Hero stone in context of a brahmahatyā

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-05-22Z

Editor:   H. Krishna Sastri.

DHARMA Identifier: INSTelugu00013


Additional Metadata

Alternative identifier:

Origin:

Classification: commemorative-memorial-hero memorial

Languages: Telugu

  1. Predominantly in Telugu, script and

Corresponding Artefact: ARTTelugu000013 inscription on Buried stone near the same temple [i. e. Bhīmēśvara temple at Bhīmavaram]

Layout: 4 lines are observed/preserved on the artifact.

Edition

1kēdārarāśipaṇḍitu-
2lakuṁ brahmahatya śrā(pi)-
3ñci poḍici koṇi caccina-
4candrarāśi(bha)ṭārala rūpu

Translation by Jens Thomas

This is the picture of Candrarāsibhaṭāra who accused (someone) of brahmicide of Kēdārarāśipaṇḍitulu, got in close combat, slew (him), and died.

Commentary

The text follows the edition of H. Krishna Sastri in 1925: page 21, № 58 in absence of a picture. Following the entry in A. R. No. 471 of 1893 Krishna Sastri edited the text which was written on two faces on a stone slab as one entry with continuous line numbering although the two faces evidently display two distinct inscriptions. They are given here as 58a and 58b respectively. The term rūpu probably refers to a carving that depicts Candrarāśibhaṭāra. However, mention of such a picture is neither made in A. R. nor in Krishna Sastri 1925. The spelling śrāpiñci (line 2-3) is a mistake for śāpiñci. Besides ’to curse’ śāpiñcu can also mean ’to accuse’ (e. g. Sītārāmācāryulu 1922: pages 752, 754 ’tiṭṭu’ which also means ’niṁdiṁcu’ (Reḍḍi 1989: page 381)). The verb koṇu means ’to take’ in most instances but also the meanings ’to prick, peirce, strike down’ are attested. The expression caccina ’died’ is remarkable since this intransitive verb is not the standard for denoting death in a battle. Hence, one could surmise that he died a natural death (long) after his successful revenge.

Bibliography

The text was noted in A. R. No. 471 of 1893 and edited by H. Krishna Sastri in 1925: page 21, № 58 without a picture. The text was re-edited by K. M. Sastri (1969: page 345, № 97) on basis of SII with some errors and without translation.

Secondary

A. R. No. 471 of 1893
Krishna Sastri, H. 1925. South-Indian Inscriptions (Texts). Volume V: Miscellaneous Inscriptions from the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada Countries. South Indian Inscriptions 5. Madras: Government Press.
Page 21, № 58.
Sastri, Korada Mahadeva. 1969. Historical Grammar of Telugu with Special Reference to Old Telugu c. 200 B.C. - 1000 A.D. Anantapur: Sri Vekateswara Univ.
Page 345, № 97.