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EDUCATION OF KHĀRAVELA
305
years of age. Lekha, in the sense of mere knowledge and writing of alphabet, is evidently inconsistent with the adjective lekhaviśārada, representing prince Khāravela as 'an expert in the art of writing' in his record, giving an account of the nine years spent by him as a crown-prince, from the 15th to the 24th year. The Inscription mentions that Khāravela passed the first fifteen years of his life just playing the games befitting his young age. It would be misinterpretation, however, to assume by this that Khāravela commenced to learn ka, Icha, ga just after the completion of his fifteenth year and not prior to that. The statement goes rather to show that he commenced his career as a crown-prince when he became an expert in all matters relating to the art of writing (lekcha-viśārada).' The statement as to his spending the first fifteen years of his life in princely games has no meaning except as imply. ing that he spent these years unmindful of and without being called to the responsibility of administratation. He must have, as a matter of fact, learnt the three R's before his appointment to the office of the crown-prince and not after his fifteenth year, as is supposed by Buhler. This may suffice to justify in interpreting the terin lekha, as it occurs in the Häthigumphā text, in the same wider and deeper sense as lekha or śāsana viz. royal writs in the Arthasāstra.?
Rūpa
Similarly, we are not to take 'rūpa' as a simple term for the counting of the totals of stamped coins, but in the wider and deeper sense of all matters relating to coinage
1. Indian Palæography, p. 5.
2. I, 31; II, 9, 28. A manual of royal correspondence was written in the time of Chālukyas of Anhilpatana (Gujarat) which has since been published from Baroda---'Lekhapaddhati', Gaekwar Oriental Series, p. 58,
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