Wat Maheyong Inscription

A Sanskrit inscription of the 7 th cen. A.D. it is written in Pallava script. It has writing only on one side in 6 lines and is engraved on black stone in rectangular shape. Its width is 58 cms., length is 112 cms. and height is 11 cms. It was found in 1923 from Wat Maheyong in the Province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and is at present with the National Museum, Bangkok. 1. - ha tasva va radha ya 1 bhuktaya (:) ທE 320 qu CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri War Maeyong Inscriptionitized by S 3 Foundation USA

144 / Sanskarit Inscriptions of Thailand 2. ha comkarmasana graham soposadhagrakam bhaktam sanghikapaodgalam pratidinam - ra .......... 3. - (p ) aramita {ta }rccanam sahamasipatrapanam lekhanam ijayagasti (ijyagasti ) mahatmano dvijaganasyannanja 111 4. (tya ) gena rahita sadharmmakathana dhu (dhu ) papradipanvita maladam (ma) vitana cama (ra) vati cinadhva (ja) 5. -- (pu ) nyancanyadapi pradistamanisam dharmmah prajapalanam (ma) istanista samatvamindriyajayah khedas su r r 6 . 111 111 ryaptabhogena ya - annayanama ga 1........ha tasva va ra dha ya..... bhuktay (oh) 2. .....ha conkarmasanagrahari soposadhagarakar bhaktar sanghikapaodgalam pratidinam.....ra....... 3. .....(p) aramita (a) rccanari sahamasipatrarppanam ijaya (jya) gastimahatmano lekhanam dvijaganasyannan ja...... 4. .....(tya) genarahita dhu (u) papradipanavita cama (ra)vati cinadhva (ja) ..... sadharmmakathana maladamavitana 5. ..... (pu) nyancanyadapi pradistamanisam dharmmah prajapalanam istanista samatvamindriyajayah khedas sur ..... 6. .....ryyaptabhogena ya.....arnnayanama ga..... Translation 1. In them lower Of the two possessions 2. ......... balcony, dining hall with Uposatha in front, daily rice for the Sangha with 3. no break in worship, the offering of paper within for writing, worship of the Mahatman Agasti, food for Brahmins, the preaching of Dharma with no moving

5. 6. Notes Sanskrit Inscriptions of Thailand / 145 away from it with the (lighting) of lamp and accompanied with chowries with a canopy of garlands [decorated with] Chinese flag and anything else that is sacred; to look after the subjects incessantly is said to be Dharma. To remain constant in both good or bad, sadness to have control over the senses, the -33- ... is said to be another noble deed. Protection of one's subjects (people) without respite is dharma - a righteous act. With sufficient enjoyment 1117 The inscription is engraved with utter recklessness. It is full of errors. Only a few words which are correctly written or are amenable to emendation make sense. The inscription is a record of some donations made to the Sangha, the donation of rice, the paper and ink for writing and so on. Rather interesting is the reference in it to Cinadhvaja, which has to be taken in the sense of the flag made of Chinese cloth, most probably silk. There is reference to Chinese silk in the case of its being on the chariot of King Dusyanta of Hastinapura in the Abhijnanasakuntala and the decoration of the Himalayan city with flags and buntings made of Chinese silk in the context of the marriage of Siva and Parvati in the Kumarasambhava. It looks Chinese cloth/silk was very popular not only with the people of India but also the people of Southeast Asia which includes Thailand as well. The inscription has something of both, Brahminism and Buddhism, Uposatha and the food for the Sangha hinting at Buddhism and the worship of the sage Agasti of Brahminism.