South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

and thirst, are looking for herds and (rain-giving) clouds in the mountains, the towns, the oceans and the earth.^[1]

(V. 14.) On Saturday, the Harivâsara of the bright half of the month Âshâḍha, to be counted in the Śaka year marked by Sâḷuva (Sâḷuvâṅka), the town of Koṇḍavîṭi, the excellent hill-fort,^[2] was taken by the minister Sâḷva-Timma.^[3]

(V. 15.) (The procreation of) a son, (the planting of) a grove, (the construction of) a tank, (the consecration of ) a temple, the marriage (of a girl) to a Brâhmaṇ, (the hoarding of) a treasure, and (the composition of) a poem are the seven saṁtânaka acts which cause happiness in this world and in the next one ; the glorious lord Sâḷva-Timma, the prime-minister of the glorious king Kṛishṇa, has so often performed them, from the Bridge to the snowy mountain, that one cannot count them.^[4]

(V. 16.) There is, born in the lineage of Kauśika, the best of the family of Nâdiṇḍla, an excellent minister, Timma, who has the true knowledge of him whose nature is intelligence.^[5]

(V. 17.) Kṛishṇâmbâ, renowned as Arundhatî,^[6] because she does not oppose (arundhatî) the command of her husband, is regarded as Anasûyâ, because she is always free from spite (anasûyâ).

(V. 18.) The minister Nâdiṇḍla-Timma was married to Kṛishṇamâmbâ ; his sons were the excellent ministers Appa and Gôpa.

(V. 19.) The sister’s sons of the glorious minister Sâḷva-Timma, who continued his family, were the excellent ministers Nâdiṇḍla-Appa and (Nâdiṇdla-)Gôpa.

(V. 20.) Appa,^[7] who manifests himself in the waters and (who bears the epithet) Prachêtas, and Nâdiṇḍla-Appa, who is easily accessible^[8] and intelligent, are the lords, the one of the western, and the other of the southern ocean.

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^[1] In order to remove any doubt about the meaning of the words giri-pura-jaladhi-kshmâsu gûḍhaṁ pralînâḥ an explanation has been inserted at the end of the stanza : 1 437 Śak-âbdâlu [1*] su gûḍhaṁ pralînâḥ aksha[ra*]-saṁjña, i.e. ‘ 1437 Śaka years ; su gûḍhaṁ pralînâḥ is a notation by letters.’ We have therefore to take s(u) as 7, g(û) as 3, ḍh(aṁ) as 4, and p(ra) as 1. There is a slight irregularity in the last akshara. According to the established usage, in groups of consonants the last consonant only counts (compare Burnell, South-Indian Palæography, 2nd ed., p. 79), whereas in this case p must have been intended to express the numeral, r having the value of

^[2] . As the reading pralînâḥ is supported by both inscriptions as well as by the Koṇḍavîḍu inscription (compare p. 112, note 3), I have not ventured to alter the text, although the reading pralînân seems to me far better. In that case the meaning would be that the princes are searching for the Śaka years deeply hidden in the mountains, the towns, the oceans and the earth, which, from an Indian point of view, would be an excellent pun, whereas in the text as it stands the words gûḍhaṁ pralînâḥ are quite superfluous. 2 With naga-râjaṁ compare the terms durggâṇâṁ sârvvabhaumaḥ and giri-varaḥ applied to a hill-fort in an inscription of the time of king Bukka ; South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. I. p. 167. The neuter form of the word, though not in accordance with grammar, is warranted also by the Koṇḍavîḍu inscription (compare p. 112, note 3).
^[3] Here again, at the end of the stanza a gloss has been inserted, stating that Sâḷuvâṅka is a chronogram : Sâḷuvâṁka akshara-saṁjña | 1437 Śaka-varshâlu. It appears that s(â) is 7, ḷ(u) 3, v(âṁ) 4, and k(a) 1. This again is not quite in accordance with the table given by Burnell, where ḷ has the value of 9. The author of the inscription apparently looked upon ḷ as equal to ḍ or l.
^[4] The seven saṁtânas or saṁtatis are mentioned also in v. 24 below, in 43 of the Gaṇapêśvaram inscription of Gaṇapati, above, Vol. III. p. 88, in v. 9 of the Vânapalli plates and v. 17 of the Naḍupûru plates of Anna-Vêma, ibid. pp. 61 and 289 ; compare the notes of Dr. Hultzsch on the first two passages.
^[5] I.e. Râma. With chinmay-âtman compare the epithets jñân-ânanta-sad-âtmaka and bôdh-âtman applied to Râma in vv. 4 and 46.
^[6] This would be the literal meaning of the passage, but the author did not want to say that Kṛishṇâmbâ really was called Arundhatî. In the Koṇḍavîḍu inscription (compare p. 112, note 3) nûnam has therefore been substituted for khyâtâ.
^[7] I.e. Varuṇa.
^[8] Âpya-mûrti, as applied Nâdiṇḍla-Appa, seems to mean ‘ whose person is obtainable,’ i.e. ‘ who is easily accessible.’