G a n g e tic c o u n trie s ru le d o y er th e g r e a te r p a r t o f H in d u s ta n
a n d the. D e k lia n th r e e c e n tu rie s b e fo re th e C h ris tia n e ra .
In th e c e n tre o f th is em p ire th e sy stem o f th e B ra hm a n s h a d
h e ld p re d om in a n t sway in th e tim e o f M e g a s th e n e s, b u t i t
w as su p p la n te d soon a fte rw a rd s b y th e sp re a d in g in flu en ce
o f B u d d h ism , u n d e r th e au sp ices o f th e so v e re ig n s o f ' P a -
lib o th r a . B u d d h ism h a d b e e n p rom u lg a te d a n d h a d b e en
e x te n d in g its e lf from th e s ix th c e n tu ry b e fo re C h ris t, w h ich
was th e ag e o f S a k y a .
Asiatic Society and editor of the Journal. After adverting to the great interest
excited by the identification of Sandracottus with Chandragupta in thè
days o f Sir W. Jones, and more recently t o t h e cariosity awakened on Mr.
Turnonr’s throwing open the hitherto sealed page of the Buddhist historians to
the developement of Indianmonuments andPuranic re c o rd ,h e goes on to re -
mark that' the discovery he was so fortunate as to make m theTast year, (’18,37)
of the alphabet of the Delhi pillar inscription, led tö results of hardly Jess ebu*
sideration in the learned world. “ Dr. Mill/’ he adds, “ regarded these inscriptions
as all but certainly demonstrated relics, of theVclassical period of -Indian
litera ture. This slight remainder of douljt hasf since^hpen^ removecT
identification of Piyudasi with Asoka, which we also owe to Mr. Tumour’s successful
researches j and dating frotnthe epoch thus happily achiè vofi,,w éjhave
since succeeded in tracing the name of the grandson ofr the same Mug, Dasa-
ratha, a t Gaya, in the same old character, and the names of . Nanda and Ailas,
and perhaps Vijaya in the Kalinga caves, while on' Bactrian cöins we have,
been rewarded by finding th e purely Greek names of Agathocles and Pantaleon
faithfully rendered in the same ancient alphabet of the Hindus.” Thé se'^ond
tablet, a t Girinagara, contains. an edict for the establishment of a system of
medical administration throughout the dominions of- the supreme soyereighr^of
India. Transferred into Roman characters it is given interlined with th ê 'corresponding
inscription at Dhauli, in Katak, so as to display parallel texts
from opposite sides of India. The contents are important in an historical point,
of view, and likewise as displaying the spirit of Buddhism. Its^ commencement
is as follows:—“ Every where within the compered provinces p£.Raja
Piyudasi, beloved of the gods [Devanam^piyasa—Piyadasino] as well as in
the parts occupied by the faithful, such as Chola, Pida, and even as far as Tamba-
panni [or Ceylon], and moreover within th e dominions of Antiochus the Creek
[Antiyafeo Yona]-^every where the. heaven-beloved Raja Piyuddsi’s double
system of medical aid is established,—medical aid for men and for animals,
together with medicaments of all sorts for men and for animals.”—“ And in
the public ways, wells are to be dug and trees planted for the accommodation
of men and of animals.”
Tambapanni is Ceylon. The name is spelt exactly in the same manner in
the Pali tex t of the Mahawanso, ja s t published >by Mr. Tumour. The Greek
name Taprobane, as Dr. Mill has observed, seems rather derived from Tamra-
p&ni, which is also the true Singhalese name for the same island.—Prinsep, in
As. Jour., No. 74.
T h e b o o k s o f th e B u d d h ists th row no lig h t o n tim e s a n te
r io r to th e ir g re a t le a d e r. I n su b s e q u e n t tim e s th e y h a v e
th e -au th en ticity o f c o n tem p o ra ry re c o rd s. E a rlie r ev en ts
a re .re p o rte d b y th em on th e fa ith o f S a k y a ’s rem in isc en c e .*
L i k e , P y th a g o ra s , who was n e a rly h is co n tem p o ra ry , th a t
sage p ro fessed '. to rep%gm|)er ;tbe. re p e a te d v isits w h ich h e
h a d ’ p a id to e a rth in e v e ry su c c e ed in g k a p p o o r k a lp a .
T h is rem in isc en c e , w h ich was th e rew a rd o f h ig h e r sa n c tity ,
is te rm e d Pujbheniwasananan. I ts d ic ta te s am o n g th e B u d d
h i s t s ta k e 'fth e p la c e o f . a ll p u re h is to ry a n d o f re v e la tio n .
I t co n tain s a m o st c u rio u s a n d re fin ed m e ta p h y sic a l d o c trin e
^'respecting th e o rig in o f -tire' E x istin g u n iv e rse a t th e b e g in n
in g o f th e p re s e n t k a lp a , in p e rfe c t p u rity , w h en a ll c re a te d
||§*ings w e fe 'e th e ria l or, im m a te ria l in th e ir essence a n d fre e
">%om a ll m o ra l t a i n t ; from th a t s ta te th e y fe ll b y c o n c u p is cen
ce, a n d confined in e a rth ly bodies w e re do omed to p e r p
e tu a l .d e te rio ra tio n , a n d to lev er-sh o rten in g life , u n til th e
a n n ih ila tio n o f a ll th in g s sh a ll a rriv e , a fte r w h ic h th e w o rld
sh a ll be re g e n e ra te d in* its p ris tin e s ta te . T h e ex isten c e o f
six p red ecesso rs o f S ak y a , who hhve successively b o rn e th e
office a n d c h a ra c te r o f B u d d h a :sihce th e c om m en c em en t o f
th e p re s e n t k a lp a , re s ts fo r - its , a u th o rity on th e c re d it o r
S a k y a ’s rem in isc e n c e .+ I f i t h a d an y fo u n d a tio n in fa c t, it
* Sttch was the testimony on which rests the'existence of the six Buddhas
who preceded Sakya in the Buddhist chronology, all being,-ip the belief of the
votaries of that seet^-incarnations of the same being. I t has been remarked by
Mr. Hodgson, th a t while the writings of the Buddhists make ample mention of
Sakya’s birth, sayings and doings, and ascribe to him at least the, committal to
•writing of the whol^ Budldhistical scripture, they are nearly silent as to the
• origin and actions of the six Buddhas who went before him.—Hodgson on the
languages &c. of the Buddhists of ;Nep&l. That the historical existence of these
six predecessors rests merely on the faith of the Pubb6niwasananan or “ revelation
by reminiscence of past existences,” obtained by Sakya as a reward of his
purity and abstraction, we learn from the Honourable W. Tumour’s Examination
of the Buddhistieal Annals.—See Jour, of Asiat. Soc. of Bengal, No. 80.
11 cannot conclude these remarks, bearing as they do on the history of Buddhism,
without once adverting, to the opinion maintained by some learned
writers, that Buddhism existed before the time of Sakya, and that there really
were other Buddhas before th a t sage, or impostor, or enthusiast. Sakya identified
himself by his pretended reminiscence with several persons renowned
before his time, as with Kasyapa, said to be the first leader of a Hindfi colony
into Kashmir. Ju st so Pythagoras identified himself with Euphorbus. Thera