582 Interpretation of the inscriptions [July, 



The sight of religion and the love of religion of their own accord 

 increase and will ever increase : and my people whether of the laity, 

 (grihistj or of the priesthood (ascetics) — all mortal beings, are knit to- 

 gether thereby, and prescribe to themselves the same path : and above 

 all having obtained the mastery over their passions, they become su- 

 premely wise. For this is indeed true wisdom-: it is upheld and bound 

 by (it consists in) religion — by religion which cherishes, religion 

 which teaches pious acts, religion that bestows (the only true) pleasure. 



Thus spake king Devanampiya Piyadasi : — In religion is the 

 chief excellence : — but religion consists in good works : — in the 



6 Dhamma pekhd, dhamma kdmatd cha suve suve vadhitd vadhlsati cha vi 4 



7 pulisdpi cha me ukasd cha gevayd cha maritimdcha anuvidhiyanti 5, 



8 sampatipddayanti cha : alanchapalan samddipayitave hemeva anta 



9 mahdmdtdpi 6 esahi vidhi yd, iyam dhammena pdlind dhammhia vidhdne 



10 dhammhia sukhiyand dhammena gbiiti 7. Devdnampiya piyadasi Ldja 



11 hevam dhd. Dhamme sddhu, kiyamcha dhammeti ; apdssinavaiQ bahukiydne 9 ; 



4. This sentence is equally simple in appearance, though ambiguous in mean- 

 ing from the same cause ; 'SPflS^T WOTTr?! ^ ^f ^ ^f^fTT ^"fl^W^W ; 

 ftdmatd is however here applied in the good sense with dharma. 



5. Two readings here offer, both nearly similar in meaning— 3^1" ^f*T31 

 ^CncTS'rei ifHn^T^ *n2W^ir — ' my people, yea, the demons, the gods, and those 

 of a middle state :'— or ^TO^TO ffclRI *tTO, (my people) < both family folk, 

 ascetics, and mortals (in general),' "^•JV^ST 8 " ^STkR^[T*tT ^, are united toge- 

 ther (like the threads in a cloth) and follow together in one path, (or consent 

 together :) for pddayanti read padayanti. 



6. Either WTf^SJTTT^. ' having obtained devout meditation,' or (which is nearer 

 the text ^*ttf^ 5TTO. from ^H, ' abstinence from passion,' the participle termina- 

 tion «SfT twd from the prefixing of pra, becomes ydp, or is changed to *!' it seems 

 preserved in the Pali payitave, quasi payitwd. ■^"•TTOPfl iJ^TflWT ^fa, mahd- 

 wiatd, supremely wise, may be made nearer to the text, where the third d is long, 

 by reading WTUT*IT ^fa, mahdmdtrd, being the holiest act of brahmanical 

 reverence, accompanied by the closing of every corporeal orifice. 



7. This passage is somewhat obscure — but it is tolerably made out by attention 

 to the cases of the pronouns and the four times repeated Dharma in the third 

 case i thus WfirftWR T$ wkxnfaiTT TO frfWT ^^W ^TfiRT ^<S 

 SrfaffT from the root TO, to knit or string together. The text gives the literal 

 translation according to this reading : but the aspirated d and the separation of 

 yd would favor the reading ^f^ftfa % *W, &c. < this is the true path, or 

 rule,' &c. In either case there are errors in the genders of the pronouns. 



