South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

AJMER STONE INSCRIPTION

century court poet of the Chāhamānas of Ajmer, regards Kṛishṇa as the eighth incarnation of Vishṇu, while the author of the Belāva plate^[1] of king Bhōjavarman (12th century) of Eastern Bengal, recognises the same divinity merely as aṁśakṛit-āvatāra, i.e., a partial incarnation. Another contemporary author, Jayadēva, who was a court poet of king Lakshmaṇasēna (circa 1179-1206 A.C.) of Bengal puts Haladhara (i.e., Balarāma-Saṅkarshaṇa) in the place of Kṛishṇa as the eighth incarnation of Vishṇu in the list of the ten avatāras in the Gītagōvinda.^[2]

TEXT^[3]

[Metres : Verses 1, 6, 8-9, 12-13, 20, 37 Vasantatilakā ; verse 2 Pṛithvī ; verse 3 Sragdharā ; verses 4, 5, 10, 14-16, 18-19, 21, 24, 32-33, 36 Śārdūlavikrīḍita ; verses 7, 17 Mālinī ; verse 11 Vaṁśashavila ; verses 22, 27 Śikhariṇī ; verses 23, 25 Anushṭubh ; verse 26 Svāgatā ; verse 28 Upēndravajrā ; verse 29 Hariṇī ; verse 30 Mandākrāntā ; verse 31 Indravajrā ; verse 34-35 Upajāti.]

1 Siddham ||^[4] Ōṁ namō Narāyaṇāya || Ārādhanīyam=amarair=api pātu yushmān=pād-āraviṁda- yugalaṁ Garuḍadhvajasya | vinyasta-kaustubhamaṇēr=urasō=varuhya Lakshmīr=nakh- āṁśu-khachitaṁ bhajatē bhṛiśaṁ yat || 1 || Jagaj-janana-pālana-pralaya-kēli-kārō muhur= mahā-danuja-nāki-

2 nāṁ vihita-nigrah-ānugrahaḥ | vihaṁgapati-vāha[nō] bhujagarāja-talpē-śayaḥ śriyē bhavatu vō bhav-āṁvu(bu)nidhi-karṇṇadhārō Hariḥ || 2 || Ōṁkārō dānava-strī-samudaya-rudita- vra(bra)hma-pārāyaṇānāṁ kalp-āṁt-āravdha(bdha)-bhāra-stanita-jaladhara-śrēṇi-śaky- ānukārah | pāp-āhi-kshvēḍa-pī- |^[5]

3 ḍā-nipatita-sukṛit-ōtthāpan-āmōgha-maṁtrō jīyād=yuddhē[shu] [sa] Śrī-sahachara-Murajit- pāṁchajanya-praṇādaḥ || 3 || Mūrdhni Śrī-kucha-kuṁbhayōr=nipatitā muktā kalāpāyatē lagnā talpa-bhujaṁga-puṁgava-tanau nirmōka- paṭṭāyatē | nābhī-nīraruhasya sannidhi- charī yā rājahaṁsāya- |^[5]

4 tē sā pāṇi-sthita-pāṁchajanya-kiraṇa-śrēṇī Harēḥ pātu [vaḥ || 4 || Vāta-vyādhi^[6]-yutō vayasy=ati-gurau tishṭhan=va(n=ba)lī saṁtataḥ saty-āsakta-matir=jjagatra(t-tra)- ya-hitaṁ kurvvan=dadhānaḥ kshamāṁ(mām) | aṁtaḥsthaṁ gamayan=dhanaṁjayam= anauddhaty-ānvitaṁ dīpra-bhāṁ(bhaṁ) śrēyaḥ-saṁtatayē Purāṇapurushō dē- ||^[7]

5 vaḥ sad=aiv=āstu vaḥ || 5 || Vakshaḥsthal-ōchchhalita-kaustubha-kāṁ[ti-liptaṁ] pāṇi- sthitam=bhavatu Chakradharasya chakraṁ(kram) | yuddhēshv=anēka-danujēṁdra- kaṭhōra-kaṁṭha-chchhēd-āvasakta-rudhir-augham=iva śriyē vaḥ || 6 || Vilasita-vanamālō dīpta-Vairōchana-śrī-viratikṛid=anurajyat-Pannagārir=nikāmaṁ(mam) |

6 bhuvana-janaka-vidyut-puṁja-pīt-āṁva(ba)rō vō ghaṭayatu ghana-kālaḥ [Kē]śavō maṁgalāni || 7 || Ślishyat-sudarśana-payōdhara-kṛishṇam=udyad-bhīm-āhava-prakaṭit-āṁdhaku(ka)- putra-nāśaṁ(śam) | stutyaṁ su-parvvabhir-alaṁkṛita-dharmma-pākaṁ Vyāsasya kāv- yam=iva pātu Harēr=vvapur=vvaḥ || 8 || Astr=īti viśva-viditō= |^[5]

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^[1] N. G Majumdar, Inscriptions of Bengal, Vol. III pp. 14 ff.
^[2] Verse 12. Jayadēva’s list of the avatāras corresponds to that given in a Puranic verse quoted in an eighth century inscription from Māmallapuram (Mem. ASI, No. 26, p. 5).
^[3] From impressions.
^[4] Expressed by symbol.
^[5] The danda is superfluous.
^[6] Some space is left unengraved after vyādhi.
^[7] The two daṇḍas are unnecessary.