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JUNE, 1877.]
THREE NEW EDICTS OF ASOKA.
155
oldest known form of the Indian alphabet. But by su or su plus two strokes, which latter are the form of the sign for 200 is still more im- attached, according to the fancy of the writer, portant, as it furnishes the clearest proof for either at the right-hand side both high up and the correctness of Pandit Bhagvånlâl Indraji's low down, or even placed at the top. This discovery of the syllabic origin of the Någari manner of notation is not easily explicable on numerals. The sign for 200 employed in the the supposition that the side-strokes represent Sahasram edict is , and, if the right-hand ankas or figures. För in that case we ought side-stroke denoting the second hundred is left to find two side-strokes for 200, and three for out of consideration, closely resembles the sign 300. I propose, therefore, to take them as for 100 in the Nânâghât inscriptions and the marks intended to show that in the case of 200 fifth Gupta sign. But in the Rupnath edict the syllable su had to be pronounced long, s, the common sign for the syllable su od appears and in the case of 300 pluta, .e. si-u. This in its stead, showing, however, an unusual explanation holds good for the Andhrabhritya elongation of the left-hand vertical stroke. It and Vakataka signs for 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 is obvious that the elongation of the vertical also, which may be read dhu, dhú, and dhu-u, stroke serves here the same purpose as the respectively. It is confirmed by the fact that side-stroke in the Sahasrâm figure, i. e. to in the case of 400 the sign for the syllable exdenote that 200, not 100, must be read. But pressing 4, khka or ki according to Bhagvanlal, the fact that the common sign for the syllable su is attached to su. The Hindu grammarians is employed, instead of the differentiated form allow syllables of three mátrás only, and it was used in the Sahasrâm edict, proves that the therefore impossible to employ an additional engraver knew it to be a syllable, and pro- stroke in order to denote 400. nounced it as such.
The sign in the two edicts for 50 also deI take this opportunity to give an attempt at serves attention. Rûpnâth shows the form used an explanation of the very curious fact that in the in the Kshatrapa and Valabhi inscriptions, syllabic notation of numerals 200 is expressed by while Sahasrâm gives that of the Eastern plates the syllable su or śu plus one stroke, and 300 and of the MSS.
Inscription on a Rock at Sahasrám. From General Cunningham's facsimile, revised according to photograph.
address13 SIA
LL.teledy
r sbvITHLO 74811da-dur od JOO7
O td Hotubia au 14.813 8 lik 810833 STELUVE :
1
8 Whkod 2081313 bali y mis 4 JUGX +34 917D280 3:56112 ET. + 8 hard de thisvou Rt for totalt droddukidyu ddiour
[ 44"x่ป ช่ UK 6 4 -8 206 :8080407 sauce
CK ป 9" A4 stu๑
hxrede the
8 نل کلو
دمه دينا ونل:امبل
مک کنا با
| yâni savachhalâni, aṁ upåsake sumi, i na cha badham palakamte.-1Saviñchhale sâdhike I, am [sumi bâdbam palakam]t[e]
Lhaka
Transcript and Restoration of the Sahasram
Edict.* Devânam piye hevam â[hâ sâtilekâni adhit]i|| Ind. Ant. vol. VI. p. 45, col. 1 and col. 5.
T In the case of 300 the Jainas also place the second stroke above the syllable, and write .
Materials used: Plate XIV. of General Cunningham's Oorp. Insor. Ind. vol. I. and a photograph supplied by Gene. ral Cunningham.
L. 1. The facsimile and photograph show that seven or eight syllables have been lost. The restoration of the first six is absolutely certain on account of the identical readings of R. and B. (adhitJiyani is less certain. I take it for representative of adhitisani, caused by the change of s to h and its subsequent loss, just as in Panjabi ith, thirty, and ikatht, thirty-one.
