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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
SUPPLEMENTARY INSCRIPTIONS we find that ch and v are almost alike in form, as in vivartta- and chakra, both in l. 1, whereas dh shows its own distinct form in bearing the horn on its left limb, and the vertical of dhā are joined by a horizontal stroke, as in śraddadhā-, l. 2. The rēpha is often denoted by a serif, attached to the lowest extremity of the preding letter, as in chakra, l. 1 ; and the slightly varying forms of the palatal sibilant are to be seen in kṛiśa and śraddadhāna, both in l. 2. The conjunct shṇa in ushṇa, l. 3, is written a shla. Mistakes of engraving, which are only a few, are noticed below in the text. The language is Sanskrit ; and excepting an initial short sentence paying obeisance to the Sun-deity, the record is metrically composed. It contains ten verses, the last of which is incomplete. The verses are not numbered. The orthography calls only for a remarks, which are usual, e.g., the doubling of a class consonant following r, as in karmma, l. 5 ; the occasional interchange of the palatal and the dental sibilants, e.g., in praśāda and prakāsa, respectively in ll. 2 and 4 ; the general use of the sign for v to indicate b ; and finally, the use of anusvāra for final m, even wrongly at the end of stich, except in a few instances, e.g., at the end of the first-half of vv. l. and 2. The mātrās of dipthongs are used before a letter, and sometimes also above it.
The extant portion of the inscription does not refer itself to the name of any king nor does it bear any date. Thus, historically it is of no value. Its importance, however, lies in showing the popularity in Mālwā, of the worship of the Sun-deity, eulogised in it, in the twelfth century, to which its palaeography belongs, and this account is corroborated by another eulogy of the same deity, engraved on a slab which was found at Vidisha.[1] Beginning with the Siddham symbol followed by the word svasti and a short sentence showing obeyance to the Sun, the inscription has a maṅgala-ślōka, intending to say that this deity bears the nave of the moving world-wheel, to which his rays in the form of spokes are attached. In the next stanza the poet shows his modesty, and the god’s (Sun’s) favour which actuates him to compose the eulogy. The following two stanzas refer to the well-known fact that the Sun’s splendour is (reflected) in the moon and also to be seen in the fire, which is eulogised by the gods, and that he is the lord (store) of the eternal light. Verses 5-6 state that the Brahman and the world are nothing but the forms of the Sun, the first of these being unmanifested and minute, as to be seen only by the ascetics, and the latter, when it becomes manifest and extensive, in the world. The next stanza, which is partly preserved, means that the deity imparts lustre, not only to the eyes but also to the mind. The last verse identifies the world with the Sun-God. No geographical name appears in the extant portion of the record.
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with the sign of anusvāra above.