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PILLAR EDICTS OF ASOKA.
267
..
(tisa)
.
(2) It is not necessary to depart with M. Senart from the natural sense of the passage and to assume that Piyadasi restricted his order to certain classes of criminals. For, it must not be forgotten that long terms of imprisonment were not in favour with the authors of the ancient criminal codes of India. For serious crimes they mostly prescribe capital punishment, mutilation and banishment; for lighter offences fines and whipping. In Piyadasi's times the prisons, therefore, did probably not contain many prisoners condemned to long terms for serious crimes. I may add that the liberation of all prisoners, as an act of royal clemency, seems quite natural to Hindus. Only a few years ago I remember reading a rather sarcastic paragraph in the Bombay Gazette Summary on a princeling in Bengal, I think, who on the birth of a son decreed a general jail delivery in his fortunately not very extensive dominions, compare also Jatakas, vol. V, p. 285, I. 25.
EDICT VI. Dehli-Sivalik. Dehli-Mirat.
Allahabad. Devanan-piye Piyadasi-lAja-he
Missing.
[27] ... Piyadasi 18yam-ahå[:] duvadasa [1] vasaabhisitena-me dhammalipi-likhpita lokas, [2] hitasukhaye[:] setam-apahata tam-tam-dhammavadhi-p&pova [.3] . Hevam-lokasd hitasukhe-ti-pativekbami atha
hitasak he-ti-pativekhâmi atha iyam[4] natisu hevam-patiy Asarnesu bevan-apakathesu ( ;6] ki
..Asanne (su) bevan apakamam-kêni-sukham ayahâmi-ti
..[;) kimam. .::. tatha-cha-vidahmi[.] Hemeve
da [bi]mic.j Hevammeva sava (6] savanikâyesu pațivekh&mi[.]
. yesu pativekhimi[.29] SaSavapåsanda-pi-me-pujita[7] vi
vapasamda pi-mo-pûjith vividbavidbaya-pújaya [.) E-chu-iyam.
ya půjáya L.) Echuiyamatan atunâ pachů pagamane [8] se-me
pachupagamane se me mukhyamokhyamate [. Saduvîsativasa
mute [.] . . . . . . abhisitena-me [9] iyam-dhammalipi likhâpit&[.10]
lipi likhåpita-ti[80) Radhia.
Mathia. Devanan-piye Piyadasi-lâja Devâpat-piye Piyadasi-1Aja hevam-Aba[:] duvadasavaslbhibevar-Aba[:] duvadasavasábhisitena-me dbammalipi likbâpita sitena-me dbammalipi-likbåpita Jokasa (14) bitasukhaye[:] se- lokasa [16(1)] hitasukbàyo[:] tan-apahata tam-tam dharma- se-tam-apahata tam-tam-dhanvadhi-papova [.]" Hovam-lokasa- mavadhi-papova [.] Hevam lohitasuk he-ti pațivekhâmi(15) kasa[17(2)] hitasuk he-ti pativeatbi-iyam-patisuhevan-paty.. khémi atbi-iyari-n&tisa hevamBaronesu bevam-apakathesu(,) patyasaronesu bevan-apakatbesu kimmam - kani-sukban-avahâmî (18()] kimmarn-kani-sukham ti tatha-cha-vidahámi[.18) Hem-' avahami-ti tatha-cha-vidahami eva-savanikâyesu-pațivekhâmic. [] Hem-eva savanikayesu paSavapisardi pi-mo-pajita vivi ivekh&mi [.19(4)] Savapå samdhaya-půjdya [.] E-cha-iyan. 4A-pi-me-pûjita vividbâya-půjây a atann-pachůpagamane 17 se-me- (.] E-chu-iyam atana pachů - mukhyamute[.) Saduvisati va pagamane (2005)) se-me-mosábbisitena-me iyam.dhammalipi khyamute[.] Saduvisati-vasákhớpita[18)
bhisitena-m iya-dbamınalipi
likbâpita [.21(6) "The stroke which makes påpova look like pipova is clearly due to an accidental scraeb.
