Sirpur Plates of Śivagupta, Year 38

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor:   Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00038

Hand Description:


Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier: Year 52"

Origin:

Classification:

Languages:

  1. Secondary language is late_Brahmi, script and

Corresponding Artefact: CONARTDaksinaKosala00035

Layout: engraved-35 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⟩avidy¿a?⟨ā⟩bhy¿a?⟨ā⟩saviśeṣāsāditamahan¿i?⟨ī⟩-
1v2yavinayasampa¡st!⟨ts⟩ampāditasakalavijig¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣuguṇo guṇava-
1v3tsamāśraya⟨ḥ⟩ prakṛṣṭataraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahā-
1v4bhyudaya⟨ḥ⟩ kā◯¡takaya!⟨rttikeya⟩ Iva kṛt⟨t⟩ivāsa¡śa!⟨so⟩ rājñaḥ śrīharṣadevasya s¿u?⟨ū⟩nu⟨ḥ⟩
1v5somava¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śasambhava⟨ḥ⟩ paramamāheśvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩mahāśi-
1v6vaguptarāja⟨ḥ⟩ kuś¿i?⟨a⟩ddandaHooked Aryyaṅgābhogīyabhāṇḍāgārac¿u?⟨a⟩ttāke brāhma-
1v7ṇāṁ samp¿u?⟨ū⟩jya tatpratinivāsinaś ca sapradhānān anyā⟨ṁ⟩ś ca yathākāla-
⎘ plate 2r 2r1bhāvinaḥ samāhartṛsannidhātṛprabhṛtīn asmatpādopajī-
2r2vinaḥ sarvvarājapuruṣān samājñāpayati

viditam astu bhava-
2r3¡ḥ!⟨ṁ⟩ yathāsm¿a?⟨ā⟩bhiḥ sa⟨ṁ⟩praty ayaṁ grāmaḥ san{n}idhānaḥ sopan{n}idhānaḥ sarvva-
2r4karādāna◯samet{t}aḥ sarvvapīḍāvivarjit{t}aḥ sadaśāparādhaḥ prati-
2r5ṣiddhacāṭabhaṭapraveśaḥ Ihaiva śrīpuratalasvakāritaśrībāleśvarabha-
2r6ṭṭārakamaṭhikāpratiṣṭhāyām asyā⟨ṁ⟩ nandapur¿i?⟨ī⟩yaśrīmadbhagavacchaivā-
2r7cāryyāghoraśivapraśiṣyebhyo dīrghācāryya śiṣyebhyo bhagavatpādaśrī-
⎘ plate 2v 2v1ma⟨d⟩¡b!⟨v⟩yāpaśivācāryyebhyaḥ śiṣyapraśiṣyādisa¡n!⟨ṁ⟩tānasya satatayāgā-
2v2didīkṣā¡b!⟨v⟩yākhyābhaktasat⟨t⟩rapravarttanārtham udakapūrvvakaṁ m{m}ātāpitro-
2v3r āt¡n!⟨m⟩anaś ca puṇyābhi¡b!⟨v⟩ṛddhaye samakālopabhogārtham ¿a?⟨ā⟩candratārakārkka⟨ṁ⟩
2v4tām{v}raśāsa◯nena pratipādita Ity

avagamyāmīṣāṁ samucita⟨ṁ⟩ bho-
2v5gabhāgādikam upanayanto bhavanta⟨ḥ⟩ sukhaṁ vasantuddandaHooked bhāvinaś ca bh¿u?⟨ū⟩mi-
2v6pālān ud⟨d⟩iśyedam abhidhīyate

I. Vasantatilakā
bhūmipradā divi lalanti pata2v7nti hanta
hṛtvā mahī⟨ṁ⟩ nṛpatayo narake nṛśaṁ{ṅ}sāTdandaPlain
Etad ⟨d⟩vayaṁ pa⎘ plate 3r 3r1rikal¿ai?⟨a⟩y⟨y⟩a calāñ ca lakṣmīm
āyus tathā kuruta{ḥ} yad bhavatām abhī3r2ṣṭaṁ

Api ca

II. Anuṣṭubh
rakṣāp¿a?⟨ā⟩lanayos tāvat phalaṁ sugatidurggat¿i?⟨ī⟩
ko n¿a?⟨ā⟩ma 3r3svarggam u¡cchri!⟨tsṛ⟩jya narakaṁ pratipadyateddandaHooked

¡b!⟨v⟩yāsag¿i?⟨ī⟩tā⟨ṁ⟩ś cātra ślokān udā-
3r4haranti

III. Indravajrā
A◯gner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇaṁ
bhūr vv¿e?⟨ai⟩ṣṇav¿i?⟨ī⟩ s¿u?⟨ū⟩ryyasutā3r5ś ca gāvaḥ
dattā⟨s⟩ trayas t{t}ena bhavanti lokā
yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mah¿i?⟨ī⟩ñ ca dadyā3r6TdandaPlain

IV. Anuṣṭubh
ṣaṣ¡ṭh!⟨ṭ⟩ivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmida⟨ḥ⟩
Ācchet⟨t⟩ā cānuma3r7ntā ca tāny eva narake vaseTdandaPlain

V. Anuṣṭubh
bahubhir vasudhā datt¿a?⟨ā⟩ rājabhi⟨ḥ⟩ sagarā⎘ plate 3v 3v1dibhi⟨ḥ⟩
yasya yasya yadā bh¿u?⟨ū⟩mi⟨s⟩ tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ

VI. Anuṣṭubh
svadat⟨t⟩ā⟨ṁ⟩ paradat⟨t⟩¿a?⟨ā⟩3v2m vā yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira
mahī⟨ṁ⟩ mah¿i?⟨ī⟩mat{t}ā⟨ṁ⟩ śreṣṭha dānā⟨t⟩ śreyo ’nupālana3v3¡m!⟨M⟩

¡a!⟨I⟩tiddandaHooked

pravarddhamānavijayarājy¿a?⟨e⟩ samvatsa⟨re⟩ Aṣṭatri¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śe śrāvaṇapaurṇṇamā-
3v4{r}sy¿e?⟨ā⟩m aṅkenāpi samvaTdandaPlain 3 8 śrāvaṇa di 3 0

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

1v1–1v2 °mahan¿i?⟨ī⟩ /ya°°mahanī/ya° BJ
1v2 °sampa¡st!⟨ts⟩ampādita°°sampastatampādita° BJ1v2 °vijig¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣu°°vijigīṣu° BJ
1v5 śr¿i?⟨ī⟩°śrī° BJ
1v6 °c¿u?⟨a⟩ttāke°cattāke BJ
1v7 cava BJ
2r1 °prabhṛtīn°prabhṛt¡īṁ!⟨i⟩ BJ
2r7 °ācāryya°°ācā⟨r⟩yya° BJ2r7 bhagavatpādaśrī°bhagavatyātpādaddandaPlainśrī° BJ
2v1 °¡b!⟨v⟩yāpaśivā°°¡vyāpa!⟨vyoma⟩śivā° BJ
2v2 °¡b!⟨v⟩yākhyā°°vyākhyā° BJ
2v3 °ābhi¡b!⟨v⟩ṛddhaye°ābhivṛddhaye BJ
2v6 ud⟨d⟩iśyedamudiṣyedam BJ
3r1–3r2 abhī/ṣṭaṁabhī/ṣṭa BJ
3r3 ¡b!⟨v⟩yāsag¿i?⟨ī⟩tā⟨ṁ⟩śvyāsagītāś BJ
3r4 vv¿e?⟨ai⟩ṣṇav¿i?⟨ī⟩¡ve!⟨vvai⟩ṣṇavī BJ
3r5 mah¿i?⟨ī⟩ñmahīñ BJ3r5–3r6 dadyā/Tdadyā/⟨T⟩ BJ
3r6 ṣaṣ¡ṭh!⟨ṭ⟩ṣaṣṭi° BJ
3r7 vaseTvase⟨T⟩ BJ
3v4 samvaTdandaPlainsamva⟨T⟩ddandaPlain BJ

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 Bhāṇḍāgāra-Cuttāka situated in the Aryyaṅgā bhoga, [the king] issues [the following command] to all royal officers who are dedicated to our service, beginning with the collector and the receiver; to those who are temporarily posted [in the village]; and to the other inhabitants of that [village] with their headman:

2r2-2v4Let 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 today for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to the venerable ācārya Vyāpaśiva, pupil of the ācārya Dīrgha and grand-pupil of the venerable śaivācārya Aghoraśiva of Nandapura. [The grant of the village took place] on the occasion of the establishment of the maṭhikā of the illustrious Bāleśvara-bhaṭṭāraka temple that was erected by ourselves (i.e., Śivagupta) here in the plains of Śrīpura, for the purpose of [financing] continuous charity and worship as well as teaching, initiations and offering ceremonies for the line of pupils and grand-pupils. [The grant]), which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon, the stars, and the sun will endure, comes along with [the right to] hidden treasures and deposits; [the right to collect] all taxes [payable to the king]; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; [the right to] punish and realise fines for the ten offences; and the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops.

2v4-2v6Having taken note of that, you should render the proper [shares of] periodical offerings, produce, and the like to those [donees], while living happily [in this village]. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v6-3r2
[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:

3r2-3r3
Fortune and misfortune are truly the fruit of protecting and not protecting [the land]; who then discards heaven and resorts to hell?

3r3-3r4And in this respect they quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

3r4-3r6
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

3r6-3r7
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!

3r7-3v1
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!

3v1-3v3
O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

3v3-3v4[The copperplate charter has been engraved] on the day of the full moon in the month of Śrāvaṇa, in the thirty-eighth year of the increasingly victorious reign [of Śivagupta]. In numbers: Year 38, [Month] Śrāvaṇa, Day 30.

Bibliography

First edited by Jain et al. 2005: 196–217 from the original plates; published again by Bosma 2013; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma from the original plates (edition of the seal based on Jain).

Primary

Bosma, Natasja. 2013. “The Bāleśvara Temple Complex of Śivagupta: Epigraphical Evidence for the Śaiva Siddhānta and Soma Siddhānta Traditions in Dakṣiṇa Kosala.” IIJ 56 (3–4): 245–61. [DOI: 10.1163/15728536-13560309].
[siglum NB]
Jain, Balchandra, Girdhari L. Raikwar & Rahul Kumar Singh. 2005. Utkīrṇa lekha. Second edition. Chhattīsgarh (India): Culture & Archaeology Department.
196–217. [siglum BJ]

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].
77, 252.
Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1992. “Balesvara-Bhattaraka, a Hitherto Unknown Saiva Establishment at Sripura.” JESI 18: 15–23.

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass.
196–217.