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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
30 kōṇīya-Vrā(Brā)-śrī-Śṛī(Śrī)patēḥ[1] mahāsāndhivigrahika-śrī-Munidāsa-kārita-śāsana-cha-
ṭī 1 vyā[2]-bhū 3/16 [|*]
Of the many contractions used in the section of the inscription quoted above, paṁ and Vrā(Brā) no doubt stand respectively for paṇḍita and Brāhmaṇa. Similarly bhū-drō apparently stands for bhūmi-Drōṇa or bhūmi-Drōṇavāpa (i.e., a Drōṇa or Drōṇavāpa of land) and nā-bhū for nālabhūmi (i.e., cultivated land). The other abbreviations used in the inscription besides these are : (1) sāṁ-hi, (2) grā-hi, (3) vyā-bhū, (4) ṭī and (5) the composite contractions, of which ṭī is a component, such as gṛi-ṭī or gṛiha-ṭī, cha-ṭī, mu-ṭī, gṛi-cha-ṭī, chi-khi-mu-ṭī, and vā-ṭī.
As regards the meaning of sāṁ-hi, the editors of the Mehār inscription observe, “ N. G. Majumdar (Inscriptions of Bengal, Vol. III, p. 146, f.n. 3) explains sāṁ in the sense of sākalyēna, ‘ in all,’ while on page 125, f.n. 2, he rightly suggests that sāṁ-hi stands for śāśvatam. In the Edilpur copper plate of Kēśavasēna, sā or sāṁ stands for sā(śā)śvatan=dāy-ōtpattika(m), hi being obviously sahiḥ (Madanpāḍā copper plate of Viśvarūpasēna, line 44).” It should, however, be noticed that the suggestion regarding sāṁ-hi śāśvatam has been wrongly attributed to N. G. Majumdar who never said anything like that. Again, what was read in the Madanpārā plate as sahiḥ, which gives little sense, is undoubtedly bahiḥ (Bengali baï, ‘ excluding ’).[7] Moreover, how can the meaningless sahiḥ clarify the implication of sāṁ-hi and how can the latter stand for śāśvatam in which neither sāṁ nor hi occurs ? As we have shown elsewhere,[8] sāṁ and hi, together forming the composite contraction sāṁ-hi, stand respectively for the words sāṁvatsarika (i.e., annual) and hiraṇya (i.e., coin or cash). Thus sāṁ-hi-sāṁvatsarika-hiraṇya indicates the annual revenue income of a piece of land in cash. This contraction is invariably followed by the number of Purāṇas constituting the annual revenue income. Similarly hi in grā-hi also stands for hiraṇya and grā is a contraction for the word grāhya, ‘ to be realised ’. This contraction occurs only in line 28 which says that the gṛihi-paṇḍita Nāthōka received a plot of nā-bhū or arable land which was 5/16 Drōṇa in area and fetched the annual revenue income of 1¼ Purāṇas. Of this amount, however, 1⅛ Purāṇas were realisable by the Brāhmaṇa Jalōka so that the land was made rent-free in respect only of the donor’s share in the income constituting ⅛ Purāṇa only. In regard to the contraction vyā-bhū, the editors say, “ Its meaning has so far been missed. The Sāhitya Parishat plate clearly attests that it stands only for chatuḥ-sīm-āvachchhinna-vāstu- ____________________________________________
[1] The editors read Śṛi.º
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