Āraṅg Plates of Jayarāja, Year 5

Version: (048a990), last modified (a38304d).

Edition

Seal

prasa{}nnah(ṛda)yasyaiva vikkramākrā¡()tta!vidviṣa śrīmato jayarājasya śāsa(naṁ) ripuśāsanaṁ

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ svasti śarabhapurā{T}d vikkramopanatasāma¡ṁtta!cūḍāmaṇiprabhāprasekā{}-

⟨1v2⟩ mbubhir dh¿o?tapādayugalo ripuvilāsinīsīma¡ṁtto!ddharaṇahetu-

⟨1v3⟩ r vvasuvasudhāgoprada{}ḫ paramabhāgavato mātāpitṛpā-

⟨1v4⟩ dānuddhyātaḥ {ś}śrīmahājayarājaḥ pūrvvarāṣṭrīyapamvāṁ prati-

⟨1v5⟩ vāsikuṭu{}mbina{}s samājñāpayati viditam astu vo yathā-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ smābhir ayaṁ grāma{}s tridaśapatisadanasukhapratiṣṭhākaro yāva-

⟨2r2⟩ d raviśaśitārākiraṇapratihataghorā¡ddha!kāraṁ jagad avatiṣṭhate

⟨2r3⟩ tāvad upabhogyas sa¡na!dhis sopanidhir acāṭabhaṭaprāveśyas sa-

⟨2r4⟩ rvvakaravisarjjitaẖ vā¡ji!saneyakauṇḍinyasagotra{}brahmadeva-

⟨2r5⟩ svāmine mātāpitror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhiv¡ri!ddhaye Udakapūrvva

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ ¡mbra!śāsanenāti¿sra?ṣṭaḥ te yūyam evam upalabhyāsyāj¡!āśravaṇa-

⟨2v2⟩ v¿ī?dheyā bhūtvā yathocitaṁ bhogabhāgam upanaya¡ṁtta! sukhaṁ prativatsya-

⟨2v3⟩ tha bhaviṣyataś ca bhūmipān anudarśayati dānād viśiṣṭam a-

⟨2v4⟩ nupālanajaṁ purāṇā dharmmeṣu niścitadhiyaḫ pravada{}nti dharmmaṁ

⟨2v5⟩ tasmād dvijāya suviśuddhakulaśrutāya dattā bhuvaṁ bhavatu vo matir e-

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ va gopt¡a! tad bhavadbhir apy eṣā dattir anupālayitavyā vyāsagītāṁś cātra

⟨3r2⟩ ślokān udāhara¡ṁtti! Agner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇa bhūr vvaiṣṇavī sū-

⟨3r3⟩ ryyasut¿a?ś ca gāvaḥ dattās trayas tena bhava¡ṁtti! lokā{} yaẖ kāñcanaṁ gāñ

⟨3r4⟩ ca mahīñ ca dadyāT ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi svargge vasati bhūmidaḥ

⟨3r5⟩ Ācchettā cānuma¡ttā! ca tāny eva narake vaseT svadattā paradattā vā ya-

⟨Page 3v⟩

⟨3v1⟩ tnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira mahī¡t! mah¿i?matāṁ ¡cchr!eṣṭha dānāc chreyo ’nupālana

⟨3v2⟩ bahubhir vvasudhā dattā rājabhis sagarādibhi yasya yasya yadā bhūmis ta-

⟨3v3⟩ sya tasya tadā phala{}¡m! ¡i!ti svamukhā[jña]yā U¡kt!īrṇṇaṁ Aca{}-

⟨3v4⟩ lasiṅghena pravarddhamānavijaya¡saṁvva!tsara 5 mārgaśira 20 5

Apparatus

Plates

⟨2r2⟩ °ā¡ddha!ndhakāraṁ°āndhakāraṁ JFF; °ā¡ddha!ndhakāraṁ AMS.

⟨2r3⟩ sa¡na!nidhissanidhis JFF; sa¡na!nidhis AMS.

⟨2r5⟩ puṇyābhiv¡ri!ddhayepuṇy¡e!ābhivṛddhaye JFF; puṇy¡e!ābhiv¡ri!ddhaye AMS.

⟨2v1⟩ °āti¿sra?sṛṣṭaḥ°āti¿sra?sṛṣṭaḥ JFF; °ātisṛṣṭaḥ AMS. — ⟨2v1⟩ °āj¡!ñā°°ājñā° JFF; °āj¡!ñā° AMS.

⟨2v2⟩ v¿ī?idheyāv¿ī?idheyā JFF; vidheyā AMS.

⟨2v4⟩ purāṇāpurāṇ¡e!ā JFF; purāṇā AMS.

⟨3r1⟩ gopt¡a!ugopt¡a!u JFF; goptum AMS.

⟨3v3⟩ phala{}¡m!Mphala{}m JFF; phalam AMS.

Translation

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

⟨1v1–1v5⟩ Hail! From Śarabhapura, the illustrious great Jayarāja whose feet are washed by the sprinkling water that is the brilliance of the crest-jewels of his feudatories who have been brought into submission by his prowess; who made the women of his enemies tear out their parted hair; who is a giver of riches, land, and cattle; 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 Pamvā situated in the Pūrvarāṣṭra:

⟨1v5–2v1⟩ Let it be known to you that by means of this copperplate charter and preceded by a libation of water, this village has been granted by us for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to Brahmadevasvāmin, belonging to the Kauṇḍinya gotra and to the Vājasaneya school. The grant of the village, which leads to happiness and fame in the abode of the lord of the gods (i.e., Indra’s heaven), is to be enjoyed as long as the world will endure, the world of which the darkness of the night is removed by the rays of the sun, moon and stars; comes along with the right to hidden treasures and deposits; is not to be entered by irregular or regular troops; and is exempt from all taxes.

⟨2v1–2v3⟩ 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, while living happily in this village. And the king instructs the future rulers:

2v3–3r1.

The ancients, reflecting on virtue, proclaim that the religious merit arising from the protection of a grant is more excellent than that which arises from the giving itself; therefore, your intent should indeed be to protect the earth that has been granted to a Brahmin of perfectly pure family and religious learning.

⟨3r1–3r2⟩ This gift is to be protected by you as well! And in this respect they quote the following stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

3r2–3r4.

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.

3r4–3r5.

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!

3r5–3v1.

O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

3v2–3v3.

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!

⟨3v3–3v4⟩ By the order from the king’s own mouth, the copperplate charter has been engraved by Acalasiṅgha on the day 25 of the month of Mārgaśiras in the increasingly victorious year 5 of Jayarāja’s reign.

Bibliography

First edited by Fleet 1970 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 20–23; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma from the original plates (edition of the seal based on Fleet).

Primary

[JFF] No name. 1970. “Arang copper-plate inscription of the raja Maha-Jayaraja.” In: Inscriptions of the early Gupta kings and their successors. Third revised edition. Edited by John Faithfull Fleet. Corpus inscriptionum indicarum 3. Varanasi: Indological Book House, pp. 191–195.

[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 20–23.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 15, 19, 233.