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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
A lingering illness, ending with a premature death, prevented the late Dr. Bhagvânlâl Indrâjî from completing. his article on one of his most important discoveries, the inscriptions on the Mathurâ Lion Pillar. What he had written, or rather dictated to his assistant—a transcript as well as Sanskrit and English translations, together with some notes—was sent after his death to England, with the sculpture (now in the British Museum), and made over for publication to the Royal Asiatic Society. With the permission of the Society's Council, I have undertaken to edit these materials, and thus for the last time to perform a task which I have performed more than once for my lamented friend's papers during his lifetime. In doing this I have compared Dr. Bhagvânlâl's transcript first with the originals on the stone, and afterwards again with an excellent paper impression, presented to me by Dr. James Burgess in 1889. The collation has made necessary some alterations in the transcript and in the translation, among which the more important ones have been pointed out in the notes. But I may confidently assert that all really essential points have been fully settled and explained by Dr. Bhagvânlâl, whose great acumen and scholarship are as conspicuous in his interpretation of these inscriptions as in his other epigraphic publications. For convenience's sake I have prefixed an introduction, summarizing the chief results deducible from the inscriptions.
page 527 note 1 Babylonian and Oriental Record, vol. i. p. 58 ff.
page 531 note 1 Academy of 1891, April 28, p. 397, and “Coins of the Indo-Scythians,” ii. p. 21. Sir A. Cunningham repeatedly called this Satrap Saudûsa, but there is no evidence for this form of the name, which in all probability is not a Sanskrit word.
page 532 note 1 SirCunningham, A. (“Coins of the Indo-Scythians,” p. 27)Google Scholar assigns S'uḍasa to this period.
page 532 note 2 Arch. Surv. Rep. vol. xx. p. 48 and plate v. No. 4. I possess a very good photograph of the inscription, presented to me by Sir A. Cunningham, and a squeeze by Dr. Führer.
page 532 note 3 Gardner, P., “Catalogue of Indian Coins,” p. 67Google Scholar; SirCunningham, A., “Coins of the Indo-Scythians,” ii. pp. 22, 69Google Scholar.
page 533 note 1 Op. cit. pp. 22 and 25.
page 533 note 2 These five lines are incised on the top; in line 3 there is a round hole for fixing the capital, probably a Dharmachakra; see above.
page 533 note 3 The syllable shi looks like shri; but the apparent ra- stroke is probably nothing but a base line, such as are often attached to various letters.
page 533 note 4 Possibly kasuye to be read. Dr. Bhagvâinlâl reads Nadasiaka sayaṃ.
page 533 note 5 These eleven lines are incised on the back of the lions.
page 533 note 6 Read Hayuarena. Dr. Bhagv'anl'al reads dhida.
page 533 note 7 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads aurena, but a blurred letter, te or ja, certainly stands between a and u.
page 533 note 8 The first syllable may be read as ho.
page 533 note 9 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads pratiṭhaviti, and takes this as equivalent to pratishṭhâpayati, which is impossible on account of the instrumentals Nadasia Kasaye, matra and dhitra (A. 1. 3 and 5).
page 535 note 1 Incised on the neck of the lion to the right, in large characters.
page 536 note 1 Incised in small characters, close to the left of B.
page 536 note 2 The ja is abnormal, as there is apparently a ra- stroke across its vertical.
page 536 note 3 This is Dr. Bhagvânlâl's restoration.
page 536 note 4 Incised to the right of B.; first three lines in very large characters, fourth in smaller ones.
page 536 note 5 In line 1 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads Kharaosti, which is perhaps possible. Between 11. 1 and 2 stands (below the letters vara) in small characters the word komuio (in Sanskrit kaumudikaḥ), which Dr. Bhagvânlal's transcript omits, and before it are some indistinct scratches, possibly remnants of letters. In line 2 Dr. Bhagvânlâl omits the letter sa. In line 4 Bhagvânlâl reads samanamotra, which is quite possible, but yields no meaning.
page 536 note 6 The translation of chhatra “funeral monument” may perhaps be justified by the use of the term chhattrî, which in Rajputana and Gujarat is frequently used to denote the cenotaphs of princes and monks, over which an umbrellalike dome is erected. Dr. Bhagvânlâl renders this inscription as follows: “The youngest son of the son of Jalama, the heir-apparent of Kharaothi, appointed âmâtra of the Sramanas.” He takes -maja for a remnant of the Sanskrit word âtmaja, and probably considers the unknown term ûmâtra to be justified by the word mahûmâtra, which, however, stands for mahatî mâtrâ yasya saḥ.
page 537 note 1 Incised on the neck of the lion to the left, in large characters.
page 537 note 2 The word puyae must, no doubt, be understood, as Dr. Bhagvânlâl suggests.
page 537 note 3 Incised below F., in rather smaller characters.
page 537 note 4 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads kusulakasa, but the a is distinct.
page 537 note 5 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads Mevakisa, but the letter can only be an abnormal ḍa or a normal cha.
page 537 note 6 i.e. of Patika, the kusulaka, which seems to be a tribal or territorial name; compare Liako Kusiluko on the copper-plate of Moga.
page 537 note 7 This and the following inscriptions are incised in the front, i.e. on the chests of the lions. H. stands at the top in very minute characters. Some portions of the front are weather-worn, and some inscriptions consequently undecipherable.
page 538 note 1 Incised just below H. in large characters.
page 538 note 2 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads usaparo. The first letter is not quite distinct, and may be read as bu or tu.
page 538 note 3 Dr. Bhagvânlâl states that he can make nothing of this inscription, which, he thinks, may be written in some Scythian dialect. The words seem, however, to be Mahârâshṭrî Prakrit, and may, perhaps, be rendered tentatively in Sanskrit by vegodîrṇaḥ skandhâvârâḥ, busaparaḥ skandhâvâraḥ, vijayaḥ.
4 Incised in large characters below the end of the first line of I. According to Dr. Bhagvânlâl “about five letters” have been lost at the beginning of I. 1, and three at the beginning of I. 2. The squeeze shows, at the beginning of I. 1, remnants of the three letters which have been entered in the transcript, and possibly of a fourth. In I. 2 nothing has been lost. There are, however, (1) an enormous sha just below the blank space between veyaudino and kadhavaro, and (2) below, written crosswise, and running up towards the ka of kadhavaro the word khalaśana “of the Khalaś'as.” Below this is again a blurred sign, possibly śo.
page 538 note 5 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads visamo and niyäita. The last two syllables, dido, are, however, quite plain.
page 538 note 6 This third line stands on the squeeze below the inscription G.
page 539 note 1 Incised on the chest of the left lion, the letters of I. 1 running on after Pulishṭena (J. 1), and those of I. 3 after niyadido (J. 2).
page 539 note 2 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads Ayamita[sa[, but the letters are perfectly plain.
page 539 note 3 Udaena is probably equivalent to Sanskrit udayena, and the inscription seems to indicate that one Ayimita has formed a wish or done something for the prosperity or glorification of the teacher Buddhadeva. Ayimitra corresponds exactly to Sanskrit Atimitra. Dr. Bhagvânlâl's translation differs in accordance with his reading or restoration, “[For the merit] of Buddhadeva, the Âchârya, (and) of Udayana Âryamitra.
page 539 note 4 Also incised on the chest of the left lion.
page 539 note 5 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads pathuvi, but the letters are plainly paḍhravi. Compare the spelling paṭri for parṭi =prati.
page 539 note 6 Incised chiefly inside the circle at the bottom of the capital; the first three letters of I. 1 protruding on the right and the last two on the left.
page 539 note 7 Dr. Bhagvânlâl says that there is a blank at the end of the line, and fills it up by hā. The squeeze shows a slightly blurred sa.
page 539 note 8 Dr. Bhagvânlâl reads jāvidā, but the squeeze has distinctly ñavida.
page 539 note 9 The reverse shows the consonant va distinctly. The vowel may also be e.
page 540 note 1 Pagasana, i.e. prakâśânâm, “famous.”
page 540 note 2 Dr. Bhagvânlâl takes vidaas equivalent to vidyâ, and translates “delighting in the exposition of wisdom and knowledge to the members of the Great Congregation.” But the Mahâsaṁghikas are a well-known school, opposed to the Sarvâstivâdins. Perhaps the inscription means to praise Buddhila for his proficiency in the doctrines of the two schools.
page 540 note 3 Incised to the left of N. on the flank of the left lion.
page 540 note 4 P. stands on the flank of the right lion just to the right of O.; Q. on the foot; and R. partly on the chest and partly on the foot of the same lion.
page 540 note 5 Thus also SirCunningham, A., “Coins of the Indo-Scythians,” ii. p. 22Google Scholar. Dr. Bhagvânlâl adds that the reading is uncertain, and that the word may be Khanvaasa or Khadvaasa.