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376
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1891.
writing") pavattai; bambhse nam livie atthirasavihalikkhavihanês pappatte, tâm, bambhi Javaạiliya DasapuriyaKharotthi Puklch arasâriyâ67 Bhôgavarya Pahârâiyâu (Pahao B, Ehao C) ya amtarakariya (amtakkbar B) akkharaputthiya 68 vêqaïyao niņhaïya arkalivizo ganitalivin gamdhavvalivi72 dyúsalivis mahesari74 Dámili75 Polimda,76 sê 'ttam bhísâriyâ. Malayagiri has on this merely :-[400] bråhmi-Yavanani (!) 'ty adayê lipibhedis tu sampradayad avasêyah. It is evident that here too we have to deal with an ancient enamteration, since we find five of these names among the 65 names of writing mentioned in Lalitavistara, Chap. 10, p. 143 fg. (ed. Rajendra Lala Mitra, see also Foucaux, Transl. p. 123). These names are as follows, - brâhmi (at the head in the Lalavist.), Kharôshti,77 Pushkarasari,78 Dravidalipi, gamdharvalipi, and a few other names as gañanavartalipi, antarikshadevalipi, madhyaksharavistâralipi are not far removed from the names enumerated here. The antiquity of these names becomes at once apparent if we compare them with similar enumerations of kinds of writing which comprise quite different names (though they hold fast to the number 18). In the Kalpåntarváchyâni we find (on Kalpas. $ 209) the following peculiar verse in reference to acquiring a knowledge of writing through the help of Jina :
Lebam lihîvihậņam jiņôna bambhii dAhiņakarêņam gasiam samkhâņam sumdarii vâmêņa uvaittham II. then an enumeration of the 72 kalâs, which is followed by the following statements in reference to writing, the first of the 72: lekhunam lipayah 18, tad yathå: hamsalipi bhàtalipi yaksha r kshasa Uddi Yavant Turashki kari (?) Dravidi Saindhavi Malavi nådi nagari Lite Parasi animittalipi (ichhîsam kêtâdir&på gloss) Chanakki Mauladêvi. A second and more modern enumeration ibid. reads : - [401] desidiviśêshad anyathi và 18: Lidi Chôdi Dahali Kinhadi Gujart Sôrathi Marahathi Kauṁkaņi Khurasapi (!) Sasi (?) Simhali Hadi Kiri Hammiri (!) Paratiri Magadhi Malavi Mabiyodhi. In this enumeration the introduction is of especial interest, since it calls the addha-Magahî bhilsa, the language of the bambhî livi. - See p. 221. - No weight is to be laid upon the statement, which the text evidently intends to make, that all the 19 methods of writing mentioned above were brought into use for the bambh? livi.. This passage and that of the Lalitavistara must be regarded as of paramount importance for the history of Indian writing, though these acounts contain much that can be recognized as purely fictitious.
THE GUPTA-VALABHI ERA.
BY J. F. FLEET, Bo.C.S., M.R.A.S., C.I.E. The Introduction to my Gupta Inscriptions, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III., published in 1888 (see also ante, Vol. XV. pp. 189-194, Vol. XVI. pp. 141-154, and Vol. XVII. pp. 243-246, 331-339, 359-369), contains some matter that would have been stated more concisely, and some that would have been omitted altogether, if I had known then as much as I have learned since, about the conversion of Hindu dates into their European equivalents. I now take the opportunity of recasting my remarks on the classification of the dates and the exact epoch of the era, with some subsidiary points. For a long time past, I have intended to do this; but I have only lately had leisure to carry out my intention.
65 ovihê léba(A, kha BC)vio 4. 66 dasturiy (uri BC) 4. 67 kharotthiy kharasdhiya 4. a in 4 in another order: pahardiyA (rdio BO) avvattariya akkharapuţthiya bhögavaitta (vayata BC). vēņapiya BC in 4.
70 amkilavt A in 4.
11 4 is omitted. 19 4 then adds bhūyalivt,
T5 Adarasalivt 4.
74 mhasaralivi A, mAhdaarilivi BC in 4. T8 damilivi livi A, dAsilalivi B, dAmilalivi C in 4.
76 vôlimde A, lindirlivi B, lidimlivi C in 4. 77 Is Kharðshtha who, according to Wassiljew, is called by the Chinese Buddhists the first astronomer, honoured here under this name P Sohiofner long ago referred to the Kharoshtht lipi of the Lalitavistira in this connection, Wassiljew attempts to find in Kharoshti the name ot a Xarustr mentioned in an Armenian chronicles who together with Zoroaster is said to have invented astronomy in Chaldæa. See Ind. Streifen 3, 8.9, or another conjecture on this subject.
76 The grammarian Paushkarasidi may be recalled in this connection.
