South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

The learned editor introduces this verse by remarking that it “expresses a wish that the glorious Sarvanandīndra may ‘dispel the drought of sin by the clouds (or waters) of his conduct’. The reading in the photograph appears to be jaḷa-dhāraiś─, in which case it would refer to the waters of his pure conduct. ” His translation of the couplet accordingly runs as follows : “May the glorious Sarvanandīndra wonderfully effect the destruction of the drought of sin by the clouds (or waters ?) of (his) ceaseless teaching and (his) absolutely pure conduct ! ”

First of all, the possibility of the reading jaḷa-dhāraiś- is ruled out by the fact that it militates against the metre, not to speak of the dubious nature of the use of dhāraiḥ for dhārābhiḥ.^[1] Secondly, the term nidāgha, that has been taken in the sense of ‘ drought, ’ usually means ‘ heat,’ ‘ summer,’ or ‘ hot weather.’ This primary sense of the word appears to be quite appropriate in the given context. In fact, it is doubtful whether the word nidāgha has ever been used in the sense of ‘ drought.’

It is, however, the last word of the couplet that the present note seeks to draw particular attention to. Indra in Sarvvanandīndra is evidently not to be equated with Bhaṭārar in Sarvvanandi-Bhaṭārar that occurs in the Kannaḍa portion. The word indra appended to the name Sarvanandin plainly refers to Indra, the lord of gods, the god of rains, with whom Sarvanandin is metaphorically identified. The rest of the verse will bear it out that we have here a clear instance of the figure of speech, called Rūpaka, and that the very Indra is the mainstay thereof. The idea embodied in the verse thus becomes manifest : as the god Indra allays the oppressive heat by pouring rain, so may the holy Sarvanandin dispel the evil by spreading knowledge and thereby turning the common herd into good characters.

Finally, as implied by the above free rendering, the long compound in the beginning also lends itself to an interpretation slightly different from the one offered by Sri Krishnamacharlu. According to him, it speaks of two diverse things : śāstra-dāna and pravimala-chāritra. And the chāritra he takes as referring to that of Sarvanandin himself. It would perhaps be preferable to treat the two things not as separate, but the first as the cause and the other as its effect, and thus the chāritra as referring to that of the people at large. This would not only justify the plural number employed in the expression, but would also be more in consonance with the adage vidyā dadāti vinayaṁ vinayād yāti pātratām. etc. A more literal rendering of the stanza would therefore be : “ May Indra, (the god of rains,) (in the guise) of the holy Sarvanandin, in his wonderful way, put an end to the (blazing) heat (in the form) of the evil by means of rain-clouds (in the shape) of perfectly flawless characters (produced) through his ceaseless teaching or continuously disseminating knowledge^[2] (among the people) ! ”

_________________________________________________

^[1] What has been taken for the length mark (or medial ā) on the letter dha seems to have been cancelled by the engraver.
^[2] Considering the religion of the teacher spoken of, the śāstra here may be taken as adverting to the Jaina scriptures, but may as well be taken in its broader sense of knowledge as defined in the nīti :

Mr. P. B. Desai, Epigraphical Assistant, has kindly pointed out to me that the inscription is in the nature of an epitaph and that the concluding expression in the Kannaḍa portion, sanyāsanan=nōntu muḍipidar, translated as ‘ completed the vow of renunciation,’ implies, as similar expressions in similar Jaina inscriptions do, that Sarvanandin died. In that case, the blessing invoked in the Sanskrit Āryā would sound rather inconsistent unless, of course, Sarvanandin’s agency as preacher or teacher, after his death, be understood to be continuing through the succession of his disciples.