# K. 400.1. Donation to the saṅgha by the king of Canāśa, 7th century

Dominic Goodall and Diwakar Acharya

Authors of digital edition: Dominic Goodall, Diwakar Acharya

Identifier: DHARMA_INSCIK00400-1

Repository: Khmer (tfc-khmer-epigraphy)

File path: texts/xml/DHARMA_INSCIK00400-1.xml

Language: Sanskrit [Khmer]

Commit: 2026-11-14 14:32 (f68ac07), last modified 2026-09-28 14:35
(d0cd6a8)

## Summary

In one sragdharā stanza, this inscription records the gift of buffalos,
cows, slaves and possibly elephants to the Buddhist saṅgha by the king
of Canāśa.

## Palaeographic description

The lettering is fairly typical of seventh-century Khmer epigraphs, but
the long descending strokes and the upadhmānīya make it seem older
still. The upadhmānīya is particularly large and pronounced, having the
form of a large circle containing a cross, raised above the consonant
that it precedes.

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## Edition

1. Sragdharā

⟨1⟩ [lamba-s]tany(o) mahiṣyaḫ pr̥thu-ghana-vapuṣo viṅśatir bbāla[-vatsāḥ]
⟨2⟩ [pa]ñcāśad dhenavaś ca stana-bhara-guravaḫ puṣṭa-vatsānuyā[tāḥ]
⟨3⟩ [dā](s)ī-dāsā daśaiva pramudita-manaso ⟨’⟩ṣṭārddha-saṁkhyā
(d)[v]i[pānāṁ]
⟨4⟩ dattās saṅghāya bodhi-praṇihita-manasā śrī-canāśeśva[reṇa]

## Apparatus

⟨1⟩ [lamba-s]tany(o) ⬦ [2+]t[.]nye GC.

⟨2⟩ -guravaḫ ⬦ -guravatḫ GC • The t in Cœdès’ reading seems to be a
printer’s error.

⟨3⟩ -saṁkhyā (d)[v]i[pānāṁ] ⬦ -saṁkhya [⏑––] GC.

⟨4⟩ dattās ⬦ dattas GC.

## Translation

1.

Twenty female buffalos with pendant udders (lamba-stanyaḥ) and having
baby calves, and fifty milch cows, heavy with the burden of their
udders, followed by their well-nourished calves, ten female and male
slaves, happy in their minds, and four elephants were given to the
⟨Buddhist⟩ community by the king of Canāśa, whose mind was fixed upon
enlightenment.

## Translation into French by Cœdès 1937–1966

1.

Vingt bufflesses au corps large et replet, avec leurs bufflons,
cinquante vaches alourdies par le poids de leurs mamelles avec leurs
veaux bien gras, dix esclaves des deux sexes à l’esprit joyeux....... au
nombre de quatre ont été donnés à la Communeauté par le souverain de Çri
Canāça, ayant en vue l’Illumination.

## Commentary

Our English translation follows an interpretation different to that of
Cœdès, since it takes into account some improvements to the edition.

Instead of lamba-stanyo one could equally substitute some similar
feminine plural bahuvrīhi, such as kuṇḍa-stanyaḥ or br̥hat-stanyaḥ.
Instead of Cœdès’ conjecture bbāla-[vatsāḥ], one might also conjecture
bbāla-[vatyaḥ]. The masculine plural -guravaḫ, where we require a
feminine, is perhaps a case of metrical considerations trumping
grammatical ones.

## Bibliography

First edited by Cœdès (1937–1966), along with a later inscription
inscribed on the same stone (K. 400.2), with translation into French and
commentary. Re-edited here from EFEO estampage n. 1366 by Dominic
Goodall and Diwakar Acharya.

### Primary

[GC] Cœdès, George. 1937–1966. Inscriptions du Cambodge I-VIII.
Collection de textes et documents sur l’Indochine 3. Hanoi; Paris:
Imprimerie d’Extrême-Orient. Volume 6, pages 83–85.

### Secondary

Skilling2019_02