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Lineage Of KHĀRAVELA
255 meaning 'active, powerful, energetic, a lord'. In the last sense, that is equivalent to 'īśvara’, irya seems to have been current as the term indicating a follower of the “Cult of Isvara', and as late as the 11th Century A.D,, we find the word a(y)iri(k)a (airika, airyaka) to indicate the follower of the Isvara Cult. In his Dohākosha, Saraha speaks of the Airias as "The Airias smear (themselves) with ash-dust, and carry on (their) head the weight of metted hair. They sit at home and light the lamps. They sit in a corner and ring the bell. They shut the eyes and (remain) in a fixed pose. They whisper to the ears, deluding (i.e. deceiving) the people. (They appear as) cripples or sbaven-headed or in another guise, and give spiritual initiation (to people) for the fee."'1 "The Cult of Isvara", continues Dr. Sen, "was not necessarily a Saiva cult. The word Mahāmeghavāhana following Aira, perhaps, points out to its connection with the now lost Indra-worship."
The interpretations and arguments put forth by Dr. Sen appear as far-fetched and do not have much bearing upon the issue at hand; rather these tend to add complications to a simple problem.
K. P. Jayaswal, however, states that the first word of the royal style is ‘Aira'. This word occurs in a Sātavāhana inscription and has been translated by M. Senart as 'noble' (Ärya). And accordingly, instead of taking it to mean 'noble', he took it as indicating the ethnic difference of Khāravela from his subjects. His subjects were mostly Dravidians or mixed Aryo-Dravidians, for according to the 1. The original, as quoted by Dr. Sen, is as follows:
"Airihim uddiliya aichchürem siņasu vahiya ajadamarema Gharahi boisi divā jāli koņāhim boisi ghandä сhāti Alkhi nivesi äsana bandhi karnehim khusu khusăi jana dhandhi randi mundi
anna vi tesem dikkhijjai dakkhina uddesam." 2. JBORS, Vol. III, 1917, p. 434,
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