阿育王法敕 RE IV

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《阿育王刻文》卷1：「第四章
過去幾百年之長期間，唯屠殺生類、殺害有情[1]，行非禮[2]於親族，唯增長行非禮於沙門、婆羅門。然，現在依天愛喜見王法之宣行[3]，若使見蒼生、天宮之光景[4]、諸象、眾多之火蘊及其他天上之諸形相者，不僅鼓響[5]為法鼓，或現依天愛喜見王法之教勒，過去幾百年間之未曾有：如不屠殺生類、不殺害有情，對親族禮讓、對於婆羅門、沙門禮、對父母柔順、對耆宿柔順[6]、增長。如是既增長此等并其他種種法之宣行。而且，天愛喜見王又於將來亦應增長法之宣行。更於天愛喜見王之諸皇子諸皇孫，即至壞劫止[7]亦令增長此法之宣行。〔各自親躬〕住於法、戒、應以法為教誨。然，為法之教誨[8]者，此即為最勝業，又無戒者即無有法之宣行，因此令此事之增長而不為損減者，此是善也。
此為〔法勅〕之目的，〔即朕之子子孫孫〕專心為此事之增長，勿為損減，令刻之。灌頂過十二年之年，天愛喜見王令刻[9]。

第五章」(CBETA, N70, no. 38, p. 202, a10-p. 205, a4 // )

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[1]有情 bhuta（K, Sh, M）, bhūta（G, Dh, J）譯為眾生文字，在此是與生類相對而用，大致指人類之意思。
[2]非禮 asaṁpaṭipati（K, Sh, Dh）, asapaṭipati（M）, asaṁpratipatī（G）。
[3]法之宣行 dhaṁma-calana（K, Dh, J）, dhrama-caraṇa（Sh, M）, dhaṁma-caraṇa（G）闍羅那是進行。
[4]天宮之光景 vimana-dasanā（K）, Vimana-draśana（Sh, M）, vimāna-darśanā（G）, vimana-dasana（Dh）義瑪那又義瑪阿那是言梵天神之宮殿時之宮殿，於同時指梵天神之住，所支配之天世界。光景之原語應是見者或使見之意義。諸象 hathini（K）, astini（Sh, M）hathīni（Dh）, hastidasaṇā（G），此最後者是諸象之光景的意思。象是牽引四天王之車，或菩薩由兜率天下入母胎所取之狀態，應指此任何之一。甚多火蘊 agi-kaṁdhāni（K, Dh）, joti-kaṁdhani（Sh）, agi-kaṁdhani（M）, agi-khaṁdhāni（G）火蘊是火集之意。譬喻是形容優秀出色的人，又用於形容天優秀之諸神故，於此亦指諸神之意思。其他有天上之形相故，皆是此種類物之理。所花費，見前所言之宴聚，以法勸人民，法勿論言佛教之法故，天宮等亦皆不相違於佛教的。
[5]鼓響 bheli-ghosa（K, Dh）, bherī-ghoṣa（Sh, M）, bherī-ghosa（G）鼓言大鼓，但此戰之前行布告之時，又是一般瞧熱鬧而鳴之物，古昔是於宴聚之際而鳴之物。勿論在廣義，亦含括戰鬥時大鼓之意思，但於同時見天官之光景，為進行法之宣行，此代為法響。
[6]K 無有對耆宿柔順之一句，Sh 是對父母并耆宿柔順。
[7]至壞劫止 āva-savaṭa-kapā（G）此唯 G 有之句其他皆為至劫止，即至劫終，或唯此劫中。
[8]法之教誨 dhaṁmānusāsana（K, Dh, G）, dhramanuśaśana（Sh, M）。
[9]Sh 最後之部分，想（ñana）示為開始刻立。

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《阿育王刻文》RE IV.

In the past, for many hundreds of years, killing or harming living beings and improper behavior towards relatives, and improper behavior towards Brahmans and ascetics has increased. But now due to Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi’s Dhamma practice, the sound of the drum has been replaced by the sound of Dhamma. The sighting of heavenly cars, auspicious elephants, bodies of fire and other divine sightings has not happened for many hundreds of years. But now because Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi promotes restrain in the killing and harming of living beings, proper behavior towards relatives, Brahmans and ascetics, and respect for mother, father and elders, such sightings have increased.

These and many other kinds of Dhamma practice have been encouraged by Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, and he will continue to promote Dhamma practice. And the sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of the Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, too will continue to promote Dhamma practice until the end of time; living by Dhamma and virtue, they will instruct in Dhamma. Truly this is the highest work to instruct in Dhamma. But practicing the Dhamma cannot be done by one who devoid of virtue and therefore its promotion and growth is commendable.

This edict has been written so that it may please my successor to devote themselves to promoting things and not allow them to decline. Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi has had this written twelve years after his coronation.

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Its text mentions, among the evil practices of the past, discourtesy (asampratipatT) to relatives (hatTsu) and discourtesy to brahmans and sramanas (bramhanasramananam). Thanks to the king's propagation of dhamma, the attitudes of discourtesy are replaced by courtesy {sampatipatl). The new royal law promotes the principle of 'willingness to be advised' (susrusa) by parents (*mother-and-father', mataripitari) and, as nearly all translations of the Edict would have it, by the aged (thaira). It should be noted, however, that by introducing these new terms the text forms a set of two oppositions related to the concepts of generality and specificity. In the first pair (natTsu :: mataripitari), the first term ('relatives') is general and linked to the attitude of 'courtesy', the second ('parents,) is specific and linked to 'willingness to be advised by'. The fact that in the second pair (bramhanasramana :: thaira) the first term is linked to the attitude of 1courtesy, and the second to 'willingness to be advised by' makes it possible to presume that here as well what is denoted by the first term is general, and by the second, specific. Since both the pairs are built along the same pattern, thaira would have to be semantically close to bramhanasramana and stand for a specific group of persons of religious authority.