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CHILDHOOD OF KHĀRAVELA
299
in the seas or oceans. Dr. Barua' has further suggested an alternate reading of the phrase as 'chaturanta rakhana guņa upet a' i. e. 'one who was endowed with the qualities of a ruler capable of protecting the whole of this earth extending as far as the four seas.' It appears, however, that this reading and interpretation, as offered by Dr. Barua, was in keeping with his views that it was not Khāra vela who conquered the Vidyādhara, the Pāņdya and also the Mathurā regions, but only extended the Imperial rule to these regions and hence the word 'protecting' has been used.
Corresponding to chaturanta-rakhiņa-guna-u peta or chaturanta-luthana-guna-u peta, we have the familiar Pali expression 'chaturanta vijitāvi janapadathāvariyappatta' viz., 'the ruler of the whole earth bounded by the four seas, the upholder of the realm by the right of conquest and the consolidator of his hold on his territories' which is an oft recurring epithet of a king overlord (Rājā Chakkavatti). Buduhaghosha explains chaturanta as meaning "the lord of the earth bordering on the four seas and comprising the four island-like continents." He explains vijitāvi as meaning "one who has quelled the rebellious agitations within, overpowered the inimical rebels without and conquered all other kings.”:3 And lastly, he explains janapadathāvariyappatta as meaning "one who has established so sure and permanent a hold on his territories that no one is able to move in an inch or having retained a
1. OBI, pp. 7-8, fn. 7 ; p. 40 and fn. 7; p. 231.
2. Papañcha Sudani, (Siamese Edition) Pt. III, Brahmi yusuttavannana: "chaturantāya issaroti chaturanto, chatusamuddantiya chatubbidhadipa-bhusitiya cha pathaviya issaroti attho." Qud ODI, p. 232. fn. 1.
3. Ibid.
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