Epigraphia Indica Vol 01

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 40

ASOKA'S TWELFTH ROCK-EDICT.
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3. किति। अतप्रषंडपुज व परप्रषंडगरन व नो सिय अप्रकरणसि लहुक व सिय तसि तसि प्रकरणे । पुजेतव एव च परप्रषं - ____4. ड तेन तेन प्रकरणन। एवं करतं प्रतप्रचंड वढेति परप्रषंडस पि च उपकरोति। तद अजथ करत च पतप्रषंडं
5. कृणति परप्रषडस च अपकरोति। यो हि कोचि अतप्रषडं पुजेति परप्रषड गरहति सब प्रतप्रषडभतियेव। किति। ____6. अतप्रचंडं दिपयमि ति। सो च पुन तथ करतं सो च पुन तथ करतं बढतरं उपहंति अतप्रषडं। सो सयमो वो सधु। किति। अत्रमजस भ्रमो
7. श्रुणेयु च सुश्रुषेयु च ति। एवं हि देवनं प्रियस इछ। किति। सवप्रषंड बहुश्रुत च कलणगम च सियस। ये च तत्र तत्र
8. प्रसन तेषं वतवो। देवनं प्रियो न तथ दनं व पुज व मअति यथ किति। सलवढि सिय ति सवप्रषडनं बहुक च। एतये --
9. वपट भ्रममहमवर--यछमहमत्र वचभुमिक मजे च निकय । इमं च एतिस फलं यं पतप्रषडवढि 10. भ्रमस च दिपना॥
TRANSLATION. The Beloved of the gods, king Priyadrasi, honours men of all creeds both [ascetics) and householders," by (showing them) liberality and by honouring them in various ways. But the Beloved of the gods thinks not so (much) of liberality and honour-as of what ?-that an increase of essentials may take place among men of all creeds. But the increase of essentials (may happen) in various ways. But this is its root, viz., guarding one's speech-how 80P-f honouring one's own creed and blaming other creeds shall not be in unimportant points, or, it shall be moderate with respect to this or that important point? But other creeds must even be honoured for this or that important point. Acting thus, one exalts one's own creed and benefits also the other creeds. Acting differently, one hurts one's own creed and injures the other creeds. For he who honours his own creed and blames all other creeds out of reverence for his own creed-how so P-(thinking) “I promote thereby the interests of) my own
& The forms prashada and prashanda, which appear both here and in edicts VII and XII of the unpublished Mansahra version instead of the pashada, pdaharhda, pasada, or pasashda of the Girnar, Kalsi, Jaugada, and Dhauli inscription confirm Professor Kern's conjecture, who derives them from the Sanskrit parahada, 'a member of a (religious) assembly or school. For mera may be taken as equivalent to ar, prashada may stand for parihada, and this form differs from the Sanskrit original only by the shortening of the first a and by the lingualisation of the final da, both of which changes are required or sanctioned by the phonetic laws of the Prakrit dialecta. My rendering of the word by 'adherent of creed, or creed' is based on the assumption that in Akoka's times it was free from the mala nota which adheres to it later. Its import, I think, corresponded exactly to the English term denomination' and the German Glaubensgenossenschaft.' Owing to its ponderous length denomination is not fit to be used in the translation of a document where prashada recurs more than a dozen times.
"I insert the word ' arcation According to the Kalsi version, where the text offors pdaharddni pavajitdni gahathani ud. The Girnar version has pavajit dni too, but places before it a superfluous cha. For it reads savapasardani cha pravajitáni cha gharintani cha. The constitution of the Indian religious communities was in Aloka's times, as the correct reading of this and several other passages shows, throughout the same as in the present day. The beads were Ascetics or monks who taught, and in return were supported by, a number of laymen, here and elsewhere called the householders.'
The essentials' are, of course, self-restraint and the purification of one's disposition, sayamo and bhduarudhi, as the seventh edict says.
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