1837.] on the Columns of Delhi, Allahabad, Betiah, $c. 569 



> /CXX ~> A i A AA 08 A. > S4l 



Devdnampiyasd vechanend savata vahamagd 

 Vataviyd : eheta dutiydyd deviye ddne. 

 Jambdvadi faivd alameva ddna petha e (?) 

 Kichhi ganiyatdye deviye sendni ava. 

 Datiydyd deviye titivalamatu evdkiye. 



We might translate the whole of the first line : ^TRffsre^l *P^T 

 ^^rr: ^TJTT: 3"?fl3JT:, ' By the word of Devdnampiya — must be called 

 a perfect ascetic or BrahmagaV The second line certainly records a 

 gift fipft^jr9T<^3JT ' of the second queen* — and the alamevaddna. . a suf- 

 ficiency of gifts of some particular kind. Kichhi ganiyatd dev may be 

 supposed to be the name of the lady, or kichhi may be kinchit, some, 

 little. — Sendni, a general : — titi for tritiya third, and other insulated 

 words can be recognized but without coherence. 



To return from this digression : — The general object of Devanam- 

 piya's series of edicts is according to my reading, to proclaim his re- 

 nunciation of his former faith, and his adoption of the Buddhist persua- 

 sion, to which wholesome change he invites others from every rank in 

 society, by a representation of its great excellency. He addresses to 

 his disciples, or devotees, (for so I have been obliged to translate 

 rajakd, as the Sanskrit IT^T, though I would have preferred rdjakd, 

 ministers, had the first a been long — ) a number of specific rules for 

 their guidance, with penalties of a comparatively mild nature for any 

 omission in their performance : but the chief drift of the writing seems 

 directed to enhance the merits of the author, — the continual recur- 

 rence of esa me kate, ' so have I done/ — arguing rather a vaunt of his 

 own acts, than an inculcation of virtue in others, unless by the force 

 of example. 



It is a curious fact that although the intent of the royal convert 

 seems to have been to spread every where the knowledge of his conver- 

 sion, and of the virtuous acts to which it had given rise on his part, 

 and further to set forth the main principles of his new faith, yet the 

 name of the author of that religion is no where distinctly or directly 

 introduced, as Buddha, Gotama, Shakya muni', &c. At the end of 

 the first sentence, indeed, the expression Sukatam kachhati, which I 

 have supposed to be intended for sugatam gachhati, may be thought 

 to contain one of Buddha's names as Sugato, (the well-come) — but 

 even in this the error in spelling makes the reading doubtful. In 



