capi tal But the
, .

p r ince would n ot per mit of an y delay an d said : My ,

father i f he h as o rder ed my death must be obeyed ;

, ,

an d the seal o f hi s teeth is a su r e Si gn O f the cor r ect

ness of the orders NO mistake is possible H e then

. .
’

commanded an outcaste wr etch to pluck ou t h is eyes .

Th e order was obeyed an d the pr ince accompanied by , ,

hi s fai thful wi fe wander ed forth in sightless m isery

,

to beg h is br e ed .

I n the cou rse Of their wear y wanderings they arriv ed

A las cr i ed the blind man what’
at Pa talipu tr a .
, ,

I, William , kin g, th e th i r d of my r eign,

Give to Paulyn Raw d on , Ho pe an d H opetown e,

An d i n token th at th is th i n g 18 sooth ,

I bit th e wh yt wax wi th my tooth .

Befor e M eg, M awd , an d M ar ger , y

An d my thir d son H enr y .
’
( I n d A n t ix
. . .
1 90 A S OK A

p ain I suffer from cold an d hun ger I was a pr ince ; .

I am a beggar Would that I could make myself .

known an d get r edress for the false accusations

,

brought against me H e managed to penetrate i nto .

’

an inne r co ur t of the pal ace where he li fted up h is ,

v oice an d wept an d to the sound Of a lute sang a song

, , ,

full Of sadness .

Th e king in an upper chamber heard the strai ns ,

an d th inking th at he r ecogn ized the v oi ce an d touch

as those of h is son sent for the m instr e l Th e ki ng, .

,

when he beheld hi s sightless son was over whelmed ,

with gr ief an d inqu ir ed by whose contr i vance all

,

this miser y h ad come about Th e pr ince humbly .

r epl ied : I n truth for lack of filial piety I have thus ,

been punished by H eaven On such an d such a d ay .

suddenly came a l o ving order an d I hav ing n o means , ,

O f excusing myself dar ed n ot shr i nk from the punish ,

ment .
’

Th e king kn owing in h is hear t that Q ueen Ti sh y ar a

,

k shi tawas guilty Of th e cr ime w ithout further inquir y ,

caused h er to be bur nt alive an d visited with condign ,

p u nishment ever y per son hi gh or low wh o h ad an y , ,

S har e in the outrage Th e Officials we r e so me dismissed .

,

some bani sh ed so me executed Th e common people

, .

wer e accor ding to on e account massacr ed an d ac

, , , ,

cor ding to another tr anspor ted acr oss the H imalayas ,

to the deser ts of Khoten 1

.

1
Bea l ,
i . 1 43, 11 . 31 0 ; Bur n out, p .
360 Co m
.
par e th e wil d
Ti betan l egen d ab
s out th e i n tr o d ucti on of Bu dd
h ismin to Kh ot en
i n Rockh i ll , The Life f
o th e Bud d ha, pp . 2 32 seqq . Th ese
 TH E I NDI A N L E GE ND S 191

In those days a gr eat saint named Gh osh a dwelt

i n the monaster y by the holy tr ee Of M ah abod h i TO .

hi m the king bro ught Ku n al a an d p r ayed that h is ,

son might r eceiv e h is S ight Th e saint commanded .

that on the mor r ow a gr eat congr egation should

assemble to hear his preac hi ng of the Law an d th at ,

each person S hould br ing a vessel to rece iv e hi s tears .

A vast multitude of men an d women assembled an d ,

there was n ot on e of th ose wh o hear d the ser m on but

was mov ed to tear s which fell into the vessels pr ovided , .

Th e saint collected the tears in a gold en v ase an d ,

sai d these words : Th e doctrine whi ch I have ex

pounded is the most mysterious of Buddha s teaching ; ’

i f that exposi tion is n ot true if ther e is e r ror in ,

what I have said then let thi ngs r emain as they ar e ; ,

but if what I hav e said is true an d fr ee from er r or

, ,

let thi s man after washi ng hi s eyes with these tears

, ,

receive hi s Sight .
’

Wher eupon K unfila washed in the tears an d r eceived

hi s Sight .

A ST ORY or T I S H YA RA H S H I T A

Tish y ar akshi ta, queen Ki ng A soka in pur suance of ,

of h er i ncestuous passion for h er stepso n Pr i nce Kun ala , ,

wh o r epulsed h er adv ances resol ved to avenge herself , ,

an d in or de r to acc ompli sh h er pur po se took ad van

, ,

legend me tion the ai t Yess a th e mi i te of A oka th e

s n s n s s n s r s

Pi ou s. Th e t o y of K n a1a i folklo e Compa e th l ge d

s r u s r . r e e n

of Ph ae d a a d H i pp lyt
r a d Jataka No 4
n 7 (
2 M hdp d m a)
o ns, n . a a u

i th e t a lati o by M Rou e wh o cite oth e I dian p a allel

n r ns n r . s , s r n r s

( vol i
. v p , .
1 9a A S OKA

tage of the ki ng s sufferings fr om a dan gerous an d

’

apparently incur able d isease to ac uire complete con

q ,

trol over hi s mind an d for some days Sh e was granted

,

unr estrained u se of the so vereign power .

Asoka believin g hi s m alad y to be incurable gav e

, ,

the or der : S end for Ku nala ; I wish to place h im on

the thr one What use is life to me 3 Tish y ar aksh itfi
. .

hear ing these words thought to herself : I f Kunala

,

ascends the thro ne I am lost A ccordingly Sh e said

’
.
,

to Ki ng A soka : I u nder take to restor e y ou to health ,

but a necessar y condition is that y ou for bid all physi

cian s to h av e access to the palace Th e king com
’
.

plied with h er request an d sh e enj oined ever ybody to

,

br ing to h er an y person man or woman wh o mi ght be

, ,

su fler i n g fr om the same malad y as the ki ng

’

Now it happened that a man of the Shepherd caste

was su fler in g fr om the same malad y H is wi fe ex
'

plained h is case to a physician wh o promised to ,

pr escr ibe a suitable r emedy after examin ing the

patient Th e man then consulted the physician wh o
.
,

br ought h im to Q ueen Tish y ar aksh ita S h e h ad hi m .

conveyed to a secr et place wher e he was put to death ,

.

When his body was opened sh e perceiv ed in h is

stomach a huge wor m which h ad deranged the bo dily
,

functions S h e appli ed pounded pepper an d ginger

.

without effect but when the worm was touched with

,

an onion he di ed i mmediately an d p assed ou t Of the

, ,

i ntestines Th e queen then begged the king to eat an

.

Oni on an d so reco v e r h is health Th e k ing r epli ed .

Q ueen I
, a m a K sh atr iya ; h ow can I eat an oni on !
 TH E I NDI A N L E GE ND S 19 3

‘My lor d answer ed the queen y ou S hould swallow it

,
’
,

mer ely as ph y sio in order to save your life Th e .

’

kin g then ate the onion an d the wor m died passing , ,

ou t Of the i ntestines
1
.

T H E D OTA G E OF K I NG A S OK A

Th e king resolved to giv e a thousand millions

of gold p i eces to the Master s se r v ice an d when far
’
,

adv anced in y ears h ad actually giv en n in e hundr ed

an d S ixty mi llions I n the hop e that the v ow would .

be compl eted befor e he died he daily sent gr eat tr easur es

O f sil v er an d gold to the K u k ku tarama monaster y at
the capital I n those days S ampad i the son of Kunala
.
,
2
,

was heir appar ent To h im the mi nisters p ointed ou t

-
.

that the ki ng was r uin ing hi mself by h is extr avagance ,

an d w ould i f per m itted to continue it be unable to

, ,

resist th e attacks of other monarchs or to pr otect the

ki ngdom .

Th e pr in ce ther efor e for bade the tr easur er to com

, ,

ply with the king s demands Asok a unable to Obtain ’

.
,

1
Fah i en
-

( ch . x vi ) n otes th at th e in h a itan ts b of Gan geti c

I n d ia d id n ot
‘
eat gar li c or on i on s, wi th th e ex p
ce ti on of

Ch andalas ( ou tcastes) on Th e r e u i ce ex ists to t h i s d ay ly .

’
p j d .

Th e h igh caste -
eo e e r ceive i n on i onp pl p
s a fan ci fu r esemb an ce l l
to flesh meat Th is stor is fr om t h e Kun a a section of th e
. y l
D ivyd vad d n a in Bu r n ou f, In tr o d u ct i on ,
’
p . 1 33 .

1
Th e J ain l egen d p
s r e r esen t Sam padi as a gr eat pat r on of th e
Jai n ch u r ch . Noth in g au th en ti c i s kn own b
a ou t hi m ,
-

Th e
l d
egen of Asoka s
’
d otage i s gi ven b Bu r n ou f, y pp .
381 seqq .

C mpa
o re th e Ce yl on ese stor y
of Th e Last Day s of Asoka i n

ch apt e r vi , an te, p . 1 73 .
19 4 A S OKA

suppl ies from the tr easury began to give away th e ,

plate which fu rnished the royal table first the gold , ,

next the silver an d fin ally the ir on When all the

, .

metalli c war e h ad been exhausted the mini sters fur ,

n ish ed the king s table wi th earthenwar e Then A soka

’
.

demanded of them Wh o is ki ng of thi s countr y !

,
‘ ’

Th e ministers d id obeisance an d respectfully r eplied

Your majesty is king Asoka bu rst into tear s an d
.
’
,

cri ed : Why d o y ou say fr om kindness what is n ot tr ue !

‘

I am fall en from my r oyal state S av e thi s half apple 1

.
-

there is nought of w hi ch I can dispose as sov e r eign

’
.

Th en the king sent the half apple to the K u kku tar fima -

monastery to be divided am ong the monks wh o shoul d

, ,

be ad dr essed in this wise : Behold thi s is my last gi ft ; ,

to thi s pass hav e come the riches Of the emper or of

I ndia My royalty an d my power have dep arted ; de
.

i v ed of health of h sio an d of physi cians to me n o

p r
p y , , ,

suppor t is left sav e that of the Assembly of the saints .

Eat this fr uit which is Ofler ed w ith the intent that

'

th e whole Assembly may partake o f it my l ast gi ft

’
, .

Once mor e Ki ng A soka asked h is minister Rfid h a

gupta : Wh o is sover eign of thi s coun tr y ! Th e ’

mi nister d id obeisance an d respectfully replied : Sir e ,

your majesty is sovereign of thi s coun try .

’

Kin g A soka recovering h is composur e responded in

, ,

verse an d said
,

Th is ear th , en cin ctur ed by its sapph ir e zon e,

Th is ear th , be decked with gleamin g j ewels r ar e,

1
A malaka fr ui t, E mblica fi
oici n al
‘
is .
 TH E I NDI A N L E GEND S 1 95

Th is ear th , of hi ll s th e l
ever astin g th r on e,
Th is ear th , of all cr eati on moth er fair ,

I give to t h e Assembly .

Th e b lessin g wh i ch atten ds s u ch gif t b e mi n e ;

Not I n dr a s h alls n or Br ahmas
’ ’
cr ave, cou r ts I

Nor yet th e splen d our s wh ich r ou n d mon ar ch s sh in e,

A n d p ass away , l ike r ush i n g Gan gas wave,
’

A b i in gd n ot a momen t .

W ith faith un ch an gea b le , wh ich n ou gh t can sh ake,

Th is gi ft of Ear th s i mmeasur ab ’
l e s ph er e

I to th e Sain ts Assemb
’
fr ee ly ly mak e ;
An d se l f-
con tr o l I cr ave, Of b oons most d ear ,

A good wh ich ch an geth n ever

1
.

Ki ng Asoka h aving thus spoken sealed the deed of

, ,

gi ft a n d p r esently fulfi
, l led the law o f m ortali ty .

Th e for ty mill ions of gold p ieces whi ch yet remained

to complete King Asoka s vowfor the gift of a thousand
’

d
A ccor in g to Fah ien ( ch a ter x x vu ) , thi s gift of th e
1 -
p
p dd
em i r e was r ecor e i n an in scr i ti on on a st on e i lar t o th e p pl
south of Pfitali putr a Th e site of th e i ar h as n ot b een . p ll
i d en ti fied with cer tai n t y . Th e p
s eech of Asoka i n p r ose is as

fo ll o ws
Th i s ear th , wh ich ocean en wr aps in a gl or i ou s gar men t of
sa pphi th i ea th wh eof th e fa i
r e, s d r er ce s ad or n e wi th mi n es
o f di r e j ew l thi
ve sa th wh i h uppo t all
e s. eat a d s e r , c s r s cr u r es n

M unt M ad a a I gi t th A mbly
o r ,
ve o e sse .

‘
A th e wa d f thi g d d d I de i
s re t t dwell i th
r o s oo ee s r e no o n e

palace of I d a o yet i th at of B ah ma d I i a y wi e
n r , n r n r , n or o n n s

d i th e f li ity f ki g hip wh i h q i k e th a r
es r e e c o n s , c , u c er ven n un

i g wat
n n pa away a d i g
er , sses n s on e .

Th ‘
wa d whi h I
e re a f th rp f t faith wh by c cr ve or e er ec er e

I mak th i gi ft i th at
e l f t l whi h th ain t h
s s se -
con r o c e s s on our ,

a d whi h i a g
n d e empt f m h a g
c s oo x ro c n e.
’

N 2
1 96 A S OKA

millions wer e expended by the mi nisters in the

,

redemption O f the earth an d S ampadi was placed ,

upon the vacant throne H e was succeeded by hi s .

son Vr ih aspati wh o was succeeded in order by ,

Vr ish asen a Pu sh y adh ar ma, , an d Push pami tr a .

A PPENDI X

BY th e kin dn ess of Dr . l
B och an d of Ma j o A lcock I M S
r , . . .
,

Su per in ten d en t of th e I n i an M u seu m,d Cal c tta I am ab le

u ,

t o gi ve t h e fo ll wi o ng l ist of casts of th e A soka i n scr i p

t i on s i n th e I d ia
n n M u seum
I . Th e Four teen Rock E i ct s d an d Kal in ga Ed icts
l
Gi r n ar , Dh au i , J su gada, K a si , Sh ah b azgar h i , M an ser a l
( ex cept th e fou r th p or ti co tai i g Edi t X III )
on , n n n c .

II . M in or Rock Ed icts — Sah as am a d Si dd ap u

z r n ra
( ex

ce pt v er si on NO III , fr om J atin ga Rameévar a)

.
-
.

I II . Cave I n scr ipti on s — Th e th r ee Bar a b ar Hi ll r ecor ds of

A sok a an d t h e th r ee Nagar j un i H i ll r ecor d s of Dasar ath a .

IV . Th e Tar ai Pill ar s Ni gli va an d Ru mmi n d ei

-

( d )
Pa er ia .

V ll a Edicts a d S ppl m ta y Pill ar Edicts

. Pi r n u e en r

A ll ah ab ad ( i l d i g t h Q mbi Ed i ts) ’
n a d K a éa nc u n e u ee s n u c ,

L a r iya A a aj La r iya Na da gar h ( Nava d gar h )

u -
r r ,
u -
n n n .

Th or i gi al Bh ab aI ns ipt io i s p es v d i th
e n ooms r cr n r er e n e r

of th e A i at i S i t y f B gal
s c oc e o en .

Ca t f s m f th i nsc ipt ion s al so

s s o o i t i th e P ovi
e o e r ex s n r n

cial M u seu m, L u ckn ow .

 I ND E X

A ch aemeni an empir e, 1 1 1 . A n l a, pr in cess of Ce ylon , 1 67,

A d mi r al t y boar d , 7 7 . g
1 8 .

A fgh an i st an , stupas in , 7 1 . A p ar an tak a th e Bombay coast,

A g i B r ah ma, neph ew o f A soka,
1n
S4 A pp i an , r efer r ed to, 1 3 .

A g r ammes, or Dh ana Nan ds, q v , . . A r ach o si a, pr ovin ce, 7 2 .

67 . A r amai c scr i pt, 1 02 , 1 1 0, 1 42 .

A i stai atm , king, 1 75 , 1 79

‘
. A r chi t ectu r e, of M aur ya per iod ,
A fiv ik a» sect 45 . 63 . 1 06.
1 4
4. 1 07 , 1 1 1 .

I 45 ,
155 A r i an e, pr ovin ce , 66 .

A lco ck , M aj or , 1 9 6 . A r my , ad min istr at ion an d str en gth

A l ex an d er t h e G r eat , death of, Of! 1 3 6
1 7 : 77
1 1 , 61 In d ian con qu ests of, 66 . r efer r ed to, 1 3 .

A l ex an d er , king of Epir us, 60, Ar ya sthavir amikdy a a sch ool of

-

63, 1 31 . Bud dhism, 1 7 1 .

A l lah ab ad , in scr ibed pillar at, A san d h i mi tr a, a queen of A soka,

A lmo n er s d epar tmen t, 24 h adh a, mon th , 1 5 1

’
. .

Ama laka , fr uit , 1 9 4 . A sok a, emper or , lack of biogr a

A mar h at l, kin gdom, 1 29 .
p hi ca l d etail s of, 5 : hi sto r of
y ,
A mazo n i an guar d, 33 . 11 accession of, 1 5 : con qu er ed
K alin ga, 5:1 36: 6 3: 6 9:
t itle of Bin d usar a, 1 4 . 1 29 : took t itle of Pr iyad ar tin
A n an d a, stdpa of, 36, 1 82 . P
( y i ad a si ) , 1 6 , 4
1 con v e r t ed to
A n d h r a, kingd om, 7 2 , 1 2 9 , 1 32 . Bud d hism, 1 7, 63: j oi n ed th e
A n d r o k o tt os, or Chan dr agupta, Bud dhi st Or d er , 1 9 , 63: stat ues
q . 1 3. of, 2 0 : sen t o ut Bu d d hist m is
A n i mals, san cti ty of life of, 2 7 sions, 2 1 , 2 2 , 5 0, 5 5 , 1 32 , 1 66,
1 87 mad e Bud dh ism a wor ld
A n t , qu een, 1 5 0 . r eligio n , 2 2 , 3 0 : pr ovi d ed for
A n ti g o n u s I , kin g of Asia, 60, comfor t of m an an d beast , 2 2 ,
62 . 80, 1 1 5 : establish ed r eligious
( )
I I G o n at as, kin
g o f assembli es an d censor s, 2 3 63 ,,

M aced onia, 60, 62 , 64 ,

1 31 . 64 , 74 : es ta b lis h ed R o y al A l
T h e o s, kin g of Syr ia, moner s depar tmen t, 24: poli cy
’

of, 2 6 3 4-
: w e n t on il
p g r i m ag ,
e
1 98 I NDEX

eth ical teachin g 36 of, edict ,

35 : Bh i l r l , 3,
1 3,
2 1 05 , 1 42,
believed in a fu tur e li fe, 37 1 g
p r a c t ise d r eligious to l e r a ti on , t d r asu a, var ian t of Bin d u
3 8 : hi s p e r s o n a l n a m e w a s sflr a, q c , 1 4 . . .

A soka var d h ana, 4 1 belon ged B h agv an ( Bh agwan ) In

to M aur ya clan , 4 2 : solemn l d r ail , 1 03
y .

cr own ed , 43 : r e i g n ed a b o u t Bh an d u , con ver t to Bud dh ism,

for ty y ear s, 4 4 fa m il f , 4 , 16 7
y
g
: o .

45 : pr o bably succeed ed y B h ar h u t, stdpa , 90 9 2 -

.

D asar at h a, 4 5 ,
6 5 : p e r h aps h i k n a Pah flr l , moun d , 1 85 .

con ven ed a Bud dhist C o un ci l, i d s, r iver , 66 .

Bi b le, con tr asted with A soka s

’
5 0 : c h r o n olo
gy o f r ei g n o f , 5 6
65 ex t en t of h is empir e , 66 teach in g, 37 .

7 2 : s tu p a s a sc r i b e d t o , 7 1 , 8 7 : B i mb i sar a, king, 1 75 .

ad min i str ation o f, 7 2— 85 Splen B i n d u sAr a A mi tr agh at a, em

d o ur of h is capit al , 80 mit i per or of I n di a, 1 4 , 15 , 43 , 62,
t d sev er i ty of cr imin al la w, 1 60. 1 6
g a e 75 . 1 7 . l 77
84: er ecte d n u mer ou s mon o l o ch , D r , 1 9 .

li th ic pill ar s, 9 4 , 99 : r ock i n B o tr ee , 1 67 1 69 , 1 7 3, 1 74
- -
.

scr iptions of, 1 01 , 1 1 4 : ar t s in B o w, I n dian an d Ceylon ese, 7 7,

th e age of, 1 07 : in flu en ced by 78 .

Per sian empir e, 1 1 0 : Ceylon ese r ah ma, d eit 1 5

9 .

Br ah mag i r i ,
’
legen d of, 1 5 9 : tr ad iti on s of or Rock inscr ip o

d eath of, 1 74 ,
1 95 : I n dian t ion , 1 38, 1 4 1 .

l egen d s of, 1 75 . r ah man s, 1 6, 1 7, 3 4 9 55

,
1 3 , 1 .

A sok a tr ee , 1 78 . B r ah mi , scr ipt , 1 03, 1 09 , 1 1 0 .

A s o k d r d ma, monaster y, 1 62, 1 65 , B u d d h a, d ate of d eath of, 5 6,

I73 . 14 0 : symbols of, 1 1 3: stat ues
A so k dv ad an a, ro man ce , 35 , 36 o f, 1 1
3, 1 83 .

1 79 , 1 80, 1 87 . Bu d d h a G ay a, m ated by A soka,

A ssy r i an i n fl u en ce, 1 1 1 .
36, 1 81 .

A st r ag al us mouldin g, 9 6 . B u d d h agh osh a, cr ed i bi li ty of, 5 1 .

A swast ama, r ock , 1 04 . B u d d h i sm, mad e a wor ld r eli -

A t h en ai o s, r efer r ed to, 1 3 .
g i on b y A sok a, 2 2 , 30 A s ok as
’

d evotion to, 31 asser ted san cti ty

B ab y l on , d eath of A l ex an d er at , of life, 38 a sect of H in d ooism,
1 1 Seleucu s satr ap of, 1 2 .
39
B ai r at , M in or Rock inscri pti on B iih ler , Dr . , 1 07 , 1 09 , 1 1 6, 1 20,
at , 1 05 , 1 38 . 1 21, 1 2 2, 1 23, 1 25 , 1 2 8, 1 0
3,
ak h i r a, lion pillar at , 3
-

4, 9 4, 13 4 » I 39 : 1 4 1 : 1 45 , I 47 1 49 ,

B el ap an di t a, ascetic, 1 78 . B ur n ou f, r efer r ed to, 36, 810 .

B an ki p o r e ( B an k i pu r ) , on si te
of Patalipu tr a, 80, 88 . C an on , gr owth of Bu ddhist , 5 4,

B ar ab ar h i ll , in scr i bed caves at , 1 09 .

1 06, 1 4 4 . C ast s of A soka i nscr ipti ons, 1 9 6 .

B ar ah u t , or Bhar h u t , 9 0 . C au casu s, I n d ian , 66 .

B asar , t h e ancie nt V aisali , 34 . C av e inscr ipt i ons, 1 4 4 .

B e n ar e s, ci ty, 36, 1 81 . C e n sor s, of L aw of Pi ety , 2 3,

B eau ssar , th e an ci en t V edisa 64 . 74 , 1 1 9 . 1 29 . 1 5 4
. 1 5 5 : of

g i r i. 45 . 9 . 9 4.
2 1 6 3.
1 67 » women , 75 , 1 29 .
 I IKLLEUY I SE!

C ey l o n , Buddh ist missions to, 2 1 , Dh arizmah d md tr a , or C en sor of

'

6
45 1 4 : 49 1 5 5 1 1 6 6 1 1 8 7 : co n L aw of Piety , 2 3, 64 , 74 1 5 4 , .

v er sion of, 4 5 5 0 ,
1 6 3
-

,
1 8 7 D h ani malip i, mean in g of, 1 33 .

ch r on icles of, 4 531 ,

1 59 D h fl map ad a, quoted , 1 2 7 .

Tish ya, kin g of, 1 32 , 1 65 Dh a rizmay u ta, mean ing of, 1 20,
U tt iya, kin g of, 1 68 . 1 21 .

Ch akh ud d n e, mean in g of, 1 4 7 . D h an a N an d a, kin g, 1 1 , 6 7 , 1 60 .

C h fin ak y a, Br ah man , 1 60 . Dh a r ma, tr an slation of, 5 , 1 7 .

C h an d agi r i k a, ex ecution er , 1 78 . D h ar magu pt ak a, a sch o ol of

C h and dl a, outcaste , 1 9 3 . Bud d h ism, 1 7 1 .

C h an d r agu pt a M au r y a, h istor y D h ar md so k a, a t itle of A soka, 5 7 .

of, 1 1 1 4 . 6 1 , 62 , 83
-
, 1 60, 1 7 5 . D h ar mav i v ar d h a n a, a son of
C h ar i o t s, 7 7 . A soka, 4 4 .

C h d r u mat l , d augh ter ofA soka, 69 . D h au l i , r ock ed icts an d scu lp

C h et i y agi r i , mon aster y , 1 68 tur ed eleph an t at , 1 04 , 1 1 3,
v ar ian t for V ed isa ir i, 1 6
g 3 .

Ch i kisakd , mean in g of, 1 1 6 . D i n ap o r e ( Dh anapur ) , can ton

C h i n ese, Sacr ed Ed ict, 7 , 2 5
‘ ’
. men t , 80 .

C h ola, ki ngd om 4 7 , 70 ,, 1 1 5 , 1 3 1 . Bi n d r a , coin , 1 84 .

C h fil aman i , atap a, 1 69 . D i o d o t us, king, 64 .

C h ur i a G h fitl, pass, 68 . D i pav ar h sa, C ey lon ese ch r o ni cle ,

j
C o n e ev er am, city, 7 2 .

C o pp er bolt , 9 6 . D i v y d v ad sn a, r oman ce, 1 9 3 .

C ou n cil s, Bud d h ist , of PAtali D o n o r s, i n d ivid ual , 9 2 .

p u tr a , R a j agr i h a ,
a n d V a i sd li , D r av i d a, kingd om, 72 .

5 0 D u fl , M iss, on ch r on ology of
C o u r t e san s, r egulation of, 7 5 , 1 2 2 . I n d ia, 1 4 .

C n i n g h am, r efer r ed to, 1 3 2

, 3 ,
u
tn c. Ekad esa riri , meani ng of, 1 23.

C ur t i u s, r e fer r ed t o, 1 3 . E l eph an ts, war , 7 7 .

D ar i u s, con qu est of PanjAb by, F a h i en, t r av els o f,

-
8, 8
4 9 , 1 7 ,
1
110 .

D asan e, mean in g of, 12 4 . F i r o z S h Ah T u g h l ak, 9 7, 99 , 1 00 .

D asar at h a, king, 45 , 65 , 1 44, F i r o zab ad , in Old D elhi , 9 8, 9 9 .

1
9 6 . F o lk l or e, 1 9 1 .

D av i d s, Pr of Rh y s, 1 1 5 , 1 4
.
3, 1 60 .

D dy d d o sd san c, mean ing of, 1 2 8 . meani ng of 1 2 2

Ga bh dg d r a, , .

D e an e , C olon el, 1 02 . G anan d yani mean i n g o f, 1 1 7

, .

D e at h , pu n ish men t of, 2 9 . G an d h ar a pr ovin ce 4

, 4 : t r i b e , ,

D ei mach os, ambassad or , 1 4 ,

D elhi , inscr i bed pill ar s at , 9 6 9 8 -

. G an g ar i d ae , n ation , 67, 1 09 .

D esmii , meani n g of, 1 1 9 , 1 2 3 . G ar li c, pr ej udice agai nst , 1 9 3 .

D cvd n a rii p iy a, a r oyal t itle, 1 1 4,

G au t ama sak y amu n i B u d d h a,
12 4
m
.

D ev an a p i y a T i ssa, a kin g of G ed r osi a, pr ovin ce, 66 .

C eylon , 1 65 . G h azn i , city , 7 2 .

D ev ap d l a, son in law - -
of A soka, G h o sh a, sain t , 1 9 1 .

9 . G ir n ar , h ill an d i n scr i ption , 1 03,

D 0 1, moth er of M ahen dr a, 1 63, 1 07, 1 1 4 11 6, 1 2 0, 1 2 4 1 25
27
, , ,

1 . 1 2 7, 1 2 8, 1 31 : lake , 7 2 , 79 .

7
2 00 I ND E X

G o r amasl n , pass, 68 .

G r aeco B o man in fluence, 1 1 1

- .

G u p t a, fath er of U pagupta, 5 3,
1 80 . K ar t ti ka, mon th , 1 5 1 .

K ur d v ak i , secon d qu een o fA so ka,

H i malay a, Bud d h ist mission to, 5 7-
" 1 5
5 1 1 66 K ash mi r , Bu d dh ist mi ssions to,
’
H i n d o o fr ee t h o ugh t, 39 . 2 1 , 5 5 , 1 66 : inclu d ed in A soka s
H i n d o o K o osh , moun tains, 7 2 . empir e, 6 7 -

H i p p ol y t u s, legen d of, 1 9 1 . assapa mi ssion ar y ,

H i u e n T si an g , Chi n ese pilgr i

Jy
5 5
i
ap y a, sch ool , 1 7 1 .

H oe r n l e, 1 09 . K at h l v at th u , publicati on of, 5 1,
H o sp i t al s, per h aps foun d ed by 1 65 , 1 7 1
A soka, 2 3. K ath i l wh , or Saur ashtr a, 79 .

B u n s, W h i t e , r avages of, 87 . K at h man d u, ci ty , 35 , 68 .

H u n t i n g , mod e of, 33 . K au sAmb i . edict , 1 00, 1 05 , 1 5 7 .

H y ph asi s, r iver , 66 . K av er i , r i ver , 47, 87

1 .

K er ala, kin gd om, 70, 1 1 5 .

I n d i an M u seum, 1 9 6 . K er n , Pr ofessor , 6, 20, 1 2 2 , 1 2 8,

I n d r a, d eity, 1 9 5 . 1 33 1 13951 1 31 1 5 5
I n scr i pt i o n s, classi fied , 1 06 . K e sar i y a, stupa , 34 .

I r r i g at i on d epar tmen t , 79 K h ali At ak a, minist er 1 77

m m mm
. .
,

I si l a, to wn , 1 38 .
, var ian t of , 9 .

I t si n g , Ch in ese pilgr i m, 20, 39

-
. 1 03.
K h Ar av el a, i n scr iption of, 4 0 .

J ai n , sect, 1 5 5 : tr adition s, 5 6 K h ar o sh th i , scr i pt, 1 02, 1 09 , 1 1 0 .

5 8: 1 93 ° K h i ar ab ad , town , 9 7 .

J al suk a, a son o f A soka, 4 4 7

, 6 . K h ot en , co un tr y , 1 90 .

J amb u d i pa, I n d ia , 1 39 . K o n ak Aman a ( K o nl caman a) ,

J ataka, stor ies, 1 1 1 , 1 9 1 . or K anakamuni , q .
35 , 1 46 .

J ati u ca- B Ame av ar a, in scr iption ,

'
K os, length of, 80
1 38 . K r i sh na, r i ver , 1 29 .

J an gad a, t own an d inscr i ption , K sh at r i y a cast e, 1 9 2 .

K u kk u tAr Ama, monaster y , 1 83,

J e t av an a, mon ast er y , 36, 9 9 , 1 82. 1
9 3:
1 94 ~

J o n e s, Sir W illiam, 6 1 . K u mAr apM a, Ch aulukya kin g, 1 9 .

J an u ar h , town , 1 03 . K umr fih d r , si te of M au r ya palace,

J u st i n , histor ian , 8 6 8
i
5 , 0 , 3 .

w n g legen d 4
4
of, 1 88— 1 9 3
E
.
,

K eb u l , includ ed i n M aur ya em ué i n ag ar a, town 34 , ,

i
p , r e 86 .

K Ak av ar n i n , ki n g, 1 75 L ab r an d a, te mple, 9 3
m
. .

K so k a, a ficti t i o u s ki n g, 5 3, Laj akd , c r ajj ukd , g c , 1 4 8 . . .

5 7 2 5 91
I 1 83 87
, 1 : L ali t a Pat an , city , 68, 69 .

K ali n g a, con quest o f, 1 5 1 8, -

L au r i y l A r ar fij , inscr i bed pillar
-

69 , edi cts, 1 06, 1 34

1 03,
1 29 : . at , 34 , 1 00, 1 9 6.

K alsi , r ock inscr ipti on at, 1 02 1 I3 . L au r i y a N an d an g ar h

-
( N a
j
K amb o a, tr ibe , 1 2 0, 1 32 . v an d g ar h ) , i n scr i bed pillar at,
an ak amu n i , stu p a of, 35 , 64, 14
» 1 96
8
9 , 1 01 1 46. L i ch ch h av i , t r ibe , 34 .
 '

I IKZZEHX 2 01

L i on s, wi , 1 1 1 . M a mgala m meani ng of , , 1 25 .
L u ck n ow, useum 1 96 . j
M an u Pat an , city , 68 .

L u mb i n i g ar d en , i n scr i bed pillar M auser s, r ock i n scr i ption , 1 02,

mar ki n g si te of, 34, 36,
M at h i ah , see L aur iya Nan d an -

L u mmi n i , village 1
, 45 .

M ath u r a, city , 1 80
m
.

M ad ar a, mou n tain , 1 95 M au d g a y an a, sain t , 1 82

m
. .

ad man Ph dya capital, M au r y a, clan or family , 1 1, 4 2

1 60 : d yn asty , 1 5 , 65
M ag ad h a, kingd om, 1 1 ,
1 2, 32 , em ir e , 6 — 2 , 8
p 86 : 7 7 5, al
p ace ,
671 1 42 1 1 5 9 88 : per iod , 6 1 , 1 07
m
° .

M agad , dialect , 1 07 , 1 5 7 . M ax M iill er , on Buddhist legen d s,

M ag as, ki ng of C yr en e, 60, 63, 1 31 .
5 1.
Ar i tt h a, en voy fr omCeylon , M i n d l e, wor ks of, 1 4, 66

gg
M a cC r .

1 M e er u t , ci ty , 9 7 , 1 00 .

M ah fib od hi , tr ee, 1 9 1 . M eg ast h en e s, ambassad or , 1 3 , 14,

M ah ad ev a, missi on ar y , 5 5 . 62 , 66, 75 , 80, 81 .

M ah ad h ammar akk h i t a, M e sop o tami a, 1 1 0 .

55 M i h i n t al e, monast er y , 1 68 .

M ah ad h ar mar ak sh i ta , sain t, M i l est o n e s, 80

’
.

I 7B
»
M i ln e , tr anslated Sacr ed Ed ict ,
M ah a K ai y ap a, sain t , 1 82 .

M ah a l ah i n d a, or M ah en d r a, i n o r B o ok E d i cts, 1 05 , 1 38
g
M .

9 °
1 5 M i r at h , see M eer u t, 9 7 .

M ah a M d
an ala, ki n g, 75
1 . M i ssa, mou n tain , 1 67 .

M ah d md tr d , officials or magis M issi on s, Buddhist, 2 1 , 2 2 , 5 5 ,

tr ates, 74 ,
1 2 2 , 1 36 .

M ah amegh a, gar d en , 1 68, 1 73 . M o g g ali , fath er of sain t Ti sh ya,

M ah an ad i , r i ver , 69 , 1 2 9 . No I , . 16 4 70, 1 .

M ah l p ad u ma n t ah a, cit ed , 1 9 1
. M u k h ar j i , Bab o P C , 88 9 2 . .
, .

M ah ar akk h i t a, mission ar y , 5 5 . M u n d a,king, 1 75 .

M ah ar ash t r a, the M ah r atta M us e u ms, I n d i an an d L uckn ow

co u nt r y , 2 1 , 5 5 , 1 66 . Pr ovin cial , 1 96 .

H abhflasan gh i k a, Bud d hist sch ool, M y sor e , Bud dhist missions to , 2 1

1 7 1 .
5 5 , 1 66 .

M ah av amsa, ch r on icle , 4 2, 5 2, 55,

5 6 5 8 N ab h i t l , tr ibe, 1 32 .

M ar a, monaster y N ag ar ah Ar a, stapa 7 1
gg
vi h
a 5 5,
, 1 5 9, , .

N ag ar j u n i , in scr ibed cav es, 45 ,

l l d h t y l ns. 49 m 14 5 .

M ah en d r a, legen d of, 45 4 ,
8 , 49 , N an d a: d ynasty . 4 2. 43. 1 5 9
ki ng 75 , .

M ah en d r a , a war d of Patn a, 1 85 . N an d asAr a, var ian t of Bin d usar a,

M ah i n d a, or M ah en d r a, q .
45 .
9 0- 1 1 4
°

M ah i p al a, kin g, 1 75 . N an d r us, or Dh an a Nan d a, 67 .

M ah i sa man d ala
M y sor e, 5 5 1 66
, . N atab h at1 k a, for est, 1 80 .

M ah i sasak a, Bud d h 1st sch oo l 1 7 1 . N asal ki ngd om. 35 , 36. 4 1 , 67 ;

M ajj h an t ik a, missionar y , 5 5 .

M ajj h i ma, missi on ar y , 5 5 , 5 6 . N i co l as D amascen u s, r efer r ed

M al ak iit a, coun tr y , 47 . ( O , 84 .
 I AKLLEHY
’

2x x 2 .

n ll va, inscr ibed pillar , 9 8, 99 , P il u sar a , std pa , 7 1 .

Pi n g ala V at sflj i v a, ascetic, 1 76 .

N i gr od h a, legen d of, 1 2 7 1 61 . Pi pr l v fi, stflp a, 1 1 0

mm
.
,

N i r gr an th a, or J ain sect , 48 . Pi t e n i k a ( u s ) , tr i be, 1 20,

1 32
O l d en b er g , opin ion s of, 4 6
5 , 4, Pi y ad asi , ti tle of A soka , 1 6, 4 1 .

47 5, 2 Pli n y , r efer r ed to, 1 3 .

O l l fl e l d , Sketch es fr om Nipal,
’
‘
P l u t ar ch , r efer r ed to , 1 3 .

é9 . P 0 l n sh a, or Sh ah bazgar hi , 1 01
- -
.

O n i on , su per stition concer nin g, P r adesi kd, distr ict ofi cer s, 74

‘
,

1 9 2, 1 93 0 1 1 6, 1 4 8 .

O r d i n at i o n , Bu dd h ist, 20 . Pr ak r i t , d ial ect s, 1 07 .

P r asen aj i t , kin 1 75 .

P ad s, scr ibe , 1 4 2 . Pr asi i , n ation , 7 , 1 09 .

Pad er i a, village, 1 01 , 1 4 5 . Pr a tibh agarit, mean in g of, 1 30 .

P ai th an a, t o wn , 1 32 . Pr i n se p , J ames, 61 .

Paj d ( p r aj a) , meani ng of, 1 2 1 . Pr i y ad ar si n . ti tle o f A soka, 1 6,

P an d r e t h an , an ci en t capi tal of 4 1 .

K ash mir , 67 . Pt o l e my Ph i l ad e lph u s, kin g of

P 5 9 91 ” , ki ngd om, 4 7: 1 1 5: Egy pt , 60, 62 , 64 , 1 3
1 .

1 31 . Pu l i n d a, t r ibe, 1 32 .

j
P an ab , con quer ed by Ch andr a P u li sd m, mean in g o f, 1 4
'

9 .

g p ,
u ta 1 1 : 59 Pu n ar vasu , d ay , 1 5 1 .

Pamsd , mean i n g of, 1 1 7, 1 2 2 Pu n d r a V ar d h an a, ci ty , 1 83

’

. .

P ar k h am, colossal st at ue at , 9 3 . Pu n i c war , d ate of, 63, 65 .

P ar o p an i su s, mo un tai n s, 66 . Pur anas, ci ted , 1 4 , 4, 5 9

1 .

Pd sapda , mean in g of, 1 1 9 . Pu sh pami tr a, ki n g, 1 96 .

P asu p at i n at h , con ven t , 69 . Pu sh y ad h ar ma, ki ng , 1 9 6 .

P atali pu t r a, cit y , 1 2 , 1 3 1 5 , 4 3, , Epir us, 62 , 63 .

1 60: 7 71 79 :
I 75 1 1 1 1 sl s 1 85 : Q u e en - an t , an aphr od isiac, 1 0
5 .
’
1 8 : cou ncil, 32 , 5 0 5 4
9 , 1 6 5,
-

Q u ee n s E di ct , 44, 1 00, 1 05 , 1 06,

1 66, 1 69 : pr oce ssion s at , 1 1 8 . 1 57 .

Pa ti ved akd , mean in g of, 1 2 1 , 1 4 9 .

P at n a, occu pies site of Patali B ad h ag u pt a, minister , 1 7 7 , 1 9 4 .

pu t r a, 1 3, 80, 88 . B ad h i an, see L aur iy aA r ar aj , -

Pe gu , Bu d dh ist mi ssi on t o , 21 1 00 .

R ah n l a, ad d r ess to, 1 4 3
m
.

P er g amum, kin gd om o f, 65 . R ai li n g s, of a per e, 9 0 9 2, 1 1 2 -

.

P er si an in fluen ce on I n dia, j j
R a agr i h a ( B a gi r ) , ci ty, 6 7, 1 7 5 ,
1 10 . 1 84: cou n cil of, 5 0, 1 9 .

P h ae d r a, legen d of, 1 9 1 . j
R a amah en d r i , kin gd om, 1 2 9 .

Ph al gu n a, mon th , 1 5 1 . B BJe n d r al al a M i tr a, r efer r ed to,

P i et y , L aw of, 6, 1 7 , 2 1 , 2 3, 2 4 , 3 6
25 , 1 1 7, 1 1 9, 1 2 4 , 1 2 7, 1 29 , Raj j akas, or Commi ssi on er s, 7 4 ,
1 31 33, 1 35 , 1 38, 1 4
,
1 1 , 14 6,
I4 7 1 I4 1 3
93 5 ° R ak k h i t a, mi ssionar y , 5 5 .

Pi ll ar s, 11 st of inscr ibed , 9 9 B amagr ama, stdp a , 1 79 .

str u ct ur e of,
94 ,
1 1 0 : t r an s B ampu r wa, i n scr ibed pillar at ,
lat on of inscr iption s on , 1 4
é 5 9 6 1 00 , .

15 B ash tr i k a, t r ibe, 1 20 .
 I ND E X 2 03

1 1 9, 1 20, 1 21 , 4
1 2 2, 1 23, 12 ,

d eath s, 82 1 2 6, 1 28 —1
1 25 ,
12
9 1 30
, 34 , ,

Ri ce , M r on ed ict s of A soka in 1 38: 14 31 1 431 1 47 41

1 8 1

M y sor e, 1 05 . 1 2
5 , 153.

Bi sh i p at an a, or Sfimfith , 36, 1 81 S h ah b azgar h i , Rook Edicts at ,

B ock E d i cts, 1 01 1 05 , 1 1 4, 1 96 1 0 1 , 1 02 , 1 1 0, 1 9 6
-
. .

R ou se , M r t r an slator ofJ stakas,

. S h ah D h er i , site of Tax ila, 73 .

1
9 1. S i d d apur a, M in or Rock Edicts
R u d r ad aman , in scr ipt ion of, 4 1 at , 70, 1 05 , 1 38, 1 6
9 .

67 . 7 2 , 79 S i la , mean i n g of, 1 1 9 .

R u mmi n d ei , inscr 1 bed pillar at , S i mh al a, or C eylon , q 4 8 . .

S i n d , pr ovin ce, 7 1 .

d nl th , M inor Rock inscr ipti on S lsu n ag a, d yn asty, 4 2, 1 5 9 .

at , 1 05 , 1 38, 1 4
0 . S mi t h , V A , on G r acco Roman
. .
-

in fluence , 1 1 1 on Nigli va pi llar ,

Eah a li n , kin g, 1 75 . 14 6 on site of K us in agar a,
S ah asr am, M i n or Rock inscr ip 36 : on tr ad i tions, 5 8 .

t ion at , 1 05 , 1 38, 1 9 6 . S oli n u s, r efer r ed to, 8 1 .

alr r a, god , 1 69 . S b n , r i ver , 80 .

ak y amu n i , a ti tle of G autama S o n a, missi on ar y , 5 5

Bud d h a, 1 4 0 . S on ar i , atapa , 6 .

S ama
3

j , mean in g of 1 1 S and r a, Rock Ed icts at , 1 03

g
a , .

S amap a to wn , 1 34 , ,
1 3 S o v an ab h fimi ( S u v ar a
n ),
S amat ata, kin gd om, 7 1 . Pegu , 5 5 , 1 66.
S ampadi kin g 1 9 3 1 9 6 , , , . S r av astl, ci ty ,35 , 36, 9 9 , 1 82 .

S amu d r a ascetic, 1 78 Sr ci ty foun d ed by A soka,

é7
, . n ag ar ,

Ban oh i in scr ibed r elic caskets at

,
-
.

5 3, 5 6 9 0 : i n scr ibed pillar at

, S tad i u m, len gth of, 80 .

1 05 1 5 8 : stat ue at, 2 1 ,
, 94 S te i n , Dr , on ancien t geogr aph y,
.

stflp as at , 88, 1 67 . 67 .

S and csmiz, mean in g of, 1 19 . S t h av ir a, school of Bud dh i sm,

S an d r olr op t o s ( S an d r o lr o tt o s) , 49 : 1 7 °
1
o r C h and r agupt a, q 13 . . S to b ae us, r efer r ed to, 84 .

S a h ami tr a, legen d of, 4 5 , 4,6 S tr ab o , r efer r ed t o, 1 3

n
g
.

13 . S td pas, ascr ibed t o A soka, 7 1

S ar l pn tr a, sain t , 1 82 . con str u ct ion of, 8 : or igin o f,
9
Bar at h , visited by A soka, 36, 1 1 1 Si n ch i gr o up of, 88, 1 67
g
.

1 1 S u b l ad r an gl , mot h er of A soka,
g
.

S ar vasti v ad i n a, Bud dhist sch ool,

i
1
1 71 . S m l an a, A soka, 1 60
br oth er of
S at i y ap u tr a, kin g, 1 1 6 r an d so n of A so ka 1 63
.
g , .

S aur ash tr a, pr ovi n ce , 79 . S u mi t r a, sain t , 1 64 .

d am sand pi ts, meanin g of, 1 39 . S u p ar sv a, a son of A soka, 4 5 .

S ch o ols, of Bu d dh ism, 1 7 1 . S u r pa r ak a, or SOpa r a, 1 03 .

S cu l ptu r e, of M aur ya per iod , S u si ma, a son o f Bin d u sfir a, 1 75 ,

1 77
y
.

S eleu cu s Ni k at or , histor of, 1 2, S u sa n n a, or i sun sga, q S

1 59 . .

6 1 , 6 2 , 66 . S u v ar nagi r i , ci ty, 4
4, 73 38
,
1 .

S en ar t , M Emi l e, on th e A soka
. S u y asas, a son of A soka, 4 5 .

i n scr iptions, 6, 1 7 , 2 3, 32 , 40, S v asas, kingd om of, 1 76 .

1 03, 10 4, 1 07 , 1 15 ,
1 1 6, 1 1 7, S wat v alley , etapas in , 7 1 .
20 4 I NDEX

S y r i a, kingd om, 1 2, 1 3,
62 . U r ai y flr , Ch ola capital, 70, 1 1 5,
1 31 .

T l mali pti ( T am r ali p ti ), U r umu n d a, moun tain , 1 80 .

Tamluk, 69 , U t t ar a, missionar y , 5 5 .

T amr ai atl y a, sch ool ofBuddhism, U t ti y a, ki ng of Ceylon, 1 68 .

1 7 .
1
T an i or e, ci t , 4 8 . Vaibhdd y avd d ina , sch ool of
T ar l i , Ne ese , 68 . Bud dh ism, 1 7 1 .

T e n Ath , histo r ian , 5 6, 5 7 . V ai sl li, ci ty, 34: council

T ax i la, ci ty , 73, 1 69 . 1 83: ter r ito r y . 34
1 88, 1 89 . V ak k a la, sain t,
T e et h , used as seal, 1 88 . V al ab h i , ki n gd om, 7 1 .

T h e 0d 0t 0s, or Di od otus, king, 64 V an av asi , Nor th K an ar a, 5 5 , 1 66

m
. .

T h u pdr fima, stfl a, 1 69 . v ex 11 1 1 11, var ian t of Bin d ussr a,

-

T i b et an legen d s, 1 74 , 1 90 4 1
ir
.
q .

V e d i sag i , th mo
g g
T i r h ut, coun tr y , 1 83 . er n
T i r th y a, Oppon en ts of Bud d h ism, 45 1 9 2 I 7
31 l
g
g r 1 1
V e g i , th e A n dh r a capital, 7 2 .

T i sh y a ( T i ssa) , br oth er o fA soka ,

V e r gi l quoted , 1 88 .

1 60, 1 62 , 1 64, 1 7 , 1 7 2 , 1 73
0 °
V i d eh a, coun tr y , 1 83 .

con st ellati on, 37 day,

1 35 , 1 V ig ataso k a ( V i tflsok a) , br oth er
°

1 5 1 : king of Ceylo n , 1 32, 1 65 ofAsoka 1 ,

mon th , 1 5 1 : sain t No I , son of . Vi n i tamh i m , of, 1 2 2.

M oggali 5 1 , 5 4 . 5 5 . 1 64, 1 70,
Vr acha, mean ing 0 1 22 .

1 7 2 : sain t No I I , 1 64 . . V r i h asp ati , ki n g, 1 96 .

T i sh y ar ak sh i ta, qu een of A soka, V r i sh ase n a, k1 n g 1 6

9
.

Vu lt ur e s Peak , i l 1 84
’
h
T i v ar a ( T i ti var a), a so n ofA soka,

44a I S7 ° W add ell , M aj or , disco ver ed si te

T o l er at i on of A soka, 38 4 0, 1 2 8 -
. of Pa taliputr a, 81 , 1 85 .

T o r r a vill age. 9 7 . 9 9 W ar an g al , kingd om, 1 2 9 .

T or an , gateways, 9 1 , 1 1 2 . W eap on s, an cien t I ndian , 7 7 .

T ossli , ci ty , 4 4, 7 3 34
, 1 , 1 36 . W ell s, alon g r oads, 79 .

T ou r s, pious, 34 , 64 1 2 4 W i j esi n h a, r evised tr anslation of

m
.
,

T r ad e , r egu lation of, 82 . M ahava sa, 1 5 9 .

T r an sli ter ati o n , me th od of, 7 . W r i ti n g, ear ly use of, 1 09 .
T r ees, lan ted by A soka, 79
p
b
.

T r i ad , udd h ist , 1 4 2 . X an d r ames, or Dhana Nan da,

T sau k fit a, or A r ach osia, 7 2 .
q . 67 .

T ul ak u ch i , kin g, 1 75 .

’
T u sh asp, A so ka s gover n or of Yakshas, 1 80 .
'
Saur ash tr a, 79 . Y ssac, sain t , 5 3, 1 83 .

Y av an a ( Y o n a) , r egi ons, 55
U d ay ab h ad r a, ki ng, 1 75 . t r ibe, 74 0 1 32
, 1 2 , .

jj
U ai n , ci ty, 2 3, 4 4, 73,
’
Y on a- ZDh ammar akk h i ta, mis
h ell at , 1 79 . sion ar y, 5 5 .

U pasu pt a. sain t 36 5 3. 1 79 . Yuta, meanin g of, 1 1 6, 1 20, 1 21 .

’
U p ati sh y a, Q u estion i ng of, 1 43 . Z eal of A soka, 30 .

TBS END
 B O ILE RS O F I NDI A

TH E GLA REND ON PRE S S ERI ES OF I NDI AN

H I S TORI CA L RE TROSPEOTS .

Edited by 8111 W W . . H uman, MA LL D .

The followi ng 29 vol u mes have been alr eady publi sh ed

A BRI E F H I S TOR Y OF TH E I NDI A N PEOPL ES,

by 8111 W mm u W msos H or n s, K C Twen ty secon d . .
-

Edi tion ; Eighty- four th th ousan d Pr ice 32 6d . . .

BABA R : th e r ound .. of a. 1 1 q Dy nasty By Su m“ . .

l am POO11 , Esq
-
M A , Pr ofessor of A r abi c, Tr ini ty
. . .

College, D ublin ; A uth or of The L ife f

o L or d S tr atfor d
de Red clifie 2s 611
'
. . .

M ugh a l Em p i r e, by C onos sl .

M a n son, C S I A uth or of A H i stor y of th e I nd i an M utmy

. .

Th e H istor y of Afghanistan Fifth th ousand 22 6d . . . .

AL BUQ UERQ UE and the Ear ly Por t

. S ettlements i s
I mi n by H M oses Sr sr sss s, Esq”
. A , Balliol C ollege, . .

for mer ly L ectur er on I n d ian H isto at Cambr i d ge, A u th or

of The Fr ench Revo lu ti on The tor y q °

Thir d t housan d 2s 611

. . .

V AURA NGZ I B and the Decay the M ay hal Em

f
o i
p , y
r e b
“
. .

S u n ! L ANE POOL E, -
, M A , A u thor of The C oins of
.

h
. .

th e M ughal Elnper or s ; e
Catalogue of I nd i aa Coi ns
Thir d Th ousan d 2s 6d . . .

VI M ADH AVA RAO S I NDH I A

. the K ind a Recongaest of
. and
I n d i a, b Esq , M A , . A uthor of The
. .

M oghs l mpi r a , «t o . Th ir d Th ousan d 2 8 6d . . .

VII L ORD CL I VE
. and the Establishmen t cf th e E ngli sh i s
ad i a, by Comm M a n son , Thir d Th ousand .

” 0

VI II D UPL EI X : and the S tr uggle f or I nd ia by the Eur opean

.

Nations, by 001 011 111. M a n son , C S I , A uth or of The . . .

H i stor y qf the Fr ench i n I nd ia, h e Fifth Thousand 2s 6d . . . .

 RULERS OF I NDIA SERI ES .

IX . WA RRE N H A S TI NGS : and the F ound i ng qf the B r i tish

A d mi n istr ati on by C amu s L , . J Taor r ss , A u th or of I nd ia
.

und er Victor i a, «t o . Fi fth th ousand . 2e. 64.

X . TH E M ARQ UE S S C ORN WALL I S t and th e Consolid a

t i on Qf Br i tish Ru le, by W S Sn ort K an , Esq , somet ime . .
-
.

For eign Secr etar y to th e Go ver n men t of I n d ia, A uth or o f

Selections fr ees the Calcutta G azettes, 3 vols .
( 1 784
Four t h th ousan d . 28 . 6d .

3 41 mm41 1 AND TI P US UL TAN : and a. S tr aggle with

the M mmadan Power s of the South by m m Bas r s u r
u ha ,

Bownmo Esq , someti me Pr i vate Secr etar y to t h e

.
,

V icer oy ( L or d Can n ing) an d Chief Commission er of M ysor e,

A uthor of Easter n E tper ieneee . Thi r d th ousand . 28. 6d .

XII . TH E M A RQ UE SS WELL ES L E Y : and the Development

qf the C om pa n y in to the S up r eme Power i n I nd ia , by t h e

Rev W H H or r o r , B D , Fellow and T utor of St J oh n s

’
. . . . . .

C ollege, Ox for d Thir d th ousan d 2s 6d

. . . .

X II I TH E M A RQ UES S OF H A S TI NGS :
. and the Fi nal Ocer th r ow

f
o th e M ar ath i Power , by M 1 1 01: Ross or Bu nssss uac,
C B , Coldstr eam G uar d s ;
. .
se 6d . .

X IV . M O UN TS T UA RT E L PH I NS TONE M aki ng of 1 and the

S outh Wester n I nd i a, b J S C omer , Esq , M A , for mer ly y . . . . .

Fellow of Q ueen s College, Ox for d . A uth or of The Decennial

’

f
o I nd i a, pr esen ted to Par li ament M Thir d
t h ousan d . se. 6d .

XV . S I R TH OM A S M UNRO : and the Br i ti sh S ettlemen t of th e

M ad r as Pr esid ency , by J 011 11 BRADS H A W, Esq , M A . . .
,
LL D . .
,

late I nspector of Sch ools, M ad r as 2s 6d . . .

X VI . E A RL AM H E RS T : °
an d the Br i tish A d vance east war ds
to Bur ma , chiefly fr om u n pu blish ed paper s of the A mh er st
family ,by M r s A n n: Ts acx su . r Rrr oms, A uth or of
Old K ensington, t o , and 31 0111 1111 011 Evans, Esq . . 2s. 6d .
 BU LEBS OF I NDI A SERI ES .

X V I I L ORD
. WI L LI AM BENTI NCK : and th e C ornp ang as a
Gover n i ng and Non -
tr ad i ng Power , y
b Dam nws Bounces ,
Esq , A u th or
. of E ng la nd and Russi a i n Cen tr al A si a ; The
H inton Qf Chi na, Thir d th ousan d . 2s. 6d .

X V I I I E A RL OE A UCK LAND :
. and th e Fir st Afg han W a r , by

Om an! L J Tnor r n . .
''
, A uth or of I nd ia nnd er Vi ctor i a, d o .

se. 6d .

X IX . VI 8 00UNT H A RDI N G E and the Ad vance of the Br i ti sh

D omin i on: i nto th e Punj ab, by his Son an d Pr i vate Secr etar y,
th e Righ t H on V i scomu H u .
°
m
mer . Thir d thousand . 2s. 6d .

XX . RANJ I T S I NG H S ikh Bar r i er between our Gr owi ng

and the

Empi r e and Cen tr al A si a, by 8111 L x r m G m r m, .

A uth or of The Pn nj ab C h iqfe, t o . Four th thousan d . 23. 6d .

X XI . J OH N R US S E LL C OL VI N : the last Lien ten an t Go ver n or -

of th e Nor th Wester n Pr ovi nces und er the Com an

p y , by his

so n , SmA uox u sn Gonvnr , late li eu tenan t- G over nor

of th e Nor t h W ester n Pr ovin ces

-
. 21 . 6d .

X X II . TH E M ARQUESS OF DAL H O USI E and th e F i n al

D evelopment of th e C omp any s R ule, by SmW I L LI A M W ILS ON
’

B onu s, M A Seven th th ousand 22 6d . . . . .

X X I I I CL YD E AND S TRA TH NA I RN :
. and the S nppr eeei on of
theG r ea t Revolt, by M u on G m m -
Sm Owns Tunoa
Bonus, some ti me M ili tar y Secr etar y to th e Com

mand er in Chi ef in I n dia Four th th ousand as 6d

o -
. . . .

XX I V . EA RL CA NNI NG and the Tr aa er o f I nd i a fr om the

Comp yan to the Cr ow n , by 8 111 11 1111 11 1 8 .

M A , A uth or of Br i tish I nd ia and i ts Ruler s, «t o

. . .

Four th th ousan d 21 6d . . .

X XV . L ORD L A WRE NCE a nd the Reconstr uction of I ndia un d er

the Cr wn, by 81 11 CH A RLES U m
o r ssr os A r r cmsos ,
L L D for mer ly For eign Secr etar y to th e G over nmen t ofI n dia,
. .

and Lieutenan t G over n or of th e Punj ab Four th th ousand 22 6d

-
. . . .
 BULERS OF I NDIA S ERIES .

X X V I TH E EA RL
. OF M A YO : and the Consolidat i on f
o the
Q ueen s Ru le i n I nd i a, by 81 11 W u n
’
as W mscr H uman ,

M A
. ., LL D . Th ir d th ousand . 2s . 6d .

S ur r nm su sr V onun s .

X X V I L J A M ES TH OM A S ON and the B r i ti sh S ettlement q or tb

Wester n I nd iaby 81 11 RI CH ARD Tun as , Bar t" M P , for mer ly
, . .

Li eutenan t G over n or of Bengal, and Go ver n or of Bombay

-

Pr ice se 6d
. .

X X VI I I . S I R H ENRY LA WR ENCE Th e Pacifieator . By L i e ut

G en er al J J M Lson 1 11m
O
. . , R E, V C
. . . . Pr ice 3s 6d . .

X X IX . A S OKA Th e Bud d h ist E mper or f

o I nd ia . By V in cen t
A Smith ,
. Pr ice 31 6d . .
 Th e Cla r end on Pr ess H istor y of I nd ia, se 6d . .

A BRI E F H I ST O RY O F T H E I ND I A N
I

PE O PL E S .

S T
AND A RD En m os ( Twsur r sscos n ) , nr vr ssn -
TO 1 89 5 .
Eme r y r ooms T n ousasn -
.

Thi s Ed it ion i n cor por ates th e su ggesti on s r eceived by t h e au th or

fr om Dir ector s of Pu blic I n st r u ction an d o th er ed u cation al auth or i ti es
i n I n d ia ; its statistics ar e br ough t d o wn t o th e C ensu s of 1 89 1 ; an d
its n ar r ati ve t o 1 89 2 Th e wor k h as r eceiv ed t h e emphati c appr o val
.

o f th e or gan o f t h e English Sch ool Boar d s, an d h as been tr an slated

i n to five lan guages I t i s lar gely employ ed for ed ucational pur poses i n
.

E u r o pe an d A mer ica an d as a tex t bo ok pr escr ibed by th e U niver si ty

-

o f Calcu t ta for i ts En tr an ce Ex amin ation fr om 1 886 to 1 89 1 .

“A Br i ef H istor of th e I n di an Peo les ” b W W H un ter r e

y p , y , p . .

ey e v iew both o f I n di a an d of i ts pe o ple fr o m t h e

’
se n ts a so r t o f bi r d -

ear li est d awn of hi stor i cal r ecor d s A wor k of au th or i ty an d o f

.

’
o r igi n al val u e — T h e D a i ly Newe ( L on d on )
. .

Dr H u n ter may be sai d to h ave pr esen ted a compact epitome of t h e

.

r esu lts of h is r esear ch es i n to t h e ear ly histo r y o f I n d ia ; a su bj ect u pon

wh ich h is kn owled ge i s at on ce ex ception ally wid e an d ex ceedi ngly

th or o u g h
’— . T h e S c o ts m a n .

W it h in th e compass of some 2 5 0 pages we kn ow of n o h istor y of th e

l f I n d i a so con cise , so i n ter esti n g, an d so u se fu l fo r ed u cation al
p pe o e o
’
u r poses as t hi s — Th s S ch oo l Boa r d Ch r on i cle ( L on d on )
p . .

For i ts size an d subj ect th er e is n ot a bett er wr i tten or mor e tr ust

’
w o r t h y h i s to r y i n e x is t e n ce — T h e J ou r n a l of E d uca ti on
. .

The Ti mes
’
So th or oughly r evised as to en ti tle it to separ ate n otice . .

Dr H u nter s h istor y , if br ief, is compr eh ensi ve

’
. I t is a stor eh o u se
.

o f fact s mar shalled in a master ly style ; an d pr ese n t ed , as hi stor y

sh o uld be , wi th o ut t h e sli gh test su spi cion of pr ej udi ce or su ggest ion of

p a r t is an s h i p D
. r H u.n t e r o bse r v es a s t y le of s e v e r e s i m p lic i t y , w hi ch
i s t h e secr et of an impr essi ve pr esen tation of d etails — The D ai ly
’
.

Revi ew ( Ed in bur gh ) .

By far t h e best man ual of I n d ian H isto r y th at h as hith er to been

p u b li sh e d a n ,d q u i te e q u a l to an y o f t h e H is t or i ca l S e r i es for S ch oo ls
edi ted by Dr Fr eeman . W e tr ust th at it wi ll soon be r ead in all th e
.

sch ools in t h is Pr esid en cy — Th e Times of I n d ia . .

E x tr act fr om a cr i ticism by Ed war d G iles, Esq , I n spect or of Sch ools, .

Nor th er n Divi sion , Bombay Pr esi d en cy W h at we r eq uir e is a

b ook wh ich sh all be accur ate as t o facts, b ut n ot over load ed wi th
t h em ; wr itten in a style whi ch sh all i n ter est , at tr act , an d gu i d e u n
cu lt i vat ed r ead er s ; an d sh or t , because it must be sold at a r eason able
i Th ese cond i tion s h ave n ever , i n my opin i on , been r ealized
p r ce.

’
r evio u s to t h e in t r od uction o f th is book
p .

Th e publicat ion o f th e H on W W H un ter s Sch ool H istor y of

’
. . .

’
I n d i a i s an even t in lit er ar y h istor y — Rei s d: H ogget ( C alcu tta) . .

H e h as succeed ed i n wr iti n g a h istor y of I n dia, n ot on ly i n su ch a

way th at i t wi ll be r ead , bu t also in a way whi ch we h 0pe will lead
o un g En glish men an d youn g nativ es o f I n di a to th in k mor e kin d ly
y ’
of ea c h o t h er — Th e H i nd oo Patr i ot ( Calcutta)
. .

O
 PR O F L A NE POO L E S B ABA R
.
-
’
.

Stanley L an e Poole s sch olar ly mon ogr aph mad e b oth in ter est
’
M r .
o
,
in g an d in st r u cti v e by t h e ad r oi t n ess shown i n ad j u sti n g t h e h istor i cal
matter with t h e biogr aph y an d an ecd otes, i s well wor t h r eadi n g .

’
M r S tanley L an e Poole d oes j ustice to Babar s str o ng an d b r igh t
.
-

n at ur e, and his able an d br illian t mo n o r a h sh ou ld r e vi ve an i n t er est

g’ p
in th e stor y o f a li fe so full of ad ven t ur e — l A then ce um . .

T h e stor y of Babar s li fe is mor e won d er ful, mor e br i lli antly

’

colo ur ed t h an t h e Ar a bian Ni h ts, an d i t lose s li tt le of i t s ex ci temen t

g
i n M r Stanl ey L ane Poole s mon ogr aph — Sp ectator
’ ’
-
. . .

I t n eed h ar dly be said th at M r L ane Poole h as d on e j usti ce to .

-

su ch a th eme Yet so st r on g i s th e cur r en t n ot ion t h at Or ien tal

.

h ist or y must n eed s be d ull th at i t is wor th wh il e to say th at i n t hi s

li ttle book th er e i s mor e of th e tr ue elemen t o f r oman ce t h an in t omes
”
of h istor ical n ovels I t i s n ot often th at a book i s at on ce so
.

’—
sch olar ly an d so r ead able S peaker . .

M r L an e Poole s Baba r is a mod el of all th at a b ook o f th e kin d

’
-
.

sh o u ld be , an d is li kel t o r an k a s o n e o f t h e be st o f a se r i es th e
y
r epu tati on of wh ich i s d eser ved l
y h ig h
’
— T i me s . .

A wor k of sur passin g in ter est an d per man ent value — D ai ly News
’
. .

A volu me at on ce d eligh t ful as l iter at ur e an d val u able as h istor y

’
.

G lasgow H er a ld .

Th e aut h or s wh ole sketch i s at once sch olar ly an d inten sely

’

i n ter est in g H e h as h ad a fasci n atin g ch ar acter t o por t r ay, an d h e

.

h as d on e it wit h th e h an d of a master — M ad r as M ai l
’
. .

S I R W I L L I A M H U NT E R S D A L H ’ ‘
OU SI E .
’

Founr n Emn on SEV ENTH Tn ousm '

. .

A n in t er est i n g an d ex ceedingly r ead able volume S ir W illiam .

H u n t er h as pr od uced a valuable wor k about an impor tan t epoch i n

E n gli sh h istor y i n I n d ia, an d h e h as gi ven us a pleasi n g i n sigh t i n t o
th e ch ar acter o f a r emar kable E n glish man
”
Th e Rul er s o f I n d ia .

ser i es, wh ich h e h as in i tiated , th u s makes a successfu l b e in ni n i n hi s

g g
h an d s wi th on e wh o r an ks among t h e eat est of th e gr e at n ames wh i ch
will be associated with th e subj ect h e Ti mes
’
. .

A ski lfu l an d most attr act iv e pict ur e T h e au th or h as mad e good .

u se of u blic an d
p pr i va t e d ocu m en ts , an d h as e n j o y ed t h e p r i vil e g e of

b ein g aid ed by th e d eceased statesman s family H is little wor k is,

’
.

con sequen t ly , a val u able con tr i b ut ion to mod er n h i stor y — A cad emy
’
.

Th e b ook sh ou ld comman d a wid e cir cle of r ead er s, n ot on ly for i ts

’
au t h or s sake an d t h at o f it s su bj ect , b u t ar tly a t l east o n accou n t of
p
t h e ver y at tr acti v e way i n wh ich i t h as b een pu blish ed at t h e mod er at e
pr ice o f h alf a cr own
- -
But it is, of cour se, by it s in tr insic mer i ts alon e
.

t h at a wor k of t h i s n at ur e sh ould be j ud ged A n d t h o se mer its ar e .

ev er ywh er e con spicu ous A wr i t er wh ose t h or o ugh mast er y of all

.

I n di an subj ect s h as b een acquir ed by y ear s of pr actical ex per ience an d

eu m
’
p a ti en t r esear ch T h e .A th en a .

Sir W illiam H un t er h as wr itten an ad mir able li ttle volu me on

”
Th e M ar quess of Dalh ousi e for h is ser ies of t h e Ruler s of I n dia .

I t can be r ead at a si ttin g, y et i ts r efer en ces— ex pr essed or i mplied

suggest th e stu d y an d obser vation o f h alf a life t ime
’
Th e D aily Newe -
. .
 M inions of the Ems
N

sm W I L L I A M H U NT E R S L O RD m
O
’ ‘
ay o :
S C N E T N T m T US N E O D DI I O . u D HO A D .

S ir W illiam W H un t er h as con tr i bu ted a br ief but ad mir able

.

”
biogr aph y of th e Ear l o f M ay o to th e ser ies en titled Ruler s of I n d ia,
edite d by h i mself ( Ox for d , at th e C lar en d on T he Times .

I n t ellin g th is stor y in t h e mon ogr aph befor e us, Sir W illiam

H u n ter h as combi n ed h is well kn own liter ar y skill wi th an ear n est
-

sympath y an d fu ln ess of kn owled ge wh ich ar e wor th f a ll c o m m en da

y o
tion . Th e wor ld is i n debted to t h e auth or for a fit an d attr acti ve
r ecor d of wh at was emi n en t l n oble life — The A cad em
’
y a
y . .

‘
Th e sketch of Th e M an i s full of in ter est, d r awn as i t i s wi t h com
p l e t e s m
y p at h y, u n d er st a n d in g , an d a
pp r ecia t io n B u t m o r e v al u ab le .

i s th e accoun t of hi s ad mi ni str ation No on e can sh ow so well an d

.

clear ly as Sir W ill iam H un t er d oes wh at t h e poli c of L d M a o n

y ’ o r y co

t r i bu ted to t h e makin g of th e I n di an Empir e of t o d ay — Th e Scotsman -

. .

Sir W illiam H un ter h as giv en u s a mon ogr aph in which t h er e i s a

h appy combi n ation of th e essay an d th e biogr aph y W e ar e pr esen ted .

with t h e main featur e s of L or d M ayo s ad mi nistr at ion u n en cumber ed

’

with tedious d etai ls which would in ter est n one bu t th e most ofi cial of
A n glo I n d ian s ; wh i le i n th e biogr aph y th e man is br o ugh t befor e u s,
-

’
n ot an al ytically , b u t in a life li ke por t r ai t — Van i ty F ai r
-
. .

Th e st or y of h is life S ir W W H un ter t ells in well ch osen langu age

. .
-

— clear , succi nct , an d man l

y S ir W W
. H
’
un t er is i n
. sy .
p at h y w it h m
h i s subj ect, an d d oes full j ustice t o M ay o s str on g, gen uin e nat ur e .

With ou t ex agger ati on an d in a d ir ect , un affected style, as befits h is

t h eme, h e br in gs t h e man an d his wor k vi vidly befor e na
’
The .

Glasg ow H er ald .

A ll th e kn o wled ge acqu ir ed by per son al association , familiar i ty wi th

ad mi n ist r at i ve d e tails of t h e I n dian G o ver n men t , an d a str on g gr asp of
th e v ast pr oblems to be d ealt wi th , is u tili sed in th is pr esen tat ion of
Sir W H un ter , h o wever , n ever
’
Lor d M ayo s per sonality an d car eer . .

o ver load s hi s pages, an d th e o utli n es of t h e sket ch ar e clear an d fir m

’
.

— Th e M an chester E x r ess
p .

Th i s is anoth er of t h e Ru ler s of I n dia ser ies, an d it will be h ar d

S ir W il liam H un ter s per cepti on an d ex pr essi on ar e h er e at
’
to beat .

’
th ei r ver y best — The Pa ll M a ll G aze tte
. .

Th e lat est ad di tion t o th e R uler s of I n di a ser ies yields t o n on e o f

i t s pr ed ecessor s in attr acti ven ess, vigo ur , an d ar tist ic por tr ai tur e .

T h e fin al ch apt er must ei th er be copied ver bally an d liter ally— wh ich

t h e space at ou r d i sposal wi ll n o t per mit— or be left to t h e sor r o wful
e r u sal of th e r ead er T h e man is n ot to be en vi ed wh o can r ead i t wi th
p ’ ’
.

d r y ey es — A llen s I n d i an M ai l
. .

Th e little volume whi ch h as j u st been br ou gh t ou t is a stu d y of L or d

M ay o s car eer by on e wh o kn ew al l abo u t i t an d was in fu ll sy mpath y
’

wit h it .Some of t h ese ch apte r s ar e full of spir i t an d fir e Th e .

’
closin g passages, t h e pict ur e o f t h e V ice r oy s assassin ati on , can n o t fai l
to make an y r ead er h old h i s b r eat h W e kn ow what is goin g to
.

h appen , b u t we ar e t hr i ll ed as i f we d id n ot kn ow i t, an d wer e st ill

h eld in su spense T h e ev en t itself was so t er r i bly tr agic t h at an y
.

or d in ar y d escr i pti on m i gh t seem feeble an d laggar d Bu t i n t his .

volume we ar e m ad e t o feel as we mu st h ave felt i f we had been on

t h e spot an d seen t h e mur d er er fast en ed like a tiger on th e back of
,
 M inions of the p r ess

M R . W . S S E T O N K A RR S C O R NW A L L I S
.
-
’ ‘
.
’

TmaD EDr r mN . Fouar a T H O US A ND .

‘ “
Thi s n ew volume of th e Ruler s of I n dia keeps u p to th e ser ies
”
h igh st an dar d set by th e auth or of Th e M ar qu ess of Dalh o usi e Fo r .

d ealin g wi t h th e salien t passages in Lo r d C or n wall is s I n d ian car eer n o

’

on e co uld h ave been better u ali fied th an th e whil om for ei n secr et ar

q g y
to L o r d Lawr en ce — The A th en a am
’
. .

We h epe th at th e volumes on th e Ru ler s of I n dia which ar e

b ein g publish ed by th e Clar en d on Pr ess ar e car efully r ead by a lar ge
secti on of th e pu blic Th er e is a d ense wall of ign or ance still stan di ng
.

between th e aver age Englishman an d th e gr eatest d epen d en cy of th e

C r o wn ; alth ough we can scar cely h ope to see it br oken d o wn altoge th e r ,
some o f th ese ad m i r able biogr aph ies cann ot fai l t o lo wer i t a li tt le .

M r Se ton K ar t h as succeed ed in th e t ask, an d h e h as n ot on ly pr e

.
-

sen t ed a lar ge mass of i n for ma tion , b u t h e h as br ou h t i t togeth er i n an

g
at tr acti ve for m W e str on gly r ecommen d th e book to all who wish
.

to en lar ge th e ar ea of th eir kn owled ge wi th r e fer en ce to I n dia — New

’
.

Yor b H er a ld .

W e h ave alr ead

y e x
pr esse timelin ess o f
d o u r sen se o f th e valu e an d

th e se r ies o f I n d ian h istor ical r et r ospects n ow issu in g, un d er t h e ed itor

shi p o f Sir W W H u n ter , fr om th e C lar en d on Pr ess
. . I t i s some wh at .

less th an fair to say of M r Seton K ar r s mon ogr aph u pon C or n wall is

’
-
.

th at i t r each es th e h igh stan d ar d o f li ter ar y wor kmanshi p wh ich th at

ser i es h as m a in ta i n ed
’
—Th e L i ter ar Wor ld .
y .

HRS TRACKER. “RITCHIESANDllR RICHARDSONEYlNS ’

.
’

L O RD A M H E RST .
’

Th e st or y o f th e Bur mese W ar , its cau ses an d i ts issues, is re told

with ex cellen t clear ness an d dir ectn ess —Sa tur d ay Resi ew
’
. .

Per h aps th e in th e valuable ser i eso to which i t

br igh test volu me
Th e En glish in I n d ia in Lo r d A mh er st s
’
belon gs Th e ch apter o n
.

G ov er n or G en er alship sh ould be st u di ed by t ho se wh o wish t o u n d er

-

stan d h ow th e coun tr y was gover n ed in Q u ar ter ly R evi ew

Th er e ar e some ch ar min g pict ur es of soci al l i fe, an d th e wh ole book
is good r eadin g, an d i s a r ecor d of patien ce, skill an d d ar i n g Th e .

u b l ic sh o u ld r ead i t, t h at it may be ch ar y o f d estr oyin g wh at h as been

p
so to il s m
o e y l a n d br a v e ly a cq u ir ed
’
— Nat i ona l Obser ver . .

‘
Th e book will th e best in th e ser ies, b oth on
be r anked mong
a
accoun t of th e li ter ar y skill sh own in i ts co mposit ion an d by r e ason of
t h e ex cept ional i n ter est of th e mater ial to wh ich th e auth or s have had
access — S t J am
’ ' ’
. es s Gazette . .
 M inions of the 1 mm
M R . 8 LA NE POOL E S
.
-
’ ‘
A U RA NG Z i B .
’

SE C
EDr r r oNOND TmnD TH O A ND . US .

‘
Th er e is n o per iod i n Easte r n h isto r y so fu ll o f sensation as th e
r e ign of A ur an gzib M r L an e Poole tells th is stor y ad mi r ably ;
. .
-

i n d eed , i t wer e d i fi cul t t o imagi n e i t be t ter t old — Na ti on a l Obser ver

’
. .

M r L an e Poole wr i tes lear n ed ly , luci dly, an d vigor ously

.
-
He .

d r a ws an ex tr emely vi vi d pict ur e of A ur an gzi b, h is str an ge ascetic

ch ar acter , h is i n tr epid co ur age , h i s r emor seless o ver t h r ow of hi s
'

kinsmen , h is br illi an t cour t , an d h is d isastr o u s policy ; an d he d escr ibes

th e gr ad ual d eclin e of t h e M ogu l po wer fr om A kbar to A ur an gzi b
wi th gen ui n e h istor ical i n sigh t Th e Ti mes
’
. .

A well kn i t an d capable sketch of on e of th e most r emar kabl e,

-

p er h ap s t h e m o st i n te r esti n g, of th e M o gu l E m p er or s
’
S ata r d a y R evi ew . .

A s a stu dy of th e man h imself, M r L an e Poole s wor k is mar k ed

’
-
.

by a vigour an d or igin ality of th ough t wh ich give i t a ver y ex cept ional

val ue amon g wor ks on th e su bject — Glasgow H er ald
“ ’
. .

Th e most popular and most pict ur esqu e accoun t that h as yet

a pict u r e of much clear n ess an d for ce — Globe
’
appear ed . .

’—
A n o ta b l e sk e h
tc , at on ce sch o l ar ly an d i n t er es t in
g En g li sh M a il . .

N0 on e is bet ter qualified th an M r S tan ley L an e Poole t o take u p .

-

th e h istor y an d to d epict th e ch ar act er of t h e last of th e gr eat M ul

mon ar ch s .
’
A ur angzi b s car eer i s ever a fascin atin g st ud y .

Th e au th or
i s a d s r i t i of th e famou s ci ty of Sh a h J ah an , i ts
g v e e c p on

p a lac es, an d t h e ce r em on i es a n d page an ts o f wh i ch t h ey wer e th e sce n e .

M r L an e Poole s well wr i tt en mon ogr aph pr esen ts all th e most di s

’ - -
.

’ ’
t i n ct ive feat ur es of A ur ann b s ch ar acter an d car eer — M or n i ng Post . .

M A J O R R O S S O F B L A D E NS B U R G S ’

M A R Q U E S S O F H A S T I NG S ’
‘
.

M aj or Ross of Blad en sbu r g t r eats h i s su bj ect skilfully an d at tr ae

tively , an d h is biogr aph y of L or d H asti ngs wor th i l sustains th e h igh
r e pu tati on of th e Ser i es in wh ich i t appear s — Th e i mes
’
. .

Th i s mon ogr aph i s en titled to r ank wi th th e best of th e Ser ies, th e

compiler h avi n g d ealt capably an d even br i llian tly wi th h is mater ials
’
.

— E n li sh M ai l
g .

I n sti n ct wit h i nter est G lasgow E ven i ng News

’
. .

A s r ead a
’
ble as it i s i n str uct iv e — Globe . .

A tr uly ad mir able mon ogr aph } G lasgow H er ald .

M aj or Ross h as d on e his wor k ad mir ably, an d bi ds fair to be on e o f

t h e b est wr i ter s th e A r my of our d ay h as gi ven t o th e coun tr y .

most acceptable an d en tr ancin g li t tle vol ume — D ai ly Chr on i cle . .

I t is a v ol ume th at mer i t s t h e h igh est pr aise M ajor Ross of .

Blad ensbur g h as r e pr esen ted L or d H astings an d hi s wor k in I n di a

i n th e r igh t ligh t, faithful ly d escr ibed t h e coun tr y as i t was, an d i n
a mast er ly man n er makes o n e r ealize h ow i mpor tan t
v
co er e d b y t h is v ol u me
’
— M an ch ester C
. our i er .

T his ex cellen t mon ogr aph ough t n ot to be over looked by an y on e

wh o would fully lear n th e h i st or y of Br itish r ule in I n d ia — M anchester
’
.

Ex amin er .
 m inions of the m ess

C O L ONE L M A L L E S ON S D U PL E I X
’ ‘ ’
.

ED moN Fn r n T H OUSA ND
‘
1a .
-
.

I n th e ch ar act er of D uplei x th er e was th e ele men t of gr eat n e ss

that con tact wi th I n d ia ms to
h ave gen er ated i n
see so man y E ur ope an
min d s, Fr en ch as well as E n gli sh , an d a br oad capaci ty for gov er n
men t, wh ich , i f su fier ed to h ave full play , migh t h ave en d ed in gi vi n g
'

t h e wh ole of S outh er n I n di a to Fr an ce E ven as it was, Colo n e l .

M alleson sh ows h ow n ar r owly th e pr ize sli ppe d fr o m Fr en ch gr asp .

I n 1 783 t h e T r e aty of V er sailles ar r ived ju st i n time t o save th e

Br i t i sh po wer fr om e x t i n ct i on
’
— Th e T i mes . .

On e of th e best of Sir W H un ter s in ter estin g an d valuable se r ies

’
. .

C olon el M alleson wr i tes ou t of th e fu ln ess of familiar ity , movin g wi th

ease o v er a field whi ch h e h ad lon g ago sur vey ed in e ver y n ook an d
cor n er To d o a small boo k as well as t h is on D upleix h as been d on e ,
.

wi ll be r ecogn i sed by competen t j u d ges as n o small achi ev emen t .

W h en on e con sid er s t h e b ulk of th e mater ial o ut of wh ich th e li tt le

volu me h as b e en di st illed , on e can st ill bet t er appr eci at e t h e la bo u r
an d d ex ter i ty i n volved in th e per for man ce — A cad em
’
y . .

A most c ompact an d effect i v e histor y o f th e Fr en c

h i n I nd ia in a
lit tle h an d book of 1 80 pages — Nonconf or mi st
’
. .

W ell ar r an ged , lu cid an d emin en tly r ead able, an ex cellen t ad d i ti on

a most useful ser i es — Recor d
’
to . .

C O L O NE L M A L L E SO N S A K BA R
’ ‘ ’
.

Founr '
n En 1r 1 oN. a TH O US A ND.

C olon el M alleson s i n ter esting mon ogr aph on A kbar

’ “
in t h e R uler s
of I n di a ( C lar en d on Pr e ss) sh ou l d mor e t h an sati sfy t h e
ge n er al
r ead er Colon el M alleson t r aces th e or igin an d foun d ati on of th e
m
.

M ugh al Em r e ; an d , as an in tr od u ct ion t o t h e hi stor y of M uh amma

d an I n d ia, t h e book leaves n othin g t o be d esir ed — S t J ames s Ga zette
’ ’
. . .

Th is volume will, n o d ou bt , be welcomed , even by ex per ts i n

I n d ian h istor y , in th e ligh t of a n ew, clear , an d t er se r en d er in g of an
old , bu t n ot wor n ou t th eme-
I t i s a wor th y and v aluable ad di t i o n
.

t o Sir W H un ter s pr omisin g ser ies The A then cea m

’ ’
. . .

C olon el M alleson h as br oken gr oun d n ew t o th e gen er al r ead e r .

Th e st or y of A kbar is br i efly b u t clear ly told , with an accoun t of wh at

h e was an d wh at h e d id , an d h o w h e fo u n d an d h ow h e left I n d ia .

Th e n ative ch r on icles of th e r eign ar e man y , an d fr om th em i t i s st ill

o ssi ble, as C olon el M alleso n h as sh own , t o constr u ct a li vi ng por tr ai t
p
of t h i s g eat
r an d mi h t
g y p ot en t ate
’
— S co ts Obser ver . .

Th e br i llian t histor i an of th e I n dian M u ti n y h as b een assi gn ed i n

‘

th i s volume of th e ser i es an impor t an t epoch an d a str on g per so n ality

for cr i ti cal st ud y, an d h e h as ad mi r ably fu lfilled h i s task A like i n .

d r ess an d style , th i s volume is a fit compani on for i ts pr ed ecessor

’
.

M an chester Gua r d i an .
CAPTAI N TROTTER S ’
WARREN HASTINGS
‘
.
’

U T
FO R H EDI I ON T IF H F T T
n ousA D
. N .

Th e pu blicat i on , r ecen tly n otice d i n this place, of th e L etter s,

Despatch es, an d oth er Stat e Paper s pr eser ved in th e For eign D epar t
men t o f th e Gover n men t of I nd ia, 1 77 2 h as thr o wn en ti r ely n ew
ligh t fr om t h e most au th en tic sour ces on t h e wh ole histor y of W ar r en
H astings an d his gov er nmen t of I n dia
’
Captain L J Tr otte r s
ST
. . .

S
W A RREN H A I NG i s accor d in gly n eit h er in oppor t u n e n or d evoid of an
C aptai n Tr ot ter is well kn o wn as a competen t
’
ad equ ate r ai so n d etr e .

an d at tr acti v e wr i ter on I n d i an h i stor y , an d thi s is n ot t h e fir st t ime

th at W ar r en H astin gs h as su ppl ied h im wi th a t h eme Th e Times
’
. .

‘
H e h as pu t h is best wor k i n t o t h i s memoir H i s wor k i s of
.

d i stin ct l it er ar y mer it , an d is wor th y o f a th eme th an wh ich Br i tish

h istor y pr esen ts n on e n obler I t is a d ist in ct gain t o th e Bli t ish r ace
.

to be en abled , as i t n ow may , to cou n t th e gr eat G over n or G en er al -

amon g t h ose h er oes for wh om it n ee d n ot bl ush — S cotsman

’
. .

C aptain Tr ot ter h as d on e h is wor k well, an d h is v olu me d eser v es

t o stan d wi th t h at on D alh ousie by S ir W illi am H un ter H igh er .

r a i i t w ld b h a d t i i t
’
— New Yor lc H er a ld
p se o u e r o g v e . . .

C apt ain Tr ot ter h as d on e full j u st ice t o th e fascin ati n g st or y Of th e

splen d i d achi e v emen t s of a r eat E n lish man
’
M an ch ester G u ar d ia n
g g
-
. .

A br ief bu t ad mir able bi ogr aph y of th e fir st G over n or G en er al of -

I n d ia — Newcastle Chr onicle

’

“
. .

A bo ok which all must per use wh o d esir e to be u p t o d at e on

‘ ”

’
th e su bj ect — T h e Globe
. .

M R KEENE S MAPEAVA RAO SINDHIA

’ ‘ ’
. .

C
SE OND EDI I ON T TH I RD T n ousA ND
. .

M r K een e h as th e en or mous ad van tage, n ot en joyed by ever y

.

p r o d u cer o f a b oo k, o f k n o wi n g in ti m a te ly t h e t o p i c h e h as tak en u
p .

H e h as compr e sse d i n to t h ese 2 03pages an immense amou n t of in for ma

ti on , d r awn fr om t h e best sour ces, an d pr esen ted with mu ch n eatn ess an d
e ffect — Th e G lobe
. .

M r K een e t ells th e stor y wit h knowled ge an d i mpar tiality , an d also

.

wi th suffici en t gr aph ic po wer t o make i t t h or oughly r ead able Th e .

”
r eco ni t i on o f S in d hia i n th e R l i i j t a d ac f l
g u e r s se r es s u s n gr e u ,

an d it can n ot fai l t o i ve satisfacti on t o th e ed u cated classes Of our

-
g
I n d ian fellow su bj ects — Nor th Br i ti sh D ai ly M ai l
. .

T h e volu me bear s i n con testable pr oofs of th e ex pen d i tu r e of con

sid er able r esear ch by th e au th or , an d su stai n s t h e r epu tat ion b e h ad
alr ead y acquir ed by h is S ketch Of t h e H istor y of H in d u st an .

F r eeman s J our n a l
’
.

A mon g t h e eigh t een r u ler s Of I n d ia i n clu d ed in th e sch eme of S ir

W illiam H un t er on ly five ar e n atives of I n di a, an d of th ese th e gr eat
M ad h oj i S i n d h ia i s, wit h th e ex cepti on o f A kbar , th e most illu str i ou s .

M r H G K een e, a well kn own an d skilfu l wr i ter on I n d ian questi on s,

. . .
-

i s for t un at e i n h i s su bject, for th e car eer o f th e gr eatest bear er o f t h e

h istor i c n ame of Sin dhia co ver e d th e ex citi n g per iod fr om th e capt ur e of
D el hi , t h e I mper ial capi tal, by t he Per si an Nadi r S hah , to th e occu pati on
of th e same ci ty b L o r d L ake M r K een e gives a lu ci d d escr i pti on
y . .

O f hi s sub seq ue n t pol icy, especially to war d s th e En glish wh en h e was

br ough t face to face wit h War r en H asti ngs ’
T h e Dai ly Gr aph i c
. .
 M inions of the 1 mm
M A J OR -
GE N E RA L SI R OW E N B URNE ’

C L Y D E A N D S T R A T H NA I R N
’
.

TH I RD EDITI ON . FO UR TH TH ousA ND .

Clyd e an d S tr at h n ai r n , a con tr ibution to Sir W illi am H un t er s

” ’
In
”
ex cell en t Ruler s of I n dia ser i es ( Ox for d , at t he Clar en d on Pr ess) ,
S ir O wen Bur n e !v es a lucid sketch Of th e mili tar y h istor y o f t h e
‘

d
I n d ian M utin y an its suppr essi on by th e two gr eat soldier s wh o give
t h ei r n ames to h i s book Th e space is limited for so lar ge a th eme, b u t
.

S ir Owen Bur n e skilfully ad j ust s his tr eatmen t to h is limi ts, an d r ar ely

v i olates th e con diti ons of pr opor ti on i mposed upon h im S ir Owen .

Bu r n e d oes n ot confin e h imself ex cl usively t o t h e militar y n ar r at iv e .

H e gives a br i ef sketch of th e r i se an d pr ogr ess o f th e M u ti n y, an d

d evot es a ch apter to t h e Reconstr u cti on wh ich followed i ts su ppr essi on
y
.

— well wr it ten well r o or ti on ed , an d emin en tl wor th f t h

, p p y o e
s e n se t o w hi ch i t be lon gs
’
— T h e Ti mes . .

S ir O wen Bur n s wh o, b associ ation , e r ien ce , an d r elati ons wi th

on e of th ese gen er als, is we l qu alified for t e task, wr i tes with kn ow
’
l ed ge, per spicuity , an d fai r n ess — Sa tur d ay .

A s a br ief r ecor d of a momen t ou s epoch i n I n d ia th is li ttle book i s

a r emar kable pi ece Of clear , con ci se, an d in ter esti n w ’
g r i ti ng The .

C olon i es an d I n d i a .

Sir Owen Bur n s h as wr itten thi s book car efully, br igh tly, an d
with ex cellen t j u d gemen t , an d we i n I n d ia cann ot r ead such a book
wit h ou t feeli n g th at h e h as power fully aid ed th e accomplish ed ed it or
o f t h e ser ies i n a tr ul
y patr ioti c en ter pr ise
’
Bo mbay G azette .
-
.

‘
Th e volu me on
“Cl d e
Str ath n ai r n an d
h as j ust appear ed , an d
y
v es t be a r eal ly val uable ad d i ti on to th e ser i es C onsid er i ng i t s
p r o o .

si ze an d t h e ex ten t o f gr ou n d i t co ver s it i s o ne o f th e best books abo u t

t h e I n dian M u t i n y of wh ich we kn ow — E ng lish ma n
’
. .

Sir Owen Bur n s, wh o h as wr i tten th e latest vo lu me for Sir W i lliam

’
H un ter s Ruler s o f I n di a ser i es is better quali fied th an any livin g
,

r son t o n ar r ate fr om a mili tar y stan d oin t , t h e st or o f th e su

p e ,
’
p y ppr e s
si o n of th e I n d ian M u tin y — D ai ly Telegr aph . .

Sir Owen Bu r n e s book on

’
‘
Cly d e an d Str ath n ai r n I s wor th y t o
r an k with th e b est i n t h e ad mi r able ser ies to wh ich it belon s
’
g .

M an ch ester E x ami n er .

Th e bo ok i s
‘
ad mir ably wr itten ; an d t h er e i s pr obably n o bet t er
sketch , equ ally br i ef , of th e sti r r in g even ts wi th wh ich i t d eals ’

S cotsma n
.

-
.

Sir Owen Bur n e, fr om t h e par t h e played in t h e I n di an M u t iny , an d

fr om h i s lon g conn ex ion wi th th e G over nmen t O f I n di a, an d fr om t h e
fact th at h e was mili tar y secr et ar y o f L or d S tr ath nair n both i n I n dia
a n d in I r elan d , i s well qualified fo r t h e task which h e h as u n d er taken ’

Th e Athence um
.

.
 M inions of the p r ess

VI SCOUNT HARDINGE S LORD HARDINGE ’ ‘

.
’

SE C OND EDI T I ON. T H I RD Tn ousA ND .

An ex cepti on t o th e r u le t h at biogr aph ies ough t n ot to b e en t r u st ed

to n ear r elat iv es. L o r d H ar din ge, a sch olar an d an ar ti st , h as gi v en
’
u s an accur ate r ecor d o f h i s fat h er s lon a n d di st i ngu i sh ed ser vi ces
g .

Th er e i s n o fili al ex agger at i on Th e au th or h as d ealt wi th some co n

.

t r over sial matter s wi th skill, an d h as man aged t o combi n e tr u th wi t h

t act an d r egar d for t h e feelin gs Of oth er s — Th e S atur d ay Revi ew
’
. .

‘
Th i s i n ter esti n g li fe r ev eals th e fir st L or d H ar d i nge as a br av e ,
j u st , able man , t h e ver y sou l of h on o u r , ad mir ed an d tr ust ed equ ally
by fri en d s an d pqlitical oppon en t s Th e bi ogr aph er . h as pr od uced a
most en gagi n g v olu me, wh ich is en r ich ed by man y pr ivat e an d Official
d ocu men ts th at h av e n o t befor e seen th e ligh t — Th e A n ti J a co bi n
’
-
. .

L or d H ar din ge h as accomplish ed a gr ate fu l , n o d ou b t , bu t , fr om

t h e abu n d an ce o f mater ial an d d elicacy of cer t ain matt er s, a v er y
d i fficul t task i n a wor kman like mann er , mar ked by r estr ai n t an d
’
l uci di ty — Th e P all M a ll G azette
. .

H i s son an d biogr aph er h as d o n e h is wor k wi th a tr u e appr eciat ion

of pr opor t ion , an d h as ad d ed sub stan ti ally to o u r kn owled ge of t h e
S u tlej C ampsigu f Van i ty F air .

T h e pr esen t L or d H ar d in ge is in some r espects ex ception ally well

‘
’
a lifi d t t ll t h t al f t h e ve t fu l f ar s of h i s fath er s
qu e o e e e o e n our
y e

G o ver n or G en er alship — Th e Ti mes

’
-
. .

I t con tai n s a fu ll accou n t of e ver yth in g of i mpor tan ce i n L or d

H ar di n ge s mi li tar y an d poli ti cal car eer ; i t i s ar r an ged
’
so as t o
b r in g i n to special pr omin en ce h is gover n men t o f I n di a ; an d i t gi ves
a l i felike an d str i ki ng pictu r e o f t h e man — Acad em
’
y . .

Th e style i s clear , th e t r eatmen t d ispassi o n at e, an d t h e t ot al r esu lt

a man u al whi ch d oes cr ed i t t o th e i n ter est in g ser i es i n wh i ch i t figu r es
’
.

— The G lobe .

Th e con cise an d vi vi d accou n t wh ich th e sonh as gi v en Of h is

fat her s car eer wi ll i n ter est
’
man y r ead er s. —
’
Th e M or n i ng Post .

Emi n en tly r ead able for ever yb od y Th e h i stor y i s

°

v en su ccin ctl
.
y,
an d t h e u n pu bli sh ed le tt er s qu oted ar e of r eal v al u e .
— Th e C olon i es
and I nd i a .

Compi led fr om pu bli c d ocu men t s, family paper s, an d lett er s, t h is

b r ief biogr aph y gives th e r ead er a clear i d ea of wh at H ar d in ge was,
b o th as a sold i er an d as an ad min istr ator ’—
Th e M an chester E x ami n er .
.

An ad mir able sketch .

’
The New Yor k H er ald .

Th e M emoir i s well an d con cisely wr i t ten , an d i s accompan ied by

an ex cellen t liken ess aft er t h e por t r ai t by Sir Fr an ci s G r an t — Th e .

Q ueen .
 M inions 0 the p r ess
5
0

S I R H E NR Y C UN N I NG H A M S
’ ‘
EA RL
C A N NI N G
’
.

TRIED EDI I ON T
FO R H TH O AND . UT US .

Sir H enr y C un n ingh am s r ar e li ter ar y skill an d h is kn owled ge

’

o f I n d ian li fe an d affai r s ar e n ot n o w displa ed fo r th e fir st time ,

y
an d h e h as e nj o l ex ce pt ion al ad vantages in d eali ng wi th h i s
p r e s e n t subj ect d G.r an ha
ville, C an n i n
g
’
s co n tempor ar y at sch oo l
an d co lleagu e i n public li fe an d on e of hi s Old est fri en d s, fur n ish ed hi s
bio gr aph er wi th n ot es of hi s r ecollect ion s of th e ear ly l ife o f h is fr i en d .

S ir H enr y C unn i n gham h as also been allo wed access to t h e D i ar y of

C an n in g s pr i vate secr etar y , t o th e J our nal of h is militar y secr et ar y ,
’

an d t o an i n te r esting cor r espon d e nce betwee n t h e G o ver n or G en er al -

an d h is gr eat lieu t en an t, L o r d L awr en ce — Th e Ti mes

’
. .

‘
S ir H S C un n in gh am h as succeed ed in wri tin g th e h i stor y o f a
. .

cr i t i cal per i od i n so fai r an d d i spassionat e a man n er as t o mak e it

almo st a matter of asto ni sh me n t t h at t h e moti v es wh ich h e h as so
cl e ar ly gr asped sh o u ld e ver h av e b een mi si n ter pr e ted , an d t h e r esu lt s
wh ich h e i n d icate s so gr ossly misj udged Nor is th e ex cell en ce o f h is .

wor k less con spicuous fr om t h e liter ar y t h an fr om t h e poli tical an d

h isto r i cal oi n t of vie w G lasgow H er ald
’

p
. .

S ir H . C unn ingh am h as tr eated his su bj ect ad equ ately I n viv i d .

l an guage h e pai n t s his wor d pict ur e s, an d wi th calm j u dicial an aly sis

-

h e also pr o ves h imself an able cr itic Of th e act uali ties, causes, an d r esul ts
o f t h e o u tb r eak, also a tempe r at e , j u st appr eciator of t h e ch ar acter an d
’
li f Ea l C an i n — Th e Cour t J o ur n a l
p o c y o r n g . .

R EV . W . H .H U TT O N S M A ’ ‘
RQ U E S S
W E L L E SLE Y ’
.

SE
EDI I ON C
OND T
T HI RD T H O A ND . US .

‘
M r H u tt on h as b r o ugh t t o h i s task an o pen min d , a t r ain ed
.

h ist or i cal j u d gemen t , an d a d iligen t stu d y O f a gr eat bod y of or igi n al

mater i al H en ce h e i s en ab led to pr esen t a tr u e, au th en t ic, an d
.

o r igi n al por tr ai t Of on e O f t h e gr eatest o f A n glo I n d i an stat esmen , -

d oi n g fu ll j u sti ce to h i s mi li tar y po licy an d ach i ev emen t s, an d also t o

h i s st atesman like effor t s for t h e or gan ization an d consolid at i on of th at
E mp r e m Th e T i mes
’
i w h i ch h e d i d so uc h t o su st ai n — . .

T o t h e ad mi r able can d our an d d iscr i min at ion wh ich ch ar act er i ze

M r H u t ton s mon ogr aph as an h i stor ical st u d y mu st b e ad d ed t h e
’
.

li t er ar y q uali t ies wh ich d ist in gu i sh i t an d make i t on e of t h e mo st

r ead able vol u me s o f t h e seIi es Th e style i s vigor ou s an d pict ur esqu e ,
.

an d th e ar r an ge men t o f d etail s ar t istic i n i ts j u st r egar d fo r pr e por t io n

an d per specti ve I n sh or t , t h er e i s n o poi n t O f vi e w fr om wh ich t h e wor k
.

d eser v e s an yt h i n g b u t pr ai se — G lasgow H er a ld
’
. .

T h e R ev W H H u tton h as d on e h i s wor k well , an d ach ieves wit h

. .

for ce an d l uci d i ty th e t ask h e se t s h imsel f t o sh ow h ow, un d er

W ellesley, t h e I n d ian compan y d eveloped an d ultimately b ecame t h e
su pr e me power i n I n d ia T o o ur t h i n kin g his est imate o f th i s gr eat
.

st at e sman i s m t j Bla ck an d Whi te

’
o s us t — . .

M r H u tt on h as t old th e stor y of Lor d W ellesley s li fe in an ad mi n

'
.

able man n er , an d h as pr o vi d ed a most r ead able book

’—
M an ch ester .

E x ami n er .

M r H u tt on s r an ge of in for mati on i s wi d e, h is di vision of su bj ects

’
.
 M inions of the !pr ess

S I R L E PE L GRI FFI N S RA N J I T ’
SI N GH .
’

h u mE N F U
DITI O T US N . O RTH HO A D .

We th or o u gh ly pr aise Sir L epel G ri ffin s wor k as an accur at e

can
’

an d appr eci at i ve accoun t of t h e begi n nin gs an d gr owt h O f th e Sikh

r eligi on an d of th e t empor al po wer foun d ed upon it by a str on g an d

r emor seless C h i eft ain — Th e Ti m

’
es . .

Sir L epel G r ifi n tr eats h is topic with t h or ou gh master y , an d h i s

accoun t of th e famo u s M ah a r aj aan d h is times is, con sequen tly , on e of
t h e most valuable as wel l as in t er e stin g v olu mes of th e ser i es of wh ich
i t for ms a par t — The G lobe
’
. .

Fr om fir st t o last i t i s a mod el o f wh at su ch a wor k sh ould be , an d

’
classi c — Th e S t S te h en s Revi ew
’
a .
p . .

T h e mon ogr aph co uld n ot h ave been en tr u s t to mor e capa ble

han ds th an th ose of Si r L epel G r ifi n , wh o spen t h is official life in th e
Pun j au b — Th e S cotsman
’
. .

A t on ce th e sh or test an d b est histor y of th e r i se an d fall of th e

Sikh mon ar ch y — T h e Nor th Br i ti sh D ai ly M ai l
’
. .

Not on l a h
biogr aph y
t e N apoleon of t h e East , but a l um
of i n ou s
y
pi ct u r e o f h i s co u n t r
y ; t h e ch apt er o n S i k h T h eocr acy be i n g a n o ta ble
ex am le o f com act t h ou h t — Th e L i ver pool M er cu r y
’
p p g . .

D E M E T R I U S BO U L G E R S ’
L OR D
‘
M R .

W I L L I A M B E N T I NC K .
’

SE C OND EDI T I ON. T H I RD T H O US A ND .

”
‘
Th e Ruler s o f I n d i a ser i es h as r ecei ved a valu able ad dition i n
t h e bi ogr aph y O f th e lat e L or d W illiam Be n tin ck T h e su bj ect of t h i s .

i n t er esti n g memoir was a soldi er as well as a st at esman H e was .

main ly instr umen tal in b ri n ging abou t th e ad option o f th e over lan d

r ou t e an d i n con vin cin g t h e peopl e o f I n d ia t h at a mai n factor i n En
lish policy was a d isi n t er este d d esir e for t h ei r welfar e L or d W illiam s .

d espatch es an d mi n u tes, sever al of wh ich ar e t ex t ually r epr od u ced in

M r Boulger s pr ai sewor t h y li ttle book, di splay consi d er able l it er ar y
’
.

sk i ll an d ar e o n e an d all S tate a
p p er s o f sig na l wor t h ’
— D a i ly Tele .

g p
r a h .

M r . Boulger i s in d eali n g wi th Or ien t al h ist or y an d

n o n ov ice

Or i en t al affair s, an d i n t h e car eer of L or d W illiam Ben tin ck h e h as

fo u n d a th eme v er y mu ch to hi s taste, wh i ch h e tr eat s wit h ad equate
The Ti mes
’
kn owled ge a d l
n i t er ar y sk ill — . .

Boulger wr it es clear ly an d well, an d h i s volu me fin d s an ac

M r .

cept ed place i n th e v e r y u se fu l an d i n for min g ser ies which Sir W illi am

W ilson H un ter is editi ng so ably — I nd epend en t
’
. .
 M inions of the p r ess

C O T T ON S M O U N TST UA RT ’ ‘
M R J . . S .

E L PH I N ST O NE ’
.

SECOND EDI T I ON . T HI RD TH O US A ND .

Si r W illiam H unt erth e ed i tor of th e ser ies t o wh ich th i s boo k

,

belon gs, was h appily i n spir ed wh en h e en tr usted t he L i fe of Elphi n

st on e , o n e o f th e most sch olar ly o f I n d i an r uler s, t o M r C ot ton , wh o , .

h i mself a sch olar of mer it an d r epute , is br ough t by th e n at ur e of h is

d aily avo cati on s in to close an d con st an t r elati on s wi t h sch olar s We .

li ve in an age i n whi ch n on e bu t specialist s can affor d t o give mor e ti me

t o th e memoi r s of e ven t h e most dist ingu ish ed A nglo I n dian s t han wi ll -

be occupi ed by r ead in g M r Co tton s t wo h un dr ed pages H e h as per

’
. .

for med h i s task with gr eat skill an d good sen se T h is i s j u st t h e kin d .

of L ife o f h imself wh i ch th e wi se, ki n dly , h igh : sou led man , wh o i s t h e

subj ect o f i t , wou ld r ead wi th pleasu r e i n t h e Elysi an Fi eld s — Sir M
’
. .

E G r an t D u ff, i n The A cad emy

. .

T o so i n spir i n g a t h eme fe w wr it er s ar e better qu ali fied to do ample

j ustice th an t h e auth or o f Th e Decenn i al Statemen t of t h e M or al an d
” ’
M ater i al Pr ogr ess an d C on d ition of I n d ia Sir T C olebr ooke s lar ger . .

bi ogr aph y of E l h in ston e appeals mai nly to I nd ian specialists, b ut

M r C otton s alig ter sketch i s ad mir ably ad apt ed to sati sfy th e gr o win g
’
.

d eman d for a kn owledge of I n d ian hist or y an d of th e per son ali ties of

A n glo I n d i an stat esmen whi ch Sir W illi am H un ter h as d on e so mu ch
-

Th e Ti mes
’
to cr eat e — . .

DR . B RA D S H A W S S I R ’
TH OM AS
M U N RO ’
.

A most valuable ,
mpact an d
co in t er es t i n g m e m o ir fo r th os e l ooki n
g
for war d to or en gaged in t h e wor k of I n di an administr at ion — S cotsma n ’
. .

I t i s a car eful an d sympath etic sur vey of a li fe wh ich sh ou ld always

ser v e as an ex am le to t h e I n d i an so ldi er an d ci vilian
’

p Y o r ksh ir e P ost . .

A tr u e an d vi vi d r eco r d o f M unr o s life wor k i n almost auto

’
-

biogr aph i cal for m ’

G la sg ow
.

O f t h e wor k befor e u s we h ave n oth in g bu t pr aise Th e stor y of .

M un r o s car eer in I n dia is i n i tsel f of ex cept ion al i n te r est an d i m

’

t
’
— F r eem ’
an s J ou r na l
p or a n ce . .

Th e wor k could n ot h ave been better d on e ; it is a mon umen t of

p a i n s t ak in g ca r e , ex h a usti v e r ese ar ch , a n d n ic e d i scr im i n a ti o n
’
— Pe0p le . .

‘
Th is ex cell en t an d Spir ited l it tle mon ogr aph catch es t h e salien t
p o i ’
n ts of M u n r o s car eer
, a n d su
p p li es so m e m os t v a l u a b l e qu o
fr om h is wr i tings an d paper s — M an chester Gu ar d i a n
’
. .

I t would be i mpossible to i magin e a mor e at tr active an d at th e

same ti me in st r uct ive book abo u t I n dia — L i ver ool Co ur ier
’
p . .

I t is on e of th e best volu mes of th is ex cell en t se xi es — I mper ia l and

’
.

A si a ti c Q uar ter ly Revi ew .

Th e book t h r o ugh out is ar r anged in an ad mir ably clear man n er an d

th er e i s e vid en t on ever y page a d esir e for tr u th , an d n o th ing bu t th e

A clear an d sch olar ly pi ece of w or .

’
k — I nd i an J our nal Qf E d ucation .
 flDpinions of the 1 mm
M R M ORSE STEPHENS
’ ‘ ’
. ALBUQUERQUE .

SE C OND EDITI ON . T H I RD TH O US A ND .

M rSteph ens able an d in str ucti v e mon ogr aph

.
’
W e may commen d
M r M or se Ste ph ens v olume, both as an ad equate summar y Of an
’
.

i mpor tan t per i od in th e h istor y of th e r elat ion s bet ween A si a an d

Eu r o e, an d as a suggesti ve tr eatmen t of t h e pr oblem of why Por t u gal
faile an d En glan d succeed ed in fou n d i ng an I n dian Empir e — Th s
’
.

Ti mes .

M r H M or se S teph ens h as mad e a ver y r e ad able b ook o ut o f th e

. .

fo u n d at i on of t h e Por t u gu ese po wer in I n d ia A ccor di n g t o t h e .

r acti ce of t h e ser i es to wh ich i t b elo n gs i t i s call ed a li fe of A fion so ( 10

'

p
A lb uquer que , bu t t h e G o ver n or is onl y t h e cen tr al an d most impor tan t
figur e in a br i ef hi stor y of t h e Por t uguese i n t h e E ast d o wn to t h e ti me
wh en th e D utch an d En glish in tr ud ed on th eir pr eser ves A plea .

san tly wr i t ten an d tr ust wor th y bOOk on an i n ter estin g man an d time
-
’
.

— Th e S atur d a R evi ew
y .

lbu qu er qu e is a solid pi ece of wor k, well pu t

’
M r M or se Step
. h en s A
T h e A th en amm
’
h
t oge e ,
t r an d fu ll o f in ter est — . .

’
M r M or se S teph en s st u dies i n I n d ian an d Por t ugu ese h i stor y h av e
.

th or o ugh ly well qualified h im for appr oach i ng t h e subj ect H e h as

’
es en ted th e facts of A lb uquer qu e s car eer , an d sket ch ed th e even ts
pr

mar king th e r ule of h is pr ed ecessor A lmeid a, an d of hi s i mmed i ate

successor s in t h e G ov er n or sh ip an d V icer oyalty o f I n d i a i n a compact ,
m e S cotsm
’
—
luci d , a d
n d eepyl i n t er esti n g for Th an . .

SIR CHARLES AI TCHI SONS LORDLAWRENCE

’ ‘ ’
.

T H I RD ED I T I ON . FO UTR H T HO US A ND .

NO man kn ows th e policy, pr i n ci ples, an d ch ar act er of J oh n

L awr en ce better th an Sir C h ar les A i tchison Th e salien t feat ur es .

an d vi tal pr in ci ples of h is wor k as a r u ler , fir st i n th e Pu n j ab an d ,

after war d s as V icer oy, ar e set for th wi th r emar kable clear n ess
'
.

S co tsman .

A most ad mir able sketch of th e gr eat wor k d one by Sir J oh n

L awr en ce, wh o
’
n ot onl y r uled I n dia, bu t saved it
.
— M an claester
Ex ami ner .

Sir Ch ar les A i tch ison s n ar r ati ve is u n ifor mly mar ked by d ir ectn ess,
’

or d er , clear n ess, an d gr asp ; i t t h r o ws ad di ti on al ligh t in to cer tain

n ooks of I n d ian affai r s ; an d i t leav es u pon t h e min d a ver y vi v id
an d co mplete impr essi on of Lor d L awr en ce s vi gor ous, r esour cefu l ,
’

di scer ni ng, an d valian t per sonality — Newcastle D ai ly C h r on i cle

’
. .

Sir Char les kn ows th e Pun ab th or oughly , an d h as mad e th i s lit tle

’

book all th e mor e in te r estin g y h is accou n t of t h e Pun j ab un d er J oh n

h m nce an d his subor dinates
’
Yor kshir e Post . .
 M inions of the P ess
r

LEW I N B E NT H A M BOW RI N G S ’

H A I D A R A L I A N D T I PU S U L T AN .
’

SsCOND EDITI ON
T H I RD TH OUsAND . .

M r Bowr i n g s por tr ai ts ar e j u st , an d h i s nar r at ive of th e con ti n uo u s

’
.

militar y oper ati ons of th e per i od full an d accur ate — Tlsc Ti mes
’
. .

Th e stor y h as been o ften wr i tt en , b ut n ever better or mor e co n

ci sely th an h er e , wh er e t h e fat h er an d son ar e d epicted vi vi dly an d

Th er e i s n ot a vol u me of
”
t r uth fu lly i n t h eir habit as th ey li ved .

t h e wh ole ser ies wh i ch i s bet t er d o n e t h an th is, or on e whi ch sh o ws

’
r eat er i nsi h t — D aily C h r on i cle
g g . .

M r Bowr ing h as b een well ch osen t o wr i te t h i s memor able h isto r y ,

.

because h e h as h ad t h e best mean s o f collecti n it , h avin g h imself

for mer ly been C h i ef C ommi ssi on er of M ysor e h e accou n t of t h e .

M y sor e war i s well d o n e, an d M r Bowr i n g dr aws a stir r i n g pi ct ur e o f

.

ou r d ete r mi n e d a d ver sar

y
’
— A r my an
. d N a vy G a z e tte .

‘
A n ex cellen t ex ample of compr essi on an d pr ecision M any vol umes .

migh t be wr it ten abou t th e lon g war in M ysor e, an d we cann ot bu t

a d mir e t h e skill wi th wh i ch M r Bo wr in g h as con d en sed th e h ist or y o f
.

’
t h e str uggle H is book is as t er se an d con cise as a book can be
. .

N or th Br i ti sh D ai ly M ai l .

M r Bowr i n g s book i s on e of t h e fr esh est an d b est of a ser i es most

’
.

v alu able t o all i n ter este d i n th e con cer ns of t h e Br i ti sh E mpi r e i n t h e

’
East — E nglish M ai l
. .

‘
T h e stor y Of t h e fin al capt ur e O f S er ingapat am i s told with ski l l
an d gr aphic power by M r Bowr i n g, wh o t h r ough ou t th e wh ole wo r k
.

sh o ws h imself a most accur at e an d i n t er esti n g histor ian — Per th sh i r e

’
.

A d ver ti ser .

C O L O NE L M A L L E S O N S L O RD C L I V E
’ ‘ ’
.

C
SE OND EDI I ON T H I RD TH O A ND T . US .

‘
T his book gi ves a spi r it ed an d accur at e sketch of a ver y ex tr a
’
or d i n a r
y p er son ali ty
— Sp ea k er
. . .

C olon el M alleso n wr it es a most i n te r esti n g accoun t of Cli ve s gr eat

’

wor k i n I n d ia— so i n ter estin g t hat, h avin g begun to r ead i t , on e is

u n wi lli n g to lay i t asid e u n til t h e last age h as been r each ed Th e .

ch ar acter o f C li ve as a lead er o f men , an especially as a cool, i n tr epid ,

an d r esour ceful gen er al , i s ably d escr ibed ; an d at t h e same ti me t h e
au th or never fail s t o i n d icat e th e far r eaching politi cal sch emes wh i ch -

in spir ed t h e valour of Oli v e an d laid th e foun d ation o f our I n dian

Empir e Nor th Br i tish D ai ly M ai l
’
-
. .

T h i s mon ogr aph i s ad mir ably wr i tten by on e th or ou ghl y acqu ain ted
an d i n love wi th h i s su bj ect G lasgow H er ald
’—
. .

‘
N0 on e i s bett er su it ed th an Colo n el M alleson to wr i t e on Cli ve ,
an d h e h as per for me d h i s task wi th d i stin ct success Th e w h ol e n ar r a .

t i ve i s, like eve r yt hi n g C olon el M alleson wr i tes, clear an d full o f

’
vigo ur . Yor ksh i r e Post .

C olon el M alleson is r eliable an d fair , an d t h e especial mer i t o f his

b ook is t h at i t alway s pr esen ts a clear vie w of th e whole o f t h e vast
t h eat r e i n wh ich C li ve gr ad ually pr od u ces such an ex tr aor di n ar y ch an ge
o f scen e
’—
.Newcastls D ai ly Chr oni cle .
 flDninions of the lpr m
C A PT T ROTTE R S
.
’
E A RL OF A U C K L A ND .
’

‘
A v ivid accoun t of th e cau ses, con d uct , an d con se u en ces of
“th e
q
W ar S i J ames s
’
oat ly , fr ui tless, an d u n r igh teous A fgh an of —

b
( .

azette .

To wr i te such a mon ogr aph was a th ankless t ask , b ut it h as b een

‘

accompli sh ed with en tir e su ccess by C aptain L J Tr ot ter H e h as . . .

d ealt calmly an d clear ly wi th L or d A u cklan d s policy , d omestic an d

’

mi litar y, with its finan ci al r esu lts, an d wit h th e gen er al ten d ency of
’ ’
L or d A ucklan d s r ule Yor kshi r e P ost
. .

To t h i s d i str essi n g st or y ( of t h e Fi r st A fgh an W ar ) C aptain Tr ott er

d evotes t h e maj or por ti on Of h i s pages H e t e lls it well an d for cibly ;
.

b u t is d r awn , per h aps u nav oi d ably, in t o th e d i scussi o n of man y t opics

O f con tr o ver sy wh ich , to some r ead er s, may seem to be h ar dly as y et
fin all~ d eci d ed I t i s onl y fair t o ad d t h at t wo ch apter s ar e d evoted
L
.

o r d A u cklan d s D omestic Poli cy , an d to hi s r elati on s wi th

’
to
Th e Nativ e St at es Of I n d ia Th e Ti mes
”
. .

C aptain Tr otter s Ear l of A uck land i s a most i n ter est ing book , an d
’

i t s ex cellen ce as a con d en se d , ye t lu min o u s, hi stor y o f th e fir st A fgh an

W ar d eser v es war m r ecognition — S cotsman ’
. .

I t po in ts a mor al wh ich ou r I n d i an Ru ler s cann ot affor d to for et

so lon g as t h ey st ill h ave Ru ssia an d A fgh an i stan to coun t wi th
g .

Glasgow H er a ld .

S upplemen tar y Vo lume pr i ce 38 6d . .

J A M E S T H O M A S O N . BY S I R R I C H A RD ’
‘

T E M PL E .

Si r R T emple s book possesses a h igh val ue as a d u ti fu l an d

’
.

i n t er estin g memor ial Of a man of lofty id eals, wh ose e x ploits wer e

n on e th e less memor ab le b ecause ach ieved ex clu si vel i n t h e fie ld
y
of peaceful ad min i str ation — T h e Tim
’
. es .

I t i s t h e peculiar d i stin ct ion of t h is wor k th at i t i n ter est s a r ead er

less i n th e ofi cial t h an i n t h e man h i mself — S cotsman
’
. .

Th is is a most i n ter estin g book : to th ose wh o kn ow I n d ia, an d

kn ew th e man , it is O f u n par alleled in ter est , b ut n o on e wh o h as
t h e I mper ial i nst inct wh ich h as taugh t t h e En gli sh to r ul e su bj ect
r aces
“ for t h ei r o wn welfar e can fail t o b e str uck b t h e im l
’
y s p e

g r e a t n ess of th i s ch ar acter P a l
. l M al-
l G a zette .

M r Th omason was a gr eat I n d ian stat esman

. H e sy stematize d .

t h e r even u e syste m of th e Nor th W est Pr ovi n ces, an d impr oved e ver y

-

br an ch o f th e ad mi n istr ation H e was r emar kable , like man y gr eat

.

I n d i an s, for th e ear n estness of h is r eligi ous fai th , an d Sir Rich ar d

T emple br ings th is out i n an ad mi r able mann er — Br i ti sh Week ly
’

“
. .

a por tr ai t d r awn by t h e h an d Of affection ,

”
‘
T h e book is O f on e
wh ose life was a patter n of h ow a C h r istian man ough t to li ve ”
.

S pecial pr omin en ce is gi ven to th e r eligi ou s aspects of M r Th omason s

’
.

’
an d th e r esult is a ver y r ead able biogr aphi cal sketch .

r i sti an .
 M inions of the lat est
S I R A U C K L A ND C O L V I N S J OH N ’ ‘

R U S S E L L C OL V I N ’
.

Th e con clu d in g volume of Sir W illiam H u n t er s ad mir able Ruler s

’

”
Of I n d ia ser ies i s d ev o ted t o a bi ogr aph y O f J oh n Ru ssell C o l vin .

M r C olvi n , as pr i vate secr etar y to L or d A u cklan d , th e G over n or

.

G en er al d ur in g th e fir st A fgh an War , an d as L ieu tena n t G over n or of -

t h e Nor th W est Pr ovin ces d ur in g t h e M utin y, bor e a pr omi n en t par t

-

in th e gover n men t of Br iti sh I n d ia at two gr eat cr ises of i ts h istor y .

H is bi ogr aph er is his son , Sir A ucklan d Colvi n , wh o d oes full j u sti ce to
h is fat h er s car eer an d d efen d s h im stou tly agai n st cer t ain allegat ion s
’

wh ich h ave passed in to h istor y I t is a valuable an d effecti ve

.

con t r i b u tion t o an ad mir able ser i es I n style an d t r eatmen t o f its

.

su bj ect i t i s wel l wor th y of i ts compan ions Th e T i mes

’
. .

Th e sto r y of J oh n C ol vi n s car eer in di cates t h e lin es on wh ich th e

’

tr u e h i stor y Of t h e fir st A fgh an W ar an d of th e I n di an M u tin y sh o uld

be wr i tten . Not on ly h as th e au th or been en abled to make u se
O f n ew an d v al uable mater i al , bu t h e h as also constr u cted t h er e fr om
n e w an d n ot e wor t h y ex plan ations of th e posi tion of affai r s at two t ur n i n g
cad em
’
i t i I di a h i t or — A
p o n s n n n s y y . .

H igh as i s th e stan dar d Of ex cellen ce attain ed by t h e vol umes Of

t h is ser ies, Sir A ucklan d Colvin s ear n est wor k has r each ed th e h igh
’

wat er mar k — A r my an d Navy Gazette

’
.

S ir A ucklan d C olv in gives us an ad mi r able st u dy of h is subj ect , both

as a man o f affair s an d as a stu d en t i n pr i vate li fe I n d oin g t h i s, h is .

i ct ur esqu e t h e me allo ws h im, wi th ou t ou tste pi n g t h e bi ogr aph ical

p p
limits assign e d , t o pr esen t gr aphi c pict ur es of old Calcut ta an d I n di an ,

’
life i n gen er al — M anch ester C ou r i er
. .

Th is little vol ume con tai n s pict ur es of I n d ia, past an d pr esen t , wh ich
i t would be h ar d to match for ar tistic tou ch an d fin e fe elin g W e wish .

t h er e wer e mor e of th e same ki n d to follow — S i J ames s G azette

’ ’
. . .

S I R H E N RY L A W R E NC E , BY
’

G E NE RA L M L E O D I NN E S
C
.

An mir able accou n t of th e wor k d on e by on e of th e gr eatest an d

ad
most n oble o f th e men wh o h ave ad or n ed ou r I n d ian Empi r e N0 .

man is b et ter u alified to wr ite about th e d efen ce Of th e Resid en cy th an

q
G en er al I n n es — Th e A th en aeum
. .

W e can cor dially r ecommen d th is accoun t of th e mod e r n Ch r ist ian

A sympath etic sketch G en er al I n n es tells h is stor y with soldi er ly

.

br evi ty an d a st ur d y belief in h is h er o Th e Ti mes

’
. .

Th e lesson s taugh t by Sir H en r y L awr ence s wor k i n I n di a ar e,

’

p e r h a s
p , a t t h is m o m e n t as d es er v in g of se r i ou s r e flect ion as at an y ti me

sin ce h is d eat h W e welcome th is ex cellen t lit tle b iogr aph y o f th e

.

t l di i ilia b a d is ti n ui sh ed ofi ce r of ex ce tion al k n o wled e

g r e a s o e r c v
-
n y g p g
a d
n e x p er i en ce
’
— D a i ly N e w s

y
. .

T hi s boo k i s a ver y good memoir , as n ear l as possible wh at a book

of th e kin d sh ould be
’
—S cotsman
. .