North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF RATANPUR

wisdom, the support of modesty, a large shrine of steadiness, the residence of wealth, the dwelling of beauty, the house of contentment and the sole receptacle of glory.

(V. 18) He had a wife named Lakhamā who was, as it were, his own body, the sole receptacle of all virtues, who resembled Rati in lovely from and Arundhatī in righteous deeds and who, being religious-minded, was the desired object of the prosperity of her house.

(V. 19) He had a son (named) Purushōttama who bore his name significantly;^¹ who was the sole resting place of a multitude of excellences such as boundless self-control and forgiveness, an ornament of the family of earthly gods (i.e., Brāhmaṇas), the foremost among statesmen, the performer of blameless deeds and the first among wise persons possessed of great and attractive prowess;

(V. 20) Who adopted exaltation from the celestial mountain (Mēru), serenity from the ocean, munificence from (Karṇa) the son of the Sun, vigorous lustre from the sun, great prowess from the lion, bright mass of fame from (Rāma) the exterminator of Rāvaṇa, learning from Bṛihaspati and an excellent and beautiful form from the god of love.

(V. 21) O Wish-fulfilling Tree, be happy, getting rid of all exhaustion ! O Mēru, you also are now free from the fear of being wounded^² ! That celestial Cow also may now repair to her calf ! May that Purushottama be long-lived in (this) world !

(Vv. 22-23) Having seen him whose intellect was adept in deciding doubtful matters of royal policy, who had an excellent nature on account of his use of the three royal powers, who was free from pride because of the great religious merit accruing to him by the use of the six measures, whose good character was tested by all kinds of tests^³ and who was endowed with the multitude of ministerial qualities, Ratnadēva (II), the lord of Kōsala, gave him the unique post of Sarvādhikārin and ruled without any trouble for a long time.

( V. 24) Though he was elevated to the position of Sarvādhikārin, he become famous on the earth as one who bore the burden of the four (purushārthas).

(V. 25) The multitude of princes being vanquished by his policy as well as by his weapon, the king ruled on the orb of the (whole) earth without any trouble.

(V. 26) He (i.e., Purushōttama) captured the Khimmiṇḍi maṇḍala and made the Talahāri (maṇḍala) attractive. He had a fierce arm in subduing Daṇḍapura and was clever in overcoming Khijjiṅga. He killed Haravōhu (and ) his valour was invincible in threatening the lord of Daṇḍabhukti.

(V. 27) His son was Madhusūdana; (then) was born his younger brother Lakshmīdhara and the blessed Yaśōdhara and another meritorious one named Gaṅgādhara. That wise (Purushōttama) had these four sons well-versed in statecraft, who were, as it were, the four objects of human life^⁴ incarnate, moving about on the orb of this earth

(V. 28) Among them this Madhusūdana, who had a multitude of all noble qualities, infinite prowess and modesty and who is an abode of sport, has attained great fame whereby his father has been placed in the forefront of all fathers.

(V. 29) Having realized that human life is unsteady like the flapping of the elephant's ears and is subject to innumerable sorrows , and that wealth, being momentary, is
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¹I.e., he was the best of men.
² The wounds of Mēru are caused by the gifts of gold from the slopes of the mountain.
³ For the various upadhās or tests of honesty, see Kauṭilya’s Artbaśāstra (second ed. By Shama Sastri), p. 16.
⁴ These are dharma (religious merit), artha (wealth), kāma (enjoyment of pleasures) and mōksha (liberation).