§96 Interpretation of the inscriptions [Jult> 



Translation of the Inscription on the Eastern compartment . 

 Thus spake king Devanampiya Piyadasi : — In the twelfth year of 

 my anointment, a religious edict (was) published for the pleasure and 

 profit of the world ; having destroyed that (document) and regarding 

 my former religion as sin, I now for the benefit of the world proclaim 

 the fact. And this, (among my nobles, among my near relations, 

 and among my dependents, whatsoever pleasures I may thus abandon,) 

 I therefore cause to be destroyed ; and I proclaim the same in all the 



Line, Inscription on the East side of the column. 



1 Devdnampiya piyadasi Ldja hevam dhd. Duuadasa 



2 vasa abhisitename, dhammalipi likhapita 1 lokasd 



3 hitasukhdye 2 : setam apahdid 3, tamtam dhammavadhi pdpovd 



4 hevam lokasd hetavakhati pativekhdmi 4. Atha iyam 5 :— * 

 6 ndtisu, 6 hevam patiydsannesu, hevam apakathesu 



1. The omission of the demonstrative pronoun iyam, this, which in the 

 other tablets is united to dhammalipi, requires a different turn to the sentence, 

 such as 1 have ventured to adopt in the translation : In the 12th year of his reign 

 the raja had published an edict, which he now in the 27th considered in the 

 light of a sin. His conversion to Buddhism then must have been effected in 

 the interval, and we may thus venture a correction of 20 years in the date 

 assigned to Piatissa's succession in Mr. Turnour's table, where he is made to 

 come to the throne on the very year set down for the deputation of Mahinda 

 and the priests from Asoka's court to convert the Ceylon court. 



2. I have placed the stop here because the following word, setam seemed to 

 divide the sentence ' an edict was promulgated in the 12th year for the good of 

 my subjects, so this having destroyed, or cancelled, I — ' setam seems com- 

 pounded of sa employed conjunctively as in modern Hindi, and etdm this. 



3. Apahdtd ^JTnjfTT (is) abandoned : viz. the former dhammalipi setam 

 (neuter) is perhaps used for ^^ sd-iyam (feminine) so, that ; or supplying the 

 word q;ifl it may run in the neuter ff^ff jf ^N^fW and continuing ?r Tl<f 

 (Pali tam-tam) ^psr^nSTTT^l^^T this (being) as it were a sin according to 

 dharma vardhi (my new religion, so), the expression being connected by 

 tatpurusha samdsa. 



4. The text has petavakhati, which may be either read hitavakhati 

 (S- fT<T«91^JTf?f) a description for the benefit ; or hetu vakhati (S.^TJ^jijgTfw) 

 * description for the sake,' to wit ^l^n^J o^ mankind. 4. Pati vekhdmi 

 (vakh&mi) S. ^f?f^fT^r{fif I now formally renounce, — the affix prati gives the 

 sense of recantation from a former opinion. 



5. Lipi or kathd understood to agree with iyam ; atha iyam, may be rendered 

 " furthermore." 



6. Sanskrit, «rr?j x(, 33-T3W tj, ^TOr5 ^T» among lords, companions, and 



\J vj V» 



lieges- The last word may also be read "^f^q^Xf, among the sincere or faithful 



(adherents) . 



