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

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Vincent Tournier.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00019.

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 savasatānukaṁpa(ka)sa ⟨2⟩ jitarāgadosamohavipamutasa mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa saṁmasaṁbudhasa dhātuvara⟨3⟩parigahitasa Imaṁmhi mahācetiye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa Agi⟨4⟩[hota]⟨Fragment B⟩Agiṭhomavājapeyāsamedhayājisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasa⟨Fragment C⟩[hasapadāyisa] ⟨5⟩ [sa]⟨Fragment B⟩vathesu Apatiha⟨ta⟩saṁkapasa vāsiṭhīputasa Ikhākusa siricāṁtamūlasa sodarā bhagini ⟨6⟩ (ra)[ṁ]ño māḍhariputasa sirivira(pu)risadatasa pituchā mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa ⟨7⟩ pūkiyānaṁ kadasirisa bhariyā samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijakadīnānugahavailāmikadānapaṭi(bh)ā⟨8⟩gavochinadhārapadāyini savasādhuvachalā mahādānapatini mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā ⟨9⟩ cāṁtisiri Apano Ubhayakulasa Atichita m anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ parināmetuna Ubhayaloka⟨10⟩hitasukhanivāṇathanāya Atano ca nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake Imaṁ khaṁbhaṁ savalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya ca ⟨11⟩ patiṭhapitaṁ ti ~raṁño si(r)iv(i)rapurisadatasa saṁva 6⟨vāpa 6diva 10

Translation

(1–3) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, who completely realized Awakening, the Omniscient One, who is compassionate with all beings, who conquered and is released from lust, hate 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)]!

(3–11) At this 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 donor; 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 well-being and happiness in both worlds and nirvāṇa, and for achieving the fortune of nirvāṇa for herself, for the sake of the well-being, happiness and nirvāṇa of all people.

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

Commentary

(4) -sa[hasapadāyisa]1

Bibliography

First described by Vogel 1929–1930, p. 13 (A4), but without edition of the text. This was first integrally published by Baums et al. 2016, pp. 379–389.

Secondary

Srinivasan, P. R. and S. Sankaranarayanan. 1979. Inscriptions of the Ikshvāku period. Epigraphical Series 14. Hyderabad: Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Page no. 7.

Notes

  1. 1. This reconstruction, based on the parallels, assumes that this line continued over the fourth facet of the pillar, and that, similarly to line 6, 3 akṣaras were written on that facet.