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VERSIONS OF ASOKA'S MINOR ROCK EDICT
contained lipikala, while the M version, though it shows many 'Magadhisms', in this respect must have contained the north-western dipikara. This becomes clear from the fact that the M version always agrees with the S version in giving the ancient Persian word dipi, while in all other versions we have lipi. This happens also when in the same sentence in M we find the use of eastern Vlikha, where S has nipisa, but both S and M give dipi, cf. ayi dhramadipi nipista S, and ayi dhramadipi likhita M (5th edict, section O; also ef. 6th edict, section M, 13th edict, section X, and 14th edict, section A). This shows that while the Old Persian word dipi had completely ousted lipi in the north-west in the days of Asoka, the word nipisa had not succeeded in doing so.
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