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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA in battles fought by the Wind, Garuḍa, the Siddhas, the Yakshas, the Râkshasas, the Vidyâdharas, the Bhûtas, the Gandharvas, the Châraṇas, the Moon, the Sun, the Asterisms and the Planets, (appeared to be himself) plunging into the sky from the shoulder of his choice elephant ; (and) who (thus) raised his family to high fortune, ─ caused, as a pious gift, on the top of the Tiraṇhu mountain similar to the top of the Kailâsa, (this) cave to be made quite equal to the divine mansions (there). And that cave the great queen, mother of a Mahârâja and grandmother of a Mahârâja, gives to the Saṅgha of monks in the person of the fraternity of the Bhadâvanîyas ; and for the sake of the embellishment of that cave, with a view to honour and please the great queen his grandmother, her grandson . . . . . lord of [Dakshiṇâ]-patha, making over the merit of the gift to his father, grants, grants to this meritorious donation (viz. the cave) the village Pisâjipadaka on the south-west side of mount Tiraṇhu. Renunciation to the enjoyments of every kind.”
For all the proper names which are enumerated in line 2, I must refer the reader to the short geographical index given at the end of the Nâsik chapter in the Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. XVI.[1] The names Surâshṭra, Anûpa, Âkarâvantî, Kukura and Aparânta appear again in the Rudradâman inscription at Girnâr.[2] The observations to which they have given rise, will be found especially in Arch. Surv. West. India, Antiq. of. Kâthiâwâr and Kachchh, p. 128 ff., and Ind. Ant. Vol. VII. p. 257 ff. This reference establishes the reading Âkarâvantî, and even in Sanskṛit orthography the form Kukura. Of the other names, Asika may be = Ashaka, or also Aśvaka ; but I am not prepared to admit for Asika the connection with the Arsacidæ which was proposed by Bhagwanlal. They are simply the Ṛishikas who are well known from the Epic, and for whom I may refer to the Zeitschr. für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, Vol. II. p. 58 f. The verse from the Mahâbhârata (V. 81) which is noted there (Kâmbôjâ Ṛishikâ¸yê cha Paśchimânûpakâścha yê) very conveniently brings them into contact with the Anûpa country. Seeing them here immediately associated with the Aśvakas, one is reminded of the legends which were current of their marvellous horses. The Muḷakas remain shrouded in obscurity. Bhagwanlal adduced the dynasty of the Muṇḍakas, known from the Vishṇupurâṇa ; and the way in which they are there mentioned together with the Śakas and Tukhâras is such as to commend the hint. But I am doubtful about the change of ḷ into ṇḍ.[3] As to the names of mountains, I do not think there can be any hesitation in reading Pârichâta. It must therefore be admitted that the form Pâriyâtra need not necessarily be proscribed as was done by Bühler, who otherwise agreed with Bhagwanlal in the identification of that range. As to Macha (apparently = Mañcha), we have nothing to rely on but the conjecture of Bhagwanlal, too bold I fear to be really convincing. Cases like gahata = gṛihastha (K. 5) do not permit us to be quite as positive as Bühler regarding the impossibility of Siriṭana being = Śrîstana. I am less inclined to consider seṭa = śvêta in Seṭagiri. On the other hand, the name can hardly be connected, as Bhagwanlal wanted, with Sâḍagera, Sâḍakara, which in the Kuḍâ inscriptions (1, 9) has no e in the first syllable, and which, as a family or tribal appellation, rather reminds of the name of Sâta(or Sâda)karṇi.
The compound savarâjaº is slightly irregular ; but in the somewhat loose style of Prâkṛit
we often meet with forms like savalokarâjamaḍala or savalokamaḍalarâja. The transposition of abhayodakadânakilina (= abhayadânodakakilina), proposed by Bhagwanlal and
Bhandarkar (Or. Congr. 1874, p. 313), would give a decidedly better construction and bring out
more clearly the antithesis between bhayadâna and nirbhaya ; but it has no bearing on the general
meaning. The attribute dhamopajitaº is meant to imply that the king not only levied taxes in
strict accordance with the law, but used them exclusively for just purposes.
[1] Compare also Mr. V. Smith’s note in the Zeitschr. D. Morg. Ges. Vol. LVI. p. 674 f.
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