LECTURE
26
i
an irrefragible character, and most of the European scholars will not even entertain the idea that the Yavanas or Greeks might possibly have been on the borders of India it
although
is
of
long before Alexander, and that Panini's reference to this people is thus perfectly compatible with the date assigned to him by Goldstucker
and
Sir
Ramkrishna.
In
fact,
I confess that
the possibility of the Yavanas having come in contact with the people of India long prior to the time of Alexander had suggested itself to me when I first took up the study of the Asoka inscriptions.
Rock Edict XIII,
as
most of you Greek kings,
must be aware, speaks of five whose kingdoms were, of course, outside India, at any rate, outside the dominions of Asoka. But I am not referring here to the passage which contains the name of these Greek poten-
am
alluding here to that part of the edict which gives the list of those peoples whose And countries were included in Asoka's empire. I
tates.
this
be
list,
Yonas, after
it
noted,
whom
are
begins with these very
mentioned Kambojas,
and so forth. The question here Who were these Yavanas ? Of course, arises they were Greeks. But where are they to be Gandharas :
placed?
It
is
no doubt tempting to say that
occupied Bactria which was at a somecertainly associated with Greek rule, In As'oka's time at any rate. what later
they
may have
period,
4