Sirpur Plates of Śivagupta, Year 19

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor:   Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00035

Hand Description:


Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier: Year 46"

Origin:

Classification:

Languages:

  1. Secondary language is late_Brahmi, script and

Corresponding Artefact: CONARTDaksinaKosala00032

Layout: engraved-34 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¿i?⟨ī⟩¡ṣ!⟨ś⟩avidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsāditamahan¿i?⟨ī⟩yavina-
1v2yasa{ṁ}mpatsa⟨ṁ⟩pāditasakalavijig¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣuguṇo guṇavatsamāśraya⟨ḥ⟩ prakṛ-
1v3ṣṭataraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahābhyudaya⟨ḥ⟩ kārttikeya
1v4Iva kṛ◯t⟨t⟩ivāsaso rājñaḥ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩harṣadevasya s¿u?⟨ū⟩nu⟨ḥ⟩ somava¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śasa-
1v5mbhava⟨ḥ⟩ paramamāheśvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyāta⟨ḥ⟩ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩mahāśivagupta-
1v6rāja⟨ḥ⟩ kuśalīdandaHooked bṛhaccharkkarāmārgg¿i?⟨ī⟩yavaidyapalāśapadrakedandaHooked brāhmaṇā⟨ṁ⟩ saṁ-
1v7p¿u?⟨ū⟩jya sapradhānā¡t!⟨n⟩ prativāsino yathākālādhyāsinas samāharttṛsannidhā-
⎘ plate 2r 2r1tṛpramukhān anyā¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩ś cāsmatpādopaj¿i?⟨ī⟩vinas sarvvarājapuruṣā⟨n⟩ samājñāpa-
2r2yatidandaHooked viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathāsm¿a?⟨ā⟩bhir ayaṁ grāma⟨ḥ⟩ sanidhiḥ sopanidhis sada-
2r3śāparādhas sarvvakarādānasametaḥ sarvvap¿i?⟨ī⟩ḍāvarjjitaḥ pratiṣiddhac{c}āṭabhaṭa-
2r4praveśaḥ ◯śrībhavaguptarājadevavijñaptyā śrīpuratalavāsta¡b!⟨v⟩yataittiri-
2r5yabhāradvājasagottrā¡s!⟨bh⟩yāṁ bhaṭṭabhavadevajanārdanā¡s!⟨bh⟩yāṁ sahodarabhrātṛ¡s!⟨bh⟩yāṁ
2r6cait{t}rapaurṇṇamāsyāṁ somagrahoparāgedandaPlain Udakapūrvvaṁ mātāpittror ātmanaś ca pu-
2r7ṇyābhi¡b!⟨v⟩ṛddhaye tām{b}raśāsanenācāndrārkkasamakālopabhogārtha⟨ṁ⟩ pratipādita
⎘ plate 2v 2v1Ity

avagatyānayo vidheyatay¿a?⟨ā⟩ samucitaṁ bhogabhāgādikam ¿ū?⟨u⟩panayadbhiḥ
2v2bhavadbhiḥ sukha⟨ṁ⟩ prativasta¡b!⟨v⟩yam itiddandaHooked bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān ud⟨d⟩iśyedam abhi-
2v3dh(ī)yate

I. Vasantatilakā
bhūmipradā divi l{l}ala{ṁ}nti pata{ṁ}nti ha{ṁ}nta
hṛtvā mah¿ā?⟨ī⟩ṁ nṛpatayo narake nṛ2v4śa¡ṇg!⟨ṁs⟩āT
◯Etad ⟨d⟩vayaṁ parikalayya calāñ ca lakṣmīm
āyus tathā k¿ū?⟨u⟩ruta 2v5yad bhavatām abh¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣṭaṁ

Api ca

II. Anuṣṭubh
rakṣāpālanayos tāvat phalaṁ sugatidurggatī
ko nā2v6ma svarggam u¡cchra!⟨tsṛ⟩jya narakaṁ pratipadyateddandaHooked

¡b!⟨v⟩yāsagītāṁś cāt{t}ra ślokān udāhara{ṁ}nti

III. Indravajrā
2v7A¡j!⟨g⟩ner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇaṁ
bhūr vvaiṣṇav¿i?⟨ī⟩ sūryyasutāś ca gāvaḥ
dattā⟨s⟩ tra⎘ plate 3r 3r1yas tena bhava{ṁ}nti lokā
yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mahīñ ca dadyāT

IV. Anuṣṭubh
ṣa3r2ṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ
Ācchettā cānumantā ca tā3r3(ny e)va narake vaseT

V. Anuṣṭubh
bahubhir vasudhā dattā rājabhiḥ sagarādibhiḥ
3r4yasya ◯yasya yadā bhūmi⟨s⟩ tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ

VI. Anuṣṭubh
svadattāṁ para3r5dattām ¡b!⟨v⟩ā yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira
mahī⟨ṁ⟩ mah¿i?⟨ī⟩matāṁ śreṣṭha dānā⟨t⟩ śreyo ’nupā3r6lana¡m!⟨M⟩

¡i!⟨I⟩tidandaHooked

śrīmahāśivaguptarājadevasya pravarddhamānavijayarājye sa-
3r7m¡b!⟨v⟩atsare Ekonavi¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śatime caitradin¿a?⟨e⟩ tri¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śatime Aṅkenāpi sam¡b!⟨v⟩a⟨t⟩ (19) caitra dina rla

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

1v4 śr¿i?⟨ī⟩°śrī° PKS1v4 s¿u?⟨ū⟩nu⟨ḥ⟩sūn¿ū?⟨u⟩⟨ḥ⟩ PKS
1v5 śr¿i?⟨ī⟩°śrī° PKS
1v6 bṛhaccharkkarāmārgg¿i?⟨ī⟩ya°buhaccharkkarāmārggāya° PKS
2r1 °pramukhān°prakukhān PKS2r1 °opaj¿i?⟨ī⟩vinas°opajīvinas PKS
2r2 sanidhiḥs¿ā?⟨a⟩nidhiḥ PKS
2r3 sarvva°sarva° PKS
2r5 °sagottrāsyāṁ°sagotrāsyāṁ PKS
2r6 cait{t}ra°caitra° PKS2r6 UdakapūrvvaṁUdakapūrvva PKS2r6 °pittror°pitror PKS2r6–2r7 pu/ṇyā°p¿ū?⟨u⟩/ṇyā° PKS
2v2 bhavadbhiḥ¡t!⟨bh⟩avadbhiḥ PKS2v2 sukha⟨ṁ⟩¡sūcā!⟨sukhaṁ⟩ PKS
2v4 parikalayyaparikalasya PKS
2v6 cāt{t}racātra PKS
2v7 suvarṇṇaṁsuvarṇṇa PKS2v7 sūryyasutāśsūrūryasutāś PKS
3r2–3r3 tā/(ny e)vatā/nśrayeva PKS
3r7 triṅśatime Aṅkenāpitriṅśati Āḍakenāpi PKS

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 world

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 Vaidyapalāśapadraka situated in the Bṛhat-Śarkkarā mārga, [the king] issues [the following command] to all royal officers who are dedicated to our service 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 the brothers bhaṭṭa Bhavadeva and bhaṭṭa Janārdana, inhabitants of the plains of Śrīpura and belonging to the Bhāradvāja gotra and to the Taittirīya [school] (Yajurveda). [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 lunar eclipse on the day of the full moon in the month of Caitra [and] was requested by the illustrious rājadeva Bhavagupta. [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.

2v1-2v3Having taken note of that, you should render the proper prescribed [shares of] periodical offerings, produce, and the like to these two [donees], while living happily [in this village]. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v3-2v5
[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:

2v5-2v6
Fortune and misfortune are truly the fruit of protecting and not protecting [the land]; who then discards heaven and resorts to hell?

2v6And in this respect they quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v7-3r1
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

3r1-3r3
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!

3r3-3r4
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!

3r4-3r6
O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

3r6-3r7[The copperplate charter has been engraved] on day thirty of the month of Caitra, in the nineteenth year of the increasingly victorious reign of the illustrious and great rājadeva Śivagupta. In numbers: Year 19, [Month] Caitra, Day Thirty.

Bibliography

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

Primary

Singh, Prabhat Kumar. 2009. “Sirpur Copper-Plates of Pāṇḍuvaṁśi Rulers.” PM 5: 11–27.
21–24. [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].
250–251.