1070 Account of two Burmese [Dec. 



be also shared 7 by the lord of earth and water, the possessor of the celes~ 

 tial weapon 8 , the master of the tshaddan 9 king of elephants, the arbiter of 

 life and great king of righteousness (Mendaragyih, king of Ava. grand- 

 father of the present king) his queen, sons and grandsons. May it be 

 shared by the parents who gave (us) life, (our) teachers and all sentient 

 beings who pass through the thirty-one different stages of existence 10 . 

 (We) desire that in consequence of (our) having thus performed this cha- 

 ritable deed, (we) may, in future successive worlds, exist as good beings 

 in the superior grade of man 11 , capable of avoiding the ten evil works 12 , 

 and given to performing the ten good works 13 , and that in (our) last state 

 of existence, (we) may verily reach the country of Khemapuran Naibban. 



In Verse. 

 During the reign of the lord of the celestial weapon, master of the 

 tshaddan elephant and the true great king, who resides at the royal city 

 of Amarapura in the Burmese kingdom, which is situated upon that called 

 the southern island, lying within the green division of the four bodies 

 of color that issue joined together from the precious centre post 14 , the 

 religion of the lord was extended and prosperous. In the warm season, 

 on what was fixed by astrological calculation to be a prosperous day^ the 

 27th day of the sign Taurus, (Burmese month Katshoun) in the Kauza 15 

 sera 1180 (corresponding with the 2nd of May, 1818), I, known as, and 

 significantly called by the name of Maung Mhat 16 , the mistress of my 

 house Ma Gyih and wife Shyen-u, (two wives) and brother and sister, 

 Maung Thu and Maya (his two children) have, after paying much, up- 

 wards of 50 17 viss, for the hire of labourers, bestowed with pure motives 

 and good will, in view to obtaining the reward (of Naibban) through per- 

 fection in virtue, this bell, the sound of which when struck extends afar 

 and makes the ear attend. May nats, men and byamhas, above and below, 

 listen to it with delight and cry aloud well done 18 ! 



1 The Burmese often commence a writing with the Pali phrase zeyatu — which 

 is usually interpreted by them to mean, " May it (the work uow undertaken) 

 be completed or fulfilled," but which, some pious Burmese say, rather means, 

 " may they (the evil passions) be overcome," or " Be victorious over the evil 

 passions." [It is simply the Sanskrit J5T^rT ' be victorious.' — Ed.] 



2 The three superior orders of beings are, Byamhais > superior celestial beings ; 

 Nats inferior ditto, and men. 



3 According to the Burmese, there are four streams or currents that bear 

 away all sentient beings, viz. : passion, existence, false doctrine aud ignorance. 

 These are also called four restraints or bands. 



4 The term of Gaudama's religion, it is said, is 5000 years, and Buddhists 

 think that to appear in a state of existence as a human being during this short 

 term is a difficult and fortunate event to a sentient being. 



6 The figures here are not quite clear, and an examination of the bell itself is 

 necessary to ascertain to which description of weight they refer. If the figures 

 are 9,230,000, they probably mean the small Burmese weight yue, 120 of which 



