Indian Antiquary Vol 03

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 95

MARCH, 1874.]
KÅLIDÅSA, SRI HARSHA, AND CHAND.
81
clearly through, though it is only as an excep- 1 Prof. Kern concludes his Dissertation with the tion that we can make out which of the Prakrits following paragraphs :—"The Edicts included it is. The prose parts of the works in question, in this Dissertation give an idea of what written in a corrupt Sanskrit, are, as Prof. the king did for his subjects in his wide Kern considers, nothing but paraphrases of the dominions, which extended from Behar to metrical Gáthás, and of later date than they. Gând hâre, from the Himalaya to the This subject is further treated and illustrated coast of Coromandel and Pandya. They are in an appendix (pp. 108 ff.).
not unimportant for the criticism of the BudThe rest of the Dissertation (pp. 31-107), dhistic traditions ; but the number of the data forming its larger portion, is devoted to a series which they present regarding the condition of of critical and grammatical remarks on the text the Buddhist doctrine, and its adherents, is er. of the rock or pillar Inscriptions or Edicts of tremely small. The king in his eleventh year went Aboka, to an endeavour to present them in over to Buddhism. He was a zealous Buddhist ; a correcter text, to revised translations into he busied himself with the spiritual interests and Sanskrit and Dutch) of their contents, and to a even with the catechism of his co-religionists; at statement of the facts and conclusions which the proper time and place he makes mention in may be derived or deduced from these contents. a delicate and becoming manner of the doctrine
Our acquaintance with the purport of these which he had embraced. But in his measures inscriptions is still, Dr. Kern observes, extremely as a ruler nothing of a Buddhistic spirit is to imperfect, owing to different circumstances, but be traced : from the commencement of his reign he especially to the wretched state in which we was agood prince. His ordinances regarding the possess the texts, arising first from the careless- sparing of animal life are more in unison with ness of the masons who hewed the inscriptions, those of the heretical Jains than with those and in a less degree from the incorrectness of of the Buddhists. Thus although the Edicts the transcripts with which we have been fur- of Asoka the Humane are only in part of nished. This unfortunate state of things has direct importance for the history of Buddhism, prevented Dr. Kern from attempting in the the labour spent on perusing them is not lost, mean time to supply a restored text of the because the traits of the Asoka, with whom whole of the Inscriptions. Those which are we become acquainted from his own words, for the most part, or in regard to the main effectually counterbalance the caricature which, points, intelligible, and with which in corse- in the works of the Buddhists and others, is quence he has been able to deal, amount to presented to us as the figure of the noble king." more than the half.
The points which are here summarized are I am glad to learn that there is a prospect more fully treated in the preceding pages. of our being by-and-bye put in possession of The entire dissertation affords fresh proofs of more accurate transcripts of these Inscriptions. the learning, ingenuity, and ability of Prof. Kern.
KALIDASA, ŚRI HARSHA, AND CHAND. BY KASHINATH TRIMBAK TELANG, M.A., LL.B., ADVOCATE HIGH COURT, BOMBAY. I think that the discussion which has been of the second canto of Kalidasa's kugoing on for some time as to the chronological marasambhava, whence Sri Harsha would positions of Kálid å sa and Sri Harsha may seem to have cited them. We are therefore be finally set at rest by a passage which occurs safe, I think, in placing KAlid a sa chronologi
wards the close of the Khandanakhandakhadya cally before Sri Harsha; and hence Chand, of the latter. Speaking of certain arguments, he if his words are interpreted as Mr. Growse intersays ilgara | 21967 fara 896- prets them, may be taken to have fallen into न्यामभिषिकास्ततोन प्रबन्धेन निरस्यन्ते विषवृक्षोपि संवर्द्धय स्वयं error-a conclusion which, it must be added, Mr.
Tarafafall. * Now these last words are well Growse himself suggests. But this conclusion known as forming the second line of stanza 55 renders it likely, I think, that Babu Ram Das
* p. 198.