North Indian Inscriptions

SUPPLEMENTARY INSCRIPTIONS

(V. 15) He, who attained excessive power and showed great devotion to Śiva in many ways, removed the apprehensions of the world by the multitudes of (his) forces as the Himālaya does with those of rivers.

(V. 16) From him there was (born) (a king) named Gāṅgēyadēva, who was possessed of valour and courage which are akin to great serenity displayed in the prosperity of the world; under whose protection the princes ceased to feel ashamed by (referring to) the stories of the ten-faced (Rāvaṇa) and Arjuna.¹

(V. 17) His lotus-like feet appeared beautiful with the heads of princes bowing to him as though they were the lilies of splendid victory, produced in the water of his sword !

(V. 18) What did not the creeper-like eye-brow and the creeper-like sword of him, who was the abode of the lotus of victory, achieve?-(the former of) which was the night (which shrouded) the valour of (his) enemies and (the latter), the creeper of the ornamental figures (drawn) in musk on the beautiful faces of the quarters?

(V. 19) From him was (born) that Karṇa, the collection of whose excellences deserved praise. That king's army, like his command, went beyond the ocean.

(V. 20) The women of the princes who were his enemies had always, in the forest as in the city, kaṭakas^² on their feet and large necklaces round their beautiful necks.³

(V. 21) His door-keeper thus checked the princes (who had) come to wait upon him (and) who were wrangling among themselves-“Chōḍa, move about lowly; Kuṅga, what is this nonsense thou art talking? Hūṇa, it is not proper for thee to bawl out thus; Gauḍa, give up thy arrogance; Gurjara, do not roar in this manner; Kīra, be silent.”

(V. 22) By diverting his mind, the best of poets, like his sense-organs, greatly increased (his) fame, publicity and wealth.

(V. 23) From Karṇa sprang Yaśaḥkarṇa even as Trikūṭa did from (Mēru) the golden mountain-(he) who became a store-house of changeless excellences even as Tri- Kūṭa became a mine of jewels (hidden) in its peaks.

(V. 24) When he, who was almost like nectar to the distressed, bent the end of his bow, the hostile princes experienced that misery⁴ from which there was, for the most part, no recovery.⁴

(V. 25) He, whose vikrama (valour)⁶ was like the vikrama (step) of Trivikrama, adorned the directions with his glory (which was) white like the moon, and with his deeds (which were) very difficult to perform.

(V. 26) He, clever and adept in policy as he was, achieved the four desired objects of life with the four well-known measures,^7S used in their respective spheres.

(V. 27) From him sprang the king Gayakarṇa, the repository of accomplishments, even as the moon, the store-house of digits, did from the white (milk-) ocean-(he)

¹ The intended sense seems to be that they consoled themselves with the thought that even the mighty Rāvaṇa had to seek the protection of Sahasrārjuna as they had to beg it of Gāṅgēyadēva.
² There is a play on the word kaṭaka here. They had anklets round their feet when in the city, but twists of straw as they roamed through the forest.
³ These necklaces were of pearls etc. when the women were in the city, but of entangled creepers, when they wandered through the forest.
⁴ As already pointed out by Kielhorn, there is a play on the word ārti. When Yaśaḥkarṇa bent the ārti (end of his bow), it (the ārti i.e. misery) went over to the enemy.
⁵ See above, p. 638, n. 17.
⁶ There is a play on the word vikrama here. The vikrama (valour) of Karṇa was great like the vikrama (step) of Trivikrama (i.e., Vishṇu in the Dwarf incarnation).
⁷ These are sāman (negotiation), dāna (bribery), daṇḍa (assault) and bhēda (sowing dissension).