Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 386

368
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(DECEMBER, 1923
"The gods being offended, there was no rain, and Dambadiva suffered from famine for twelve years.
"Bo it known that at the same time, because Ohôranaga, King of Lanka, demolished the viharks, this beautiful Lankå also suffered from famine for three years. Know also that the date of tbis famine, callod B mini-siya, coincidod with the commencement of the Saka era. The people afterwards killed the said Chôranaga whose reign had lasted twelve years. • "Be it known that at this time 623 years had elapsed since the death of our Buddha." (Rájávaliya, pp. 44-46.)
• There are discrepancies in the various accounts regarding the date and the duration of the famine. Without going into details, I give below a summary of the facts stated in the above-mentioned books:
(a) Pajavaliya and Beminitiya Mahâsâya say that this island and India were struok with famine in the reign of Valagambahu while Milinda was reigning at Sagala.
(b) The extract from Rajavaliya quoted above shows that it occurred in the reign of ValagambAhu's gon Choranaga, and also that the date of this famine coincided with the commencement of the Saka Era, when 623 years had elapsed since the death of Buddha, and Ceylon and Jambudvipa suffered from famine for three and twelve years respectively.
(c) Beminitiya Mahasdya says that 489 poars had elapsed since the demise of Gautama Buddha, whon King Milinda became & oonvert to Buddhism at the termination of the dialectio controversies.
(d) Mahavanga tells us that King Valagambahu reigned in B.c. 104 and again from B.O. 89-74, and Choranåga from B.O. 60-48.
(a) According to Prof. T. W. Rhys Davids' Questions of Milinda, Milinda (Menander) was one of those Greek kings who carried on in Baktria the Greek dominion founded by Alexander the Great. Prof. Rhys Davids is of opinion that Milinda reigned for a consider. able time in the latter part of the second century B.., probably from about 140 to about 115, or even B.o. 110.
A DARA-SHIKOH LETTER.
BY KHAN SAHIB MAULAVI ABDU'L-WALI. . In ante, vol. XXXIX, pp. 119-126, I published a short paper on “Sarmad" and his execution. Incidentally, I noted from memory, the fragment of a letter, which Dara had written to Sarmad, with English translation. After a search of many years, the full text of the letter is now available to me. The letter and its reply together with their translation are inserted below, Dara Shikóh's letter-written in fine, terse Persian-is a noteworthy instrument, which fully corroborates his inquisitive nature on theological and mystic questions.
DARA'S LETTER TO SARMAD.
(Text.)
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1 [ پیر و مرشد من ] ہر روز قصد ملازمت دارد - میسر نمی شود - اگر من منم - پس اراده من معطل چرا۔
1 The words put under brackets are not in the present text