________________
MAY, 1891.]
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF PIYADASI.
155
known that, of all our ediets, these are those which have been most recently published. Discovered by different persons (cf. Corpus, p. 2), they owed their reproduction for the first time to the labours of General Canningham. The copies and rubbings were sent to Dr. Bühler, who published them, and was the first to interpret them, in 1877. The facsimiles which he has given of the first two, form as yet the best complement for their study which we possess, but, though superior to the reproductions of the Corpus, they are, unfortunately, still unsatisfactory. We now know too well how generally imperfect are the reproductions prepared for the Corpus. In the present case the numerous and serious divergencies to which Dr. Bühler calls attention, may perhaps be explained by the condition of the rock; but they at any rate justify a certain amount of distrast in the corrections which several passages demand. Fortunately, we may be almost sure that, however desirable it may be to have a revision of the text of these monuments undertaken by a competent hand, it will be of much more use from the point of view of philological detail, than from that of understanding the general sense of the whole.
I must express here my thanks to Dr. Bühler, who has been kind enough to furnish me with the photograph of the Sahasaram inscription, to which he refers in his first article as having been sent to him by General Cunningham. I refer to this photograph under the abbreviation Ph. B.
TEXT.
SAHABARAM. 1 Dévânampiyê hêvam à iyânil savachhalâniam apasakê sumi na cha badham
palakamtê [.] 2 savimchhalê sådkikê 1 an - tê êtêna cha amtalena | jambudipasi | ammisam dêva
P sam ta 3 munisâ misamdêva katas [.) pala — iyam phald, 0 yam mahatatâ va chakiyê
påvatavê [.] khudakồna pi pala4 kamamînênâ vipale pi suagakiyê Alå — v.1 (.) sê êtâyê athâye iyan sâvândo C.T
khudaka cha udalá châ pa5 lakamanta amtâ pi cham janamtu? | chilațhitîkê châ palakamồ hôta iyam cha at hê
vadhisati | vipulam pi cha vadhisati 6 diyadhiyam avaladhiyênå diyadhiyam vadhisati [.] iyam cha savané vivuthêna [.]
duvê sapamnálati 7 Bata vivuthứ tư 256 [1] ima cha athan pavatasu likhapayatha y8. và 88 thi hêta silåthambhå tata pi likhâpayatha yil [.]
Notes on Dr. Bühler's Readings. 1. 2. B. dêvå husar ta: 1. 4. B. snag[@] [sa]kiyê d-: Judging from the facsimile neither is there any trace of the character su, nor is there the necessary room for it. 1. 5. pi eham, I can discover no trace of the anusvåra in Ph. B. 1. 8. B. thi hếtê si-,
BUPNAPH. 1 Dévânampiyê hêvaṁ áhá [.) såti(le)kâni adhitiyâni vasa sumi pâkâ . . . kê nô cha
bâdhi pakatê såtilêkê chu chhavachharê ya' sumi haka pit8 2 bâąhiń cha pakatan [ ] yâ imâya kâlâya jambudipasi amisâdêvå hasa të dâni
misamkata [.] pakamasi hi esa phalê no cha és mahatata påpôtavë [.] khuda
kena hi ka 3 pil pakamamânênê sakiyê pipale pi svage drôdhêvê [.] êtiya athầya cha såvanê katê
khudakâu cha udala cha pakamantul ti amtâ pi cha janamtu [.] iyan pakara va 1 I give the text as it seems to me to appear in the facsimile in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. VI. p. 155. Dr. Bühler's variants are given in notes
