598 Interpretation of the inscriptions [July, 



Thus spake king Devanampiya Piyadasi : — The present moment 

 and the past have departed under the same ardent hopes. How by 

 the conversion of the royal-born may religion be increased ? Through 

 the conversion of the lowly-born if religion thus increaseth, by how 

 much (more) through the conviction of the high-born, and their 

 conversion, shall religion increase ? Among whomsover the name of 



14 vadhithd etam. Devdnampiya piyadasi Ldja hevam ahd. Esama 



15 hutha dtikantancha 12 antaram hevam ichhdsu rdjanne katham janne 



16 anurupdyd dhamma vadhiyd vadheydti 13 ? naichajane anurupdyd 



17 dhamma vadhiyd vadhithd : se kina sujane anupatipajdyd 



18 kina sujane anurtipdyd 14 dhamma vadhiyd vadhiydti ; kinasukani 



whif^J ^TlNr ? ataran 3rd. per. pi. 1st. pret. from ^ went to heaven, 'as 

 ancient princes went to heaven under these expectations (departed in the faith) 

 how shall religion increase among men through the same hopes ?' 



11. The first syllable of this word should perhaps be read no, — nochajanne, 

 though differently formed from the usual vowel o ; nor will the meaning in such 

 case be obvious. By adopting the pandit's modification nichajanne, ' vile born' we 

 have a contrast with the sujanne, well born of the next sentence : thus «ft^SJ«T 

 ^r«f^qrr^" ^^^t: ^ihjSl j but though the Q tha of the word vadhitha 

 belongs only to the second person plural and requires the noun to be placed in 

 the objective case, ' you increase religion,' I incline to read it as a corruption 

 of the future tense vadhisati, or the potential vadheydt. 



12. The letter h in esamahurtta (ijjf ^f an hour, 15th of the day or night) 

 being rather doubtful, I at first took it for ajt? and translated : ' as my sons and 

 relations,' ^sr ^ tj^j ^fyr^n^T^ ^7T^«|. But it was remarked that only for 

 the anmwara, thrice repeated, the word antikantan would be precisely the same 

 as atikata, above rendered by atikrdnta. The same meaning would be obtain- 

 ed again, by making putha the Sanskrit trffT> pure, virtuous : ' my virtuous 

 ancestors' but on the whole muhurtha is to be preferred as being nearest to the 

 original. 



13. The verb is here written F J" 1 vadheydti, the ti being perhaps the 

 intensitive or expletive g- or -^ftr added to the vadheyd of the preceding 

 sentence. 



14. %nr«5f^ ^RT^ 3l*n^ff faf 5 ?? SS?^ ^•f'5'qT^f' ' what ( mav not be 

 effected) towards the convincing and converting of the upper classes ?' The word 

 anupatipajaya however, from former analogy will be better rendered by the 

 Sanskrit anupratipadye ^|«TSrf?rq^J, which will then require ^.1^1 t0 

 agree with sujane. 





