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128
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
A BAKTRO-PALI INSCRIPTION OF SUIBAHARA.' BY PANDIT BHAGVANLAL INDRAJI.
The inscription, a transcript and translation of which I give herewith, was discovered in the year 1869 by Rev. G. Yeates from a tope standing on a site called Suibâhâra," situated about 2 miles off the road from Bhâvalpura to Ahmadapurß, and about 16 miles distant from the village of Bhâvalpura in Sindh.
I had an opportunity of visiting Calcutta in the year 1874, when I took copies of several inscriptions in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal for the late Dr. Bhau Daji. Along with the others I took a tracing of the inscription in question also. It is engraved round the rim of a square copper plate, three sides of which have a whole line each, while the fourth side is only partially engraved. The letters are distinct and clear; the following is a transcript :
Transcript.
[] महाराजस्त राजाविराजस्त देवपुचरस कनि of sita, i. aforesaid,
कस्स संक्सरे एकादशे सं० ११ दासिकस्त मासस दिवसे, अठविसे दि २८
[] अत्र दिवसे भिछुस्स नागदत्तस्स ताखसेलिस्स (?) आचाय्य दामत्रात शिष्वस्त आचाय्य कविप्रशिष्यस्त यठि आरोपयत इह दमने [5] विहारस्वामिनि उपासिका आनदिअ छितिनिम लजाय मातु च इमं पछि प्रतिठान अपनो च अनुपरिवारं ददाति सव्वसत्वानं
[+] हितसुखाय भवतु |
This system, however, does not seem to have been continued in later times as consonants with the vowels a and á are written alike. For this reason I have taken the liberty of reading long or short letters wherever I thought it necessary to do so.
For राजाधिराज is written राजातिराज: this form of the title is common in ancient Nagari inscriptions of the time of Huvishka and also in the Baktro-pâli legends of the Greek coins.
At the beginning of the second line, a letter occurs, which looks like u, and the word might be read utra, but in this place it would have no meaning, and without being able to give a reason for omitting the lower portion of the letter, I read atra divase, which is equal to the Sanskrit asmin divase, 'on this day': this reading appears probable. But if for utra we read uta, it may be taken to be a corruption
1 This paper reached us after Dr. Hoernle's paper on the same subject (vol. X. p. 324f.), but before it was printed. We have omitted the author's account of pre
[MAY, 1882.
तापसेलिस is a Prakrit form of the Sanskrit ताक्षशैलस्य which means a resident of Taxila.
The name of the teacher (âchârya) which I have read as दामत्रात may also be read as दमत्रत, owing to the uncertainty regarding the long and short vowels already mentioned.
The name Kavi may also be read Bhavi. यदि I think stands for the Prákrit अठि and Sanskrit अस्थि-a boae.
Sanskrit version.
[]
In the Kapurdigaḍi Baktro-pâli inscription of Asoka, the distinction between a and á is clearly marked. There the letter a is written thus while in writing a, the lower stroke is not made curved upwards as in a, but it is left straight thus 7. The same rule is applied in joining these two vowels to other con.] sonants which have their final strokes pointing downwards, as for instance in ka and ká, but in the case of compounding these vowels with consonants such as ma, &c., which have no stroke pointing downwards, the distinction is shown by putting a dot below the latter to denote short ma, and nothing to make md. They are written respectively thus (म) and (मा)
[] महाराजस्प राजातिराजस्य देवपुत्रस्य कनि कस्य संवत्सरे एकादशे सं ११ दइसिकस्य मासस्य दिवसे अष्टाविंशे दि० २८ [2] अस्मिन्दिवसे भिक्षोर्नागदत्तस्य ताक्षशैलस्याचार्यदामपात शिष्यस्याचार्यकविप्रशिष्यस्पास्थि आरोपयत् इह दमने
विहारस्वामिन्या उपासिकाया आनन्द्याः क्षत्रि या लजाया मातु रिदमस्थि प्रतिष्ठानं आत्ममश्वानुपरिवारं ददाति सर्व्वसत्यानां हितसुखाय भवतु ।
Translation.
On the 28th (twenty-eighth) day of the month of Daisika (Desius) in the eleventh year S. 11 of Kanishka, the great king, great king of kings, the Devaputra. On this day, the relics
vious translations, and his copy.-ED. I. A.
• Vide Journal Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. XXXIX, P. 65.
