Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 3

Author(s): R P Poddar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 89

VAISHALI RESEARCH BULLETIN No. 3
Taking literally, the Asokan matter stands thus arithmetically:
'One year'
(+) 'More than one year'
'More than two years and a half'
Ordinarily the total should have been only 'more than two years' and not 'more than two years and a half". But as the total given by: Aśoka is 'more than two years and a half, the matter requires clarification. "The normal implication of the section seems to be that Aśoka made up 'over 2 years' by adding [a little over] 1 year' and 'over 1 year' (meaning less than 1 years)."1 Keeping this implication in view, we may now proceed to elucidate the known points enumerated above.
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i. The first stage of Asoka's early upāsakatva, which was a period of inactivity, lasted for [a little over] one year'. We may take it as 14 or 15 months. It cannot be 13 months because in that case the total of the two periods does not go beyond 2 years (13+17 30 months). Neither can this be over 15 months in any case because that would be going beyond limits. After all, the Asokan scribe was treating the period as 'one year' in any case.
ii. The second stage of Asoka's early upāsakatva, which was a period of exertion, lasted for 'over one year' (meaning less than 14 years). Keeping the spirit of the Asokan language in view, this would be definitely more than 15 months. Thus we may think of having 16 or 17 months (though not 18 months or more in any case whatsoever). We may leave out 16 months because the total of 14 and 16 months gives just 2 years and that of 15 and 16 months (i.e., 31 months) is also not quite away from it (2) years). Hence we retain 17 months here on final consideration.
iii. The total of the two periods as suggested above would be
14 or 15 months
(+)
17 months
31 or 32 months
We would prefer 32 months in order to maintain the spirit of the Asokan language which knows the total period as 'over 2 years'. Hence the necessity of keeping the total a bit away from 24 years. This means we finally retain 15 and 17 months for Aśoka's peric ds of inactivity and exertion respectively. This also enables us to maintain reasonable difference between the two periods indicated in two different ways in this edict ('one year' and 'over one year' respectively).
1. So says Dr. D. C. Sircar in his letter to the writer dated, Calcutta, 20 January 1982. I am highly thankful to him for his suggestion. Details, however, have been worked out by me.