Major Rock Edict

Girnar

Major Rock Edict VII (Girnar Version)

Location: Ashokan inscription site — Girnar., Gujarat, India
Date: c. 260–250 BCE
Script: Brahmi
Language: Prakrit
Type: Major Rock Edict
Coordinates: 21.5250° N, 70.4850° E

Overview

The Girnar boulder carries Ashoka's fourteen Major Rock Edicts in Brahmi, one of the finest surviving corpora of Ashokan proclamations.

Location

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The Inscription

Original Text

1 (A) Devānaṁpiyo Piyadasi rājā sarvata ichati save pāsaṁḍā vaseyu (B) save te sayamaṁ ca
2 bhāva-sudhiṁ ca ichati (C) jano tu ucāvaca-chaṁdo ucāvaca-rāgo (D) te sarvaṁ va kāsaṁti eka-desaṁ va kasa[ṁ]ti
3 (E) vip[ul]e tu pi dāne yasa nāsti sayame bhāva-sudhitā va kataṁñatā va daḍhabhati[t]ā ca nicā bāḍhaṁ

Translation

(A) King Devānaṁpriya Priyadarśin desires (that) all sects may reside everywhere.
(B) (For) all these desire both self-control and purity of mind.
(C) But men possess various desires (and) various passions.
(D) Either they will fulfil the whole, or they will fulfil (only) a portion (of their duties).
(E) But even one who (practises) great liberality, (but) does not possess self-control, purity of mind, gratitude, and firm devotion, is very mean.

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