North Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PARAMARAS OF MALWA

EULOGY OF SUN-GOD COMPOSED BY CHHITTAPA

...the stars disappear (as the maiden closes the pupils of her eyes, due to delight). Verse 19 shows how the Sun-deity’s very appearance is welcomed ; the sky-maiden (div) is delighted, and from her is snatched the moon, in the form of her ear-ornament, by the West, her evening-garment by the East, and her star-necklace by the day. [1] Verse 20 almost repeats the idea of verse 13, stating that the Sun has equal regard for all his maidens, which are the East (prāchī), the West (pratīchī), and the sky (div). Verse 21 again embodies a praise ; and the next verse states that the deity (also) destroys internal darkness, i.e. ignorance, as of outside. The verse that follows (23) sum- marises to mention the different synonyms of the deity, viz, ins, arka and sūrya, which are all significant, showing his residence in the three worlds, viz., bhū, bhuva and svar [2]

...The following prose portion states that the eulogy was composed by Paṇḍita Chhittapa who enjoyed the title mahākavi-chakravartin. The same line (21) contains the name of the person who wrote the stuti on the stone ; but unfortunately his name is lost. Then there are the usual expressions meaning ‘auspicious, great fortune,’ followed by the statement that the eulogy was got composed by Śrī-chandra, [3] who was a daṇḍa-nāyaka. He was probably in charge of the region around Bhilsā (Vidisha).

... The extant portion of the inscription does not show any date, nor has any complete work of Chhittapa come down to us. But we have some means to know his approximate time. Dr. Sircar has noted that the pratīkas of all the stanzas attributed to this poet have been quoted in alphabetical order by F. W. Thomas in his edition of the Kavīndravachanasamuchchaya ; and six of his stanzas have been quoted in Bhōja’s Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa, one in the Kavīndravachanasamuchchaya which was complied before the end of the twelfth century, and forty-nine in the Sadūktikarṇāmṛita, compiled by Śrīdharadāsa at the court of Lakshmaṇasēna of Bengal. [4] From all these evidences Sircar agrees with Thomas who held that Chhittapa was a contemporary and probably a court-poet of the Paramāra king Bhōjadēva.

... No geographical Name appears in the inscription.

TEXT [5]
[Metre : Anushṭubh].

_________________________

[1] As stated by me in a f. n. in the transcript, the fourth letter of the latter half of this verse is hnō and not hō. And the word pūrṇa-pātra means ‘a cup filled with valuable things (clothes, ornaments, etc.). to be scrambled by servants or relatives on festive occasions’ ; and the idea expressed here is that friends and servants snatch away (the splendour of) the sky (div.) on the Sun’s arrival.
[2] The synonyms given here are ina (ētīti inaḥ , i. e ., svarlōkāt): arka (bhū-lōka-vāsī): and sūrya (sarati ākāśē, lōkaṁ suvati, i.e. karmaṇi prērayati vā).
[3] It cannot be known whether his name was Chandra or Śrīchandra.
[4] Dr. Sircar has also quoted a stanza of the same poet from the Sadūktikarṇāmṛita ( III, 36). the third foot of which reads ; Ślōghyaḥ syāt tava Bhōja-bhūpati-bhuja-staṁba-stutāv=udyamaḥ. This clearly shows that Chhittapa was Bhōja’s court-poet. There are, however, two more references in the same work, the first (III. 1) giving the name of Bhōjadēva and the second (III, 30) having the expression Mālav-ākhaṇḍala.
[5] From impression and the original stone.
[6] Excepting these three, all the aksharas in this line, which contained two and a quarter verses, are lost.some are visible in the form of traces.
[7] As here, at the beginning of each line also, the missing aksharas are supplied by context, of course jecturally and are put in brackets.
[8] The akshara in brackets is damaged; but it is more like त than च.
[9] this akshara, as it can be read on the stone is देand not देas taken by sircar
[10] The sign of visarga was inserted subsequently.
[11]The medial u attached to this letter was subsequently scroed off as unnecessary.

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