Malhār Plates of Śivagupta, undated

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Current Version: draft, 2024-05-31Z

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

DHARMA Identifier: INSDaksinaKosala00050

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Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh

rājña⟨ḥ⟩ śrīharṣaguptasya s¿u?⟨ū⟩no⟨ḥ⟩ sadguṇaśālina⟨ḥ⟩

śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthite⟨ḥ⟩

Plates

^{⎘ plate 1v}^1v1spiralR svasty aśeṣakṣit¿i?⟨ī⟩śavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsādita{ḥ}mahan¿i?⟨ī⟩yavina-
^1v2yasampatsa⟨ṁ⟩pāditasakalavijig¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣuguṇo guṇavatsamāśraya⟨ḥ⟩ pra-
^1v3kṛṣṭataraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahābhyudaya⟨ḥ⟩ kārttikeya
^1v4Iva kṛ◯t⟨t⟩ivāsaso rājñaḥ śṛ¿i?⟨ī⟩harṣadevasya s¿u?⟨ū⟩nuḥ somava¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śa-
^1v5sambhavaḥ paramamāheśvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩mahāśivagu-
^1v6ptarājaḥ kuśal¿i?⟨ī⟩ddandaHooked ¿u?⟨o⟩ṇibhog¿i?⟨ī⟩yaśuṣkasirillikāyāṁ br¿a?⟨ā⟩hmaṇā⟨ṁ⟩ sampū-
^1v7jya sapradhānā¡t!⟨n⟩ prativāsinonyā¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩ś ca samāha⟨r⟩tṛsan⟨n⟩idhātṛprabh¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩t¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨n⟩ yathā-
^{⎘ plate 2r}^2r1kālādhyāsinas sarvvarājapuruṣā¡ṅ!⟨n⟩ samājñāpayati

viditam astu
^2r2bhavatā⟨ṁ⟩ yathāsmābhir ayaṁ grāmas sanidhis sopanidhir acāṭabhaṭapra-
^2r3veśas sarvvakarādānasametas sarvvap¿i?⟨ī⟩ḍā⟨vi⟩varjjita⟨ḥ⟩ sadaśāparādhaḥ
^2r4kosalā◯nagarapratiṣṭhitaśr¿i?⟨ī⟩śivanandin¿e?⟨a⟩kāritakapā-
^2r5leśvarabhaṭṭārakayo khaṇḍasphuṭitasaṁskārakaraṇāya balicaru-
^2r6pravarttanāya ¡mu!⟨U⟩dakapūrvvam ācandrārkkasamakālopabhogāya mātā-
^2r7pittror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhi¡b!⟨v⟩ṛddhaye śr¿i?⟨ī⟩śivanandivijñaptyā tām{v}raśāsane-
^{⎘ plate 2v}^2v1na pratipādita{ḥ} Ity

avagamya vidheyair bhūtvā yathocitabhogabhāgam upa-
^2v2nayadbhi⟨ḥ⟩ bhavadbhi⟨ḥ⟩ sukhaṁ prativasta¡b!⟨v⟩yam itiddandaHooked bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān u-
^2v3d⟨d⟩iśyedam abhidh¿i?⟨ī⟩yate

I. Vasantatilakā

bhūmipradā divi lalanti patanti hanta

hṛtvā ^2v4mah¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨ṁ⟩ nṛ◯patayo narake nṛśa¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩sāTdandaPlain

Etad ⟨d⟩vaya⟨ṁ⟩ parikal¿ai?⟨a⟩yya ^2v5calāñ ca lakṣm¿i?⟨ī⟩m

āyus tathā kuruta yad bhavatām abh¿i?⟨ī⟩ṣṭa⟨ṁ⟩

¿Ā?⟨A⟩pi ca

II. Anuṣṭubh

^2v6rakṣāpālanayos tāvat phala⟨ṁ⟩ sugatidurggat¿i?⟨ī⟩

ko nāma svarggam u¡cchri!⟨tsṛ⟩^2v7jya naraka⟨ṁ⟩ pratipadyateddandaHooked

vyāsag¿i?⟨ī⟩tā⟨ṁ⟩ś cātra ślokān udāharanti

III. Indravajrā

¿Ā?⟨A⟩^{⎘ plate 3r}^3r1gner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇa⟨ṁ⟩

bhūr vvaiṣṇav¿i?⟨ī⟩ sūryyasutāś ca gāva⟨ḥ⟩

dattā^3r2⟨s⟩ t{t}rayas tena bhavanti lokā

yaḥ kāñcana⟨ṁ⟩ gāñ ca mah¿i?⟨ī⟩ñ ca dadyā⟨T⟩dandaPlain

IV. Anuṣṭubh

^3r3ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ

¿A?⟨Ā⟩cchet⟨t⟩ā cānumantā ^3r4c¿ā?⟨a⟩ tāny e◯va narake vase⟨T⟩dandaPlain

V. Anuṣṭubh

bahubhir vvasudhā dattā rājabhi⟨ḥ⟩ ^3r5sagarādibhi⟨ḥ⟩

yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ

VI. Anuṣṭubh

sva^3r6dattāṁ paradat⟨t⟩ām vā yatnād rakṣa{ḥ} yudhiṣṭhira{ḥ}

mah¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨ṁ⟩ mah¿i?⟨ī⟩matā⟨ṁ⟩ śreṣṭha ^3r7dānā⟨t⟩ śreyo ’nupālana¡m!⟨M⟩

¡i!⟨I⟩tiddandaHooked

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

^1v5 mātā° ◇ mātṛ° AMS
^1v7 sapradhānā¡t!⟨n⟩ ◇ sapradhānān AMS — ^1v7 °prabh¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩t¿i?⟨ī⟩⟨n⟩ ◇ °prabh¿i?⟨ṛ⟩ti AMS
^2r1 sarvva° ◇ sarva° AMS
^2r3 sarvvap¿i?⟨ī⟩ḍā⟨vi⟩varjjita⟨ḥ⟩ ◇ sarvap¿i?⟨ī⟩ḍāvarjjitaḥ AMS
^3r2 t{t}rayas ◇ trayas AMS
^3r6 paradat⟨t⟩ām ◇ paradattām 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 world

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 Śuṣkasirillikā situated in the Oṇi bhoga, [the king] issues [the following command] to all royal officers, 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:

^2r1-2v1Let 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 temple of the god] Kapāleśvara-bhaṭṭāraka, which was constructed by Śivanandin, a resident of Kosalānagara. [The grant], which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun will endure, was issued at the request of Śivanandin for the purpose of [financing] the repair of the temple’s broken parts and the performance of bali and caru offerings and comes along with [the right to] hidden treasures and deposits; the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops; [the right to collect] all taxes [payable to the king]; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; and [the right to] punish and realise fines for the ten offences.

^2v1-2v3Knowing this, [you] should be obedient [to the received orders] and 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:

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:

2v6-2v7

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

^2v7And in this respect they quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v7-3r2

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!

3r4-3r5

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!

3r5-3r7

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

Commentary

Despite being a complete set of three copperplates, the content of this charter is unfinished: The text ends abruptly after the exhortatory verses, which means that there is no concluding section with a date in regnal years.

Bibliography

Edited by Shastri 1995: 138–140; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs.

Primary

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

138–140. [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].

38, 69, 258–259.