Indian Antiquary Vol 51

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

Page 158

150
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1922
Professor Rapson that the accuracy of the Vedic time and the ziggurat of the Babylonians, and to texts handed down by word of mouth for genera similar ancient buildings in Ceylon. The palace tions is something marvellous and unique. It is in Mandalay in 1885 when the British took it, in fact a common phenomenon, where writing does was a far-off echo of the old palaces of Nineveh not exist or is rare. The Hebrews could repeat and Babylon-pillared court, high plinth and all. their Scriptures with absolute accuracy; a hafiz The high plinth of many Muhammadan tombs will repeat the Qurdn from end to end without a and masjids in India, where it has no meaning, fault. The same is true of the Buddhist texts is due to the same very ancient style of building in Burma and elsewhere. Some thirty years ago in a country like Meer potamia liable to high floods, the broken fragments of the Kalyani Stones at where it had a meaning. There is another analogy Pegu containing the Pali text of the upasan pada with Persia worth pointing out. Professor Ball form of ordination of Buddhist monks were get notes (p. 109) that Chandragupta Maurya was
p again in proper order by Tay Sein Ko under served by a highly organised staff of news-carriers, my directions, because the text of the 15th century who reported to him about the doing of his officers." wes word for word that which had been printed More than 200 years earlier, Cyrus the Great estab. from word of mouth. At the very end of the 19th lished & corps of mounted official messengers, century AD.. Sir George Grierson could recon. who travelled from end to end of the empire struct the unwritten text of the verses of the Kash- "more swiftly than the crane," to quote the ancient miri saiva Yogini, Lal Ded, with complete accu- picturesque record. One wonders if this was one racy after 600 years of "tradition," from the of the arts of government Chandragupta Maurya mouths of many writers unknown to each other. learnt from Alexander, just as he learnt his mili. Instances of such memory have always been tary administration (p. 115), though Professor numerous in Europe.
Ball does not seem to acknowledge this. If I have thus found something to criticise in Passing on to the early perioda A.D., I am glad Professor Ball's general principles, his chapter of to see (p. 163) that as regards the legend of Gondo. the Vedio Age, and those that follow it seems to
phares and St. Thomas, Professor Ball does not me to teach the outlines of early Indian History altogether dismiss it as a fable. There is some. with accuracy and insight, and I have only & remark thing to be said for it (see ante, vol. XLVI, pp. here and there to make. The struggle between 268-269), but I cannot bring myself to hold with the Vedic Aryans and the aborigines is sympathe- him that "the invasions of Alexander, Seleukos tically described and Professor Ball migħt well and Antiochos were mere raids" and left no prac. draw attention to the analogy between the people tical effect. Personally I should like to see pp. who were "called Dasyus and their battle-cries... 153-155 much modified, though Professor Ball described as yells" (p. 34) and the Irish who were has the great support of Dr. Vincent Smith. If my called Tories and their "hullaballoo." I may also old friend were still alivo I would willingly break mention, as a matter of common interest, that a lance with him as to this subject. It does not the thrice eleven gods of the Vedio literature still follow that because national historians and chro. survive as the Thirty-Seven Nats of the Burmese niclers have ignored a fact or situation that it did world of ghosts, s.e. the subjects of the thirty-three not exist. The result of the first and second rulers of the Buddhist Tawâtimss Heaven, plus Burmese Wars was the loss of the best parts of four extra ghosts of recent date. But as in the their Kingdom to the Burmese, but their official Vedas more names than thirty-three are found chroniclers recorded that some Western barbarians (p. 43), so there are more than thirty-seven in the applied for permission to occupy the territories complete list of the partioular Nats to whom the and were graciously allowed to do so by a kind. Thirty-Seven belong.
hearted king. I am not sure, however, that it is right to ascribe The strength of Professor Ball 'as a fair-minded republicanism to the tribal states of the time historian comes out well in the latter part of his of Buddha in N. India (p. 82). Republicanism work (pp. 166-236), where he deals with compais not a very safe word to use to students in des-ratively more recent and most difficult times. It cribing a state of ancient society, where in all appears to me that he disentangles the confused
probability the independent clan's chief acted history of the first sight centuries A.D. with much . very much as a king. On the other hand, Pro- success, considering the extreme difficulties of the fessor Ball does very well to draw attention (pp. subject. He is conspicuously successful with the 94-95) to the analogy between the Sapta-bhumaka Kushans and shows a knowledge of the research pa sada, or seven-storied building of Buddha's of quite recent date, though he clearly indicates