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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
conduits for[1] Aśôka the Maurya by the Yavana king Tushâspha while governing ; and by
the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in
that breach, the extensive dam . . . .
(L. 9.)[2] . . . . he who, because from the womb he was distinguished by the
possession of undisturbed consummate Royal Fortune, was resorted to by all castes and chosen
their lord to protect them ; who made, and is true to, the vow to the latest breath of his life to
abstain from slaying men, except in battles ;[3] who [showed] compassion . . . .
. . . . not failing to deal blows to equal antagonists meeting him face to face ; who
grants protection of life to people repairing to him of their own accord and those prostrating
themselves before him ;[4] who is the lord of the whole of eastern and western Âkarâvantî, the
Anûpa country, Ânarta, Surâshṭra, Śvabhra, Maru, Kachchha, Sindhu-Sauvîra, Kukura,
Aparânta, Nishâda and other territories gained by his own valour, the towns, marts and rural
Parts[5] of which are never troubled[6] by robbers, snakes, wild beasts, diseases and the like, where
all subjects are attached to him, (and) where through his might the objects of [religion], wealth and
pleasure [are duly attained] ; who by force destroyed the Yaudhêyas who were loath to submit ;
rendered proud as they were by having manifested their title of heroes among all Kshatriyas ;
who obtained good report because he, in spite of having twice in fair fight completely defeated[7]
Sâtakarṇi, the lord of Dakshiṇâpatha, on account of the nearness of their connection did not
destroy him ; who [obtained] victory . . . . . ; who reinstates deposed
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[1] The word kṛitê, of which ‘ for ’ is the translation, is conjectural.
[2] In the original text the subject of this long sentence again is idaṁ taḍâkam, ‘ this lake,’ the predicate is
sudarśanataraṁ kâritam in line 16 ; ‘ this lake has now been caused to be made (even) more beautiful by
Rudradâman (l. 15) who, because he was distinguished . . . ’ In the translation I have adopted the active
construction.
[3] On the construction of the words anyatra saṁgrâmêshu of the original text see above, p. 40, note 2. Here I
would add two minor remarks. In the first place, it appears strange that, whereas elsewhere the end of one epithet
(or phrase serving as an epithet) of Rudradâman is not joined by the rules of saṁdhi with the commencement of
the following epithet─ compare vṛitêna â prâṇ-ôchchhvâsât= in line 9, and -kriyêṇa ahar-ahar= in line 13─ here
the rules of saṁdhi have been observed between saṁgrâmêshu which belongs to the preceding, and abhimukhâgata-
with which a new epithet begins. The observance of the rules of euphony in this case is the more striking as those
rules have not been observed between anyatra and the word preceding it with which anyatra saṁgrâmêshu is closely
connected in sense. Secondly, the way in which the author has put anyatra saṁgrâmêshu reminds me somewhat
of the Sûtra-style of literature ; the words â prâṇ-ôchchhvâsât=purushavadhanivṛitti-kṛita-satyapratijñêna
contain a rule, anyatra saṁgrâmêshu the exception. Both together look much like, e.g., the two Sûtras of the
Vishṇu-smṛiti, III. 48 and 49, the former of which is na râjakulam=uchchhindyât, ‘ he should not extirpate a
royal family,’ while the latter adds anyatr=âkulîna-râjakulât, ‘ except an ignoble royal family.’ Looked at in this
way the non-observance of the rules of euphony as between –satyapratijñêna and anyatra may lose somewhat of
its strangeness ; the observance of them as between saṁgrâmêshu and abhimukhâgata- I can only regard as
accidental.
[4] For the general meaning of this epithet we may compare, e.g., nṛiṇâṁ śaraṇyaḥ śaraṇ-âgatânâm and śaraṇaishiṇâṁ śaraṇam in Gupta Inscr. p. 59, l. 10, and p. 165, l. 7. The word ayusha of the text, translated by
‘ life,’ is more or less conjectural ; it is used at the end of compounds for âyus (see the St. Petersburg dictionary under âyusha). In the original I should have expected praṇipatita to stands before janapada ; as it is,
I can only take svayamabhigatajanapada-praṇipatita as a Dvandva compound. For janapada itself compare
Gupta Inscr. p. 82, l. 14, bhîtasya yô janapadasya cha bandhur=âsît.
[5] With nagara-nigama-janapada compare e.g. grâma-nagara-nigama in Harshacharita, p. 220, l. 1.
[6] There is no doubt about the reading of the word anupasṛishṭapûrva of the text. Ordinarily this word,
‘ not troubled before,’ would imply that the territories now were, or might possibly be, troubled for the first time
by robbers, etc., but it has apparently been (incorrectly) used by the writer simply in the sense of ‘ never troubled.’
The territories are never troubled by robbers, etc., just because they are ruled by Rudradâman. He is the apâkartâ
prajôpaghâta-kâriṇâm=upaplavânâm, as the Valabhî plates express the same idea.─ Compare above, p. 40,
note 3.
[7] For ava-ji, ‘ to defeat,’ the St. Petersburg dictionary quoted only passages from the Mahâbhârata ; it
occurs in the same sense in the Nâsik inscription in Archæol. Surv. of West. India, Vol. IV. p. 108, l. 6,
anêka-samar-âvajita-satusaghasa.
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