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Vol. XV, No. 4
[āl ye athāye 8. iyaṁ phaṁma-lip [i] li [kh] i [tā] chila-thitīk [ã ho] tu t [athā] cha
me pa [jā anu] vatatu ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF DHAULI ROCK-EDICT (V) AS
GIVEN BY R.G. BASAK King Priyadarśī, the Beloved of the Gods says :-A good deed is difficult to perform. He who is the first doer (a pioneer) of good deeds does perform a difficult job. So many good deeds have been done by me. If in the same way will follow my sons and grandsons and my descendants after i hem until the end of the cycle (at existence), they will (Surely) do a good thing (indeed). But he who, in this matter, will cause any neglect or omission even of a part (of one's duty or of this commandment) will do ill. For sin is a thing which should be well weeded out or torn to pieces. A (long) interval has however, elapsed, (during when) high state functionaries for the department of the law of piety (called Dharmamahāmätras) were not appointed, but such Dharma mahāmātras were employed by me when I was consecrated thirteen years. They have been employed for the establishment of the Law of piety among all (religious) sects and for the good and happiness of the dharmayutas (the officers of lower rank in the dharma department, or those who are faithful in religion) through the growth or progress of dharma (the Law of piety). They are employed (specially) for the welfare and happiness of the Yavanas (Ionians or Greeks), the Kambojas and Gandhāras, and also of those other people who are in-habitants of the western border, and of the hired servants masters, of the Brāhmanas and the wealthy people, and of the helpless and of the people, and (they are employed also) to free the dharma-yutas from hard ship (or trouble). They are employed to see to the counteracting of the (judicial) sentence, freedom from hardship and the release of persons imprisoned, on the score of their being found to be attached to their children, of their being thrown over board (hurled into misery) or their being older in age. Here (probably, in the Capital city) and other outside towns, they have been everywhere employed in all the harems (royal female establishments) of my brothers and sisters and (also) over those others who are our relatives (or kins men). Then everywhere in my dominion these Dharmamahämätras are employed to see that the dharmyutas are devoted to the law of piety and are given to charity. For this edict of law of piety has been caused to be written, so that in my endure long and my people may act (or follo:v) accordingly.
From the above it is evident that there are features of Mg. in the Dhauli Rock edicts, and these features are given below:
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