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M. A. MEHENDALE
wise used only in the north-western inscriptions of Asoka at Shāhblāzgashi and Mānsehrā, a single word in this script in the south tends to show the north-western origin of these inscriptions.3 As will be shown below this supposition based on a small piece of palacographic evidence is amply supported by the linguistic facts preserved in these records.
In a recent book, Beobachtungen Uber Die Sprache Des Buddhistischen Urkanons 5 by LÜDERS, edited from the Nachlass by E. WALDSCHMIDT, the eidtor makes a reference to the paper referred to above on the Dhauli and Jaugada separate edicts and observes in his Zum Geleit (p. 6, f. n. 1), "M. A. Mehendale hat....einige sprachliche Eigentümlichkeiten, durch die sich die 'Separat-Edikte' von den übrigen in Dhauli und Jaugada gefundenen Felsen-inschriften unterscheiden, als nordwestlich nachzuweisen versucht. Er vermutet, dass Asoka diese Separat-Edikte auf einer Reise im Nordwesten in der dortigen Sprache erlassen habe, und dass sie vor ihrer Einmeisselung in den Ostdialekt übersetzt worden seien. Eine Uberprüfung dieser rein linguistisch fundierten Annahme auf inhaltliche und historische Wahrscheinlichkeit scheint erwünscht." I am thankful to the editor for these observations, in respect of which I may he permitted to state the following facts taken from the inscriptions which show that Asoka had issued the minor rock edict and the separate edicts while he was away from the capital. (These facts make no reference to the place from where they were issued, nor to the language in which they were originally drafted).
(1) In the version of the minor rock edict itself it is expressly stated that the proclamation was issued by the king while he was
3. On the presence of the Kharoşthi letters in the Mysore versions, BÜHLER (EI 3.135, 1894-95) already observes, "Finally, I have to point out that the Northern or Kharôshtri letters exactly agree with those of the Mansehra and Shahbâzgarhi inscriptions .... The use of the two alphabets probably indicates that Pada (now read by HULTZSCH as Capada) was proud of, and wished to exhibit, his accomplishments .... The use of the Northern characters may further be taken to indicate that Pada once served in Northern India, where the Kharôshtrî alphabet prevailed." HULTZSCH supports this view when he observes (op. cit. p. xlii), “The three Mysore edicts were drafted by one of this clase (i.e. the class of writers), who wrote at the end of his signature the instrumental case lipikarena in Kharöshthi characters, showing thereby that he had been transferred from North-Western India." As noted above, to me it seems to mean much more than this, viz. that the edicts themselves were first drafted in the north-west.
4. It will be shown in a separate paper that the other versions of the minor rock edict found at Rūpnåth etc. also support this view. (The paper has now been published in the Bulletin of the Deccan College, Vol. XVII, No. 2, Sept. 1955).
5. Abhandlungen der deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Klasse für Sprache, Literatur and Kunst, Jahrgang 1952, Nr. 10, Berlin, 1954.
Madhu Vidya/284
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