19. The Mahabharata and the Besnagar Inscription of * 
Heliodoros, 
By Hemcnanpra RaycuAupuurt, M.A., Px.D. 
The Besnagar inscription records the erection of a Garuda- 
dhvaja of Vasudeva, the god of gods, by the Bhagavata Helio- 
dora (Heliodoros), the son of Diya (Dion), the Takhkhasilaka 
(native of Taxila), a Yona (Greek) ambassador, who came from 
Maharaja Amtalikita (Antialkidas) to Rajan Kasiputa Bhaga- 
bhadra the Saviour (tratara), who was prospering in the four- 
eee year of his reign. 
As this inscription is one of the earliest records of the 
Bhagavatas, i.e. the followers of Vasudeva-Krishna, it is in- 
teresting to inquire in what relation it stands to the Great 
Epic ee calls itself the Karshna Veda (Mbh. I, 1. 268; 
XVII a 41), 
8 outset, I beg to draw the attention of scholars to 
the cma passage which forms the second part of the 
famous epigraph. It runs as follows 
Trint amuta aie anuthitant 
Nayamti svaga dama chaga apramada 
“Three immortal precepts when practised lead to heaven 
—Restraint, Renunciation, and Rectitude. 
So far as I know no serious se has yet been made 
to find out eis source from which these precepts are taken. 
In my Early History of the Vaishnava Sect 1 pointed out that 
dama, aoe, and Apaisunam are inculcated in the Gita xvi, 
es rei bain! can ha ste be regarded as equivalent 
0 apramada. Ther , however, a few verses in the Stri 
pa (7. 23-25) of the ‘Mahabharata ‘ota show a closer resem- 
blance to the i of the Besnagar inscription. The verses 
are quoted below 
qneeniicrnes a Sat AeaTeat: 
wiette aaa: featat arae <a 
al RANG UAT TAMA S WaVEer | 
hs eee: Renunciation and Rectitude—these are the 
three horses of man. e, who rides on the car of his sou 
to which are yoked these horses with the help of varie furnished 
by good conduct, goes, O King, to the regions of Brahma, shak- 
ing off all fear of deatan.’ ee 
o one can help being struck by the remarkable coinci- 
