North Indian Inscriptions

SRAVANA-BELGOLA EPITAPH OF MALLISHENA.

to find. Thus, there are (many) scholars in the Kali age ; (but) none (among them) are such poets, such masters among disputants, so eloquent, (and) of minds equally skilled by the study of various science, as I.”

......(Line 55.) Obeisance to Mallishêṇa-Maladhâridêva !¹

......(V. 22.) “As thou, O king ! art known here (on earth) to be skilled in subduing the arrogance of all enemies, so am I famed on this earth as the destroyer of the whole pride of scholars. If not, here I am, (and) here in thy court good (and) great men are always present. Whose is the power to speak, let him dispute (with me), if he should know all sciences !

......(V. 23.) “(It was) not because (my) mind was influenced by self-conceit (or) merely filled with hatred, (but) because (I) felt pity for those people who, having embraced Atheism, were perishing, that, in the court of the glorious king Himaśitala, I overcame all the crowds of Bauddhas, most of whom had a shrewd mind, and broke (the image of) Sugata with (my) foot.”

......(V. 24.) The only abode of greatness (is) that holy sage, the saint Pushpasêna, whose colleague was that holy one.² (Is) not among flowers the lotus, whose friend is the sun, the only site in this (world) of the sports of (the goddess) Srî ?

......(V. 25.) If scholars were able to understand properly the difficult style, which subdued the pride of all disputants, of the preceptor Vimalachandra, the king of sages, would (they) not then be able to explain (the style) of (Bṛihaspati) the lord of speech ?

......(Line 67.) NOTE.— For, the following verse, which caused pain to the hearts of opponents, (records that) he hung up a letter (in public):³—

......(V. 26.) “To the gate of the spacious palace of Śatrubhayaṁkara, which is constantly thronged with passing troops of horses and numbers of mighty elephants of various kings, the high-minded Âśâmbara (i.e. Digambara) Vimalachandra eagerly affixed a letter (addressed) to the Śaivas, the Pâśupatas, the son of Tathâgata (i.e. Buddha), the Kâpâlikas, (and) the Kâpilas.”

......(V. 27.) O good men ! if you are afraid of being overcome by the devil of sin, then serve the holy sage Indranandin, who was worshipped by many kings !

......(V. 28.) Who (was) skilled in crores of chains of arguments ?⁴ Doubtlessly the eloquent Paravâdimalladêva, the king of scholars,⁵ alone.

......(Line 75.) NOTE.— He addressed the following etymological interpretation of his own name to Kṛishṇarâja, who had asked for (his) name :—

......(V. 29.) “That (view) which is different from the accepted view, is ‘the other’ (para) ; those who profess this, are ‘the professors of the other (view)’ (paravâdinaḥ) ; he who wrestles with these, (is) ‘the wrestler with the professors of the other (view)’ (Paravâdimalla) : This name good men declare (to be) my name.”

......(V. 30.) Let him be carried on the head (i.e. worship him), the ascetic Âryadêva, the best of teachers, the establisher of the (Jaina) doctrine (râddhânta), who, being engaged in (the
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......¹ These words have no connection with the context and are merely introduced in order to all up the vacant space at the end of the last of the north face of the pillar.
......² The word सभवान्‌, by which Akalaṅka (verse 20) appears to be meant here, occurs again in line 132 f Professor Kielhorn informs me that, according to the Mahâbhâshya on Pâṇini, v. 3, 14, it used like .
......³ [As bere âlambana, the verb lambayati denotes the ‘hanging up in public’ of a half-ślôka in the story of Brahmadatta ; Professor Jacobi’s Ausgewählte Erzählungen in Mâhârâshṭrî, p. 18, lines 21 and 24, and p. 140 of the Glossary, where the word is erroneously translated by ‘spreading.’— E. L.]
......⁴ Literally, ‘in statements about the pot’ (ghaṭa), which is one of the favourite example of the Naiyâyikas, and evidently of the Jainas as well ; see Dr. Bhandarkar’s Report on Skt. MSS. 1883-84, p. 95.
......⁵ With vidâṁ dêvaḥ compare paṇḍita-dêva in line 210.