Seal mahārāja-vijayasenasya

Plate loka-nāthaḥ yaḥ puṁsāṁ sukr̥ta-karmma-phala-hetuḥ satya-tapo-maya-mūrttir lloka-dvaya-sādhano dharmmaḥ tad-anu jita-danmbha-lobhā jayanti nityaṁ parahitārthāḥ nirmmatsarāḥ sucaritaiḥ para-loka-jigīṣavaḥ santaḥ

pr̥thivīṁ pr̥thur iva prathita-pratāpa-naya-śauryye mahārājādhirāja-śrī-gopacandre praśāsati tad-anujñaptāyāṁptyā puṇyottara-janapadādhyāsitāyāṁ satata-dharmma-kriyā-varddhamānāyāṁ varddhamāna-bhuktau pūjyān varttamānopasthitata-kārttākr̥tika-kumārāmātya-cauroddharaṇikoparikaudraṅgikāgrahārikaurṇasthānika-bhogapatika-viṣayapati-tadaāyuktaka-hiraṇya-sāmudāyika-pattalakāvasathika-devadroṇī-samvaddhādīn vidhivat sampūjya vakkattaka-vīthī-samvaddhārddhakarakāgrahārīṇa-mahattara-himadattaḥ nirvr̥ta-vāṭakīya-mahattara-suvarṇṇayaśāḥ kapistha-vāṭakāgrahārīṇa-mahattara-dhanasvāmiī vaṭavallakāgrahārīṇa-mahattara-ṣaṣṭhiīdatta-śrīdattau koḍḍavīrāgrahārīṇa-bhaṭṭa-vāmanasvāmī godhagrāmāgrahārīṇa-mahiīdatta-rājyadattau śālmali-vāṭakīya-jīvasvāmiī vakkattakīya-khāḍgi-hariḥ madhu-vāṭakīya-khāḍgi-goIkaḥ khaṇḍajoṭikeya-khāḍgi-bhadranandiī vindhyapureya-vāhanāyaka-hari-prabhur̥tayo vīthy-adhikaraṇañ ca vijñāpayanti

pūjyaṁ-mahārāja-vijayasenena vayam abhyarthitā Icche 'ham etad-vīthī-samvaddha-vettragarttā-grāme yuṣmabhyobhir yathā-nyāyaenopakrīyāṣṭau kulyavāpāN mātā-pittror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhivr̥ddhaye kalpāntara-sthāyinyā pravr̥ttyā puttra-pauttrānvaya-bhogyatvena kauṇḍinya-sagottrāya vāhvr̥ca-vatsasvāminoe pañca-mahā-yajña-pravarttanāya pratipāvdayitum iti

yato 'smābhir asyābhyarthanayāvadhr̥tam asty oeṣo 'nukramaḥ Ubhaya-loka-vijigīṣubhis sādhubhiḥ kriyamāṇa-puṇya-skandheṣu. śrī-paramāa-bhaṭṭāraka-paādānāṁ dharmma-ṣaḍ-bhāgopacayo 'smākam api pratipālayatāṁ kīrtti-śreyobhyāṁ yogaḥ. Uktañ ca

yaḥ kriyāṁ dharmma-saṁyuktāṁ manasāpy abhinandati varddhate sa yatheṣṭevna śukla-pakṣa IvoḍurāṬ

tat sampadyatām asyābhiprāya Ity asmand-vāra-kr̥tair anena dattaka-diīnārān vīthyāṁ samvibhajyāsmand-vettragarttā-grāme 'ṣṭābhyaḥ kulyavāpebhyo yathocitaṁ dānaṁ tad-vīthī-samudaya Eva pranāryya voḍhavyam ity avacūrṇyāṣṭau kulya-vāpā mahārāja-vijayasenasya dattoāḥ. anenāpi rājñāsmai kauṇḍinya-sagottrāya vāhvr̥ca-vatsasvāmine pañca-mahā-yajña-pravarttanāya tāmra-praṭṭena pratipāditāḥ.

Atha ca caiṣāṁ caturṣu dikṣu sīmā bhavanti pūrvvasyāṁ diśi godha-grāma sīmā. dakṣiṇyāṁ godha-grāmāa Eva. Uttarasyāṁ vaṭavallakāgrahāra sīmā. paścimasyāṁ diśi Arddhena Āmra-garttikā sīmā kīlakāś cāttra kamalākṣa-mālāṅkitāś caturṣu dikṣu nyastā bhavanty. evam eṣāṁ kr̥ta-sīmāṅkānām asya brāhmaṇasya pañca-mahā-yajña-pravarttanenopabhuñjānasya na kenacid etad-vanśa-jenānyatamena vā svalpaāpy āvādhā hasta-prakṣepo vā kaāryyaḥ. Evam avadhr̥te yo 'tha karoti sa vadhyaḥ pañcabhir mmahā-pātakaiḥ sopapātakaiḥ saṁyuktaḥ syād. api ca

nāsya devā na pitaro haviḥ piṇḍaṁ samāpnuyuḥ chinna-mastakavat tālaḥ Apratiṣṭhaḥ patiṣyati

bhūmi-dānāpaharaṇa-pratipālana-guṇa-dosṣa-vyañjakāḥ Ārṣāḥ ślokā bhavanti

ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣa-sahasrāṇi svargge nandati bhūmi-daḥ Ākṣeptā cānumantā ca tāny eva narake vaseT Āsphoṭayanti pitaraḥ pravalganti pitāmahāḥ bhūmi-do 'smant-kule jātaḥ sa naḥ santārayiṣyati yat kiñcint kurute pāpaṁ naro lobha-samāanvitaḥ Api go-carmma-māttreṇa bhūmi-dānena śudhyati pūrvva-dattāṁ dvijātibhyo yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira bhūmiṁ bhūmimatāṁ śreṣṭha dānāc chreyo 'nupālanaṁ Iyaṁ rāja-śatair ddattā dīyate ca punaḥ punaḥ yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ taḍit-taraṅga-vahulāṁ śriyaṁ matvā ca marttyānāṁ na dharmma-sthitayas sadbhiḥ yuktā loke vilopituM

ku 8. dūtakaḥ śubhadatto. likhitaṁ sāndhivigrahika-bhogacandreṇa. tāpitaṁ pustapāla-jayadāsena. saṁvvaDT 3 śrāva di 20 7

Seal Of the mahārāja Vijayasena

Plate

The Lord of the Worlds Lokanātha discusses the identity of god glorified here. According to him, the buddhist obedience of the plate maintained by is questionable and he prefers to attribute a brahmanical background to the donation. His arguments are : the mention of the five great sacrifices the identity of the recipient : a Brahmin of the Kauṇḍinya gotra, belonging to the Bāhvr̥ca śākha of the Lokanātha is not only an epithet to designate Buddha, but can also refer to the gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva the inconsistency between the paratext and the content of the plate : on one hand, a Buddhistic invocation and a Buddhistic seal and on the other hand, a brahmanical record He interprets the cakra on the seal as the famous attribute of Viṣṇu and the whole seal with the two armed-deity as a representation of Cakrapuruṣa. As he found the name Lokanātha within the list of Viṣṇu's names from the of the , he suggests that the glorified deity should be Viṣṇu. He also quoted the Ahirbudhnya Saṁhita as a source in which one can find eulogy of this form of Viṣṇu. After checking the content of this text from Schrader's book , I understand that Viṣṇu as Cakrapuruṣa in this text is a sixteen-armed deity. So it could be an argument for the identification of the obedience for our plate. The epithet Lokanātha can be found in Biyala Plate of Mahīpāla I, year 35 in line 4, Rajibpur Plate of Gopāla IV, year 2 and Madanapāla, year 2 in line 2, Rajibpur Plate of Madanapāla, year 22 in line 2 and Manahali Plate of Madanapāla, year 8 in line 2. who gives the fruits of good deeds to men, whose appearance is full of truth and ascetism, who produces the two worlds, who is the law —

After Him, the good men who seek the highest goal, who have defeated their deceit and their cupidity, unselfish, they who desire the highest world, are always nityaṁ victorious through their good deeds.

While the mahārājādhirāja Śrī Gopacandra whose power, conduct and heroism are well-known, is governing the earth as another Pr̥thu, in the province of Vardhamāna litt. the prosperous one which is prospering thanks to the constant practice of Dharma,Here one can observe the attempt to give meaning to the name of the province by an semantical etymology. where supremely people have been settled with his i.e. Gopacandra's authorisation, Himadatta, the notable mahattara residing in the Ardhakaraka agrahāra belonging to the Vakkattaka territory vīthīsambaddha; Suvarṇayaśas, the notable residing in Nirvr̥tavāṭaka; As the suffix īya is used without vr̥ddhi, other translations can be suggested: belonging to, managing or responsible of. The word nirvr̥tavāṭaka can be understood as a toponym meaning pleasant garden. Dhanasvāmin, the notable residing in the Kapisthavāṭaka Wood-apple garden agrahāra; Ṣaṣṭhīdatta and Śrīdatta, both notables residing in the Vaṭavallaka agrahāra; Bhaṭṭa Vāmanasvāmin residing in the Koḍḍavīra agrahāra; Mahīdatta and Rājyadatta, both possessing villages given to Brahmins in Godhagrāma, Jīvasvāmin residing in Śālmalivāṭaka, As for nirvr̥tavāṭakīya, there is no vr̥ddhi elevation. So one could also translated by belonging to Śālmalivāṭaka or responsible of the gardens in Śālmali. Hari, the swordsman belonging to/residing in Vakkattaka, This place name is already mentioned in line 5. Goika, the swordsman belonging to/residing in Madhuvāṭaka, Bhadranandin, the swordsman residing in Khaṇḍajōtika, the deliverers, conducteurs, carriers and so on vāha-nāyaka-hari-prabhr̥tayo I consider these three words as types of profession. For the moment, my translation is a somewhat awkward attempt which needs to be improved. One can also understand : the men residing in Vindhyapura beginning with Hari the chariot-driver vāha-nāyaka. But there is another Hari just before. residing in Vindhyapura and the council of the territory greatly honour according to the rules vidhivat sampūjya line 5 and inform the following venerables beginning with those who are dwelling here in the present the recorder kārttākr̥tika, 149 suggests the word kārttākr̥tika probably qualifies an officer who reported to the king qbout the progress of important undertakings. The word occurs in the Panchrol Plate of the time of Śaśāṅka line 6, in the Nālandā Plate of Dharmapāla line 8 and in the Jayarampur plate line 11. the princely advisor kumārāmatya, the police officer cauroddharaṇika, 72 suggests the word cauroddharaṇika refers to an official designation indicating an officer in charge of the recovery of stolen property; a police officer. The word occurs in the Deo Baranark Inscription of Jivitagupta, Plate XV, line 9, in the Murshidabad or Indian Museum copper plate after the verse 19, in the Nālandā Plate of Dharmapāla line 12, in the Mudgagiri grant of Devapāla, regnal year 33 lines 33 and 40, in the Mahendrapāla 7th regnal year Jagajjibanpur (or Tulabhita) copper plate lines 36 and 46, in the Manahali Plate of Madanapāla, year 8 lines 35 and 40, in the Bharat Kala Bhavan Plate of Rājyapāla, year 2 line 35 and 42 and in the Khalimpur Plate of Dharmapāla, year 32 line 45. the governor of the province uparika, the collector of the udraṅga tax audraṅgika, 37 suggests the following meaning for the word audraṅgika: collector of the udraṅga tax meaning tax on permanent tenants or the principal tax; sometimes mentioned side by side with the hiraṇyasāmudāyika or the collector of tax in cash. the one who supervises the royal donation of lands āgrahārika, 11 suggests the āgrahārika is the owner of an agrahāra; sometimes probably, the superintendent of agrahāras. Here I opt for the second meaning. the officer in charge of the wool factories aurṇasthānika, 38 explains the word aurṇasthānika in this way: officer in charge of an ūrṇasthāna wool factory or of all the ūrṇasthānas. the officer in charge of the territorial unit called bhoga bhogapatika, See 55. the chief of the district viṣayapati and its officer tadāyuktaka, the collector of tax in cash hiraṇyasāmudāyika, See 130. the superindentent of the territorial division called pattalaka pattalakāvasathika I deduce this meaning of pattalakāvasathika from the explanations given by 245 and 40 for the words pattalaka and avasathika. and the officer in charge of temple property devadroṇisambaddha: This translation could be supported by the different occurrences of the words kumārāmatya, viṣayapati and āyukta or āyuktaka as technical vocabulary to designate several positions in the hierarchical administration of lands. One can find the word kumārāmatya such employed in Raktamālā Grant no. 1, year 159 in line 1, Baigram Charter of the Time of Kumāragupta I in line 1, Damodarpur #1 in line 3, A second grant concerning the Raktamālā in line 1, Kumudavillikā grant of the time of Śasāṅka, year 8 in the first line of the seal, and Manahali Plate of Madanapāla, year 8 in line 34. The word viṣayapati can be read as hierarchical designation in Biyala Plate of Mahīpāla I, year 35 in line 35, Kalaikuri-Sultanpur Plate of the Time of Kumāragupta I in line 28, A grant of land in the Tāvīra district in lines 7, 12 and 14, and Nandapur Plate of 169 GE in lines 2 and 11 . The words āyukta or āyuktaka can be found in Biyala Plate of Mahīpāla I, year 35 in line 34, Dhanaidaha Plate, Year 113 GE in line 11, Kalaikuri-Sultanpur Plate of the Time of Kumāragupta I in lines 1 and 28, Jagadispur Charter of the Time of Kumāragupta I in lines 1 and 22-23, Raktamālā Grant no. 1, year 159 in the first line of the seal, A grant of land in the Tāvīra district in line 1, Paharpur Charter of the Time of Budhagupta in line 1, A grant of land to monasteries at Śiṣīpuñja, Madhyamasr̥gālikā and Grāmakūṭagohālī, line 1, A second grant concerning the Raktamālā estate in the first line of the seal, Rajibpur Plate of Gopāla IV, year 2 and Madanapāla, year 2 line 40 and Manahali Plate of Madanapāla, year 8 in line 35. Thus I deduce from this that the others words are also names of types of profession. This deduction is confirmed by the meanings given of these words by for the word devadroṇisambaddha, see 88. So my understanding totally differs from the suggestion of who interprets kumārāmatya, viṣayapati and tadāyuktaka and all others words as proper names.

We have been sollicited by the venerable mahārāja Vijayasena as follows:

After having purchased it according to your yuṣmabhir legal proceeding yathānyāyena,I wish to bestow eight kulyavāpas in the village Vettragarttā belonging to this territory vīthī in the sake of the increase of my own merit and the one of both my mother and my father to be enjoyed in succession by sons and grandsons, thanks the practice of permanent endowment, to Vatsasvāmin, belonging to the R̥gveda tradition Bāhvr̥ca, disciple of Kauṇḍinya,in order to perform the five great sacrifices.

Therefore, due to his requesting it has been ascertained by us : this is the method for the virtuous men who want to conquest the two worlds and who have a lot of meritorious deeds. A sixth part of merit produced by it is vested in His Majesty the sovereign Lord and also for us who are protecting this gift from the conjunction of fame and welfare.

It has been said:

The man who, even in mind, approves a deed endowed with Dharma, he increases according to which has been given yaṭheṣṭena as the moon uḍurāj during the bright fortnight. This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 151 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200, except for the final comparison in the pāda d. The meaning remains identical nonetheless.

Thus tad, considering iti his request is granted, after having distributed within the officials of this territory vīthī the dīnāras paid by him according to the meritorious acts made by us, the gift as it has been described must be honestly prāṇāyyaṁ conveyed precisely in the income of this territory of up to the expected income of the eight kulyavāpas belonging to our village Vettragarta.

After having them sprinkled with powder avacūrṇya, the eight kulyavāpas of the mahārāja Vijayasena are given. They are bestowed by the king ie Gopacandra and also by himgap at the beginning of the line 14 anena I follow the suggestion made by : anenāpi°. thanks a copperplate to Vatsasvāmin, belonging to the R̥gveda tradition Bāhvr̥ca, disciple of Kauṇḍinya,in order to perform the five great sacrifices.

Then here follow the frontiers of this land in the four directions: the Eastern boundary is Godhagrāma, the Southern boundary is exactly Godhagrāma the Northern boundary is the agrahāra called Vaṭavallaka the Banyan pole the Western boundary is in the middle of Āmragarttikā the mango tree of the weaver's workshop And there, pillars marked by rosaries made of lotus seeds are fixed in the four boundaries. On the manner to mark boundaries, see chapter 21 of Yājñavalkya's 162-165, the chapter 11 of the 189-192; 371-377. Thus, concerning the enjoyment of this land whose the boundaries have been marked and which is devoted to the performance of the five great sacrifices by this Brahmin, any objection however small or any protestation by raising hands may be made by no one belonging to his family or by no one else.

This having been ascertained in this way, he who does that, will be slained and will be marred by the five great sins and by all other little sins. Moreover:

The Gods and his Ancestors will never receive his offering havis and his oblation piṇḍa. Like a palm tree with his tuft of leaves cut, deprived of stability, he will fall in hell. For the moment, I didn't find any correspondence for this imprecatory verse.

The sacred verses describing the virtue and the dishonor of the confiscation and protection of a gift of land are :

The giver of land enjoys sixty thousand years in heaven; the one who challenges a donation as well as the one who approves of the challenge will reside as many years in hell. This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 123 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200.

The Fathers are agitating and the Grand-Fathers are bounding when they can say A giver of land is born within our lineage, he alone will all deliver us !. This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 20 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200, except for the final verb in the pāda d.

A miserly man, whatever the sins he has committed, is purified by a gift of land, even measuring the size of a gocarman literally a cow's skin, here it is a unit of measurement. This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 159 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200.

You, Yudhiṣṭhira, most excellent of kings, must strenuously protect land previously given to brahmins. Safeguarding is even better than giving. This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 131 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200.

Earth has been given by hundreds of kings and it will be given again and again. Whoever holds land at a given moment, to him does the fruit belong. This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 23 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200, but the pādas a and b present a different reading.

Considering the fortune of mortels is full of waves and passed in a flash, the deeds devoted to dharma by wise men should not be destroyed in this world. This verse expresses the same meaning with a different wording than the verse numbered 132 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200.

Eight ku kulyavāpas, the messenger of this gift is Śubhadatta. It has been written by Bhogacandra, the minister presiding in negociating affairs sāndhivigrahika, heated by the record-keeper Jayadāsa. Year 3, Śrāvaṇa month day 27.