South Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE EARLY GURJARAS

a multitude of supplicants by the incessant flow of his charity, as an excellent elephant pleases swarms of bees by the unceasing flow of his rut; who was attended by splendid glory as the elephant is attended by his charming mate;¹ who always walked with an unfaltering step and whose great excellence was due to his noble descent, as the elephant’s splendid form is due to his excellent back-bone; who had his body horripilated when he struck down (hostile) kings by the blow of his arm (and) whose voice was sweet like (the sound of) the falling of the water of the stream of the Rēvā (Narmadā). He was compared with the moon in respect of gentleness, purity, beauty and (proficiency in) arts,² but not in that of any stain,-with an assemblage of lotuses in respect of having overcome the troublesome members of (his) family (as lotuses get over thorns) by the mass of (his) splendor on account of his being the adobe of royal fortune (Śrī) (as the lotuses are the adobe of lakshmī), but not in respect of being produced from sin,³ -¬¬--with the lord of beasts (i.e., the lion) in point of courage, energy and valour, but not in that of having a cruel heart---with the great ocean in respect of beauty, stability, serenity and maintenance of the bounds of mortility,⁴ but not in that of giving shelter to wicked persons,⁵---with the mountain Himālaya, in respect of being the resort of noble men of learning in his excellent capital⁶, but not in that of being surrounded by degraded warriors.⁷ His excellent wealth, which, like the excellent hood of the serpent Śēsha, had its magnificence manifested by hundred of jewels of spotless rays, was shared by that whole world.⁸ His noble birth was revealed by (his) character,---his power, by ( the implicit obedience of his) commands,---his (skills in the use of) weapons, by the submission of (his) foes,---his wrath, by the punishment (inflicted on his enemies),---his favour, by (his) gifts,--- (and) his piety, by the worship of gods, Brāhmanas and elderly persons.

(Line 15) His son (was) the illustrious Jayabhata [I], who had the other name of the illustrious Vītarāga, who was resplendent like heated glittering gold ; who, like the wish-fulfilling tree, incessantly granted the desired objects (of supplicants), who was always and invariably an ornament (to his family) as the vernal season, is to cycle of seasons, as a grove of blossoming and densely growing mango tree is to the vernal season, as an assemblage of lotuses is to a lake, as blooming is to an assemblage of lotuses, as a jewel is to a great serpent, as spotless radiance is to a jewel, as the pot of nectar was to the ocean, as the power of conferring immortality is to the pot of nectar, as rutting is to an elephant, as dalliance is to a young lovely women, as conferment on a worthy person is to wealth, as a sacrifice is to religion, as the time of distributing the sacrificial fee is to a sacrifice, as good nature is to love, (and) as a collection of spotless digits is to the moon ; whose face was lovely like the full moon ; who was affable (and) liberal and who had won the goddess of victory in fighting with the armies of his powerful foes. To him all virtues together with humility resorted as if seeking his protection from fear of their foe, the Kali (age). He, who had shining and spotless frame as a dark cloud has a bright flash of lightning, and who delighted the whole living world, removed the evils of avidity and worry of supplicants as a dark cloud roaring, not in vain, removes the thirst and heat
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¹Dr. Fleet’s translation 'who reduced (even) those who were not (his) adherents to submission by (his) brilliant fame’ has little connection with original.
²In the case of the moon, (kalā) means 'a digit,’
³The lotuses, however, are produced from panka (mud).
⁴The ocean also keeps within bounds.
⁵The ocean, however, gives shelter to serpents in its water.
⁶The Himālaya has the prosperous Vidhyādharas (demi-gods) residing on its excellent slopes (kataka).
⁷See Manusmriti, ch. X, v. 22. The Himālaya, however, is girt by the Khaśa tribe.
⁸The serpent Śesha’s hood supports the whole world.