Pancharatra and the Greeks

From the Bhakti List Archives

• July 24, 2002


Sri:
Gurubhyo Namaha

Dear Mani,

Thank you for your insight. Heliodorus was not the ambassador of
Megasthenes. Megasthenes himself was an ambassador of the Greeks to
the court of Chandragupta Maurya.

Here are the details from the Besnagar Inscription which point out to
the universality of the Sri Vaishnava faith. I do hope readers would
find this interesting.

They can be found in the Gosai.com link which you pointed out
previously.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
The following transliteration and translation of this ancient Brahmi
inscription was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
(London: JRAS, Pub., 1909, pp. 1053-54.

1) Devadevasa Va [sude]vasa Garudadhvajo ayam 2) karito i[a]
Heliodorena bhaga- 3) vatena Diyasa putrena Takhasilakena 4)
Yonadatena agatena maharajasa 5) Amtalikitasa upa[m]ta samkasam-rano
6) Kasiput[r]asa [Bh]agabhadrasa tratarasa 7) vasena [chatu]dasena
rajena vadhamanasa 

"This Garuda-column of Vasudeva (Visnu), the god of gods, was erected
here by Heliodorus, a worshipper of Visnu, the son of Dion, and an
inhabitant of Taxila, who came as Greek ambassador from the Great
King Antialkidas to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior, then
reigning prosperously in the fourteenth year of his kingship."
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Regards,

Malolan Cadambi


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