Sirpur Plates of Śivagupta, Year 37

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

Edition

Seal

rājña śrīharṣaguptasya sūno sadguṇaśālina śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthite

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ @ svasty aśeṣakṣit¿i?¡!avidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsāditamahan¿i?yavi-

⟨1v2⟩ nayasampatsaṁpāditasakalavijig¿i?ṣuguṇo guṇavatsamāśraya

⟨1v3⟩ prakṛṣṭataraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvi{}ta{}mahābhyudaya kārttikeya

⟨1v4⟩ Iva kṛttivāsaso rājñaḥ śr¿i?harṣadevasya sūnu somava¡!śasa-

⟨1v5⟩ mbhava paramamāheśvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyāta śr¿i?mahāśivaguptarājaḥ

⟨1v6⟩ kuśal¿i?|| svalpaśarkarāmārgg¿i?yahastipadrake brāhmaṇāṁ{} saṁpūjya sapra-

⟨1v7⟩ dhānā¡t! prativāsino yathākālādhyāsina samāhartṛsannidhā{r}tṛprabhṛt¿i?-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ n anyāś cāsmatpādopaj¿i?vina sarvvarājapuruṣān sakaraṇān adhikā-

⟨2r2⟩ riṇaś ca samājñāpayati viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathāsmābhir aya grāma

⟨2r3⟩ sanidhāna sopanidhāna sadaśāpā⟨⟨a⟩⟩rādha sarvvakarādānasameta prati-

⟨2r4⟩ ṣiddhacāṭabhaṭapraveś¡ā!dya vaiśākhaprathamapañcamyā śr¿i?bāleśva-

⟨2r5⟩ rapratiṣṭhākāl¿a? nandap¿ū?r¿i?yabhagavatpādad¿i?rghācāryyaśiṣyavyāpaśivā-

⟨2r6⟩ cāryyabhagavatpādānā¡n! udakapūrvvaṁ mātāpittror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhi¡b!ṛddha-

⟨2r7⟩ ye tām{v}raśāsanenācandrārkasamakālopabhogārtha pratipādita Ity a-

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ vagatyāmiṣā samucitaṁ bhogabhāgādikam upanayadbhi{}r bhavadbhi sukha() pra-

⟨2v2⟩ tivastavyam iti|| bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān uddiśyedam abhidh¿i?yate bhūmi-

⟨2v3⟩ pradā divi lala{}nti patanti hanta hṛtvā mah¿i? nṛpatayo narake nṛśa-

⟨2v4⟩ ¡!sāT|| Etad dvayaṁ parikal¿ai?yya calāñ ca lakṣmīm āyus tathā kuruta

⟨2v5⟩ yad bhavatām abh¿i?ṣṭaṁ ¿Ā?pi ca rakṣāpālanayos tāvat phalaṁ sugatidurggat¿i? ko

⟨2v6⟩ nāma svarggam u¡cchri!jya narakaṁ pratipadyate|| vyāsag¿i?tāṁś cāt{t}ra ślokān u-

⟨2v7⟩ dāharanti Agner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇaṁ bhūr vvaiṣṇav¿i? sūryyasutā-

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ ś ca gāvaḥ dattās t{t}rayas tena bhavanti lokā yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mah¿i?ñ ca dadyāT

⟨3r2⟩ ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ Ācchettā cānuma{}ntā ca tā-

⟨3r3⟩ ny eva narake vaseT bahubhir vvasudhā dattā rājabhi sagarādibhi yasya

⟨3r4⟩ yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ svadattāṁ {m}paradattām vā

⟨3r5⟩ yatnād rakṣa{} yudhiṣṭhira mahī mah¿i?matā śreṣṭha{} dānāt śreyo 'nupālana-

⟨3r6⟩ ¡m! ¡i!ti|| pravarddhamānavijayarājye samvatsare saptatri¡!śe vaiśā-

⟨3r7⟩ khaprathamapañcamy¡ā!ṅkenāpi samvaT rla gra vaiśākha dina 5

Apparatus

Plates

⟨1v4⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ.

⟨1v5⟩ mātāpitṛpādānudhyātamātāpitṛpāpādānudhyāta BJ. — ⟨1v5⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ.

⟨1v6⟩ °mārgg¿i?īya°°mārggī° BJ. — ⟨1v6⟩ brāhmaṇāṁ{} saṁpūjyabrāhmaṇāṅ sapūjya BJ.

⟨2r1⟩ °opaj¿i?īvina°opajīvina BJ.

⟨2r4⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ.

⟨2r6⟩ °pādānā¡n!°pādānāṁm BJ. — ⟨2r6⟩ udaka°udraka° BJ.

⟨2v3⟩ mah¿i?īmahī BJ.

⟨2v5⟩ ¿Ā?ApiApi BJ.

⟨2v6⟩ °g¿i?ītāṁś°gītāṁś BJ.

⟨2v7⟩ vvaiṣṇav¿i?īvvaiṣṇavī BJ.

⟨3r1⟩ yaḥ kāñcanaṁya ñcunaṁ BJ. — ⟨3r1⟩ ca mah¿i?īñ cacu mahīñ cu BJ.

⟨3r2⟩ cānuma{}ntācānumantā BJ.

⟨3r7⟩ samvaT rla grasamva 30 7 rla gra BJ.

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 world

Plates

⟨1v1–2r2⟩ 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 Hastipadraka situated in the Svalpa-Śarkkarā mārga, the king issues the following command to the governor and local council, to all other royal officers who are dedicated to our service, beginning with the collector and the receiver; to those who are temporarily posted in the village; and to the residents of the village with their headman:

⟨2r2–2r7⟩ 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 the venerable ācārya Vyāpaśiva, pupil of the venerable ācārya Dīrgha of Nandapura. The grant of the village took place today, on the fifth day of the first fortnight of the month of Vaiśākha, on the occasion of the establishment of the illustrious Bāleśvara temple. The grant), which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun will endure, 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.

⟨2r7–2v2⟩ Having taken note of that, you should render the proper shares of periodical offerings, produce, and the like to those donees, while living happily in this village. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v2–2v5.

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!

⟨2v5⟩ And also:

2v5–2v6.

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

⟨2v6–2v7⟩ And in this respect they quote the following stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v7–3r1.

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

3r2–3r3.

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!

3r4–3r6.

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

⟨3r6–3r7⟩ The copperplate charter has been engraved on the fifth day of the first fortnight of the month of Vaiśākha, in the thirty-seventh year of the increasingly victorious reign of Śivagupta. In numbers: Year 37, Month Vaiśākha, Day 5.

Bibliography

First edited by Jain et al. 2005, pp. 196–217 from the original plates; published again by Bosma 2013; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma from the original plates (edition of the seal based on Jain).

Primary

[NB] Bosma, Natasja. 2013. “The Bāleśvara temple complex of Śivagupta: epigraphical evidence for the Śaiva Siddhānta and Soma Siddhānta traditions in Dakṣiṇa Kosala.” IIJ 56 (3-4), pp. 245–261. DOI: 10.1163/15728536-13560309. [URL].

[BJ] Jain, Balchandra, Girdhari L. Raikwar and Rahul Kumar Singh. 2005. Utkīrṇa lekha. Second edition. Chhattīsgarh (India): Culture & Archaeology Department. Pages 196–217.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Page 251.

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1992. “Balesvara-Bhattaraka, a hitherto unknown Saiva establishment at Sripura.” JESI 18, pp. 15–23.

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass. Pages 196–217.