150 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



From the narrative in the Mahawamsa it would appear 

 that Mahendra's language was understood by the King of 

 Ceylon and his subjects. 



It is said in the Mahawamsa that the monks "orally 

 perpetuated" the Pali Pitakattaya and the Attakathas 

 (Sinhalese commentaries) from this period to Wattagamini 

 Abhaya's time— that is, for about 175 or 200 years— and then 

 in that King's reign they were recorded in books. From 

 this it is concluded that the Jataka commentary existed in 

 Sinhalese at this period, and was recorded in a book ; if there 

 was any Sinhalese commentary of the Jataka text at this 

 period, I think it cannot be doubted that the Sinhalese of 

 that commentary must have been the Sinhalese of our 

 inscriptions, if not even older and nearer the language of 

 the inscriptions of As6ka. 



Now, the language of these inscriptions, is not at all 

 intelligible to the Sinhalese of the present day. In modern 

 Sinhalese, the words " agata anagata catudisa sagasa dine" 

 would be a nd satara disdve sanghaydta dena ladi. It is 

 this so-called Sinhalese commentary that is said to have 

 been translated into Pali about the fifth century of the 

 Christian era. The existing Sinhalese version of the 

 Pansiya Panas Jataka, as it is called, is a translation of this 

 Pali version made in the reign of King Parakrama Bahu IV., 

 who ascended the throne about the year A. D. 1308. 

 Though the version is in a style differing from the modern 

 Sinhalese, yet it is generally understood by the people. I 

 am, therefore, of opinion that this version does not reproduce 

 anything of the old. Indeed, if it did, it would not be 

 intelligible even to the educated. 



As to the question whether the version is a perfect speci- 

 men of the 14th century, or has the defects of a servile 

 translation, I think I can with confidence say, speaking of 

 the first fifty Jatakas, that it is a perfect specimen of that 

 period. Though faithful as far as I have been able to judge, 

 yet it is not servile; it may be called a free translation. 



In some cases I find that it has avoided the defects of the 

 Pali commentary. 



In the interesting paper read by the Bishop of Colombo, 

 at the last meeting of the Association, it was pointed out 

 that in one of the Jatakas there was a " needless excursus 



