Malhār Plates of Śivagupta, undated (presumably year 6)

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor:   Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00032

Hand Description:


Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier: Year 22"

Origin:

Classification:

Languages:

  1. Secondary language is late_Brahmi, script and

Corresponding Artefact: CONARTDaksinaKosala00029

Layout: engraved-31 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.

Edition

Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh
rājñaḥ śrīharṣaguptasya sūnoḥ sadguṇaśālina⟨ḥ⟩
śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthite⟨ḥ⟩

Plates

⎘ plate 1v 1v1spiralR svasty aśeṣakṣit¿i?⟨ī⟩śavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsāditamahan¿i?⟨ī⟩yavinayasa-
1v2mpatsa⟨ṁ⟩pāditasakalavijig¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣuguṇo guṇavatsam⟦o⟧⟨⟨ā⟩⟩śraya⟨ḥ⟩ prakṛṣṭataraśau-
1v3ryyaprajñāprabhāvasa⟨ṁ⟩bhāvitamahābhyudaya⟨ḥ⟩ kārt⟨t⟩ikeya Iva kṛt⟨t⟩ivāsaso-
1v4rājña⟨ḥ⟩ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩◯harṣadevasya s¿u?⟨ū⟩nu⟨ḥ⟩ somava¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śasaṁbhavaḥ paramamāhe-
1v5śvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyāta⟨ḥ⟩ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩mahāśivaguptarāja⟨ḥ⟩ kuśal¿i?⟨ī⟩ddandaHooked ta-
1v6raḍa¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śakabhog¿i?⟨ī⟩yakailāsapuragrāme brāhmaṇā⟨ṁ⟩ sampūjya sapradhā-
1v7¡t!⟨n⟩ prativāsino yathākālādhyāsinas samāharttṛsannidhātṛ¡(su)!⟨pra⟩-
⎘ plate 2r 2r1mukhān adhikāriṇa⟨ḥ⟩ sakaraṇān anyā¡n!⟨ṁ⟩ś cāsmatpādopaj¿i?⟨ī⟩vinaḥ sarvvarā-
2r2japuruṣā⟨n⟩ samājñāpayati

viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathāsmābhir ayaṁ grā-
2r3maḥ sanidhi⟨ḥ⟩ sopanidhiḥ sadaśāparādhaḥ sarvvakarasametaḥ sarvvapīḍā-
2r4varjjita⟨ḥ⟩ ◯pratiṣiddhacāṭabhaṭapraveśatayādandaHooked taraḍa¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śakapratiṣṭhi-
2r5takoradevabh¿o?⟨ā⟩⟨r⟩yyālak¿a?⟨ā⟩kāritavihārikānivāsicāturdiśāryyabhi-
2r6kṣusaṅghāya śr¿i?⟨ī⟩bhāskaravarmmamātulavijñaptyā tām{v}raśāsanenāca-
2r7ndrārkkasamakāl⟨opabhogārth⟩am mātāpittror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhivṛdhayedandaPlain Āṣāḍhā-
⎘ plate 2v 2v1māvāsyā⟨ṁ⟩ sūryyagrahoparāge Udakapūrvvaṁ pratipādita Ity

ataṣ ca-
2v2vidheyatayā samucitam bhogabhāgādikam upanayadbhi⟨r⟩ bhavadbhiḥ sukha-
2v3m prativastavyam itiddandaHooked bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān ud⟨d⟩iśyedam abhidhīyate

I. Vasantatilakā
2v4bhūmipra◯dā divi lalanti patanti hanta
hṛtvā mah¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨ṁ⟩ nṛpatayo 2v5narake nṛśa¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩sāTdandaHooked
Etad ⟨d⟩vayaṁ parikalayya calāñ ca lakṣmī{ḥ}m
āyus ta2v6thā kuruta yad bhavatām abh¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣṭaṁ

Api ca

II. Anuṣṭubh
rakṣāpālanayos tāvat ¡p!⟨ph⟩alaṁ su2v7gatidurggat¿i?⟨ī⟩
ko nāma svarggam u¡cchri!⟨tsṛ⟩jya narakaṁ pratipadyatedandaPlain

vyāsagītā⟨ṁ⟩-
⎘ plate 3r 3r1ś cāt{t}ra ślokān udāh¿ā?⟨a⟩ranti

III. Indravajrā
Agner apatya⟨ṁ⟩ prathama⟨ṁ⟩ suvarṇṇaṁ
bhūr vvaiṣṇa(vī) 3r2s¿u?⟨ū⟩ryyasutāś ca gāva⟨ḥ⟩
dattā⟨s⟩ trayas tena bhavanti lokā
ya⟨ḥ⟩ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca ma3r3h¿i?⟨ī⟩ñ ca dadyāT

IV. Anuṣṭubh
ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ
Ā3r4kṣeptā ◯cānumantā ca tāny eva narake vaseTdandaHooked

V. Anuṣṭubh
bahubhir vvasu3r5dhā dattā rājabhi⟨ḥ⟩ sagarādibhi⟨ḥ⟩
yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya ta3r6dā phalaṁ

VI. Anuṣṭubh
svadattā⟨ṁ⟩ paradattām vā yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira{ḥ}
mah¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨ṁ⟩ mah¿i?⟨ī⟩matā⟨ṁ⟩ 3r7śreṣṭha dānāt ¡s!⟨ś⟩reyo ’nupālana¡m!⟨M⟩

¡i!⟨I⟩tiddandaHooked

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

1v2–1v3 °śau/ryya°°śau/ryya° MP; °śau/⟨r⟩yya° AMS
2r5 °bh¿o?⟨ā⟩⟨r⟩yyā°°bh¿o?⟨ā⟩ryyā° MP; °bhoyyā° AMS
2r6 śr¿i?⟨ī⟩°śrī° MP; śr¿i?⟨ī⟩° AMS
2r7 °pittror°pittror MP; °pitror AMS
3r1 cāt{t}racāttra MP; cātra AMS
3r7 ¡s!⟨ś⟩reyo¡s!⟨ś⟩reyo MP; śreyo AMS

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

1v1-2r2Success! 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 Kailāsapura situated in the Taradaṁśaka bhoga, [the king] issues [the following command] to all royal officers who are dedicated to our service, to the governor and other local council, headed by the collector and the receiver, to those who are temporarily posted [in the village], and to the residents [of the village] with their headman:

2r2-2v1Let it be known to you that by means of [this] copperplate charter and preceded by a libation of water, this village has been granted by us for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to a community of monks of the four quarters who reside at a small monastery that was constructed in the Taradaṁśaka bhoga by Alakā, the wife of Koradeva. [The grant of the village], which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun will endure, [took place] on the occasion of a solar eclipse in the night of the new moon in the month of Āṣāḍha [and] was requested by [our] maternal uncle, the illustrious Bhāskaravarman. [The grant] comes along with [the right to] hidden treasures and deposits; [the right to] punish and realise fines for the ten offences; [the right to collect] all taxes [payable to the king]; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; and the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops.

2v1-2v3Therefore, you should render the proper prescribed [shares of] periodical offerings, produce, and the like, while living happily [in this village]. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v4-2v6
[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:

2v6-2v7
Fortune and misfortune are truly the fruit of protecting and not protecting [the land]; who then discards heaven and resorts to hell?

2v7-3r1And in this respect they quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

3r1-3r3
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

3r3-3r4
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!

3r4-3r6
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!

3r6-3r7
O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

Commentary

The charter is undated, but was issued on the same occasion as Dk00031; the solar eclipse of the month of Āṣāḍha in the sixth regnal year of Śivagupta.

The copperplates are all inscribed with seven lines of text, that is to say, the verso side of the first plate, both sides of the second plate, and the recto side of the third plate. The seventh line on the recto side of the third plate is used only half, which means that there was enough space to inscribe a final phrase, specifying the king’s regnal year in which the grant was made and, perhaps, mentioning the name of the scribe, on the remainder of this line or the verso side of the copperplate. It is unclear whether this was forgotten, or omitted for some other reason.

Bibliography

First edited by Mirashi and Pandeya 1935-1936 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995: 134–137; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma from the original plates.

Primary

Mirashi, Vasudev Vishnu & L.P. Pandeya. 1935–1936. “Mallar Plates of Maha-Sivagupta.” EI 23: 113–22.
[siglum MP]
Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass.
134–137. [siglum AMS]

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].
37, 58, 95, 249.