South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

(gods) bowing (before him) as (the lotus is reddened) by the early rays of the sun ; which is embellished by the waves of light from the thunderbolt of the slayer of Vṛitra^[1] as (the lotus is embellished) by flights of bees ; and which is distinguished by the tinkling of its anklets as (the lotus is distinguished) by the sweet sounds of the female flamingoes.

(V. 6.) There is (a king) called the glorious Kṛishṇarâya, the head-ornament of kings, whose lotus-like feet are illuminated by the crest-jewels of princes.

(V. 7.) Through the precious stones presented by the glorious king Kṛishṇa the houses of the learned and the poets have pavements sparking with jewels of different kinds, and have (thus) become jewel-mines ^;[2] veracious people (therefore) speak of the ocean which is (now) only a receptacle of floods of water (only in terms meaning water-receptacle, such) as ambhôdhiḥ, jaladhiḥ, payôdhiḥ, udadhiḥ, vârâm nidhiḥ, vâridhiḥ.

(V. 8.) In the court Kaliṅga is seen the pillar of victory of the glorious king Kṛishṇa, (resembling) a stake for (tying) the elephants of his enemies, a post for (sacrificing) his foes in battle like cattle at a sacrifice, a shaft thrust into the hearts of his enemies, a lofty radiant shoot of splendour, the tusk of the boar-bodied (Vishṇu) rising from the lower regions by piercing the earth.

(V. 9.) The great chancellor, the glorious Sâḷva-Timma, the best of ministers, rules the empire of the glorious king Kṛishṇarâya.

(V. 10.) The glorious minister Sâḷva-Timma, the best of the family of Kauṇḍinya, is the son of the minister Râcha, the son of minister Vêma.

(V. 11.) We are not aware that the leaders of the learned differ in any way (from Sâḷva-Timma) as to their wealth (obtained) by donations, their sports with Padmâ^[3] or Vâṇî,^[4] the number of their excellent jewels, the thousands of their fair-eyed women, their beautiful mansions and palaces, their unequalled attendants or their carriages for horses, elephants, etc. ; (but) verily, well we know how (in one thing) Sâḷva-Timma differs from them, for he is victorious in battle.

(V. 12.) Was it, because she was ashamed (of being obliged) to clean herself from the contact with the mud, that Padmâ gave up the dwelling in the mud-born (lotus) and abides in the water-born (lotus) of thy face, together with her daughter-in-law Vâṇî,^[5] O Sâḷva-Timma ! (who on that account art both) Chaubattamalla (and) Chaturânana ?^[6]

(V. 13.) When Sâḷva (or the hawk), surnamed Timma, the one chief minister on account of (his knowledge of) the four means and the three powers together with the seven constituents (of government),^[7] after having captured the swan-like kings appointed by Gajapati in Koṇḍavîṭî, is planning an attack, the hostile princes, secretly absconding, tormented by hunger and thirst, are searching for the Śaka years in the mountains (7), the towns (3),^[8] the oceans (4) and the earth (1), (thus) resembling birds which, flying off unnoticed, tormented by hunger

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^[1] I.e. Indra.
^[2] Or, oceans ratnâkara being a common term for ocean.
^[3] I.e. the goddess of riches.
^[4] I.e. the goddess of learning.
^[5] Vâṇî (Sarasvatî) is called here the daughter-in-law of Padmâ (Lakshmî), because, as a rule, learning and
wealth agree as little with each other as, according to Indian ideas, a mother-in-law with her daughter-in-law.
^[6] Sarasvatî is generally supposed to dwell in the mouth of Chaturânana (Brahman), while Lakshmî is the consort of Vishṇu. Chauhattamalla, therefore, seems to be used here as a name of Vishṇu, though I do not find it mentioned anywhere else. Chauhatta seems to be equivalent to the Sanskṛit Chaturhasta ; compare Chaturbhuja, a common name of Vishṇu-Kṛishṇu.
^[7] The four means (upâya) are sâman, dâna, bhêda, and daṇḍa ; the three powers (śakti) are prabhâva, utsâha, and mantra ; the seven constituents of government (aṅga) are svâmin, amâtya, suhṛid, kôśa, râshṭra,
durga, and bala ; compare Amarakôśa, II. 8, 17 ; 19 ; 20. The four numbers given the date 1437.
^[8] I have found pura with the value of 3 only in the list of numerical words given by Mr. Rice, Mysore Inscriptions, p. xx f. It occurs in the same meaning in v. 30 below. Pura in this sense refers to the three cities built by Maya and destroyed by Śiva.