North Indian Inscriptions

SRAVANA-BELGOLA EPITAPH OF MALLISHENA.

scholar I shall inevitably inflict a thorough defeat, which cannot be measured (i.e. described) by words. Know, O king ! that such is the belief of Hêmasêna !”

......(V. 38.) to be praised aloud is that sage Dayâpâla, whose Hitarûpasiddhi was composed in noble style for men desirous of (their own) welfare, (and) who, celebrated for (his) power, (was carried) on the head (i.e. worshipped) by the good.

......(V. 39.) The only exceedingly virtuous person is the ascetic Dayâpâla, the lord whose preceptor was the holy Matisâgara, the producer of a moon of glittering fame ;¹ whose fellow-student was the holy Vâdirâja, the head of a school ; (and) in whose mind (dwelt) hatred of his own body ;— we need hardly mention that (he) called the wives of others devils.²

......(V. 40.) A speech which illumined the three worlds (trailôkyadîpikâ), has issued only from two persons on this (earth) ;³ one (was) the king of Jinas (Jinarâja), the other, Vâdirâja.

......(V. 41.) To be served by the wise is the holy Vâdirâja, whose fame, like a (royal) parasol, constantly covered the sky (and) desired (to outshine) the disc of the moon ; near whose ears glittered masses of speeches, like rows of tails of female chamaras ;⁴ the might of whose chair was to be worshipped (even) by lions ;⁵ (and) at the greatness of whose excellence loud cheers were uttered by all the disputants, as by subjects.

......(Line 117.) NOTE.— To his virtues refers the following play of words of the poets :—

......(Line 118.) Obeisance to the Arhat !⁶

......(V. 42.) “In the victorious capital of the glorious Châḷukya emperor (chakrêśvara), (which is) the birth-place of the goddess of Speech, the sharp-sounding drum of the victorious Vâdirâja suddenly⁷ roams about. (The drum sounds) “jahi” (i.e. strike !), (as though) its pride in disputation were rising ; (it sounds) “jahihi” (i.e. give up !), (as though) it were filled with the conceit of being convincing ; (it sounds) “jahâhi” (i.e. give up !), (as though) it were envious of the speech (of others) ; (and it sounds) “jahîhi” (i.e. give up !), (as though) it boasted of clear, soft, sweet and pleasant poetry !

......(V. 43.) “The king of serpents, whose thousand tongues are well-known, lives in the lower world ; (and) Dhishaṇa (Bṛihaspati), whose pupil is (Indra) the bearer of the thunderbolt, will not leave heaven. Let these two live on account of the strength (i.e. the inaccessibility) of their abode ! What other disputants in this court of the lord⁸ do not abandon all conceit and bow to the victorious Vâdirâja ?
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......¹ Matisâgara means ‘the ocean of wisdom,’ and the moon is supposed to have been produced from the ocean. Compare verse 35.
......² I had originally taken âstâm as 3rd du. imperf. of as and as predicate of both kathâ and vigrahaḥ. Professor Kielhorn pointed out to me that it is better to take it as the 3rd sing. imper. of âs.
......³ In the case of Vâdirâja this may imply that he was the author of a book entitled Trailôkyadîpikâ. A Jaina geographical work of this name is referred to by Wilson, Mackenzie Collection, p. 169.— [A Digambara work entitled Trailôkyadîpikâ has Indravâmadêva for its author. But the same title occurs elsewhere, also among the Śvêtâmbaras. The author’s name, as given in the inscription, viz. Vâdirâja, is a frequent epithet which makes any final identification impossible.— E. L.]
......⁴ This verse institutes a comparison between a king and Vâdirâja, whose name means ‘the king of disaputants.’ The subjects of the king are represented by the disputants, and his parasol by Vâdirâja’s fame. For the king’s chaurîs the author discovered an equivalent in Vâdirâja’s speeches, which, like the former, were near the ears, because they proceeded from the mouth, and which resembled the former in whiteness, because they exposed the teeth. As chamarîja for châmara, vâgja appears to be used for vâṅmaya.
......⁵ This alludes to the lion-throne (siṁhâsana) of kings.
......⁶ Compare page 201 above, note 1.
......⁷ Nishkâṇḍam is the same as the usual akâṇḍê.
......⁸ This appears to refer to the Châḷukya emperor mentioned in the last verse. Professor Kielhorn pointed out to me that inasabha is a neuter according to the Kâśikâ on Pâṇini, ii. , 423.