Indian Antiquary Vol 18

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 89

MARCH, 1889.)
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF PIYADASI.
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an undonbted festival in anuposathan, 'at each uposatha. After this analogy, and being given the fact that anutisas (J.and tisanakhaténa are equivalent terms, we must render all these expressions, tisena nakhaténa, tisena, &c., as at the festival of Tishya.' The addition of anuchátusimdsam proves, in short, that a festival, corresponding in date to that of the three annnal sacrifices of the Brahmaņs is referred to; and it is clear that the dates of these sacrifices, being fixed by the occurrences of three definite full-moons, could not regularly, in accordance with astronomical rules, correspond with one and the same nakshatra. My twofold conclusion is therefore: (1) that the quotations from the Detached Edicts must be translated
at the festival of Tishya' and at the festival of Tishya, which is celebrated at each of the cháturmásya festivals'; and (2) that these data are without importance in regard to our present passage, in the interpretation of which they cannot help us. It is this interpretation which principally interests us at present.
In the series A., a group at first separates itself off by its' syntactic form. This is the words tini divasáni, &c., that is to say three days, the fourteenth, the fifteenth (of the month), and the pratipad (or first day of the following half month).' It is evident that this indication must depend on what precedes for the necessary specification of what particular month or months is or are referred to; and regarding this the only doubt which can be raised is whether it depends only on tisky anh purinamásiyan (I accept this reading provisionally) or whether also on tisu chátushmasisu. If we depended merely on grammar, we might hesitate, but the data following, dhuvaye chá anuposathan, settle the question. These words can only be translated by and on the fixed day, each updsatha,' or in other words, and, generally, on each day of wpôratha. The use of dhruva in the first of the fourteen (rock) Edicts may be compared with this. Now, as each day of the full-moon is necessarily a day of wpôsatha, to separately mention the three full-moons of the months in which the festival called cháturmdoya is, celebrated, would be merely superfluous, and we must therefore look upon the whole of the first part of the sentence down to dhuvdyé as a single compound, and translate 'Besides the fullmoons of the months in which the festival cháturmasya is celebrated, and the full-moon of Tishya, the fourteenth and fifteenth days, and the day following. I admit that hitherto the reading puhnamdsiyam has been considered as certain, bat I must confess that I am very far myself from thinking it to be so. I shall have more to say about this, after having explained the two last series.
Of these, the third presenta scarcely any uncertainty. It includes the full-moon in conjunction with Tishya, the full-moon in conjunction with Punarvast, and the full-moon which corresponds to each of the cháturmasya sacrifices. As for the last term, chátumbripakhdye, chdturm bokpaknha means, according to custom, the half-lanation which follows the fall-moon (oach fall-moon) called cháturmdsi; and, as here one day in particular is referred to the feminine chatushmasipakhá (which, of course, is to be construed with tithi understood) certainly represents the first day of this half-lunation. It is thus exactly equivalent to the patipadaye. of the first list, innamuch as this word depends on tisu chátusamäsisui. I may add that the difference of form between the singular chátuinmásiyê, which we have here to designate each of the chdturmdsi full moons, and the plural tisu cháturimárisu of series A., would naturally (if it were necessary) add confirmation to the explanation which I have just given of the latter phrase. It establishes an intentional distinction between the two cases, and, the sense being oertain in the present enumeration, we are left no alternative except to adopt for the phrase in series A. the interpretation, which for independent reasons we have already adopted.
The three first terms of serios B. give no room for doubt. Afhamipakhd is the equivalent. in a slightly irregular form of construction, of pakshashtami, “the eighth day of the half lanation" (of. e.g. Dhammap., p. 404 : chatuddasi panchadaa yava pakkhasa affhami), that is to say, of each lunation. To this the Sinhalese expression atawaka (ashtapaksha) (Sp. Hardy, East. Monach. p. 236) exactly corresponds. But it is doubtful if the 14 and the 15 refer only to the 14th and 15th of the month, i.e. of the first half, thus corresponding to the fall-moon, or whether they apply also to the second fortnight of each month. To judge from modern customs