Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahabharata: Upayana Parva c6.61

c6.61

As the *Mahābhārata* is silent as regards the direction and situation of this country let us examine in detail whether any other source speaks about the country. Happily the author of *Fan yu tsa ming*, a Sanskrit-Chinese lexicon⁹⁷ of Li-yen (713, died between 789-95) comes to our rescue. For Kip-in or Kapiśa, the modern Kāfiristān Li-yen gives the Sanskrit equivalent Karpiśaya, the correct form of which according to Bagchi should be Kapiśaya,⁹⁸ no reasons, however, have been assigned by him for correcting this reading which in our view is correct—the Karpiśaya and Kapiśa being two different spellings of the same word. A fuller account of Ki-pin is needed to determine its identification with Kārpāsika.