Chap. Vlll.] EXTINCTION OF THE " GREAT DYNASTY. 



379 



doctrine, but also with the letter of the law laid down 

 for the guidance of his disciples. Two of the singular 

 rock-inscriptions of India dciiphered by Prinsep, in- 

 culcate the duty of leaving the profession of different 

 faiths unmolested ; on the ground, that " all aim at 

 moral restraint and purity of hfe, although all cannot 

 be equally successful in attaining to it." The sentiments 

 embodied in one of the edicts ^ of King Asoca are very 

 striking; : " A man must honour his own faith, Avithout 

 blaming that of his neighbour, and thus Avill but httle that 

 is wrong occur. There are even circumstances under 

 which the faith of others should be honoured, and in 

 actiuQ' thus a man increases his own faith and weakens 

 that of others. He who acts differently, diminishes his 

 own faith and injures that of another. Whoever he may 

 be who honours his own faith and blames that of others 

 out of devotion to his own, and says, ' let us make our 

 faith conspicuous,' that man merely injures the faith he 

 holds. Concord alone is to be desired." 



Tlie obhgation to maintain the religion of Buddha 

 was as bindinsj as the command to abstain from as- 

 sailing that of its rivals, and hence the kings who had 

 treated the snake-worshippers with kindness, who had 

 made a state provision for maintaining " offerings to 

 demons," and built dwelhngs at the capital to accom- 

 modate the " ministers of foreign religions," rose in 

 fierce indignation against the preaching of a firm be- 

 Hever in Buddha, who ventured to put an independent 

 interpretation on points of faith. They burned the 

 books of the Wytulians, as the new sect were called, 

 and frustrated their irreligious attempt.^ The first 



A.n. 

 201). 



^ The twelfth tablet, which, as 

 translated by Buenofp and Pro- 

 fessor WiLSOX, will he found in Mrs. 

 Speir's Life in Ancient India, book ii. 

 ch. iv. p. 239. 



^ The Mahawnnso throws no light 

 on the nature of the Wytulian (or 

 Wettidyan) heresy (ch. xxvii. p. 227), 

 but the Rajaratnacari insinuates that 



Wytulia was a Brahman who had 

 " subverted by craft and intrigue the 

 religion of Buddha " (ch. ii. p. 61 ). 

 As it is stated in a further passage 

 that the priests who were implicated 

 were stripped of their habits, it is 

 evident that the innovation liad been 

 introduced vmder the garb of Buddha. 

 — Rajarntnacari, ch. ii. p. 05. 



