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NOTES ON ASOKA'S SEVENTH AND NINTH ROCK EDICTS
By M. A. MEHENDALE
1. Rock-edict VII
The Dhauli version of this edict reads as follows: (A) Devūnampiye Piyadasi läjā savata ichati sava pasamda
vasevū til (B) save hi te sayamam bhāvasudhi ca ichanti/ (C) munisă ca ucāvucachamdă ucāvuca låga / (D) te savam ng ekadesam va kachanti/ (E) vipule pi cū dane asa nathi sayame bhāvasudhi cazi nice
badham/
Hultzsch translates the edict as follows: (A) King Devanampriya Priyadarsin desires (that) all sects may
reside everywhere. (B) For all these desire self-control and purity of mind. (C) And men possess various desires (and) various passions, (D) They will fulfil either the whole or (only) a portion of
their duties). (E) And even one who (practises) great liberality, (but) does
not possess self-control and purity of mind, is very mean.
In the above rendering, Hultzsch sees opposition between vipule dane on the one hand and sayame and bhäbasudhi on the other. He is therefore required to add the word 'but' in the section E to bring out the contrast. But this interpretation does not satisfactorily bring out the significance of the last two words nice bäậham 'very mean.' It is therefore suggested that nathi (=nāsti) should be construed with all the three, dāne, sayame and bhāvasudhi. The
• Deccan College, Poona.
1. All versions, except those at Dhauli and Jaugada, add here two more virtues katarata and dadha-bhatita (Girnar version) rendered as 'gratitude and 'firm devotion' by Hultzsch.
Madhu Vidyā/313
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