Sātārā plates of Viṣṇuvardhana I

Metadata

Current Version:  draft, 2024-09-02Z

Editor:   John Faithfull Fleet.

DHARMA Identifier: INSVengiCalukya00001

Hand Description:

Halantas. Final N (l8) resembles a regular na with a detached horizontal line in place of a headmark; final T (l14) resembles a regular ta with an attached horizontal line in place of a headmark. Final M (l17) is a slightly reduced ma with the left arm bent to the right to form a horizontal line. Original punctuation consists of single and occasionally double plain vertical bars. Other palaeographic observations. Anusvāra is normally above the centre or right-hand side of the character to which it belongs. Long ī is unusual, with a vertical line crossing the circular mark. La occurs both in a northern form with a regular-sized vertical stem and a headmark, and a southern form with a long backward-curling tail. The opening symbol resembles the numeral 1, but as Fleet observes, it is not a pagination mark, since there are no corresponding marks elsewhere. It resembles an Arabic figure 3 rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

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Additional Metadata

No metadata were provided in the table for this inscription

Edition

Seal

¹śrī-biṭṭarasa

Plates

^{⎘ plate 1v 1}dashDoubleconvex svasti[.] svāmi-mahāsena-pādānuddhyātānāṁ mānavya-sagotrāṇāṁ h(ā)-
²rītī-putrāṇāṁ māt¡ri!⟨r̥⟩-gaṇa-prasāda-parirakṣita-bhujārggalānāṁ kṣīroda-
³dhi-śayana-suptotthita-prasāda-parilabdha-varāha-lāñchanānāṁ ¡cali!kyā-
⁴nāṁ vaṁśe saṁbhūtaḥ śakti-traya-saṁpannaḥ

tena¡-m a!⟨A⟩neka-sāmanta-praṇata-makuṭa-cūḍāmaṇi--
¹¹nigh¡ri!⟨r̥⟩ṣṭa-caraṇāravindena sakala-mahī-maṇḍala-tilaka-bhūtena śrī-p¡ri!⟨r̥⟩thi-
¹²vī-vallabha-viṣṇuvarddhana-yuvarāja-viṣamasiddhinā kurumarathyāvasthite-
¹³◯na mātā-pitror ātmanaś ca puṇyāvāptaye kārttika-paurṇṇamāsyāṁ veda-
¹⁴-v(edā)ṅga-pāragā¿n?⟨ṇ⟩āṁ gh¡ri!⟨r̥⟩takauśika-sagotrāṇāṁ viśvāmitrava¡T l!akṣmaṇa-
¹⁵svāmi-putrāṇāṁ Acalasvāmi-vedasvāmi-devasvām¿i-Ā?⟨inām ā⟩dityasvāmi-nāgakumā-
¹⁶ra-sahitānāṁ putra-pautrādīnā¡ṁ!m avyā{t}saṁgenācandrārka-kṣiti-sthiti-samakāl¡ā!⟨āT⟩
¹⁷bali-caru-vaiśvadevāgnihotra-havana-pañca-mahāyajñotsarpaṇārtthaM
^{⎘ plate 2v 18}śrīnilaya-bhoge Aṇopalyāgrāhārasyottarataḥ bhīmarathī-dakṣiṇa-ta-
¹⁹ṭe Alandatīrtthaṁ nāma grāmo vidhivad udaka-pūrvvam datta⟨ḥ⟩

viditam astu sa-
²⁰rvveṣāṁ paryyanta-viṣayapati-sāmanta-grāmabhogika-mahattarādināṁ {A}cā-
²¹ṭa-bhaṭa-kusīdādinā¡ṁ!m apraveśyaḥ sarvvādāna-viśuddh¡e!⟨a I⟩ty avagamya cala-
²²◯-pavana-preritodadhi-jala-taraṅga-cañcalaṁ jīva-lokam anuprekṣya
²³tasmāl lopo na kāryyaḥ[.] yo vājñāna-timira-paṭalāv¡ri!⟨r̥⟩ta-mati¿d?⟨r⟩ ā¿ñ?⟨c⟩chiṁdyā-
²⁴d ācchidyamānaṁ yo vānumode⟨ta⟩ sa pañcabhir mahā-pātakai⟨ḥ⟩ samyukto bha-
²⁵viṣyatīty[.] uktañ ca bhagavatā veda-vyāsena vyāsena||

śrī-mahārājasya pravarddhamānaka-saṁvatsare Aṣṭame śāsanaṁ likhitam iti

Apparatus

¹ dashDoubleconvex svasti ◇ svasti BGS; om svasti JFF
⁶ sa⟨t⟩-kīrtti⟨ḥ⟩ ◇ sa-kīrtti BGS; sa-kīrtti⟨ḥ⟩ JFF • Fleet’s translation also shows that he accepts the received reading, but since it is grossly unmetrical, I think it must be a scribal error.
¹⁰ tena¡-m a!⟨A⟩neka- ◇ tena Aneka- BGS; te¿nama?⟨nā⟩neka- JFF • Fleet also proposes an alternative emendation to tenaivam aneka. I prefer to assume that the m is used here in non-standard sandhi and normalise to hiatus.
¹⁴ viśvāmitrava¡T! ◇ viśvāmitrava(dhr̥ta) BGS; viśvāmitrava¡T!⟨l⟩ JFF • I am not sure what Shastree wished to express with his parentheses, but I believe that he reads T as ta and proposes emending va to dhr̥.
¹⁵ -devasvām¿i-Ā?⟨inām ā⟩dityasvāmi- JFF ◇ -devasvāmi-Ādityasvāmi- BGS • Hiatus would not be surprising in the inscription, but I believe (and think Fleet reasoned along the same lines) that sahita further on means that we have three sons plus two others here. The omission of the genitive ending here may be poor grammar on the composer’s part, but it may also be eyeskip omission by the scribe.
¹⁶ -samakāl¡ā!⟨āT⟩ JFF ◇ -samakāl¿ā?⟨aṁ⟩ BGS • Since ā for aṁ seems an unlikely scribal error, we are probably dealing with the non-standard ablative ending -ā here.
¹⁷ mahāyajñotsarpaṇārtthaM JFF ◇ mahāyajña-ArpaṇārthaM BGS
¹⁸ -bhoge JFF ◇ -bhogo BGS
¹⁹ Aṇopalyā° JFF ◇ Aṇopalvā° BGS
^20–21 {A}cā/ṭa- JFF ◇ Ācāṭa- BGS • The scribe or the composer must have been familiar with the standard formulation beginning with a-cāṭa, but since he then wrote apraveśyaḥ, the privative must be suppressed here.
²¹ -viśuddh¡e!⟨a I⟩ty JFF ◇ -vi¿bh?⟨ś⟩uddhety BGS
²² anuprekṣya JFF ◇ anupre{k}ṣya BGS
^23–24 -mati¿d?⟨r⟩ ā¿ñ?⟨c⟩chiṁdyā/d ācchidyamānaṁ ◇ -mati¿d?⟨r⟩ ācchiṁdyā/d ācchidyamānaṁ JFF; -mati¿r?⟨d⟩ ācchiṁdyā/¿d?⟨r⟩ ācchidyamānaṁ BGS • BGS’s emendations are in all probability a typographic error (and perhaps incorrect "correction" of that error by the printer) and his actual reading and emendation was probably the same as that of Fleet.
²⁴ vānumode⟨ta⟩ JFF ◇ vānumodet BGS • I suspect that this is a non-standard ending rather than a scribal mistake. Compare vase in ll. 26-27.
²⁵ ṣaṣṭiṁ JFF ◇ ṣaṣṭir BGS
^26–27 va/se⟨T⟩ JFF ◇ vaset BGS • I suspect that this is a non-standard ending rather than a scribal mistake. Compare vānumode in l. 25.
²⁸ dadatāṁ JFF ◇ dātaraṁ BGS
²⁹ -pratiṣṭhān tu JFF ◇ -pratiṣṭhā¿t?⟨p⟩ya BGS
³⁰ dān¡ā ś!⟨āc ch⟩reyo JFF ◇ dānāt śreyo BGS • Another non-standard ablative ending, compare samakālā in l. 16.
³¹ kuryy¡ā!⟨āT⟩ ◇ dān¡ā ś!⟨āc ch⟩reyo JFF; kuryyāT BGS • Fleet’s emendation cannot be excluded, but compare the non-standard third-person optatives in lines 25 and 26.

Translation by Dániel Balogh

^1-4Greetings! In the lineage of the Calikyas—who were deliberately appointed (to kingship) by Lord Mahāsena, who are of the Mānavya gotra, who are the sons of Hārītī, the shafts of whose arms are guarded by the grace of the band of Mothers, who have acquired the Boar emblem through the grace of (Viṣṇu) who rises from sleep reclining on the Milk Ocean—arose, endowed with the three powers (śakti-traya)—

Victorious is he, King (nr̥pa) Raṇavikrama, who cast down the prowess, pride and passion of enemy kings [and who was] known as Satyāśraya {recognised as one who has truthfulness as his foundation} through his actions that smash the evils of the Kali age.

He had a son, Kīrtivarman of true fame (kīrti), steadfast in [maintaining] stability, with good deeds as his foundation, a lord of the earth who fulfilled his duties.

His son of great splendour is like Kandarpa (Kāma) embodied, familiar with moral duty (dharma) and mindful of what has been done [for him], comparable to Pr̥thā’s son (Arjuna) in bravery.

It is as though he—and, indeed, Bībhatsu (Arjuna)—had been placed in the world by the Creator in order to tear up the arrogance of men who make a living by their weapons.

^10-19He, the Favourite of Fortune and the Earth (śrī-pr̥thivī-vallabha) Crown Prince (yuvarāja) Viṣṇuvardhana Viṣamasiddhi, whose lotus feet are rubbed by the crest jewels on the bowed diadems of numerous subordinates (sāmanta) and who is an ornament of the entire circle of the earth, has—on the full-moon day of Kārttika, while stationed at Kurumarathyā,^↓1, in order to acquire merit for his mother and father as well as for himself—granted, with [due] ceremony accompanied by [a libation of] water, the village named Alandatīrtha, (located) in the Śrīnilaya territory (bhoga) to the north of the Aṇopalya Brahmanical holding (agrāhāra) and on the southern bank of the (river) Bhīmarathī to [Brahmins] familiar with the Vedas and Vedāṅgas: Acalasvāmin, Vedasvāmin and Devasvāmin—who are the sons of Lakṣmaṇasvāmin and are of the Ghr̥ta-Kauśika gotra ¿with Viśvāmitra [as their pravara]?^↓2—together with Ādityasvāmin and Nāgakumāra,^↓3 to be the inalienable property of their sons, grandsons and so on as long as the moon, sun and earth remain, for the offering of the five great sacrifices, [viz.] Bali, Caru, Vaiśvadeva, Agnihotra and Havana.

^19-25Let [this] be known to all governors of the marches (paryanta-viṣayapati), subordinate rulers (sāmanta), landlords (grāmabhogika), headmen (mahattara) and others: understanding [this village] to be barred from constables (cāṭa), men-at-arms (bhaṭa), ¿collectors? (kusīda) and the like and to be exempt (viśuddha) from all revenue-taking (ādāna), and bearing in mind that the world of the living is as volatile as the waves on the water of an ocean whipped by a fickle wind, therefore no transgression [of this property] should be made. But, if someone with a mind obscured by the shroud of the darkness of (spiritual) ignorance should seize it or condone its being seized, the five great sins shall be visited upon him. So too did the reverend Vyāsa, the redactor (vyāsa) of the Vedas speak:

A donor of land stays in heaven for sixty millennia, [while] a seizer [of granted land] and a condoner [of such seizure] shall reside in hell for just as many.

Many kings, beginning with Sagara, have enjoyed the bountiful land. Whosoever at any time owns the land, the fruit {reward (accrued of granting it)} belongs to him at that time.

No such merit is generated for us kings when we give land, as that which occurs when we protect the foundation of another.

O Yudhiṣṭhira, diligently preserve land that has been previously donated to the twice-born. O best of land-possessors, preserving [a grant] is superior to making a grant.

One must not, even at death’s door, set his mind on the property of a Brahmin! What fire has burnt, grows [again, but] what the brahman has burnt will not grow.

He who would seize land, whether given by himself or by another, shall be cooked in the Pot-Stewing (kumbhīpāka) Hells for sixty thousand years.

The seizers of a land grant will be born as black snakes dwelling in dry holes in the waterless wilderness of the Vindhyas.

³⁶The above decree (śāsana) was written in the eighth ongoing year of His Majesty the King (mahārāja).

Translation into French by Estienne-Monod 2008

^1-4Om ! Prospérité ! A celui qui a acquis les trois pouvoirs,^↓4 né dans la lignée des Calukya, qui méditent aux pieds du seigneur Mahāsena, du même gotra que les descendants de Manu, fils de Hārītī, dont les bras sont des barres de portes, protégés par la faveur de la troupe des Mères, qui ont gagné de porter la marque du sanglier par la faveur [du dieu] qui dort, allongé sur l’océan de lait,

Victoire au roi Raṇavikrama, dont la vaillance, l’enthousiasme et la fougue anéantirent les rois ennemis, lui qui devint Satyāśraya en accomplissant le barattement des méchants du Kaliyuga !

Son fils, pourvu de gloire, fut Kīrtivarman, riche d’une ferme constance, réceptacle de nobles actions, qui accomplit son devoir, souverain de la terre.

Le fils de celui-ci, pourvu d’un grand tejas, tel Kandarpa sous sa forme corporelle, lui qui connaissait autant le dharma que les bienfaits, avait un courage comparable à celui de Pārtha.

Comme pour éradiquer l’orgueil des hommes qui vivent des armes, lui, Bībhatsu, fut placé dans le monde par le créateur.

^10-19Celui-ci, dont les pieds de lotus sont frottés par les maîtres joyaux des diadèmes des nombreux feudataires inclinés, devenu l’ornement du cercle entier de la terre, le prince héritier illustre Pr̥thivī Vallabha Viṣṇuvardhana, [alias] Viṣamasiddhi, résidant à Kurumarathī, afin d’acquérir des mérites pour sa mère, son père et lui-même, lors de la pleine lune du mois de Kārtika, donne à Acalasvami, Vedasvāmi et Devasvāmi, ainsi qu’à Ādityasvāmi et Nāgakumāra, qui sont les fils de Lakṣmaṇasvāmi, - appartenant aux Viśvāmitra, qui connaissent l’ensemble des Veda et Vedāṅga, du gotra de Ghr̥takauśika, - et à leurs fils et petit-fils, aussi longtemps que dureront la lune, le soleil, la terre, afin d’accomplir les cinq grands sacrifices que sont le bali, le caru, le vaiśvadeva, l’agnihotra^↓5 et le havana,^↓6 dans le bhoga de Śrīnilaya, au nord de l’agrahāra d’Aṇopalya, sur la rive sud de la Bhīmarathī, le village nommé Alandatīrttha, après avoir fait une libation d’eau qui convient.

^19-25Que ceci soit connu de tous les chefs de viṣaya voisins, les feudataires, les chefs de villages, les chefs de familles,^↓7 etc. ; l’entrée [de ce village] est interdite aux troupes régulières et irrégulières ainsi qu’aux usuriers, etc., [ayant déclaré] qu’il était libre de tout impôt, ayant compris que le monde vivant est instable comme les vagues de l’océan, agité par un vent instable,^↓8 et veillant à ce qu’aucune transgression ne soit effectuée. Le bienheureux Vyāsa, compilateur des Veda, a dit : Que celui qui, l’esprit obscurci par le voile ténébreux de l’ignorance, transgresse (cet édit), ou approuve qu’il soit transgressé, soit lié aux cinq grands crimes !

Le donateur de la terre séjourne soixante mille ans dans le ciel, que celui qui interrompt (la donation) et celui qui l’approuve demeurent aussi longtemps en enfer !

Beaucoup de rois ont joui de la terre, à commencer par Sagara, celui qui possède la terre en possède le fruit.

Ceux qui donnent et ceux qui jouissent de la terre ne gagnent pas le même mérite que ceux qui protègent une terre établie par autrui.

Donnée auparavant aux brahmanes, ô Yudhiṣṭhira, protège avec force cette terre ! la préservation, ô meilleur des princes de la terre, est plus grande que le don.

Ne porte pas de convoitise au bien d’un brahmane, même si les souffles ont quitté ta gorge, ce que le feu a brûlé croît, ce qu’un brahmane a brûlé ne croît plus.

Qu’elle soit donnée par lui ou par un autre, celui qui prend une terre, cuit en enfer pendant soixante mille ans.

Habitant des grottes arides dans les forêts sauvages du Vindhya, ceux qui s’emparent d’une donation de terre renaissent comme serpents noirs.

³⁵Cet édit a été gravé pendant la huitième auguste année [de règne] de l’illustre grand roi.

Commentary

Bibliography

First edited in rudimentary form by Ball Gangadhar Shastree (Shastree 1844: № 1), with a lithograph. Properly edited with new estampage by J. F. Fleet 1890. The present edition by Dániel Balogh is based on a collation of these editions with Fleet’s estampages. Shastree silently normalises spelling and punctuation, which is not shown in the apparatus here.

Primary

Secondary

Notes

↑1. Or on the road to Kuruma?
↑2. I follow Fleet in interpreting the text to mean that Viśvāmitra was the (principal) pravara of the donees, or at least of the first three. On the basis of syntax, the text should mean “who, like Viśvāmitra, were the sons of Lakṣmaṇasvāmin,” which does not make sense. The intent may also have been say that Lakṣmaṇasvāmin was like Viśvāmitra, but I am again not sure that this controversial character is a desirable comparison. 
↑3. The structure of the text implies that the parentage and gotra given above applies only to the first three donees, but it may have been meant to apply to the last two as well.
↑4. Les trois pouvoirs constitutifs de la royauté : utsāha, l’audace, prabhu, la puissance, mantra, les conseils, cf. Arthaśāstra, 6, 2, 33.
↑5. Sur ces sacrifices, cf. insc. n°2. Le bali, le caru et le vaiśvadeva sont aussi mentionnés in insc. nos 2 et 7. Sur l’agnihotra cf. insc. n° 7.
↑6. Sur ce sacrifice, cf. ŚBr. KātyŚr., références données in Monier-Williams.
↑7. D. C. Sircar, 1966, p. 191 : chef de village, famille, communauté.
↑8. Même idée in insc. n°7.