Page:Indian Shipping, a history of the sea-borne trade and maritime activity of the Indians from the earliest times.djvu/166

 indicates that the progress of the foreign intercourse and naval activity of India during the days of the Emperor Chandra Gupta was continued also in the days of Asoka the Great. The 73rd Pallava or chapter of Kshemendra's work above referred to relates how the Emperor Asoka, seated on the throne in the city of Pataliputra, while holding his court, was one day approached by some Indian merchants who traded to the distant islands. They informed him of their losses and complete ruin brought about by the depredations of seafaring pirates called Nagas (probably the Chinese, who are worshippers of the Dragon), who destroyed all their ships and plundered their treasure. They said that if the Emperor was disposed to be indifferent to them they would no doubt be forced to take to other ways of earning their livelihood, but the imperial exchequer in that case was liable to be emptied owing to absence of sea voyages (i.e. if there was a slackening of the sea-borne trade and a consequent falling off in the export and import duties). Then the story goes on to relate how Asoka, after bestowing some thought on the seafaring Nagas, was persuaded by a Buddhist priest to issue a sort of edict (which we may call Asoka's Marine Edict) inscribed on a copper plate, which was, however, contemptuously set at naught by those for whom it was meant. It was only when Asoka became a devout Buddhist that he was able to make the Nagas respect his