South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

(L. 45.) I also have given twelve nivartanas of land at Koḷanûra itself, and at each of the following thirty villages within its bhutki,^[1] viz. Avaravâ[ḍ]i, Beṇḍanûru, Muduguṇḍi, Kittaivoḷe, Suḷḷa, Mus[a], Ḍa[dh]ere Mâvinûru, Mattikaṭṭe, Nîla[gun]dage, Tâḷikhêḍa, B[e]ḷḷeru, Saṁgama, Pirisiṅgi, Muttalagere, Kâkeyanûru, Behuru, Âlûgu, [Pârva]nagere, Hosañ[ja]ḷa[lu], I[n]dugalu, Neri[la]ge, Haganûru, Unalâru, Iṇḍagere, Munivaḷḷi, Koṭṭa[s]e, Oḍḍiṭṭage, Si[kimabri ?], and Giri[pi]ḍalu.

Lines 48-57 contain the usual admonition not to obstruct the grantee and to preserve the grant, and quote six benedictive and imprecatory verse (37-42), ascribed to Vyâsa.

(L. 57.) This has been written by the bhôgika Vatsarâja, an official in the court of justice, born in the clan of the Vâḷabha Kâyasthas, the son of Śrîharsha^[2] and servant of Nâgavarman Pṛithvîrâma, keeper of village records and war-elephant of writers.

(V. 43.) The chief (adviser) of Baṅkêyarâja, the wise Mahattara Gaṇapati, who is near the Râjâ’s person, has executed all this.

(V. 44.) Ever Victorious, like a royal edict,^[3] be this doctrine of the Jinas, which destroys the false doctrines of people who are filled with an excessive pride arising from ignorance ; which brings about the true happiness of all who act in obedience to the commands of the wise ; which is the place of glory of the excellent syâdvâda by which things appear under manifold forms, and grants the quintessence of good conduct !

(V.45.) Victorious be the holy sage Mêghachandra, who is the moon to the ocean of the nectar of established truths,^[4] the sun to the lotus─ reasoning, the one continuous stream of nectar to garden─ speech, the crest-jewel of the lords among contemplative saints ; whose lofty second name of Traividya is truly appropriate ; who has shaken off the god of love, and is a thunderbolt to the mountains─ other creeds !

(V. 46) Manifestly, the fame, pervading the world, of this Mêghachandra, the foremost of devotees, has shone forth and entered (here), glittering like the fibres of the waterlily (and) lovely like the bulbous root of the plantain tree, saying (to itself), “ Lo! the flock of female haṁsas begin to think of drinking ; the collection of female chakôra birds approach to peck with their beaks ; Îśa gives orders for the decoration of his matted hair ; (and) Kṛishṇa is eager to choose (an occupant) for his couch.”^[5]

(V. 47.) Vîranandin, the chief of sages, owns on earth the glory (of being) rich in benevolence, he who is the husband of the young woman─ renown of cleverness, the ornament of every kind of excellence, the offspring of Mêghachandra-Traividya, a stroke of lightning to split the mountain Madana,^[6] the crest-jewel of the crowd of those who know

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^[1] Or, perhaps, ‘ within that bhukti ’ (of the Majjantiya seventy villages, mentioned before).
^[2] Or ‘ of the illustrious Harsha.’
^[3] The word for ‘ doctrine ’ in the original is śâsana which also means ‘ an edict ;’ and the author calls the doctrine of the Jinas a râja- śâsana, or ‘ royal edict.’
^[4] Compare Inscr. at Śravaṇa-Beḷgoḷa, p. 8, l. 15, Jinêśvara-mata-kshîrâbdhi-târâpati ; p. 48. l. 4, from bottom, siddhântâmṛita-vârddhi-vardhana-vidhu ; p. 49, last line, Jinâgama-sudhârṇṇava-pûrṇṇachandra ; and other similar passages.
^[5] For the exact meaning of the several words of this charming verse, which in the original is in Kanarese, I have consulted Dr. Fleet and the Rev. Mr. Kittel. Ordinarily, fame for its brightness is compared, among other objects, with milk, lotus fibres the moon, and Śrî (the wife of Vishṇu-Kṛishna ; compare e.g. Inscr. at Śravaṇa-Beḷgoḷa, Roman text, p. 15, l. 4. ff.). Here, the fame of Mêghachandra is actually identified with all four, and is made to appear in the world, of its own accord, to fulfil the demand for them on the part of respectively the haṁsa and chakôra birds, and the gods Śiva and Kṛishṇa, The words translated by ‘ for the decoration of ’ literally mean ‘ to place in.’ Concerning the haṁsas, I may remind the reader of the well-known line haṁsair=yathâ kshîram=iv=âmbumadhyat.
^[6] I.e. the god of love.