[INDOLOGY] as long as the moon and the sun shall shine

[Tieken, H.J.H.]

Dear List members,

In the Sāñcī version of Aśoka's Schism Edict we come across the expression (putapapotike) caṃdasūriyike, “(as long as my sons and great-grandsons shall reign and) the moon and the sun (shall shine)”. A variant is found in the so-called Seventh Pillar Edict: putapapotike caṃdamasuliyike hotu ti.

I am certain I have come across the expression before, but at the moment can think only of cantirātitta-varai in a South Indian Tamil inscription. Furthermore, I remember having once seen a photograph of a hero-stone (or was it a satī-stone) with a sun and a moon carved in the upper part.

I hope someone on the list can help me with some more information. What I would in particular like to know is how wide-spread this expression is, what are the oldest instances, and if it has been described in the secondary literature.

With kind regards, Herman

Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127
website: hermantieken.com<http://hermantieken.com/>


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