South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

46vulâlâ paśchimataḥ Miriyaṭhâṇa uttarataḥ Varaha-grâmaḥ^[1] êvam=ayaṁ^[2] chaturâghâṭan-ôpalakshitaḥ tathâ A-
47 ^[3]nantavipṇu(shṇu)bhaṭṭa-Viṭṭhuduvê[jha] – ^[4] G ô i n d a [ ṁ ] m a s h a ḍ a ṁ g a [ v ] i [ t?^[5] ]- Savvibhaṭṭa-Chandaḍibhaṭṭa-Kuṇṭhanâgaibhaṭṭa-Mâdha-
48 vairiyappu-Viṭṭhapu-Dêvaṇaiyyabhaṭṭa-Rêyaiyyabhaṭṭ-êty-êvamâdi-pramukhâ n â ṁ ( ṇ â ṁ ) vrâ(brâ)hmaṇâ-
49 nâṁ chatvâriṁśad-mahâjana-samanvitânâṁ Rattajuṇa-grâmaḥ s-ôdraṁgaḥ sa- parikaraḥ sa-
50 daśâparâdhaḥ sa-bhûtôpâttapratyâyaḥ s-ôtpadymânavishṭikaḥ sadhânyahiraṇyâdêyaḥ a-châṭa-
51 bhaṭa-prâvêśyaḥ sarva-râjakîyânâm=a-hastaprakshêpaṇîyaḥ â-chandr-ârkk-ârṇṇava- kshiti-sarit-parvata-
52 samakâlînaḥ putra-pautr-ânvaya-kram-ôpabhôghyaḥ^[6] pûrvapratta-dêvavrâ(bra)hmadâya¬- rahitô=bhyantarasi[d*]dhyâ bhû-
53 michchhidra-nyâyêna Śa[ka*]nṛipakâl-âtîta-saṁvatsara-śatêshu saptasu tṛiṁ(triṁ)śad-uttarêshu Sarvajin-nâmni saṁvat[sa]-
54 rê Śrâvaṇa-vahula^[7] amâvâsyâṁ sûryagrahaṇa-parvaṇi va(ba)li-charu- vaiśya(śva)dêv-âgnihôtra-pañchamahâyajña-^[8]
55 kṛi(kri)y-ôtsarpaṇârthaṁ snâtv=âdy=ôdak-âtisargêṇa pratipâditaḥ [|*] Yatô=sy=ôchitayâ vra(bra)hmadâya-sthityâ
56 bhuṁjatô bhôjayataḥ kṛishatô karshayataḥ pratidiśatô vâ na kaiśchid=alp=âpi paripaṁthanâ kâryâ

TRANSLATION OF VERSES 1-20.

Ôṁ. (Verse 1.) May He^[9] protect you the lotus of whose navel was made by Brahmâ into his own abode, and Hara^[10] too, whose head is adorned by the lovely crescent of the moon !

(V. 2.) There was on the earth a king Kṛishṇarâja, whose neck was clasped by the outstretched hands of Forutune^[11] shining on his broad chest, who was gifted with truth,^[12] and who by his large armies defeated the armies of opponents─ [and who thereby was like the god Ḳṛishṇa] whose neck is hidden by the long rays of the Kaustubha gem glittering on his broad chest, who is united with Satyâ, and who with his broad disc defeats hosts of enemies─ yet whose deeds were not like Kṛishṇa’s^[13] [i.e. whose deeds were not black (kṛishṇa)].

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^[1] Prof. Bühler read the name Vaḍaha-, but the second akshara undoubtedly is ra.
^[2] Prof. Bühler read êvam-êva.
^[3] In the names in this line and the next Prof. Bühler read 14 aksharas differently.
^[4] I am not absolutely certain that the akshara in brackets is really jha in the original, but it certainly looks more like jha than anything else. See above, p. 241, note 3.
^[5] Very probably this final t was engraved above the line, between vi and sa, where the impression and the accompanying collotype shew a kind of blot which has been carefully effaced in the photo-lithograph accompanying Prof. Bühler’s paper.
^[6] Originally -kramôṁpabhôgyaḥ was engraved.
^[7] Read -bahul-âmâvâsyâṁ.
^[8] Before this word one would have expected to read, as in the Waṇî grant, -âgnihôtr-âlithi-.
^[9] I.e. Vishṇu.
^[10] I.e. Śiva.
^[11] Referred to the king, śrî-kaustubha would literally mean ‘ Fortune (as bright as) the Kaustubha gem,’ and referred to the god Kṛishṇa it might mean either ‘ the glorious Kaustubha gem ’ or ‘ Lakshmî and the Kaustubha gem.’ Similar compounds are most common ; and so is the idea that Fortune rests on a king’s breast.
^[12] Satyânvita = satya + anvita and Satyâ + anvita, and Satyâ is a shorter form of the name Satyabhâmâ, denoting one of Kṛishṇa’s wives. Compare Vâs. p. 122, Kṛishṇa iva satyabhâmôpêtaḥ, ‘ he was endowed with truth (satya), spendour (bhâ), and fortune (mâ), and therefore like Kṛishṇa who is united with Satyabhâmâ.’
^[13] Only for those who are not familiar with the devices of Indian poets, I would state that these words are by no means intended either to convey any censure of the god Kṛishṇa, or to draw a distinction between that god and the king. The poet merely employs the figure of speech termed virôdha (or virôdhâbhâsa). In saying that