Jainism Early Faith of Ashoka

Author(s): Edward Thomas
Publisher: Trubner and Company London

Page 91

THE EARLY FAITH 'OF AŞOKA.
55
the associate Piyadasane, “lovely to behold.” “Siddhartha" is represented in the text of the Kalpa Sútra, as "issued forth the king and lord of men, the bull and lion among men, lovely to behold," etc. Dr. Stevenson adds, in a note: “This is the famous epithet fechu Piyadasane that occurs so frequently in the ancient inscriptions, and which we have met with several times before.” Piyadassi is further given as the name of one of the 24 (Jaina ? Buddhos in the opening passage of the Mahávanso." Mr. Turnour contributes the following additional quotation from the Páli annals: “Hereafter the prince Piyadáso, having raised the chhatta, will assume the title of Asoko the Dhanma Rája, or righteous monarch."
Thus, while we can comprehend that the retention of the simple title of “Pyadasi," by an avowed Buddhist, was harmless enough, the rejection of the designation of “Beloved of the gods” became a clear necessity for any convert to a religion which ipso facto repudiated all gods. The
The title of Devánampiya does not seem to have been admitted into the scriptures of the Northern Buddhists, 3 who were deferred converts; but it was .carried down with the earliest spread of the faith to Ceylon, in B.C. 246, by “Devá-x. nampiya Tissá," 4 together with, as we have seen, many of the other elements and symbols of the Jaina creed.
Amid the varied indirect sources of information bearing upon the "faith of the Mauryas," now available, we should scarcely have looked for any contributions from the formal
hártha, in explaining Trisala's dream, commences, “O beloved of the gods." At
messengers, he addresses them as “O beloved of the gods," and at p. 64 the "interpreters of dreams" are received with the same complimentary greeting.
i Mahavanso, vol. i. p. 75.
2 J.A.S. Bengal, vol. vi. p. 1056, See also Wilson, J.R.A.S. Vol. XII. p. 244.
3 The objection to the term Devanampiya of course does not extend to the inevitable Devaputra of the Lalita-vistara - the heaven-born” need not have been compromised by his later apostacy.-See Rajendra Lala's (Sanskrit text), Preface, pp. 14, 15, 21, etc.
Mahawanso, pp. 4, 68, 62, etc. Indian Antiquary, 1872, p. 139. Rhys Davids, Inscription of Gamini Tissa, son of Devanampiya Tissa, at Dambula, Ceylon.