West Face of Pillar.
(A) 1 Devānaṃpiye Piyadasi l[ā]ja hevaṃ āhā
(B) saḍuvīsati-vasa-2abhisitena me iyaṃ dhaṃma-lipi likhāpitā
(C) lajūkā me 3 bahūsu pāna-sata-sahasesu janasi āyatā
(D) tesaṃ ye abhihāle vā 4 daṃḍe vā ata-patiye me kaṭe kiṃti lajūkā asvatha abhītā 5 kaṃmāni pavatayevū janasa jānapadasā hita-sukhaṃ upadahevū 6 anugahinevu cā
(E) sukhīyana-dukhīyanam jānisaṃti dhaṃma-yutena ca 7 viyovadisaṃti janaṃ jānapadaṃ kiṃti hidataṃ ca pālataṃ ca 8 ālādhayevā ti
(F) lajūkā pi laghaṃti paṭicalitave maṃ
(G) pulisāni pi me 9 chaṃdaṃnāni paṭicalisaṃti
(H) te pi ca kāni viyovadisaṃti yena maṃ lajūkā 10 caghaṃti ālādhayitave
(I) athā hi pajaṃ viyatāye dhātiye nisijitu 11 asvathe hoti viyata dhāti caghati me pajaṃ sukhaṃ palihaṭave 12 hevaṃ mamā lajūkā kaṭā jānapadasa hita-sukhāye
(J) yena ete abhītā 13 asvatha saṃtaṃ avimanā kaṃmāni payatayevū ti etena me lajūkānaṃ 14 abh[i]hāle vāa daṃḍe vā ata-patiye kaṭe
(K) ichitaviye [h]i esa kiṃti 15 viyohāla-samatā ca siya daṃḍa-samatā cā
(L) ava ite pi ca me āvuti 16 baṃdhana-badhānaṃ munisānaṃ tīl[i]ta-daṃḍānaṃ pata-vadhānaṃ tiṃni divasā[n]i me 17 yote diṃne
(M) nātikā va kāni nijhapayisaṃti jīvitāye tānaṃ 18 nāsaṃtaṃ vā nijhapayitā dānaṃ dāhaṃti pālatikaṃ upavāsaṃ va kachaṃti
(N) 19 ichā hi me hevaṃ niludhasi pi kālasi pālataṃ ālādhayevū ti
(O) janasa ca 20 vaḍhati vividhe dhaṃma-calane saṃyame dāna-savibhāge ti
(A) Ring Devānāṃpriya Priyadarśin speaks thus.
(B) This rescript on morality was caused to be written by me (when I had been) anointed twenty-six years.
(C) My Lajūkas are occupied with the people, with many hundred thousands of men.
(D) I have ordered that either rewards or punishments are left to their discretion in order that the Lajūkas should perform (their) duties confidently (and) fearlessly, that they should bestow welfare and happiness on the people of the country, and that they should confer benefits (on them).
(E) They will know how to cause pleasure and to cause pain (to them), and will exhort the people of the country through those who are devoted to morality, in order that they may attain (happiness) both in this (world) and in the other (world).
(F) The Lajūkas also must obey me.
(G) They will also obey the agents who know (my) wishes.
(H) And these (agents) will also exhort those (people) in order that the Lajūkas may be able to please me.
(I) For, as one feels confident after having entrusted (his) cild to an intelligent nurse, (thinking): ‘The intelligent nurse will be able to keep’ my cild well, so the Lajūkas were appointed by me for the welfare and happiness of the country-people.
(J) In order that they should perform (their) duties, being fearless, confident, (and) unperturbed, for this (purpose) I have ordered that either rewards or punishments are left to the discretion of the Lajūkas.
(K) For the following is to be desired, (viz.) that there should be both impartiality in judicial proceedings and impartiality in punishments.
(L) And my order (reaces) even so far (that) a respite of three days is granted by me to persons lying in prison on whom punishment has been passed, (and) who have been condemned to death.
(M) (In this way) either (their) relatives will persuade those (Lajūkas) to (grant) their life, or, if there is none who persuades (them), they will bestow gifts or will undergo fasts in order to (attain happiness) in the other (world).
(N) For my desire is this, that, even when the time (of respite) has expired, they should attain (happiness) in the other world).)
(O) And various moral practices, self-control and the distribution of gifts are (thus) promoted among the people.
(A) 1 Devānaṃpiye Piyadasi lāja hevaṃ āha
(B) saḍuvīsati-vasābhisitena me iyaṃ dhaṃma-lipi likhāpita
(C) lajūka me 2 bahūsu pāna-sata-sahasesu janasi āyata
(D) tesaṃ ye abhihāle va daṃḍe va ata-patiye me kaṭe kiṃti lajūka asvatha 3 abhīta kaṃmāni pavatayevū ti janasa jānapadasa hita-sukhaṃ upadahevū anugahinevu ca
(E) sukhīyana-dukhīyanaṃ 4 jānisaṃti dhaṃma-yutena ca viyovadisaṃti janaṃ jānapadam kiṃti hidataṃ ca pālataṃ ca ālādhayevū ti
(F) lajūkā pi laghaṃti 5 paṭicalitave maṃ
(G) pulis[ā]ni pi me chaṃdaṃnāni paṭicalisaṃti
(H) te pi ca kāni viyovadisaṃti yena maṃ lajūka caghaṃti ālādhayitave
(I) 6 athā hi pajaṃ viyatāye dhātiye nisijitu asvathe hoti viyata dhāti caghati me pajaṃ sukhaṃ palihaṭave ti 7 hevaṃ mama lajūka kaṭa jānapadasa hita-sukhāye
(J) yena ete abhīta asvathā saṃtaṃ avimana kaṃmāni pavatayevā ti 8 etena me lajūkānaṃ [a]bhihāle va daṃḍe va ata-patiye kaṭe
(K) ichitaviye hi esa kiṃti viyohāla-samatā ca siya daṃḍa-samatā ca
(L) 9 āvā ite pi ca me āvuti baṃdhana-badhānaṃ munisānaṃ tīlita-daṃḍānaṃ pata-vadhānaṃ tiṃni divasāni me [yo]te diṃne
(M) nātikā va kāni 10 nijhapayisaṃti jīvitāye tānaṃ nāsaṃtaṃ va nijhapayi[tav]e dānaṃ dāhaṃti pālatikaṃ upavāsaṃ va kachaṃti
(N) ichā hi me hevaṃ 11 niludhasi pi [kālas]i pālataṃ ālādhayevū t[i]
(O) janasa ca vaḍhati vividhe dhaṃma-calane sayame dāna-savibhāge ti
(A) 1 Devānaṃpiye Piyaḍasi lāja hevaṃ āha
(B) saḍuvīsati-vasābhisitena me iyaṃ dhaṃma-lipi likhāpita
(C) lajūka me bahūsu pāna-sata-sahasesu 2 janasi āyata
(D) tesaṃ ye abhihale va daṃḍe va ata-patiye me kaṭe kiṃti lajūka asvatha abhīta kaṃmāni pavatayevū ti janasa jānapadasa 3 hita-sukhaṃ upadahevu anugahinevu ca
(E) sukhīyana-dukhīyanaṃ jānisaṃti dhaṃma-yutena ca viyovadisaṃti janaṃ jānapadaṃ kiṃti hidataṃ ca pālataṃ ca 4 ālādhayevū ti
(F) lajūkā pi laghaṃti paṭicalitave maṃ
(G) pulisāni pi me chaṃdaṃnāni paṭicalisaṃti
(H) te pi ca kāni viyovadisaṃti yena maṃ lajūka 5 caghaṃti ālādhayitave
(I) athā hi pajaṃ viyatāye dhātiye nisijite asvathe hoti viyata dhāti caghati me pajaṃ sukhaṃ palihaṭave ti hevaṃ mama lajūka kaṭa 6 jānapadasa hita-sukhāye
(J) yena ete abhīta asvathā saṃtaṃ avimana kaṃmāni pavatayevū ti etena me lajūkānaṃ abhihāle va daṃḍe va ata-patiye kaṭe
(K) 7 ichitaviye hi esa ki[ṃ]ti viyohāla-samatā ca siya daṃḍa-samatā ca
(L) āvā ite pi ca me āvuti baṃdhana-badhānaṃ munisānaṃ tīlita-daṃḍanaṃ pata-vadhānaṃ 8 tiṃni divasāni me [y]ote diṃne
(M) nātikā va kāni nijhapayisaṃti jīvitāye tānaṃ nāsaṃtaṃ va nijhapayitave dānaṃ dahaṃti pālatikaṃ upavāsaṃ va kachaṃti
(N) 9 ichā hi me hevaṃ niludhasi pi kālasi pālataṃ ālādhayevū ti
(O) janasa ca vaḍhati vividhe dhaṃma-calane sayame dāna-savibhāge ti
