Stray Būrhīkhār Plate of Śivagupta, Year 57

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Current Version:  draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor:   Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00048

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    ⎘ plate 3r 3r1vaseTdandaPlain

    I. Anuṣṭubh
    bahubhir ¡bb!⟨vv⟩asudhā dattā rājabhiḥ sagarādibhiḥ
    yasya yasya yadā 3r2bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁdandaPlain

    II. Anuṣṭubh
    svadattāṁ paradattām ¡b!⟨v⟩ā yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhiradandaPlain
    3r3mahīṁ mahībhṛtāṁ śreṣṭha dānāt śreyo ’nupālanaṁddandaPlain

    III. Indravajrā
    mā bhū⟨va⟩d aphalaśa3r4ṅkā vaḥ paradat¡v!⟨t⟩eti pārthivāḥ
    svadānāt phalam ānantyaṁ par⟦ā⟧⟨⟨a⟩⟩d¿ā?⟨a⟩ttānu3r5pālaneddandaPlain

    IV. Puṣpitāgrā
    Iti kamaladalāmbubindulolāṁ
    śriyam anuci⟨n⟩tya manu3r6ṣyajīvitaṁ cadandaPlain
    sakalam idam udāhṛtaṁ ca bu⟨d⟩dhvā
    na hi puruṣaiḥ parakīrtayo vilo3r7pyāḥddandaPlain

    pravarddhamānavijayarājyasam¡b!⟨v⟩atsare saptapañcāśe ’ṅkenāpi ¡saṁ0!⟨samvat⟩ 50 7 mā
    3r8gha dina 30 utk¿i?⟨ī⟩rṇṇaṁ tām{b}rapaṭ¡ṭh!⟨ṭ⟩ikagolāyyas¿u?⟨ū⟩nunā nāgadevenetiddandaPlain

    Translation by Natasja Bosma

    3r1[[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!

    3r2-3r3
    O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

    3r3-3r5
    Oh kings, do not fear that land given by others will be unfruitful for you! The fruit of one’s own giving is endless in [combination with] upholding that which was given by others!

    3r5-3r7
    After thus considering that wealth and human life are unstable as a drop of water on a lotus petal and [also] knowing all that is said, the glories of others should not be violated by human beings.

    3r7-3r8In the fifty-seventh year of the increasingly victorious reign [of Śivagupta], in numbers: Year 57, [Month] Māgha, Day 30, [the copperplate charter] has been engraved by Nāgadeva, son of the goldsmith Golāyya.

    Commentary

    This is the third copperplate of a charter and therefore it does not contain any information about the grant or the issuing king. However, the engraver of the plate named Nāgadeva is known from one of Śivagupta’s Sirpur Plates (Dk00042). Also Śivagupta is the only king of the region known to have ruled as long as fifty-seven years. Therefore the copperplate can be ascribed to king Śivagupta.

    Bibliography

    Edited by Shastri 1995: 162–164; encoded here by Natasja Bosma based on this edition.

    Primary

    Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass.
    162–164. [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].
    257–258.