Old Bramhi Inscriptions In Udaygiri And Khandagiri

SR No.: 020516
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Benimadhab Barua
Publisher: University of Calcutta
Publication Year: 1929
Total Pages: 354
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 273

NOTES
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relating to accounting, more or less in the same sense as gananā in Asoka's R. E. III and in the Artha-Šāstra (II. 7. 25).
Over and above lekha, rūpa ang gananā, we have the use of two other words, to wit, vavahāra and vidhi. In the compound lekha-rūpa.gañanāvavahāra-vidhi, vidhi may be either combined with each of the preceding words and interpreted in the sense of "rule," lekha-vidhi, “the rule of writiny," rīparidhi, “the rule of coinage and currency," etc., or treated as a separate term per se. We have tentatively translated vavahāra-vidhi by "administration and procedures," which is somewhat vague and misleading. The Sanskrit term ryavahāra corresponding to darahāra has bee clearly defined in the Artha-Sa-tra (III. l. 58) as vyavahārika-śāstra, "judicial, administration and procedures in accordance with established cou Ventions." Treatiny ridhi as a separate term, Mr. Jayaswal has sought to interpret it in the sense of dharma-śāstra. There is no inberent improbability of tbis sense of ridhi. Tbe term vidhi has been used in the Artba-Sāstra in the sense of kriyā-vidhi, “the rule of action." But tanahāra, too, is just a “ rule of action," the difference between the two being that while vidhi implies state-action in accordance with the established laws of human conduct and duty, vavahāra implies stateaction in accordance with established conventions. In the two enumerations of four things in the Artha-Sāstra (III. 1. 58), caritra has been replaced by samsthā or dharmasāstra, and rājašāsana by nyāya or danda. It is quite possible that vidhi in the Hāthi-Gumphà text is just a synonym forge niyama (Artha-Sastra, I. 5. 2), or caritra or samsthā or dharmaśāstra (ArthaSāstra, III. 1. 58).
Varahāra of Khāravela's inscription is obviously the same word as vivohāla of A soka's P. E. IV, in which viyohala stauds in contradistinction to hamda : viyohāla-samatā ca damda-samatā. We fully agree with Prof. D. R. Bhandarkar in interpreting viyohāla-samatā in the sense of "uniformity of procedures" but differ from him, as well as from Prof. Bühler, both of whom take viyohāla to be a synonym of abhihāla ( Pāli abhihāra). Prof. Bühler seems, however, to be right in interpreting the Asokan expression abhihāle rā damớe vā as signifying " in the awards of reward or punishment” on the authority of the Sambhava-Jātaka (Fausböll, No. 515) where abhihāra is paraphrased by pūjā. We prefer to take damda of damda-samatā as an equivalent of nyāya or rāja-śāsana of the Arthasästra, to interpret damớa-samatā in the sease of " uniformity of decisions," and to explain abhihāla and damda as meaning respectively “ decisions for” and “decisions against."