Malhār Plates of Śivagupta, undated

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

Edition

Seal

rājña śrīharṣaguptasya s¿u?no sadguṇaśālina śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthite

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ svasty aśeṣakṣit¿i?śavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsādita{}mahan¿i?yavina-

⟨1v2⟩ yasampatsapāditasakalavijig¿i?ṣuguṇo guṇavatsamāśraya pra-

⟨1v3⟩ kṛṣṭataraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahābhyudaya kārttikeya

⟨1v4⟩ Iva kṛttivāsaso rājñaḥ śṛ¿i?harṣadevasya s¿u?nuḥ somava¡!śa-

⟨1v5⟩ sambhavaḥ paramamāheśvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ śr¿i?mahāśivagu-

⟨1v6⟩ ptarājaḥ kuśal¿i? ¿u?ṇibhog¿i?yaśuṣkasirillikāyāṁ br¿a?hmaṇā sampū-

⟨1v7⟩ jya sapradhānā¡t! prativāsinonyā¡!ś ca samāhartṛsannidhātṛprabh¡ri!t¿i?n yathā-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ kālādhyāsinas sarvvarājapuruṣā¡! samājñāpayati viditam astu

⟨2r2⟩ bhavatā yathāsmābhir ayaṁ grāmas sanidhis sopanidhir acāṭabhaṭapra-

⟨2r3⟩ veśas sarvvakarādānasametas sarvvap¿i?ḍāvivarjjita sadaśāparādhaḥ

⟨2r4⟩ kosalānagarapratiṣṭhitaśr¿i?śivanandin¿e?kāritakapā-

⟨2r5⟩ leśvarabhaṭṭārakayo khaṇḍasphuṭitasaṁskārakaraṇāya balicaru-

⟨2r6⟩ pravarttanāya ¡mu!dakapūrvvam ācandrārkkasamakālopabhogāya mātā-

⟨2r7⟩ pittror ātmanaś ca puṇyābhi¡b!ṛddhaye śr¿i?śivanandivijñaptyā tām{v}raśāsane-

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ na pratipādita{} Ity avagamya vidheyair bhūtvā yathocitabhogabhāgam upa-

⟨2v2⟩ nayadbhi bhavadbhi sukhaṁ prativasta¡b!yam iti bhāvinaś ca bhūmipālān u-

⟨2v3⟩ ddiśyedam abhidh¿i?yate bhūmipradā divi lalanti patanti hanta hṛtvā

⟨2v4⟩ mah¿i? nṛpatayo narake nṛśa¡!sāT| Etad dvaya parikal¿ai?yya

⟨2v5⟩ calāñ ca lakṣm¿i?m āyus tathā kuruta yad bhavatām abh¿i?ṣṭa ¿Ā?pi ca

⟨2v6⟩ rakṣāpālanayos tāvat phala sugatidurggat¿i? ko nāma svarggam u¡cchri!-

⟨2v7⟩ jya naraka pratipadyate vyāsag¿i?ś cātra ślokān udāharanti ¿Ā?-

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ gner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇa bhūr vvaiṣṇav¿i? sūryyasutāś ca gāva dattā-

⟨3r2⟩ s t{t}rayas tena bhavanti lokā yaḥ kāñcana gāñ ca mah¿i?ñ ca dadyāT|

⟨3r3⟩ ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ ¿A?cchettā cānumantā

⟨3r4⟩ c¿ā? tāny eva narake vaseT| bahubhir vvasudhā dattā rājabhi

⟨3r5⟩ sagarādibhi yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ sva-

⟨3r6⟩ dattāṁ paradattām vā yatnād rakṣa{} yudhiṣṭhira{} mah¿i? mah¿i?matā śreṣṭha

⟨3r7⟩ dānāt śreyo ’nupālana¡m! ¡i!ti

Apparatus

Plates

⟨1v5⟩ mātā°mātṛ° AMS.

⟨1v7⟩ sapradhānā¡t!nsapradhānān AMS. — ⟨1v7⟩ °prabh¡ri!t¿i?īn°prabh¿i?ti AMS.

⟨2r1⟩ sarvva°sarva° AMS.

⟨2r3⟩ sarvvap¿i?īḍāvivarjjitasarvap¿i?īḍāvarjjitaḥ AMS.

⟨3r2⟩ t{t}rayastrayas AMS.

⟨3r6⟩ paradattāmparadattām 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

⟨1v1–2r1⟩ 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 Śuṣkasirillikā situated in the Oṇi bhoga, the king issues the following command to all royal officers, beginning with the collector and the receiver; to those who are temporarily posted in the village, and to the other inhabitants of that 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 the temple of the god Kapāleśvara-bhaṭṭāraka, which was constructed by Śivanandin, a resident of Kosalānagara. The grant, which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon and the sun will endure, was issued at the request of Śivanandin for the purpose of financing the repair of the temple’s broken parts and the performance of bali and caru offerings and comes along with the right to hidden treasures and deposits; the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops; the right to collect all taxes payable to the king; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; and the right to punish and realise fines for the ten offences.

⟨2v1–2v3⟩ Knowing this, you should be obedient to the received orders and render the proper shares of periodical offerings and produce, while living happily in this village. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v3–2v5.

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:

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:

2v7–3r2.

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

3r3–3r4.

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!

3r4–3r5.

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!

3r5–3r7.

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

Commentary

Despite being a complete set of three copperplates, the content of this charter is unfinished: The text ends abruptly after the exhortatory verses, which means that there is no concluding section with a date in regnal years.

Bibliography

Edited by Shastri 1995, pp. 138–140; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs.

Primary

[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 138–140.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 38, 69, 258–259.