by Prof. Sirimal Ranawella PhD(London)
Senarat Paranavitana was the most competent epigraphist we have ever had and he has deciphered hundreds of lithic records as well as 685 Sigiri graffiti; he was well versed in his mother tongue as well as in English and in two other oriental languages, Sanskrit and Pali. Yet as he was not omniscient he could make mistakes. With apologies and due respect to his vas knowledge, we intend to re-examine a few terms which are referred to in our epigraphic records that he has misinterpreted.
The phrase vahara-la cidavi, which he has misinterpreted as ÔÇ£freed from slaveryÔÇØ
is the first term that we intend to re-examine. In the epigraphic records pertaining to the period, fifth century to eighth century, we very often come across this term; it occurs in a variety of orthographic forms such as vahara-la cidavi, vahara-laya cidavi, vahara-laha cidavi, vahari-la cidavi, vehera-la cidavi, veheri-la cidavi, viheri-la cidavi.[1] Paranavitana in the course of editing four inscriptions found at Vessagiriya surmised that the word vahara-la, and its associated forms referred to slaves, and interpreted it as ÔÇ£freed from slaveryÔÇØ.[2] As regards the derivation, he followed W. Geiger who derives the word ÔÇ£vahalÔÇØ from Skt. vrß╣úala, Pali vasala.[3] It may be noted that these two words vasala and vahal do not convey the same meaning in Sinhala. The general meaning of the Skt. Word vrß╣úala, the Pali word vasala and the Sinhala word vasala isÔÇ£an outcasteÔÇØ or ÔÇ£a low personÔÇØ or ÔÇ£a canß©ì─ülaÔÇØ. The word vahala, which had been used with reference to domestic servants during the Polonnaruva period and in later periods, had never been used in that sense during the whole of the Anur─üdhapura period.┬á The word that had been used to refer to domestic servants who were not serfs or slaves during that period was d─üsa or dasa. An inscription of the second century A.D., found at Ilukv├ñva, near Anur─üdhapura, refers to an assignment of two servants, a male and a female, to a monastery there. The words that had been used there to refer to them are dasa and d├ñsi respectively, but not vahal.[4] The Mihintale Tablets of King Mahinda IV (956-972) have used the word ÔÇ£vehera dasunÔÇØ meaning (domestic) servants, with reference to the servants attached to monasteries.[5] We come across this word d─üsa, which had been used with reference to servants attached to monasteries in the very passage, which had quoted by Paranavitana, from Samantap─üs─üdik─ü in defence of his interpretation of this word in an article contributed by him to the E.Z. Vol.V (pp. 60-61). The meaning of the word vahal at the beginning was helping, assisting, supporting or serving. This word occurs in two verses of the S─½giri Grafiti, namely verse No. 350 and 363, and Paranavitana who edited those verses renders them as ÔÇ£supportÔÇØ and assistance.[6] The word vahal occurs in the Jetavan─ür─üma Slab Inscription of King Mahinda IV in a phrase as an adjective as ÔÇ£ek-vahal ß╣¡├ñmbaÔÇØ, which is rendered into English by Wickremasinghe as ÔÇ£supporting pillarÔÇØ.[7] The Polonnaruva Galvih─üra Rock Inscription of King Par─ükramab─ühu I (1153-1186) informs us that he enalisted the services of Moggaliputta Tissa, the great Elder, to crushed out the sinful Bhikkhus from the s─üsana.[8] Here Wickremasinghe has rendered the phrase ÔÇ£Moggaliput Tis maha-terun vahal koß╣¡aÔÇØ as ÔÇ£(he) enalisted the ÔÇÿsupport of the servicesÔÇÖ of Moggaliputta Tissa, the great ElderÔÇØ. Hence, we have reasons to doubt ParanavitanaÔÇÖs interpretation of the phrase ÔÇ£vahara-la cidaviÔÇØ as ÔÇ£freed from slaveryÔÇØ.
The meaning given by him to the word cidavi or┬á cidavaya as ÔÇ£freedÔÇØ too, questionable. The word cidavi or cidavaya, which had changed into ÔÇ£sindaviÔÇØ or sindav─ü by the ninth century, is equivalent to the Pali word ÔÇ£cind─üpetv─üÔÇØ meaning ÔÇ£caused to be cutÔÇØ or ÔÇ£caused to be severedÔÇØ. Paranavitana himself says ÔÇ£As today, in the medieval inscriptions as well as in literature, forms of sindi are used to denote the meaning of ÔÇ£breakingÔÇØ, ÔÇ£pluckingÔÇØ or ÔÇ£nipping wit fingers.ÔÇØ[9] In Sinhala, the forms of the root sindi, corresponding to Skt. chid, had not been used to denote manumission of slaves during the Anur─üdhapura period, or any other period for that matter. The word that had been used to denote manumission of persons was bhujissa. The Dhammapadaß╣¡ß╣¡ha-kath─ü (5th century A.D.) refers to the manumission of two boys from domestic labour before they were admitted as novices. The phrase used here with reference to that act is ÔÇ£bhujisse-katv─üÔÇØ [10]The same work refers elsewhere again to the manumission of sixteen servants from a monastery by some villagers. Here again
the phrase that was used to denote it is ÔÇ£bhujisse-akaß╣üsu.ÔÇØ[11] The Sinhala commentary to the Dhammapadaß╣¡ß╣¡ha-kath─ü on both occasions has explained that phrase as ÔÇ£nidas koß©ÀoÔÇØ and ÔÇ£nida
s koß╣¡aÔÇØ meaning ÔÇ£made them freeÔÇØ or ÔÇÿfreed from domestic labourÔÇØ[12] This phrase ÔÇ£bhujisse-katv─üÔÇØ occurs also in the very passage quoted by Paranavitana from the Samantap─üs─üdik─ü in defence of his interpretation of the phrase vahara la cidavi,ÔÇØ and he himself has rendered it there as ÔÇ£manumittedÔÇØ[13] It is evident from these references that ParanavitanaÔÇÖs interpretation of the phrase ÔÇ£vahara la cidavi,ÔÇØ as ÔÇ£freed from slaveryÔÇØ cannot be maintained.
Next, we shall look for evidense to find out what is really meant by the term vahara-la, vahara-laya, vahara-leya and vahara-laha. The term vahara-la is a compound word consisting of two elements, namely vahara and la, laya, leya or laha. Here the first element vahara, as indicated by the above mentioned Vessagiriya Rock Inscription No.4, where it has referred to Kasubgiriya monastery as Kasabagiriye vahara, means a monastery.[14] The meaning of the second element la, laya, leya or laha is ticket-meal or meal-ticket in English and sal─ük─ü in Pali.The word laha or l─ü occurs in the ninth and tenth century inscriptions with reference to alms issued by tickets.[15] It is possible that, like the word paya, meaning ÔÇ£the bowlÔÇØ or ÔÇ£the footÔÇØ subsequently becoming p─ü, the laya in vahara-laya subsequently became l─ü, which word is equivalent to that of Pali sal─ük─ü. If we take the meanings suggested by us to these two words, it can be rendered into English as monastic ticket-meals or meal-tickets. This is supported by two vaharala inscriptions, one found on a flower altar at Dantap─üda vih─üra, near Ballala,[16] which reads thus ÔÇ£Ganayapavaha vasana Jayasava laha cadavavaÔÇØ, means Jayasava who lives at Ganayapavaha caused the issue of a ticket- mealÔÇØ.
The second inscription found on a rock at the foot of a d─üg├ñba, near a reservoir at P─ünama in the Eastern Province reads as ÔÇ£Jeß╣¡ajayapava raja-maha-vahara lahaß╣¡aya …… soß©Àasaya kahavaß╣çaÔÇØ.[17] It may be tentatively renderd into English as ÔÇ£A donation of sixteen kahavaß╣ças for ticket-meals is made to Jeß╣¡ajayapava rajamaha vih─üraÔÇØ. The text of this inscription is somewhat similar to the preamble of the Kaß©Àudiya-pokuß╣ça rock inscription of king Kassapa IV, which reads as ÔÇ£Daß©Àan─ü mi Dakuß╣çgiri veher├ñ┬á maha-sangnaß╣¡ lah─ü bataß╣¡ tevisi kaß©Àandak ran d─½ÔÇØ.(I, Daß©Àan─ü gave twenty-three kaß©Àandas of gold for ticket-mealsÔÇØ.[18]
As to the meaning of the word cidavi, which preceeds or follows the compound vahara-la; it may be noted that we come across the word cinditv─ü or cind─üpetv─ü with reference to the purchasing of ticket-meals from monasteries in Pali literature. It is mentioned in the story of Ariyag─üla Tissa in the Sahassavatthu-pakaraß╣ça of the later Anur─üdhapura period that a lay devotee named Tissa having gone to a monastery caused the monasteric ticket-meals to be issued to him by the monks there.[19] A similar story in the Rasav─ühin─½ refers to a lay devotee named Goß©Àa, who ÔÇ£having gone to a monastery invited the monks therein to accept alms from him, and the monks having accepted his invitation caused ticket-meals to be (broken) issued in his nameÔÇØ (sal─ükaß╣ü attano n─ümena cinditv─ü).[20]
In the first story the word used with reference to the act of issuing the ticket-meals is ÔÇÿcind─üpetv─üÔÇÖ and in the second story it is cinditv─ü. The Pali phrase ÔÇ£sal─ükaß╣ü attano n─ümena cinditv─üÔÇØ which occurs in the above mentioned story in the Rasav─ühin─½, has been rendered into Sinhala in the Saddharm─ülank─üraya by its author as ÔÇ£tamange namin laha kappav─ü,ÔÇÖ thus indicating that the word ÔÇÿcind─üpetv─üÔÇÖ has the same meaning as that of cidavi occurring in the vahara-la inscriptions. Hence, the phrase ÔÇÿvahara-la cidavi ÔÇÿmust be interpreted as ÔÇ£caused the monastic ticket-meals to be issued.ÔÇØ
Prof. Sirimal Ranawella PhD(London)
[1] EZ. Vol.IV, pp. 132-133, 139-140, 144, EZ.V, pp.29, 34; EN. No.17.13, 18.14
[2] Ibid. p.133
[3] PTS. p. 604, Mon. W. p.1013
[4] ASCAR.1892, p.10; ASCAR.1893, p.6, No.101
[5] EZ. Vol.I, p.93, slab A, ll. 41, 45
[6] S─½giri Graffiti, pp.216, 226
[7] EZ. Vol.I, pp.218, line 7, 225
[8] EZ. Vol.II, pp. 264, 269, 274; ÔÇ£Moggaliput Tis mahaterun vahal koß╣¡aÔÇØ
[9] EZ. Vol.V, p. 64
[10] Dhammapadaß╣¡ß╣¡ha-kath─ü, edited by K. Ratanas─ü a Thera, p.10. ÔÇ£dve d─üsa drak─ü bhjisse-katv─üÔÇØ
[11] Ibid. p. 357
[12] Dhampiyā-aṭuvā gäṭapadaya, edited by M. Vimalakitti Thera ,pp.13.12, 171.4-5
[13] EZ. Vol.V, p. 60
[14] EZ. Vol.V, p.133
[15] EZ. Vol.III, pp.258, 259,265;Pragn─ü Prabh─ü, FelicitationVolume, pp.78-79
[16] EN. No.9.3
[17] EN. No.17.3
[18] EZ. Vol.III, pp.258, 259; IC. Vol.V,I, pp.252, 254
[19] Sahassavatthupakaraṇa, edited by P. Buddhadatta Thera, p.54
[20] Rasav─ühin─½ , edited by K. N─ünavimala Thera, p. 275