Āyaka pillar from site 1 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, year 6

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00016.

Hand description:

Language: Middle Indo-Aryan.

Repository: Early Andhra (tfb-eiad-epigraphy).

Version: (a154659), last modified (77e39b7).

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa supabudhabodhino savaṁñuno savasatānukaṁpakasa ⟨2⟩ jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa saṁmasaṁbudhasa dhā⟨Fragment right⟩[tuvaraparigahitasa] ⟨3⟩ mahācetīye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa Agihotā(g)i[ṭh](o)⟨Fragment right⟩[mavājapeyāsamedha]⟨4⟩yājisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa savathesu Apati(ha)[tasaṁ](ka)⟨Fragment right⟩[pasa] ⟨5⟩ vāsiṭhiputasa Ikhākusiricāṁtamūlasa sodarā bhagini raṁño māḍharīputasa sirivirapurisadatasa pitu(chā) ⟨6⟩ ma(hā)senāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhiputasa pūkīyānaṁ kaṁdasirisa bhariyā samaṇabam(haṇa)kavaṇa⟨7⟩vaṇijaka[dīnānugahavelāmikadānapa](ṭ)ibhāgavochinadhārapadāyini sa(va)sādhuva(cha)lā ma(h)[ādānapa](tini) mahātalavari ⟨8⟩ khaṁdasāgaraṁ(ṇa)[kamātā] [cāṁtisiri] [Apano] [Ubhayaku](l)[a](sa) Atichi(ta) (m) (a)[nāga]tavaṭamānakānaṁ pa⟨9⟩rināmetuna Ubhaya[lokahitasukhāvahathanāya] [Atano] [ca] [nivāṇa]sapatisaṁpādake Imaṁ ⟨10⟩ khaṁbhaṁ savalokahitasukh[āvahathanāya] [patiṭhapitaṁ] ti ~raṁño sirivirapurisadātasa saṁva 6diva 10

Translation

(1–2) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, who completely realized Awakening, the Omniscient One, who is compassionate towards all beings, who conquered and is released from lust, hatred and delusion, the bull and rut elephant among great leaders, the Perfect Buddha who is (ensconced in the excellent) relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!

(3–10) At the Great Shrine, (Cāntisirī) — uterine sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, (the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha,) giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters; paternal aunt of King Māṭharīputta Siri-Vīrapurisadatta; wife of Great General, Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Kandasiri of the Pūkīyas; giver of an unequalled and uninterrupted stream of velāmika gifts as a favor to ascetics, brahmans, beggars, mendicants and the wretched; affectionate to all good people; Great-Talavara-wife, mother of Khandasāgaraṇṇaka — , having dedicated (the merit) to the past, future and present members of (her) family on both sides, (established) this pillar (for the sake of bringing about well-being and happiness in both worlds) and for achieving the fortune (of nirvāṇa) for herself and (for the sake of bringing about) the well-being and happiness of all people.

(10) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

Bibliography

First described by Vogel 1929–1930, p. 13 (A2), but without edition of the text. We edit the text for the first time, based on the three sheets of the Leiden estampage and after autopsy of two fragments of the stone.

Secondary

Srinivasan, P. R. and S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Page no. 28.

No name. 1887–. Annual report on Indian epigraphy. Madras; Calcutta; New Delhi: Government of Madras; Archaeological Survey of India. Pages 1995–96: no. B.9.