North Indian Inscriptions

PART B

B 24 (740); PLATES XVIII, XXXVII

  ON the railing above the middle panel of the outer face of the same pillar as No. A 62, now in the Indian Museum, Calcutta (P 29). The inscription is engraved on the first and second posts from the right. Edited by Cunningham, StBh. (1879), p. 134, No. 29, and Pl. X III, XIV and LIV; Hoernle, IA. Vol. X (1881), p. 256 f., No. 12a, and Pl.; Hultzsch, ɀDMG. Vol. XI. (1886), p. 65, No. 47, and Pl. ; IA. Vol. XXI (1892), p. 231, No. 47; Cunningham, Mahābodhi (1892), Pl. III (Pl. only); Barua-Sinha, BI. (1926), p. 44 ff., No. 142; Barua, Barh. Vol. II (1934), p. 8 f., and Vol. III (1937), p. 1 ff. and Pl. XXXVIII (33); Lüders, Bhārh. (1941), p. 52 ff.

TEXT:

1 purathima [ṁ d]isa^[1] Sudhā-
2 vāsā de[v]ā

TRANSLATION:

        In the eastern quarter the Sudhavasa (Suddhavasa) gods. [B 24-26 refer to one and the same sculpture.]

   In view of the fact that we find in the following two inscriptions utaraṁ disa (B 25) and dakhinaṁ disa (B 26), the restored reading purathimaṁ disa may be called certain. The use of the accusative is the same as in Gāthā 9 of the Mahāsamayasutta (D. II, 258, 4 f.^[2]), where purimaṁ disaṁ, uttaraṁ disaṁ are found by the side of dakkiṇena, pachchhimena. The Suddhāvāsa gods are mentioned already in the D. II, 50; 253 f. In the later classification of the gods they are the inhabitants of the five highest Rūpadhātu heavens.

         Further remarks on the sculpture are found under No. B 26.

B 25 (741); PLATES XVIII, XXXVII

ON the railing above the middle panel of the Northern face of the same pillar as No. A 62 now in the Indian Museum, Calcutta (P 29). The inscription is engraved on the second and third posts from left. Edited by Cunningham, StBh. (1879), p. 134, No. 30, and Pl. XIII, XIV and LIV ; Hoernle, IA. Vol. X (1881), p. 256 f., No. 12b, and Pl.; Hultzsch, ɀDMG. Vol. XL (1886), p. 65, No. 48, and Pl.; IA. Vol. XXI (1892), p. 231, No. 48; Cunningham, Mahābodhi (1892), Pl. III (Pl. only); Barua-Sinha, BI. (1926), p. 45 ff., No. 144; Barua, Barh. Vol. II (1934), p. 8 f., and Vol. III (1937), p. 1 ff. and Pl. XXXVIII (33); Lüders, Bhārh. (1941), p. 53 ff.

TEXT:

1 utaraṁ disa [t]ini^[3] sa-
2 vaganisisa^[4]

_______________________
^[1]The anusvāra and the da have been destroyed by a deep cut.
^[2]purimaṁ disaṁ Dhataraṭṭho dakkhiṇena Virūṭhako |
pachchhimena Virūpakkho Kuvero uttaraṁ disaṁ ||
chattāro te mahārājā samantā chaturo disā |
dadallamānā aṭṭhaṁsu vane kāpilavatthave ||
^[3]With the exception of Cunningham who read tuni, all editors read tini, but as the letter is almost completely destroyed, the ti can by no means be called certain.
^[4]All editors agree in reading the second akshara of the line ta, but if letter is compared with the ta in the first line, there can be little doubt that it is ga. After sā the surface of the stone has been damaged. Hoernale supplied ṇi, which cannot be right as, with the exception of the toraṇa inscription, to ṇa occurs in the Bhārhut inscriptions. On the other hand, Hultzsch and Barua-Sinha may be right in supplying ni, although in that case we have to assume that the supposed na was separated from sā by an unusually large gap. However, I consider it far more probable that the inscription ended with sā and that the apparent traces of letters are mere fissures in the stone. Cunningham also, in his eye-copy as well as in his transcript, gives no letter after sa.