Lodhiā Plates of Śivagupta, Year 57

Version: (048a990), last modified (d59dd56).

Edition

Seal

rājñaḥ śrīharṣaguptasya sūnoḥ sadguṇaśālinaḥ śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthiteḥ

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ svasty aśeṣakṣitīśavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsādita{}mahanīya{ḥnaya}vi-

⟨1v2⟩ nayasampatsampāditasakalav¿ī?j¿ī?gīṣuguṇo guṇavatsamāśrayaḥ prakṛṣṭa-

⟨1v3⟩ taraś¿o?rya{}prajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahābhyudayaḥ kārttikeya Iva kṛtti-

⟨1v4⟩ vāsaso rājñaḥ ¡śṛī!harṣadevasya s¿u?nuḥ somava¡!śasambhava parama-

⟨1v5⟩ māheśvaro m¿a?tāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ ¡śṛī!m¿ā?hāśivaguptarājadeva kuśalī-

⟨1v6⟩ Oṇibhog¿i?yagrāmavaidyapadrake| brāhmaṇā samp¿u?jya tatpratinivāsikuṭumbi-

⟨1v7⟩ no yathākālādhyāsinaḥ samāharttṛsannidhāttṛprabhṛtīn asmatpādopajīvina

⟨1v8⟩ sar¡bv!arājapuruṣān samājñāpayati| viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathā grāmo ‘yam asmā-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ bhiḥ samprati sanidhānaḥ sopanidhānaḥ sar¡bv!akar¿a?dānasametaḥ sar¡bv!ap(ī)ḍāviva-

⟨2r2⟩ rjitaḥ sadaśāparādhaḥ pratiṣiddhacāṭabhaṭapraveśaḥ Asyāṁ kārttikap¿o?rṇṇamā-

⟨2r3⟩ syāṁ pattanakhadirapadratalapratiṣṭhita¡śṛī!madīśāneśvarabhaṭṭārakāya| ba-

⟨2r4⟩ l¿ī?carunivedyasattranṛttavāditrakhaṇḍasphuṭitasaskārārthaṁ dvaitavanī-

⟨2r5⟩ ya¡śṛi!matpañcayajñatapovanavinirggata{}capalagocariṇaḥ bhagavacchr¿i?-

⟨2r6⟩ pramathācāryaśiṣya¡śṛī!śūlapāṇibhagavatpādaprārthana{}yā mātāpitro-

⟨2r7⟩ r ¿a?tmanaś ca puṇyābhi¡b!ṛddhaye samak¿a?lopabhogārtham ācandratārakārkka paya-

⟨2r8⟩ p¿u?r¡bv!akaṁ tām{b}raśāsanena pratipādito {y}ato ’vagatya samu¿c?ita bhogabhāgādika-

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ m upanayanto bhavantaḥ sukhaṁ prativasantu bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān uddi-

⟨2v2⟩ śyedam abhidhīyate bhūmipradā divi lalanti patanti hanta hṛtvā mah¿i?

⟨2v3⟩ nṛpatayo narake nṛ¡tsāḥ! Etad dvayaṁ parikalayya calāñ ca l{l}akṣm¿i?m āyus ta-

⟨2v4⟩ thā kuruta yad bhavatām abh¿i?ṣṭa| Api ca rakṣāpāla¡natyavat! phalaṁ suga-

⟨2v5⟩ tidurggatī ko n¿a?ma svarggam utsṛjya narakaṁ pratipadyate ¡b!yāsag¿i?-

⟨2v6⟩ ¡!ś cātra ślokān udāharanti| Agner apatya prathama suvarṇṇaṁ bhūr ¡bv!ai-

⟨2v7⟩ ṣṇav¿i? s¿u?ryasutāś ca gāva dattās trayas tena bhavanti lok¿a? yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca ma-

⟨2v8⟩ hīñ ca dadyāT| ṣaṣṭi{r}¡bv!arṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bh¿u?midaḥ ¿A?cchettā cā-

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ numantā ca tāny eva narake vaseT| bahubhir ¡bv!asudhā dattā rājabhi sagarādi-

⟨3r2⟩ bhi yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ| svadattā paradattām ¡b!ā ya-

⟨3r3⟩ tnād rakṣa yudhiṣ¡!ira mah¿i? mah¿i?bhṛtāṁ śreṣṭha{} dānāt śreyo ’nupālanaṁ Asmā-

⟨3r4⟩ kam uparodhena nityaṁ dharmmasya g¿o?ravād asmaddatti svak¿i?yeva pālyā bhā-

⟨3r5⟩ vikṣit¿i?śvarai Iti kamaladalāmbubindulolā ¡śṛi!yam anuc¿ī?-

⟨3r6⟩ ntya manuṣyaj¿i?vita{}¡! ca sakalam idam udāhṛta¡! ca buddhvā na hi pur¿a?-

⟨3r7⟩ ṣaiḥ par¿i?k¿i?rttayo vilopyā pravarddhamānavijayarājye sam¡b!atsare sapta

⟨3r8⟩ pañcāśattame kārttikap¿o?rṇṇam¿a?syāṁ Aṅkena sam¡b!aT| 50 7 kārttika dina 30

Apparatus

Seal

⟨ab⟩ śrī°śrī° LPP; ¡śṛī!śrī° AMS.

Plates

⟨1v7⟩ samāharttṛsannidhāttṛ°samāharttṛsannidhātṛ° LPP; samāhartṛsannidhāttṛ° AMS.

⟨1v8⟩ sar¡bv!vvsar¡bb!vv LPP; sar¡bv!vv AMS. — ⟨1v8⟩ asmā⟨Page 2r⟩⟨2r1⟩bhiḥasmā⟨Page 2r⟩⟨2r1⟩bhi LPP; asmā⟨Page 2r⟩⟨2r1⟩bhiḥ AMS.

⟨2r1⟩ sampratisanidhānaḥsampratisanidhānaḥ LPP; sampratisanidh¿a?ānaḥ AMS. — ⟨2r1⟩ sar¡bv!vvsar¡bb!vv LPP; sar¡bv!vv AMS. — ⟨2r1⟩ sar¡bv!vvsar¡bb!vv LPP; sar¡bv!vv AMS.

⟨2r2⟩ °p¿o?aurṇṇa°°p¿o?aurṇṇa° LPP; °¡y!p¿o?aurṇṇa° AMS.

⟨2r3⟩ °bhaṭṭārakāya°bhaṭṭārakāya LPP; °bhaṭṭārakāra AMS.

⟨2r5⟩ °¡śṛi!śrīmat°°¡śṛī!śrīmat° LPP; °¡śṛi!śrīmat° AMS. — ⟨2r5⟩ °chr¿i?ī°°chr¿i?ī° LPP; °chr¿i?ī° AMS.

⟨2r6⟩ °prārthana{}°prārthanayā LPP; °prārthana{} AMS.

⟨2r8⟩ °p¿u?ūr¡bv!vvakaṁ°p¿u?ūr¡bb!vvakaṁ LPP; °p¿u?ūr¡bv!vvakaṁ AMS.

⟨2v5⟩ °durggatī°durggat¿i?ī LPP; °durggatī AMS.

⟨2v6⟩ cātrac¿a?ātra LPP; cātra AMS. — ⟨2v6⟩ ¡bv!vvai⟨2v7⟩ṣṇav¿i?ī¡bv!vvai⟨2v7⟩ṣṇav¿i?ī LPP; ¡bb!vvai⟨2v7⟩ṣṇav¿i?ī AMS.

⟨2v7⟩ lok¿a?ālokā LPP; lok¿a?ā AMS. — ⟨2v7⟩ ma⟨2v8⟩hīñma⟨2v8⟩hiñ LPP; ma⟨2v8⟩hīñ AMS.

⟨2v8⟩ ṣaṣṭi{r}¡bv!varṣa°ṣaṣṭi{r}¡bb!varṣa° LPP; ṣaṣṭi{r}¡bv!varṣa° AMS.

⟨3r1⟩ ¡bv!vvasudhā¡bb!vvasudhā LPP; ¡bv!vvasudhā AMS.

⟨3r4⟩ bhā⟨3r5⟩vi°bhā⟨3r5⟩(ki)° LPP; bhā⟨3r5⟩vi° AMS.

⟨3r6⟩ manuṣya°manuṣya° LPP; manuṣyā° AMS. — ⟨3r6⟩ pur¿a?u⟨3r7⟩ṣaiḥpuru⟨3r7⟩ṣaiḥ LPP; pur¿a?u⟨3r7⟩ṣaiḥ 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 world

Plates

⟨1v1–1v8⟩ Success! Hail! The illustrious and great rājadeva 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 Vaidyapadraka situated in the Oṇi bhoga, the king issues the following command to all 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 householders being inhabitants of that village:

⟨1v8–2r8⟩ 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 today for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to the illustrious god Īśāneśvara-bhaṭṭāraka in the temple established in the plains of Pattana-Khadirapadra. The grant of the village took place on this day of the full moon in the month of Kārttika, and was made for the purpose of financing the repair of the temple’s dilapidations, as well as worship through dance and music, the performance of bali and caru offerings and to provide for a sattra. The grant, which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun will endure, was requested by the venerable Śūlapāṇi, pupil of the venerable ācārya Pramatha, who was a constant wanderer hailing from the celebrated Pañcayajña penance grove situated in the Dvaitavana and comes along with the right to hidden treasures and deposits; the right to collect all taxes payable to the king; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; the right to punish and realise fines for the ten offences; and the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops.

⟨2r8–2v2⟩ Therefore, having taken note of that, you should render the proper shares of periodical offerings, produce, and the like, while living happily in this village. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v2–2v4.

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!

⟨2v4⟩ And also:

2v4–2v5.

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

⟨2v5–2v6⟩ And in this respect they quote the following stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v6–2v8.

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

2v8–3r1.

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!

3r1–3r2.

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!

3r2–3r3.

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

3r3–3r5.

With our protection and out of respect for the eternal dharma, future kings must protect our gift as if it is their own!

3r5–3r7.

After thus considering that wealth and human life are unstable as a drop of water on a lotus petal and also knowing all that is said, the glories of others should not be violated by human beings.

⟨3r7–3r8⟩ The copperplate charter has been engraved on the day of the full moon in the month of Kārttika, in the fifty-seventh year of the increasingly victorious reign of Śivagupta. In numbers: Year 57, Month Kārttika, Day 30.

Bibliography

First edited by Pandeya 1947–1948 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 128–133; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs (edition of the seal based on Pandeya).

Primary

[LPP] Pandeya, L.P. 1947–1948. “Lodhia plates of Maha-Sivagupta; year 57.” EI 27, pp. 319–325.

[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 128–133.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 65, 256–257.

Mirashi, Vasudev Vishnu. 1952. “A note on the Lodhia plates of Mahāsivagupta-Bālārjuna.” OHRJ 1 (1), pp. 63–65.