Sirpur Plates of Śivagupta, Year 6

Metadata

Current Version: draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00031

Hand Description:

Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier: Year 19"

Origin:

Classification:

Languages:

Secondary language is late_Brahmi, script and

Corresponding Artefact: CONARTDaksinaKosala00028

Layout: engraved-30 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.

Edition

Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh

rājña⟨ḥ⟩ śrīharṣaguptasya sūno⟨ḥ⟩ sadguṇaśālina⟨ḥ⟩

śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthite⟨ḥ⟩

Plates

^{⎘ plate 1v}^1v1spiralR svasty aśeṣakṣit(ī)śavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsāditamahanī-
^1v2yavinayasa⟨m⟩patsa⟨ṁ⟩pāditasakalavijigīṣuguṇo guṇava-
^1v3tsamāśraya⟨ḥ⟩ prakṛṣṭataraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasaṁbhāvitamahābhyu-
^1v4daya⟨ḥ⟩ kārtti◯keya Iva kṛttivāsaso rājña⟨ḥ⟩ śrīharṣadevasya s¿u?⟨ū⟩-
^1v5nuḥ somava¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śasaṁbhavaḥ paramamāheśvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyāta⟨ḥ⟩-
^1v6(śrī)mahāśivaguptarājaḥ kuśalīddandaHooked devabhogīyapillāsunyagrā-
^1v7m¿a?⟨e⟩ tāmraśāsanena brāhmaṇāṁ saṁp¿u?⟨ū⟩jya prativāsinaḥ samājñāpa-
^{⎘ plate 2r}^2r1yati

viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathāsmābhir ayaṁ grāma⟨ḥ⟩ sanidh¿ī?⟨i⟩ḥ sopanidh¿ī?⟨i⟩ḥ-
^2r2¿Ā?⟨A⟩cāṭabhaṭapraveśa⟨ḥ⟩ sarvvakarādānasameto mātāpittror ātmanaś ca-
^2r3puṇyābhi¡b!⟨v⟩ṛddhaye lāṭaviṣayavāstavyavājasaneyabhāradvājasa-
^2r4gottrāya ◯bāḍābhaṭṭāyaudakapūrvv¿ā?⟨a⟩⟨ṁ⟩ ¿A?⟨Ā⟩ṣāḍhāmāvāsyāṁ sūryyoparā-
^2r5ge pratipādita Ity

avagamya bhavadbhiḥ samucitaṁ bhogabhāgam upana-
^2r6yadbhiḥ sukhaṁ prativasta¡b!⟨v⟩yam itiddandaHooked bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān ud⟨d⟩i¡ṣ!⟨ś⟩yeda-
^2r7m abhidh¿i?⟨ī⟩yate

I. Vasantatilakā

bhūmipradā divi lalanti patanti hanta

hṛtvā mahī⟨ṁ⟩ nṛ^{⎘ plate 2v}^2v1patayo narake nṛśa¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩sāT

Etad ⟨d⟩vayaṁ parikalayya calāñ ca lakṣmīm

ā^2v2yus tathā kuruta yad bhavatām abhīṣṭa⟨ṁ⟩

Api ca

II. Anuṣṭubh

rakṣāpālanayos tāvat pha^2v3la⟨ṁ⟩ sugatidurggatī

ko nāma svargam u¡cchri!⟨tsṛ⟩jya narakaṁ pratipadyate

vyā-
^2v4sagītā⟨ṁ⟩¡ṣ!⟨ś⟩ cā◯t{t}ra ślokān udāharanti

III. Indravajrā

Agner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ su^2v5varṇa⟨ṁ⟩

bhūr vvaiṣṇavī sūryyasutāś ca gāvaḥ

dattās trayas tena bhavanti lokā

^2v6yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mahīñ ca dadyāT

IV. Anuṣṭubh

ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge ^2v7modati bhū⟨mi⟩daḥ

Ākṣeptā cānumantā ca t{t}āny eva narake vaseT

V. Anuṣṭubh

^{⎘ plate 3r}^3r1bahubhi{ḥ}r vasudhā dattā rājabhiḥ sagarādibhiḥ

yasya yasya ^3r2yadā bhūmi⟨s⟩ tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ

VI. Anuṣṭubh

svadattāṁ paradattām ¡b!⟨v⟩ā yatnā^3r3d rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira{ḥ}

mahīṁ mahīmatāṁ śreṣṭha dānā⟨t⟩ śreyo ’nupā^3r4lana¡m!⟨M⟩

¡i!⟨I⟩◯tiddandaHooked

pravarddhamānavijayarājye sam¡b!⟨v⟩atsare ṣa-
^3r5ṣṭhe 6dandaPlain Āṣāḍhadivasu 10 5dandaPlain Āviḥ prakurvvatā śilpaṁ puṇyaṁ
^3r6cākṣayam itsatā stambhāyyasūnunotkīrṅa⟨ṁ⟩ kṛṣṇāyyanaiva śāsanaṁddandaHooked

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

^1v1 °kṣit(ī)śa° ◇ °kṣit¡i!⟨ī⟩śa° PKS — ^1v1 °vidyābhyāsa° ◇ °vidyāpabhyāsa° PKS — ^1v1 °āsādita° ◇ °āsadita° PKS
^1v6 °rājaḥ ◇ °rāja PKS
^2v1 nṛśa¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩sāT ◇ nṛśa¡ṅT!⟨ṁsāḥ⟩ PKS
^3r5 10 5dandaPlain ◇ 10 4 2 PKS — ^3r5 °śilpaṁ ◇ °śil¡y!⟨p⟩aṁ PKS — ^3r5–3r6 Āviḥ prakurvvatā śilpaṁ puṇyaṁ / cākṣayam itsatā • The meaning of this phrase is not quite clear and it does not appear in any of the other copperplate charters issued by the same king. Perhaps itsatā should be emended to icchatā.

Translation by Natasja Bosma

Seal

The charter of Śivagupta, son of the illustrious king Harṣagupta, who is possessed of good qualities, endures as long as the existence of the earth.

Plates

^1v1-2r1Success! Hail! The illustrious and great king Śivagupta who has been born in the Lunar Dynasty as the son of a king, the illustrious Harṣadeva, like Kārttikeya is of Kṛttivāsas (i.e., Śiva); who is entirely devoted to Maheśvara; who is favoured by his father and mother; and who is in good health: He has acquired all the qualities of a conqueror through the perfection of praiseworthy discipline, effected in particular by implementing all the “political sciences”; he is a refuge for the virtuous; and his great prosperity has been brought about by his superior valour, intelligence, and strength! After having saluted the Brahmins in the village of Pillāsunya situated in the Deva bhoga, [the king] issues [the following command] to the residents of the village by means of [this] copperplate charter:

^2r1-2r5Let it be known to you that, after an offering of water, this village has been granted [by us] for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to Bāḍābhaṭṭa who belonged to the Vājasaneya-Bhāradvāja gotra and was a resident of the Lāṭa viṣaya. [The grant of the village took place] on the occasion of a solar eclipse in the night of the new moon in the month of Āṣāḍha [and] comes along with [the right to] hidden treasures and deposits; the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops; and [the right to collect] all taxes [payable to the king].

^2r5-2r7Having taken note of that, you should render the proper [shares of] periodical offerings and produce, while living happily [in this village]. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2r7-2v2

[Kings] who donate land sport in heaven, [but] look, kings who have taken land fall into hell for their wickedness. After having taken to heart these two rules and taken hold of Lakṣmī, you should live you life as you wish!

And also:

2v2-2v3

Fortune and misfortune are truly the fruit of protecting and not protecting [the land]; who then discards heaven and resorts to hell?

^2v3-2v4And in this respect they quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v4-2v6

Gold is the first child of Agni, land is born of Viṣṇu, and cows are the offspring of Sūrya: [Therefore], whoever would give gold, a cow, and land would give the three worlds

2v6-2v7

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

3r1-3r2

The earth has been granted by many kings, beginning with Sagara; whoever possesses the land at any time, to him belong the fruits at that time!

3r2-3r4

O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

^3r4-3r6In the sixth year of the increasingly victorious reign [of Śivagupta], [in numbers] 6, on the day 15 of the month of Āṣāḍha, the [copperplate] charter has been engraved by Kṛṣṇāyya, son of Stambhāyya, ¿[thus] making [the grant] public and wishing it to be skillful, auspicious, and everlasting.?

Bibliography

First edited by Singh 2009 from the original plates; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs.

Primary

Singh, Prabhat Kumar. 2009. “Sirpur Copper-Plates of Pāṇḍuvaṁśi Rulers.” PM 5: 11–27.

16–18. [siglum PKS]

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].

248–249.