Pīparḍūlā Plates of Narendra, Year 3

Metadata

Current Version: draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00001

Hand Description:

Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier: Year 3"

Origin:

Classification:

Languages:

Secondary language is late_Brahmi, script and

Corresponding Artefact: CONARTDaksinaKosala00001

Layout: engraved-22 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.

Edition

Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh

khaḍgadhārājitabhuvaḥ śara(bhā)t prāptajanmanaḥ

nṛpateś śrīnarendrasya śāsanaṁ ripuśāsina⟨ḥ⟩

Plates

^{⎘ plate 1v}^1v1spiralR svasti śarabhapurān mahārājaśrīnarendraḥ
^1v2nandapurabhogīyaśarkarāpadrake brāhmaṇā-
^1v3dīn prati◯vāsikuṭumbino bodhayati

^1v4Eṣa grāmo rāhudevena svapuṇyābhivṛddha-
^1v5ye brāhmaṇavājasaney¡aṁ Ā!⟨ā⟩treyasagotra-
^{⎘ plate 2r}^2r1svāmippāya tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩śāsanenātisṛṣṭo mayā-
^2r2pi ca Acāṭabhaṭaprāveśya Ity anumodito
^2r3yato bha◯vadbhir asya yathākālaṁ meya-
^2r4hiraṇyādīnāṁ pratyāyānām upanayanaḥ
^2r5karttavyaḥ

bhaviṣyataś ca bhogapatīn abhinandayati
^{⎘ plate 2v}^2v1pūrvvadatter anupālanāc chreyasā sambandhaḥ Ā-
^2v2cchedāc ca pratyapāya Ity anuprapaśyadbhir bhavadbhi-
^2v3r asya grā◯masyānupālanaṁ karttavyaM
^2v4vyāsagītāv atra ślokāv udāharantidashPlain

I. Anuṣṭubh

pūrvva^2v5dattāṃ dvijātibhyo yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira

^{⎘ plate 3r}^3r1mahīṁ mahīmatāṁ śreṣṭha dānāc chreyo ’nupālanaM

II. Anuṣṭubh

^3r2ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi svargge vasati bhūmidaḥ

^3r3Ācchettā ◯cānumantā ca tāny eva narake ^3r4vase⟨T⟩

pravarddhamānat¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tīyavarṣasya mārggaśi-
^3r5ramāsadivase daśame Utkīrṇṇāṁ śrīdatteneti(dashPlain)

Apparatus

Seal

^ab °bhuvaḥ ◇ °bhuvaḥ SS; °bhuvaiḥ AMS

Plates

^1v5 °vājasaney¡aṁ Ā!⟨ā⟩treya° ◇ °vājasaneya-Ātreya° SS; °vājasaneya-Ātreya° AMS
^2r1 tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩° ◇ tāmra° SS; tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩° AMS
^2v1 pūrvva° ◇ pūrvva° SS; pūrva° AMS
^2v4 °gītāv atra ◇ °gītau cātra SS; °gītāv atra AMS
^3r4 °t¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tīya° ◇ °t¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tīya° SS; °tṛ{i}tīya° AMS

Translation by Natasja Bosma

Seal

The charter belongs to the illustrious king Narendra who chastised his enemies, who was the son of Śarabha who conquered the earth with the blade of his sword.

Plates

^1v1-1v3Success! Hail! From Śarabhapura, the illustrious Mahārāja Narendra informs the landholders, beginning with the Brahmins, settled in [the village of] Sarkarāpadraka situated in the Nandapura bhoga:

^1v4-2r5This village has been granted by Rāhudeva for the increase of his own (religious) merit to the Brahmin Svāmippa, belonging to the Ātreya gotra and to the Vājasaneya [school], by means of a copperplate charter; and [the grant] is thus also confirmed by me, [making it] not to be entered by irregular or regular troops. Therefore, you should render taxes consisting of the [proper] shares of produce, gold, et cetera at the proper time.

^2r5-2v4And he (Narendra) instructs the future rulers: The protection of [the grant of] this village should be taken care of by you, well-discerning that: Prosperity derives from protecting a grant made previously, and sin derives from confiscating [such a grant]. In this respect, they quote two stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v4-3r1

O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect what was previously given to Brahmins! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

3r2-3r4

A giver of land dwells in heaven for sixty thousand years; he who confiscates it or allows [another to confiscate it] will dwell for the same period in hell!

^3r4-3r5[The copperplate charter] has been engraved by Srīdatta on the tenth day of the month of Mārgaśiras of the prosperous third year [of Narendra’s reign].

Bibliography

First edited by Sircar and Pandeya 1943 from rubbings made of the original plates and seal; published again by Shastri 1995: 5–7; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs (unclear passages based on Sircar and Pandeya).

Primary

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass.

5–7. [siglum AMS]

Sircar, Dines Chandra & L. P. Pāndeya Śarmā. 1943. “Piparḍūlā Copper-Plate Inscription of King Narendra of Śarabhapura.” IHQ 19: 139–46.

[siglum SS]

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A Rich Centre of Early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1937261].

230–231.

Chaturvedi, S. P. 1943. “A Note on the Alleged Metrical Defect in the Legend-Verse on the Seal of the Pīparḍūlā Copper-Plate Inscription.” IHQ 19: 358–59.