Bārdūlā Plates of Śivagupta, Year 9

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

Edition

Seal

rājña śrīharṣaguptasya sūno() sadguṇaśālina() śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya (sthi)tam ā (bhu)va(na)sthite()

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ @ svasty aśeṣakṣit¿i?śavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsāditamahanīyavinayasa-

⟨1v2⟩ mpatsa{}mpāditasakalavijigīṣuguṇo guṇava{}tsamāśraya prakṛṣṭata-

⟨1v3⟩ raśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahābhyudayaḥ kārttikeya Iva kṛttivā-

⟨1v4⟩ saso rāj(ñ)a ś(r)¿i?har¡p!adevasya sūnuḥ somava¡!śasambhava paramamāheśvaro mā-

⟨1v5⟩ tāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ ś¡ṛī!mahāśivaguptarājaḥ kuśalī|| kośīrananda-

⟨1v6⟩ puraviṣayīyavaṭapadrake brāhmaṇāṁ sampūjya sapradhānā¡! prativāsino

⟨1v7⟩ yathākālādhyāsinas samāhartṛsannidhātṛpramukhān adhikāriṇas sa-

⟨1v8⟩ karaṇān anyā¡!ś cāsmatpādopajīvina{}s sarvvarājapuruṣā¡! samājñā-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ payati viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathāsmābhir ayaṁ grāmas sanidhiḥ sopanidhiḥ

⟨2r2⟩ sadaśāparādhaḥ sarvvakarasametaḥ sarvvap¿i?ḍāvarjjitaḥ pratiṣiddha-

⟨2r3⟩ cāṭabhaṭapraveśa¡! {c}chātranāṭāsīman¿ī?v¿ī?ṣṭacchāndogacchātranārāyaṇo-

⟨2r4⟩ pādhyāya|trailokyaha¡n!sopādhyāya|vidyādharaha¡!sopādhyāya|parama-

⟨2r5⟩ ha¡!sopādhyāya|nakṣatrarūpa|saloṇavidyādhara|vidagdhāsura|pṛ-

⟨2r6⟩ thiv¿i?rūpa|durgakalaśa|podavarāha|tālarūpa|madhyāhnarūpebhyo dvā-

⟨2r7⟩ daś¿e?bhyas tathārddhā¡!śabhāj¡as! trayodaśam avigrahacaritāya ca kārttikaśukla-

⟨2r8⟩ dvādaśyāṁ mātāpittror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhi¡b!ṛddhaye tām{b}raśāsanenācandrā-

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ rkasamakālopabhogārtha{}m udakapūrvvaṁ pratipādita Ity ato vidheya-

⟨2v2⟩ tayā Ebhyaḥ samucitaṁ bhogabhāgādikam upanayadbhi(ḥ bha)vadbhi() sukhaṁ pra-

⟨2v3⟩ tivasta¡b!yam iti|| bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān uddiśyedam abhidhīyate bhū-

⟨2v4⟩ mipradā divi lalanti patanti hanta hṛtvā mahīṁ nṛpata(yo) nara-

⟨2v5⟩ ke nṛśa¡!T| Etad dvayaṁ parikalayya calāñ ca lakṣm¿i?m āyus tathā ku-

⟨2v6⟩ ruta yad bhava()m abh¿i?ṣṭaṁ Api ca rakṣāpālanayos tāvat phalaṁ sugatidurggatī ko

⟨2v7⟩ nāma svarggam u¡cchi!jya narakaṁ pratipadyate|| vyāsagītāś cātra ślo()n udāha(ra)nti{}

⟨2v8⟩ Agner apatya() prathamaṁ suvarṇṇaṁ bhūr vvaiṣṇavī sūryyasutāś ca gāva dattās trayas te-

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ na bhavanti lokā ya kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mahīñ ⟨⟨ca⟩⟩ dadyāT| ṣaṣṭ¿ī?varṣasaha-

⟨3r2⟩ srāṇi svargge modati bhūmida() Ākṣe¡tp!ā c(ā)numantā ca tāny eva narake

⟨3r3⟩ vaseT| ¡v!ahubhir vvasudhā dattā rājabhi sagarādibhi yasya yasya yadā bhūmi-

⟨3r4⟩ s tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ svadattā paradattām vā yatnād rakṣa yudh¿ī?⟨⟨ṣṭhi⟩⟩ra{} mahī

⟨3r5⟩ mahīmatā śreṣṭha dānāc chreyo 'nupālana¡m! ¡i!ti|| pravarddhamānavijayarājy¿a?

⟨3r6⟩ sa¡m!vatsare (9)| kārttikaśukladi 10 2

Apparatus

Plates

⟨1v4⟩ °har¡p!adevasya°harṣadevasya PBD; °har¡p!adevasya AMS.

⟨1v8⟩ cā°ca° PBD; cā° AMS.

⟨2r8⟩ °pittror°pittror PBD; °pitror AMS.

⟨2v5⟩ lakṣm¿i?īmlakṣmīm PBD; lakṣm¿i?īm AMS.

⟨2v6⟩ °durggatī°durggatī PBD; °durgatī AMS.

⟨2v8⟩ vvaiṣṇavīvaiṣṇavī PBD; vvaiṣṇavī AMS. — ⟨2v8⟩ °sutāś°s¿ū?utāś PBD; °sutāś AMS.

⟨3r4⟩ yudh¿ī?i⟨⟨ṣṭhi⟩⟩ra{}yudhi⟨⟨ṣṭhi⟩⟩ra PBD; yudh¿ī?i⟨⟨ṣṭhi⟩⟩ra{} AMS. — ⟨3r4⟩ kārttikaśuklakārttikaśukla PBD; kārtikaśuklā AMS.

Translation

Seal

The charter of Śivagupta, son of the illustrious king Harṣagupta, who is possessed of good qualities, endures as long as the existence of the earth.

Plates

⟨1v1–2r1⟩ Success! Hail! The illustrious and great king Śivagupta who has been born in the Lunar Dynasty as the son of a king, the illustrious Harṣadeva, like Kārttikeya is of Kṛttivāsas (i.e., Śiva); who is entirely devoted to Maheśvara; who is favoured by his father and mother; and who is in good health: He has acquired all the qualities of a conqueror through the perfection of praiseworthy discipline, effected in particular by implementing all the "political sciences"; he is a refuge for the virtuous; and his great prosperity has been brought about by his superior valour, intelligence, and strength! After having saluted the Brahmins in the village of Vaṭapadraka situated in the Kośīranandapura viṣaya, the king issues the following command to all royal officers who are dedicated to our service, to the governor and other local council, headed by the collector and the receiver, to those who are temporarily posted in the village, and to the residents of the village with their headman:

⟨2r1–2v1⟩ 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 a group of twelve students of the Chāndoga (Sāmaveda) who are settled in the outskirts of Chātranāṭā, namely, Nārāyaṇopādhyāya, Trailokyahaṁsopādhyāya, Vidyādharahaṁsopādhyāya, Paramahaṁsopādhyāya, Nakṣatrarūpa, Saloṇavidyādhara, Vidagdhāsura, Pṛthivīrūpa, Durgakalaśa, Podavarāha, Tālarūpa, and Madhyāhnarūpa; and to Avigrahacarita, who receives half a share as thirteenth donee. The grant of the village, which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun will endure, took place on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika and comes along with the right to hidden treasures and deposits; the right to punish and realise fines for the ten offences; the right to collect all taxes payable to the king; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; and the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops.

⟨2v1–2v3⟩ Therefore, you should render the proper prescribed shares of periodical offerings, produce, and the like to these donees, while living happily in this village. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v3–2v6.

Kings who donate land sport in heaven, but look, kings who have taken land fall into hell for their wickedness. After having taken to heart these two rules and taken hold of Lakṣmī, you should live you life as you wish!

⟨2v6⟩ And also:

2v6–2v7.

Fortune and misfortune are truly the fruit of protecting and not protecting the land; who then discards heaven and resorts to hell?

⟨2v7⟩ And in this respect they quote the following stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v8–3r1.

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

3r1–3r3.

A giver of land rejoices in heaven for sixty thousand years; he who confiscates it or allows another to confiscate it will dwell for the same period in hell!

3r3–3r4.

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!

3r4–3r5.

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

⟨3r5–3r6⟩ The copperplate charter has been engraved on the day 12 of the light half of the month of Kārttika, in the year 9 of the increasingly victorious reign of Śivagupta.

Bibliography

First edited by Desai [1956] 1947–1948 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 119–123; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs.

Primary

[PBD] Desai, P. B. [1956] 1947–1948. “Bardula plates of Mahasivagupta: Year 9.” EI 27, pp. 287–291.

[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 119–123.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 99, 249–250.