] 838. ] Pali Buddhistical Annals. 93 1 



(family), they (the people) inaugurated him in the fourteenth year of Mahindo's 

 age. Asoko, who was endowed with great personal superiority and good fortune, 

 and was destined to rule the world, was inaugurated under miraculous manifesta- 

 tions. They installed Piyadassano on his completing his twentieth year*." 



The account of the interview with Nigrodho, the expulsion of the 

 brahman sects, and the construction of the wiharos is then given, to 

 the close of the sixth Bhdnawdro. 



The seventh Bhdnawdro begins with the account of Mahindo and 

 Sangamitta being admitted into the order of the priesthood, (the 

 former was at once ordained upasampadd, being of the acre of 

 twenty ; but the latter remained a samaneri for two years, being only 

 eighteen,) in the sixth year of Aso'ko's inauguration. These particu- 

 lars will be found in the Mahdwanso. 



" Asokadhammo was fifty-four years old at the time of his inauguration, and at 

 the time of Asokadhammo being inaugurated, Moggaliputtatisso whs sixty- 

 six. Mahindo entered into the order of priesthood in the fraternity of Mogoali- 

 PUTTATisso. Maha'de'wo performed the ceremony of admission, and Mojjhanto, 

 the ceremony of the vpasampada ordination. These were the three preceptors who 

 qualified Mahindo for the priesthood. The said preceptor Moggaliputtatisso 

 taught Mahindo, who illuminated (Lanka) dipo, the whole of the Pita/co, both as 

 regards its import and its doctrine. In the tenth year of Mahindo's (ordination) 

 having acquired a perfect knowledge of the whole creed, he became the head of 

 a fraternity, and (pachariyo) asubpreceptor (under Moggali). The said Mahindo 

 having thus acquired a knowledge of the perfectly profound and well arranged 

 (Pitahattayan), containing the two doctrinal portions (the icineyo and the 

 alhidhammo) and the sultako (the parables) as well as the history of the schisms of 

 the preceptors, became a perpetuater of the same. Moggaliputtatisso thus per- 

 fected Mahindo the son of As6ko, in the knowledge of the three wejja and the four 

 putisambhidd, and (thereby) Moggaliputtatisso permanently established in his 

 disciple Mahindo, the whole of the Piiakattaydn which had been thus handed down 

 to him. 



" Nigu6dho was admitted into the priesthood in the third year of As6ko's reign 

 his brother (Tisso) in the fourth, and in the sixth his son Mahindo. Tis9o and 

 Sumittako, the two theros who were descended from theKunti, and were endowed 

 with supernatural powers, died in the eighth year of the reign of As6ko. From 

 these two princes having entered the order of priesthood, and from (the manner in 

 which) these two theros died, multitudes of the khattiya and brahman castes pro- 

 claimed themselves to he devotees in this creed, and great benefits and honors 

 resulted to the religion of the vanquisher ; and the heretics, who had been influential 

 schismatics, lost all their ascendancy. The pandarangd, the jatild, niganthd, chetakd 

 and other sects for seven years continued, however, to perform the updsathaia 

 separate fraternities. The sanctified, pious, and virtuous ministers (of Buddho) 

 would not attend those uposatha meetings. At this conjuncture, it was the two 

 hundred and thirty-sixth year (of the Buddhistical era)." 



The Dipawanso then gives the account of the tfiird convocation 

 and of the dispersion of the missionaries for the promulgation of Bud- 



* This is evidently a clerical error, his son Mahindo being then fourteen years 

 old. It was subsequently mentioned that Asukodhammo was forty-five years old at 

 his inauguration. 



