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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA proceeding to describe the family history of Rāṇā Rājasiṁha, commencing from the king Vāshpa, the poet cites a concordant passage stated to be from the Vāyupurāṇa, which, according as the poet gives it, occurs in the Ēkaliṅga-māhātmya in the sixth chapter of the Mēdapāṭīya-khaṇḍa of the said Purāṇa. Once Pārvatī, being distressed by the pangs of separation from Śiva, was shedding tears and in that condition she addressed Nandin thus : ‘ O Nandin ! since I am shedding tears today, being unable to bear the separation from Śiva, therefore you will, owing to a curse formerly uttered by me, become a king named Vāshpa (tear).[1] At the holy place called Nāgahrada (Nāgdā, near Ēkaliṅgajī) you will worship Śiva and will thereby acquire a kingdom which you will enjoy in the same way as Indra enjoys his, and afterwards will attain to heaven.’ Next, with distressed looks Pārvatī said to Chaṇḍagaṇa : ‘ Since you, as a door-keeper, have failed in your duty by not guarding the door, therefore be thou a hermit, Hārīta by name, in Mēdapāṭa (Mewār) ! Having adored Śiva there, you will attain to heaven.’[2]
Towards the end the poet declares his intention first to describe the solar house, and concludes the first chapter by giving his own lineage thus :─
Slab III ; Canto II The third slab which contains the second canto of this Rājapraśasti-mahākāvya, gives a list of the Sūryavaṁśī kings, which is for the most part mythical. Verse 18 gives Kuśa and Lava as Rāma’s son and grandson respectively, whereas according to other sources they both are Rāma’s sons. The list enumerates mythical kings beginning from Manu and ending with Vijaya, the total number being one hundred and thirtyfive. There is a pause after the mention of the 92nd (or 93rd) king of the list, namely Bṛihadbala,, where the poet points out that Bṛihadbala was killed by Abhimanyu in the Mahābhārata battle and that the kings up to Bṛihadbala have been described as the past kings and those from Bṛihadbala downwards as the future kings by Vyāsa. After mentioning Sumitra, the 122nd king, in verse 30, the poet again points out that the line of kings terminating with Sumitra is known as the Ikshvāku family and that the kings, as told by the poet, are also enumerated in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa in its ninth skandha. In verse 35 we are told that these kings belonged to Ayōdhyā. Form the next verse we learn that Vijaya, the last monarch, left Ayōdhyā, conquered the rulers of the southern region and _____________________________________________________________ [1] For another fanciful derivation of the name Vāpā, see the Jagannātharāya temple inscription, above, Vol.
XXIV, p. 65, v. 8.
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