Indian Antiquary Vol 42

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 144

136
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MAY, 1913.
years has considerably occupied Indian bistorical research. This word is the fourth title of Kanisbka which I read as laïsarasa. This reading appears to me to be absolutely certain, although the upper portion of some letters on the stone bave been injured. Banerji read it pathadar asa. I must at once concede that the first akshara can be pa. But it is equally possible that the upper portion of the symbol has been broken away, just as bas been the case with the preceding symbol which undoubtedly is sa. In that case the akshara can only be ka. The second akshara can be nothing but i. The hook at the top of the symbol is perfectly visible in the impression and makes the reading tha impossible. Of the third akshara only the lower portion bas been preserved. Comparing the remnant with the last sa of the word, one can have no doubt but that it was a sa. The lection dha is simply impossible. The two last aksharas are manifestly rass. Thus we can either read païsarasa or kaïsarasa ; and it is obvious that only the latter can be the right reading.
The title of kaisara has not up to now been traced to Indian soil, and it would be incredible if we had to deal with a national dynasty. But the Kushana kings drew their titles from all parts of the world. They call themselves mahdraja : this is the genuine Indian title. They call themselves rajatiraja : this obviously is the translation of the Middle Persian royal designation shaonano shao which we meet with on the coins of Kaņishka, Huvishka, and Vasudeva. The third title deraputra is, as bas been long known, the rendering of the Chinese t'ien-tzu, 'son of heaven.' And now to these has been added the Roman appellation of Cæsar. It may be asked : why this heaping up of epithets? For this too we have an answer : These were calculated to mark the monarch as the lord of the whole world. Mahardja is the king of India, the ruler of the South. As against him we have rdjátirdja, the king of the Northern country. That properly speaking Iran lies to the North-West of India, and not exactly to the North, need not be considered as prejudicial to our explanation, inasmuch as we have to deal here with the cardinal points in a general way only. The term devaputra marks the ruler of the East. To him is opposed the kaisara or sovereign of the West. Thus the Kushana king is a sarvalogaisvara, as runs the title on the coins of the two Kadphises. This idea appears to be an Indian one. I need only call to mind the digvijaya which was the ideal and aspiration of every Hindu ruler. In this connection there is an interesting passage in the Chinese translation of the Dasaviharanasitra of A. D. 892. I quote it according to the version of Professor Sylvain Lévi.19 In the len-feou-ti (Jambudvipa) there are .... foar sons of heaven (t'ien-treu). In the East there is the son of heaven o! the Tsin (the Eastern Tsin 317-420); the population is highly prosperous. In the South there is the son of heaven of the kingdom of Tien-Ichou (India); the land produces many celebrated elephants. In the West there is the son of heaven of the Ta-ts'in (the Roman Empire); the country produces gold, silver, and precious stones in abundance. In the North-West there is the son of heaven of the Yue-tebi; the land produces many good borees." This passage is almost a commentary on the significance of the royal titles in our inscription.
We have seen above that there is some doubt as regards the personality denominated here as kaïsara. It is immaterial to the chronological inference which we may draw from the uge of these titles. No one will deny that this inscription dates from the Kushana period and its date Sam 41 belongs to that series of dates which run from 3 to 98. The beginning of the era which the reckoning has for its basis is uncertain. The theory which was advanced first by Canningbam that the Kushana era is identical with the Málava-Vikrama era of 57 B. O, has found in Dr. Fleet an energetio defender. Professor 0. Franke has attempted to support and I too have agreed to it. But the word kaisara overtbrows this bypothesis. The idea that so early as in the year 16 B.O. * Contral Indian or Indian ruler should have assumed the title of Cæsar is naturally incredible. With the possibility of transferring the beginning of the era, and con
19 Jour. A. IX 9, 2s, note.