Indian Antiquary Vol 47

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

Page 55

FEBRUARY, 1918 ]
THE ARTHAGASTRA EXPLAINS
51
(2)
The God-idols of the Mauryas. The old discussion on Patañjali's Mauryair hiranydrthibhir-archaḥ prakalpitaḥ ought to be considered now in the light of a datum in the Arthaídstra.
The pranaya' and sale of honours were not the only Mauryan devices to ease financial situation. Pataājali's remark the worships established by the Mauryas who wanted hiranya (money)' has reference to another of those devices.
In the same chapter (on Financial Stringency, ch. 90) one more method of raising money is given and that is by instituting new worships (p. 242 ). There was an imperial Department of Temples and Worship3. The Minister in charge (baru ) was expected to help the Exchequer by various procedures. He had, for instance, to exploit the superstitious devotees (Sraddadhanan) of Någas by showing a real serpent in the Niiga-idol through secret human agency (p. 242). New daivata had to be set up at night and yatrásamájas convened there to raise revenue from their offerings. According to Patañjali some of the objects of worship established by the Mauryas were still worshipped in his time (
gfrie ), and amongst such worships were also the wellknown“ Siva, ” “ Skında" and "Visakha” 3 (f :
F a ure , apparently, of Påfaliputra.
(3)
Nivi of the Inscriptions. The word nici oceurring in the inscriptions has not been properly understood. The Arthasâstra explains it. -
Vivi is a technical term of the Hindu secretariat. It means & despatch,' document,' record' or file.' See Arthaslistra, pp. 61, 62, 64. (Wrasa ftat; -TRT
ifrantai, etc.) The expression, like our modern 'red-tape,' is derived from the physical feature the string 'which was tied round the despatch or returns.
The Nivi of the inscriptions has thus to be translated as document' or despatch,' and akshaya-nivi as permanent document.'
“Thus saith Priyadarsi ": Proclamations not ediets.' “Thus saith” was a technical style used in a certain class of royal documents. The style had come down from pre-Mauryan times. For Kautilya in his chapter on
4 On Páyini, 5. 3. 99 : sif su rol
5 It may be noticed that most of the gods mentioned in the Arthagdatra (pp. 55-6 ) go back to the Maurya and pre-Maurya times. Its Siva and Vaigravana may be compared with Panini's Siva (4.1.112 and Siva-Vaisravanau of the Maha-Bhashya (on Påņini, 6.3.26), and the Någas and Sri with the Nagas and Siri of the Buddhist Sutras. The divins are vedic. The histories of Madird, Jayanta, Vaijayanta, I pardjita and Apratihata, however, are still to be traced.
Patañjali means by implication that the Mauryas did make a trade by instituting these idols (pratikritis, P. v. 3. 96), and thus the limitation of Pâniņi “ soa" where no trade is made' (only a livelihood is made, stare), faile in the case of the Siva', etc., of the Mauryas, which are called • Śiva,' etc. (not Sivakı, etc.): Stuu ryca
ferat fra : frater fal PK ETTEI arroz etc.