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PILLAR EDICTS OF ASOKA.
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moon of Taisha fish shall neither be killed nor be sold during three days, (viz.) the fourteenth. the fifteenth (and) the first (of the following fortnight), nor constantly, on each fast day.' On the same days no other animals, found in the elephant-preserves and in the preserves of the fishermen, must be killed. On the eighth of (each) fortnight," on the fourteenth, the fifteenth, on the Tishya and Punarvasu days," on the full-moon days of the three seasons, and on festivalsk bulls shall not be castrated," nor he-goats, rams, and hoars; nor shall any other animal be castrated which is commonly) castrated. On the Tishya and Punarvasu days, on the full-moon days of the seasons, and during the fortnights connected with the full-moons of the seasons, the parking of horses and oxen is forbid. den. Up to the twenty-sixth anniversary) of my coronation I have decreed twenty-five (times) the liberation of (all) prisoners'.
REMARKS ON TILE TRANSLATION. (a) According to the general maxim, prevalent in Sanskrit and the Prakrits, which permits the neuter of the perfect participle past to be used in the sense of the noun of action in ti, játam might be interpreted with M. Senart by játi and be translated by "animals of the following kinds." But, as the neuter játa means also "creature," I prefer this simpler interpretation. The eastern versions offer: “Of even the following creatures."
(6) M. Serart's latest translation gives correctly the modern Indian expression "maina." I prefer to put the English word. All the European dictionaries translate sáriká wrongly or omit the translation. Molesworth gives the right meaning in the Marathi Dictionary. The scientific name of the bird is Acridotheres tristis, Linn., Murray, Avifauna of British India, No. 912.
(c) This term probably includes wild geese and large ducks, see Molesworth, Marathi Dictionary sub voce. The birds, which were pointed out to me as hamsas in the palace at Kolhapur and elsewhere, looked very much like Turkish ducks.
(d) M. Senart connects the first part of ambákapiliká or ambákapilika with ambu, water,' and translates "water-ants()". As far as I am aware, no such animal is known in natural history. The explanation mother-ant,' or 'queen-ant,' is at least possible. For the queens of the white-ants are eagerly sought after and eaten, because they are considered to act as a strong aphrodisiac. The only time when I obtained a queen-ant, it was at once stolen by my servants. But, as three versions read kapilika, it may be doubted if the word is the Pali representative of pinilika.
(e) As duli is said to be a small tortoise, it is no doubt the terrapin, which is found in many Indian gardens. Tortoises belong to the five-toed animals that may be eaten, -sce remark (1).
(f) M. Senart's conjecture that prawns are meant by the expression "boneless fish' is not improbable.
(9) M. Senart's suggestion that saknja is identical with Sanskrit sankuchi 'a skate,' seems very probable.
41 The translation of sudivast by festival is merely conjectural, but may be defended by its etymological meaning Anbhana divase, which would suit a festival. I think that popular festivals, like the modern Divali, Dasara, and the like inny be weant.
