Amgura Plates of Jayarāja, Year 3

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSDaksinaKosala00004.

Hand description:

Language: Sanskrit.

Repository: Dakṣiṇa Kosala (tfb-daksinakosala-epigraphy).

Version: (048a990), last modified (34884f5).

Edition

Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh

prasanna⟨hṛ⟩dayasyaiva vikkramākkrā⟨ṁ⟩tavidviṣaḥ

ab

śrīmato jayarājasya śāsana⟨ṁ⟩ ripuśāsana⟨ṁ⟩

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Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1v1⟩ @<dashPlain> svasti śarabhapurāt paramabhāgavato mātāpitṛpādānu⟨1v2⟩ddhyāta¡ś!⟨ḥ⟩ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩mahājayarāja⟨ḥ⟩ sāmparājabhukti¿i?⟨ī⟩yarājyagrāme pra⟨1v3⟩tivāsinas samājñāpayati

viditam astu vo yathāsmā⟨1v4⟩bhir ayaṁ grāmo vājasaneyakauśikasagotrabrāhmaṇaviṣṇusvā⟨1v5⟩mine mātāpitror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhivṛddhaye Udakapūrvva⟨ṁ⟩ tāmra⟨Page 2r⟩⟨2r1⟩śāsanenātisṛṣṭas

te yūyam ev¡o!⟨am u⟩palabhyāsyājñāśravaṇavidheyā bhū⟨2r2⟩tvā yathocitaṁ bhogabhāgam upaneṣyatha bhaviṣyataś ca bhūmipālā⟨2r3⟩n bodhayati bhavadbhir apy asyā datte⟨ḥ⟩ pratipālanaṁ karttavya⟨2r4⟩m ataś ca vyāsagītān api ślokān udāhara¡ṁtti!⟨nti⟩<dashPlain>

I. Anuṣṭubh

bahubhir vvasudhā ⟨2r5⟩ dattā rājabhis sagarādibhiḥ

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yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya ⟨Page 2v⟩ ⟨2v1⟩ tadā phalaṁ

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II. Anuṣṭubh

svadattā⟨ṁ⟩ paradattāṁ vā yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira

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ma⟨2v2⟩hī⟨ṁ⟩ mahīmatā⟨ṁ⟩ śreṣṭha dānāc chreyo ’nupālanaṁ<dashPlain>

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III. Anuṣṭubh

ṣaṣṭivarṣa⟨2v3⟩sahasrāṇi svargge vasati bhūmida⟨ḥ⟩

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Ācche¡p!⟨t⟩tā cā⟨2v4⟩numa¡ṁttā!⟨ntā⟩ ca tāny eva narake vaseT

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IV. Indravajrā

Agner apatyaṁ prathama⟨ṁ⟩ ⟨2v5⟩ suvarṇṇa(ṁ)

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bhūr vvaiṣṇavī sūryyasutāś ca gāva⟨ḥ⟩

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lokās traya⟨Page 3r⟩⟨3r1⟩s tena bhava¡ṁtti!⟨nti⟩ dattāḥ

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yaẖ kāñcana⟨ṁ⟩ gāñ ca mahīñ ca dadyā⟨3r2⟩¡d!⟨T⟩

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¡i!⟨I⟩ti

dūtakam adhikaraṇa⟨ṁ⟩ svamukhājñayā pravarddhamānavi⟨3r3⟩jaya¡sāvva!⟨saṁva⟩tsara 3 māgha 7 U¡kti!⟨tkī⟩rṇṇa⟨ṁ⟩ suvarṇṇā⟨3r4⟩kārācalasiṅghena

⟨Page 3v⟩

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

⟨1v2⟩ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩° ⬦ śr¿i?⟨ī⟩° SST; śrī° AMS. — ⟨1v2⟩ °bhukti¿i?⟨ī⟩ya° ⬦ °bhuktīya° SST; °bhuktīya° AMS.

⟨2r4⟩ vyāsagītān api ⬦ vyāsagītā⟨ṁś⟩ cāpi SST; vyāsagītān api AMS.

⟨2v2⟩ ṣaṣṭi° ⬦ ṣaṣṭim SST; ṣaṣṭim AMS.

⟨2v3⟩ cā⟨2v4⟩numa¡ṁttā!⟨ntā⟩ ⬦ cā⟨2v4⟩numantā SST; cā⟨2v4⟩numantā AMS.

⟨3r1⟩ bhava¡ṁtti!⟨nti⟩ ⬦ bhava¡ṁntti!⟨nti⟩ SST; bhava¡ṁtti!⟨nti⟩ AMS. — ⟨3r1⟩ dattāḥ ⬦ dattāḥ|| SST; dattāḥ|| AMS.

Translation by Natasja Bosma

Seal

The enemy-chastising charter belongs to the illustrious Jayarāja, who was the heart of Prasanna and whose enemies were overcome by his valour.

Plates

(1v1–1v3) Success! Hail! From Śarabhapura, the illustrious great Jayarāja who is entirely devoted to Viṣṇu and favoured by his father and mother issues [the following command] to the landholders settled in [the village of] Rājyagrāma situated in the Sāmparāja bhukti:

(1v3–2r1) Let it be known to you that by means of [this] copperplate charter, after an offering of water, this village has been granted by us for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to the Brahmin Viṣṇusvāmin, belonging to the Kauśika gotra and to the Vājasaneya [school].

(2r1–2r4) Having taken note of that, you should be obedient to the command received from him (i.e., the donee) and render the [proper shares of] periodical offerings and produce. And [the king] instructs the future rulers: The protection of this grant should also be taken care of by you! And hence, they also quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2r4–2v1
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!
2v1–2v2
O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!
2v2–2v4
A giver of land dwells in heaven for sixty thousand years; he who confiscates it or allows [another to confiscate it] will dwell for the same period in hell!
2v4–3r2
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.

(2r1–2r4) The [local] council [will act as] the executor of the grant. By the order from the king’s own mouth, [the copperplate charter] has been engraved by the goldsmith Acalasiṅgha [on the day] 7 [of] the month of Māgha [in] the increasingly victorious year 3 [of Jayarāja’s reign].

Commentary

Bibliography

First edited by Sircar and Singh Deo 1976 and Tripathy 1977 from (impressions of) the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 14–16; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs (edition of the seal based on Tripathy).

Primary

[SSD] Sircar, Dines Chandra and Jitamitra Prasad Singh Deo. 1976. “Amgura plates of Jayarāja of Śarabhapura, Regnal Year 3.” IMB 11, pp. 57–59.

[AMS] Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass. Pages 14–16.

[SST] Tripathy, Smt.S. 1977. “Amgura plates of Maha-Jayaraja, year 3.” JESI 4, pp. 70–73.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 15, 19, 232.