Indian Antiquary Vol 62

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 20

14
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ JANUARY, 1933
My personal interest in the ruby-sapphires of Burma dates from the early days (1888) of the British occupation of Mandalay, when I had to hold official auctions of rubies in Government possession once a month.
For the benefit of enquirers I add the following information. Dr. William Crooke produced an edition of Ball's Tavernier in 1925, and made a note on II, 99 (II, 77, in his own edition) about Capelan : "Caplan is the place where they find the rubios, sapbires, and spinelles; it standoth six dayes journey from Ava in the kingdome of Pegu" (R. Fitch, ed. Ryley, 172 f.; cf. Varthema, ed. Badger, 219)." In Appendix V: The Ruby Mines of Upper Burma and the Sapphire Washings of Ceylon, pp. 361 ff., Crooke wrote: “The principal ruby mines of Burma are situated in three valleys, which are known by the names of their chief villages respectively, namely Mogok (or Mogout), Kathé, and Kyatpyen." And in a footnoto he added "For a full account of the Ruby Mines District, see Sir J. G. Scott, J.P. Hardiman. Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States, Rangoon, 1901, pt. i, vol. ii, 213 ff.; pt. ii, vol. iii, 3 ff., Imperial Gazetteer, xxi, 326 ff."
GLEANINGS FROM SANSKRIT LITERATURE.
(The Works of Váchaspati Misra.)
By Prop. DASHARATHA SHARMA, M.A. ONE does not gonerally look to the speculative and rather dry books on Sanskrit philosophy for knowledge of the period in which their writers lived. In this short article, however, I shall attempt to show by means of a few extracts and brief comments thereon how even the works of such a subtle philosopher as Váchaspati Misra can be utilized to glean a few facts of social and administrative history which, however unimportant by themselves, are cumulatively useful, because of the light which they shed on a very dark period of Indian bistory.
Revenue Administration, 1. यथा हि ग्रामाध्यक्षः कौटुम्बिकेभ्यः करमादाय विषयाध्यक्षाय प्रयच्छति, विषयाध्यक्षश्च सर्वाध्यक्षाय, सच भूपतये ; तथा बाह्येन्द्रियाण्यालोच्य मनसे समर्पयन्ति, मनव सङ्कल्प्याहङ्काराय, पहबारश्चाभिमत्य बुद्धी सोध्यक्ष
alat,
Translation. As the village officer collects the rent from the different hoads of families, and delivors the collections to the head of the vipaya or the revenue division, who again, in his turn, carries it to the survidhyaksa, who finally makes it over to the king : 80, in the same manner, tho extornal organs, having operated on (observed) an object, present the observation to Manas, which reflects on it (and imparts thereto its qualifications), presenting these qualifiod observations in turn to Ahankára, which takes spocific cognizance of them, and finally delivers such cognition to the head officer. Buddhi.
Comment. The extract shows that the system of revenue collection prevailing in Mithila was raiyatwdr. But before reaching the king, the rent had to pass through the hands of the visayddhyakpa and the saruddhyakpa. Who this sarvidhyakpa was, is not quite clear. He might have been either the head revenue officer at the capital, or the governor of a divi. sion bigger than the vigaya. The former is perhaps the more likely meaning hero,
Army and Weapons, 2. तपेन्द्रियव्यापारा पपि बुझेरेव स्वव्यापारेषाध्यवसायेन सहन्यापारीभवन्ति, यवा स्वसैन्येन सह प्रामाध्यक्षादिसैन्यं सर्वाध्यक्षस्य भवति ।
Translation. The functions of the sensee also coalesce with the functional determination of Buddhi, as the forces of the village officers, etc., do with that of the survddhyakpa.
Sankhya-lattua-kaumudi, edited by MM. Ganganatha Jha, Bombay, Theosophical Publication tunde 1896, p. 53, Il. 17-21.
* The translation is by MM. Dr. Gangan Atha Jha. 3 Sankhya-tattva-kaumudi, edition cited above, p. 54, II. 16-18.