South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

liberality of others, while their own practice of liberality lagged behind that of Karṇa^[1] [i.e. while the stream of their rutting-juice flowed beneath their ears (karṇa)], the elephants of the quarters, utterly abashed as it were, posted themselves at the confines of the quarters.

(V. 6.) The Kali age─ witnessing how the Gaṅga, who, of consummate strength, had never been conquered by others, and who, having overrun the face of the earth, was filled with unparalleled conceit, at last by Him was imprisoned─ fled far away, for fear, as it were, of being chastised in its own body.

(V. 7.) Having closely hemmed in the Pallava, on the one side by his army abounding in warriors with drawn^[2] swords, and on the other by the sea fearful with sporting sharks, and having received from him, bent in submission, elephants shedding streams of rutting-juice, He, strange (to record), day after day touched never even an atom of rutting-juice^[3] [i.e. He betrayed never even an atom pride].

(V. 8.) By his matchless armies having quickly driven into the trackless desert^[4][ Vatsarâja who boasted of having with ease appropriated the fortune of royalty of the Gauḍa, He in a moment took away from him, not merely the Gauḍa’s two umbrellas of state, white like the rays of the autumn moon, but his own fame also that had spread to the confines of the regions.

(V. 9.) Since by the pure conduct of the dwellers of the earth He swiftly drove far away the Kali age that was established here, and completely reinstated the glory of the golden age,^[5] it is marvelous how Nirupama came to be Kali-vallabha, ‘ the Favourite of the Kali age.’

(V. 10.) As the moon, whose rays cling to Paramêśvara’s^[6] lofty head, emerges bright from the sea, and as the sun, causing joy to the lotus, day by day rises brilliant from the high orient mount, so from that Nirupama, firm of character, was born a son of pure disposition, whose feet

jyêshṭhâtikrama, i.e. overstepping or, as the commentator puts it, transgression of the commands (nirdêśôllaṅghana) of an eldest brother. For the moon’s behavoiur towards Bṛihaspati’s wife compare Vâs. p. 273, Gurudâra-grahaṇaṁ dvijarâjô ’ karôt ; Harshach. p. 97, dvijânâṁ râjâ Gurudâra-grahaṇam akârshît ;and especially the beautiful story told ibid. p. 281. For dôsha, ‘ vice.’ and dôshâ, ‘ night,’ see e.g. Kâd. p. 37, gharmakâla-divasa iva kshapita-bahu-dôshaḥ, ‘ he had subdued many vices, and was therefore like a summer day which shortens the long night ;’ and for the double meaning of maṇḍala compare Vâs. p. 189, surâjêva rakta-maṇḍalaḥ . . . rajanîpatiḥ, where maṇḍala is paraphrased by bimba, ‘ orb,’ and amâtyâdi-samûha, ‘ the collection of minister etc.’

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^[1] The adjective ending with -saṁtatibhṛitaḥ can only be taken to qualify diggajâḥ. Employed in accordance with the figure of kâvyaliṅga, it gives the poet’s reason why the elephants were ashamed and retired to the confines of the quarters. The king’s liberality exceeded that of all others, theirs was inferior at any rate to that of Karṇa. Karṇa is well-known as a pattern of munificence. For the double meaning of the word karṇa compare Vâs. p. 62, Suyôdhana-dhṛitim iva karṇa-viśrânta-lôchanâm, ‘ her eyes extended to her ears (karṇa), and she therefore was like Suyôdhana’s firmness which left him when he saw Karṇa ;’ for that of dâna, ibid. p. 74, matta-mâtaṅgs iva . . . adharîkṛita dânaḥ, ‘ he eclipses the liberality (of others), and is therefore like a rutting elephant whose rutting-juice is flowing down ;’ Kâd. p. 90, diggajam iv=âvichchhinna-mahâdâna-saṁtânam ; etc.
^[2] The ordinary Sanskṛit expression for ‘ to draw ’ thesword is ut-khan, and the dictionaries give no quotation to shew that nish-kṛish has the same meaning ; but the latter verb is used e.g. in Harshach. p. 130, nishkṛishṭa maṇḍalâgrau, ‘ with drawn swords.’
^[3] In Harshach. p. 220, it is similarly said of Skandagupta, the commandant of Harsha’s elephant troop : âtmastha-samasta-matta-mâtaṅga-sâdhanô ’py = aspṛishṭô madêna, ‘ with a whole army of rutting elephants at his disposal, he was yet untouched by rut ’ (i.e. presumption ; compare Prof. Cowell’s Translation).
^[4] Or ‘ Maru country ’ (Mârvâḍ) ; and ‘ the king of the Vatsas.’
^[5] Beneath the rule of Prabhâkaravardhana ‘ the golden age (kṛita-yuga) seemed to bud forth in close packed lines of sacrificial posts, the evil time (kali) to flee in the smoke of sacrifices meandering over the sky ;’ see Harshach. p. 133, and Prof. Cowell’s Translation.
^[6] I.e. Śiva’s. For the double meaning of paramêśvara compare e.g. Harshach. p. 162, idânîṁ tu śaś=îva śirasâ paramêśvarêṇ=âsi vôḍhavyô jâtaḥ, ‘ but now you are one to be supported by the king, like the moon by Paramêśvara (Śiva), on his head ;’ for that of pâda, ibid. p. 215, kshmâpatînâṁ śiraḥsu śaratsavit=êva lalâṭaṁ-tapân prayachchha pâda-nyâsân, ‘ like the autumn sun, set your forehead-burning footsteps (rays) upon the heads of king (the tops of mountains).’