A poem in honor of Gaṇeśa found at Dawangsari, 9th c. CE

Editor: Arlo Griffiths.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSIDENKDawangsari.

Hand description:

Language: Old Javanese.

Repository: Nusantara Epigraphy (tfc-nusantara-epigraphy).

Version: 2025-01-13 08:09 (ac9645f), last modified 2024-08-14 08:15 (96df406).

Edition

Logical
Physical
Full

I. Anuṣṭubh

⟨1⟩ || I vulatta kitaṁ sādhut

tiṅhali ⟨2⟩ guṇadoṣa vaiḥ

vulat iṁ citta tan· ⟨3⟩ vyartha

tinon saṁ(ṅ) ādikarmmika

II. Anuṣṭubh

|| hayvā⟨4⟩gyā Umudiṅ uAṁ len·

ṅuniveḥ yat· ⟨5⟩ chalān naya

Acintya buddhiniṁ satva

vistī⟨6⟩rṇa gaganopama

III. Anuṣṭubh

|| nahan tinonta ⟨7⟩ malavas·

vuṅkal kevala tekana

tuvi Ā⟨8⟩sā Ikaṁ satva

masot ya malakuṁ hurip·

IV. Anuṣṭubh

⟨9⟩ || nihan· saphala rūpanyan

katon· pra⟨10⟩tyakṣa (d)evatā

vismayaṅ uAṁ manon· ⟨11⟩ sākṣāt·

vināyaka di parvata

V. Anuṣṭubh

|| vr̥ddhi bu⟨12⟩ddhiniraṁ sādhu

tuṣṭa deniṁ gavai hayu

hilaṁ ⟨13⟩ haṁkāraniṁ nīca

manonn atyantadāruṇa

VI. Anuṣṭubh

⟨14⟩ || mataṅya rasike līṁku

sira sarvajña riṁ ja⟨15⟩gat·

maveḥ bara ri saṁ sādhu

mr̥tyu tulya⟨16⟩nireṁ khala

VII. Anuṣṭubh

|| Anuṁ nāstika buddhinya

darpa ⟨17⟩ haṁkāra kevala

manon devatasāniddhya

⟨18⟩ hilaṁ darpanya tan hana

VIII. Anuṣṭubh

|| Apa tan kavnaṁ ⟨19⟩ nīca

deniṁ vākya subhāṣita

krodhadaṇḍa ⟨20⟩ makolih ya

bheda ¡s!⟨ś⟩ikṣān·nike(ṁ) khala

IX. Anuṣṭubh

⟨21⟩ || meṅat· ri doṣaniṅ uAṁ len·

Upahā⟨22⟩sya manon· guṇa

ciṣāsaḥ Adha tan· ⟨23⟩ tonan·

ya tekātyantadurjana ||

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ kitaṁ sādhut ⬦ kita sādhu t RMS • Unmetrical.

⟨2⟩ iṁ citta ⬦ i citta RMS.

⟨3⟩ saṁ(ṅ) ādikarmmika ⬦ saṅ ādikarnnika RMS • In her note 3, RMS states: “Oleh Bapak Boechari dibaca saṅ-ādikarmika, sedangkan [saya] membaca saṅ ādikarnnika.” The reading with mm is absolutely clear on the stone. By contrast, the shape of ṅā is eccentric and rather resembles jā, with the special ā marker bending back counterclockwise to the left of the akṣara. — ⟨3⟩ hayvā⟨4⟩gyā ⬦ havyā gya RMS.

⟨5⟩ buddhiniṁ satva ⬦ buddhini satva RMS • Unmetrical.

⟨7⟩ malavas· ⬦ salavas· RMS • It is impssoble to read sa. Though ṣa is imaginable, its shape would be rather different from the one in tuṣṭa (l. 12). If we had ṣa- in the meaning of prefix sa-, the spelling with retrolex sibilant would be unusual. It seems better to accept that we have here a relatively small ma-. — ⟨7⟩ Ā⟨8⟩sā Ikaṁ ⬦ Āsaikaṁ RMS.

⟨8⟩ malakuṁ hurip· ⬦ malaku hurip· RMS • Unmetrical.

⟨11⟩ sākṣāt· • The shape of the second akṣara is markedly different from that of the kṣa in pratyakṣa in the preceding line. But cf. sikṣān in line 20. Should we read ks in both cases?

⟨12⟩ deniṁ ⬦ deni RMS.

⟨13⟩ haṁkāraniṁ ⬦ haṁkārani RMS • Unmetrical. — ⟨13⟩ manonn atyanta- ⬦ manon-atyanta- RMS.

⟨14⟩ riṁ ⬦ ri RMS • Unmetrical.

⟨17⟩ devatasāniddhya ⬦ devatasānindhya RMS. — ⟨17⟩ vākya ⬦ vakya RMS.

⟨20⟩ ¡s!⟨ś⟩ikṣān·nike(ṁ) • See the apparatus entry for line 11.

⟨21⟩ meṅat· ri ⬦ meṅatri RMS.

⟨22⟩ ciṣāsaḥ Adha tan· ⬦ viṣāyaḥ Artha tan· RMS • The akṣara that I read read as dha has no significant similarity to the tha in vyartha (line 3).

Translation by Arlo Griffiths

I

It is with your glance, you the Holy one (i.e., Vināyaka), that you observe both virtues and faults. The glance at the mind is not in vain, when one who is about to begin an action (ādikarmika) is being observed.¹

II

Do not be impatient to inspect the other man, let alone when you are blaming them for (an) prudence (naya).² The mind of the living being is unfathomable, spread out like the sky.

III

In that way for a long time that lone boulder is observed by you. Although the living being is dejected, it is destined to walk its life.

IV

In this way, its (the boulder’s) form gives fruit, namely that the god becomes visibly incarnate. The man is amazed when, with his own eyes, he sees Vināyaka on (di) the mountain.³.

V

The mind of the Holy one becomes prosperous and is satisfied by the good works [of living beings]. The egotism of the mean one vanishes, when he sees the Extremely Frightful one.

VI

That is the reason why I say [that] He is the one who is omniscient in the world. He gives boons to the virtuous. He is like Death unto the wicked.

VII

Whoever has a nihilistic mind is merely arrogant and egotistic. When he sees the presence of the God, his arrogance vanishes, [and] is no more.

VIII

How could the wicked not be defeated by [this] poetic speech? The staff of wrath catches him, and also (bheda) the wicked will be punished by it.

IX

He who is attentive [only] to another man’s faults, [and] laughs (? upahāsya) when he sees [his] virtues. … not on his guard. That is an extremely evil man.⁴

Commentary

The entire text is composed in regular anuṣṭubh stanzas, with one vipulā (na) occurring in stanza III. The three occurrences of uAṁ (in stanzas II, IV and IX) all need to be scanned vvaṁ to satisfy the constraints of the meter. The word kavnaṁ (stanza VIII) needs to be scanned kavənaṁ.

Bibliography

First published in Rita Margaretha Setianingsih 1989. The fairly accurate reading given in this publication was probably based entirely on a transcription provided by Boechari (2012, pp. XXVII–XXVIII, № 8). This reading was subsequently republished with numerous involuntary errors in the volume Pusaka Aksara Yogyakarta (2007, 2015) whose variant readings it has not seemed useful to report in my apparatus. These various publications all contain the same terjemahan, which is quite unreliable. The main default of the published editions is that they ignore the rules of meter and thus fail to note several cecak marks. The edition presented here has been established through direct inspection of the stone, with use of the EFEO estampage n. 2061 and a photogrammetry by Adeline Levivier.

Primary

[RMS] Rita Margaretha Setianingsih. 1989. “Telaah singkat Prasasti Dawangsari.” PIA 5 (2A), pp. 143–155.

Secondary

HerniPramastuti+al2007_01

Griffiths, Arlo. 2011. “Imagine Laṅkapura at Prambanan.” In: From Laṅkā eastwards: the Rāmāyaṇa in the literature and visual arts of Indonesia. Edited by Andrea Acri, Helen Creese and Arlo Griffiths. Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 247. Leiden: KITLV Press, pp. 133–148. Pages 133–140, 145.

HerniPramastuti+al2015_01

Notes

1. The word ādikarmika, borrowed from Sanskrit, occurs exclusively in Buddhist contexts in Sanskrit literature. As regards Old Javanese literature, it is cited in Zoetmulder and Robson 1982 with reference only to two occurrences in the Buddhist scripture Advayasādhana (Kats 1910, 31.3 and 42.12). It is therefore hard to escape the impression that our author is alluding to Buddhists here.
2. Could the author here be alluding to the technical meaning of naya “school, doctrine” as in mantranaya, a synonym for the Buddhist mantrayāna, i.e., vajrayāna?
3. The use of the Malay preposition di instead of expected Javanese ri is remarkable. Cf. Griffiths 2011, p. 145.
4. Cf. Bhuvanakośa 37 ikaṅ vvaṅ upahāsya ri sira, tәhәr gurunindā ya “The man who mocks him, and who is also critical toward the teacher”. I am unable to make sense of pāda c.

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<l n="a"><lb n="1"/><g type="ddanda"/> I vulatta kitaṁ sādhut</l>

<l n="b">tiṅhali <lb n="2"/>guṇadoṣa vaiḥ</l>

<l n="c">vulat iṁ citta tan· <lb n="3"/>vyartha</l>

<l n="d">tinon saṁ<unclear reason="eccentric_ductus">ṅ</unclear> ādikarmmika</l>

</lg>

<l n="a"><g type="ddanda"/> hayvā<lb n="4" break="no"/>gyā Umudiṅ uAṁ len·</l>

<l n="b">ṅuniveḥ yat· <lb n="5"/>chalān naya</l>

<l n="c">Acintya buddhiniṁ satva</l>

<l n="d">vistī<lb n="6" break="no"/>rṇa gaganopama</l>

</lg>

<l n="a" met="na-vipulā" real="-+-+---+"><g type="ddanda"/> nahan tinonta <lb n="7"/>malavas·</l>

<l n="b">vuṅkal kevala tekana</l>

<l n="c">tuvi Ā<lb n="8" break="no"/>sā Ikaṁ satva</l>

<l n="d">masot ya malakuṁ hurip·</l>

</lg>

<l n="a"><lb n="9"/><g type="ddanda"/> nihan· saphala rūpanyan</l>

<l n="b">katon· pra<lb n="10" break="no"/>tyakṣa <unclear>d</unclear>evatā</l>

<l n="c">vismayaṅ uAṁ manon· <lb n="11"/>sākṣāt·</l>

<l n="d">vināyaka di parvata</l>

</lg>

<l n="a"><g type="ddanda"/> vr̥ddhi bu<lb n="12" break="no"/>ddhiniraṁ sādhu</l>

<l n="b">tuṣṭa deniṁ gavai hayu</l>

<l n="c">hilaṁ <lb n="13"/>haṁkāraniṁ nīca</l>

<l n="d">manonn atyantadāruṇa</l>

</lg>

<l n="a"><lb n="14"/><g type="ddanda"/> mataṅya rasike līṁku</l>

<l n="b">sira sarvajña riṁ ja<lb n="15" break="no"/>gat·</l>

<l n="c">maveḥ bara ri saṁ sādhu</l>

<l n="d">mr̥tyu tulya<lb n="16" break="no"/>nireṁ khala</l>

</lg>

<l n="a"><g type="ddanda"/> Anuṁ nāstika buddhinya</l>

<l n="b">darpa <lb n="17"/>haṁkāra kevala</l>

<l n="c">manon devatasāniddhya</l>

<l n="d"><lb n="18"/> hilaṁ darpanya tan hana</l>

</lg>

<l n="a"><g type="ddanda"/> Apa tan kavnaṁ <lb n="19"/>nīca</l>

<l n="b">deniṁ vākya subhāṣita</l>

<l n="c">krodhadaṇḍa <lb n="20"/>makolih ya</l>

<l n="d">bheda <choice><orig>s</orig><reg>ś</reg></choice>ikṣān·nike<unclear>ṁ</unclear> khala</l>

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<l n="a"><lb n="21"/> <g type="ddanda"/> meṅat· ri doṣaniṅ uAṁ len·</l>

<l n="b">Upahā<lb n="22" break="no"/>sya manon· guṇa</l>

<l n="c">ciṣāsaḥ Adha tan· <lb n="23"/>tonan·</l>

<l n="d">ya tekātyantadurjana <g type="ddanda"/></l>

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<lem>kitaṁ sādhut</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">kita sādhu t</rdg>

<note>Unmetrical.</note>

</app>

<lem>iṁ citta</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">i citta</rdg>

</app>

<lem>saṁ<unclear reason="eccentric_ductus">ṅ</unclear> ādikarmmika</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">saṅ ādikarnnika</rdg>

<note>In her note 3, RMS states: <q>Oleh Bapak Boechari dibaca <foreign>saṅ-ādikarmika</foreign>, sedangkan <supplied reason="subaudible">saya</supplied> membaca <foreign>saṅ ādikarnnika</foreign>.</q> The reading with <foreign>mm</foreign> is absolutely clear on the stone. By contrast, the shape of <foreign>ṅā</foreign> is eccentric and rather resembles <foreign>jā</foreign>, with the special <foreign>ā</foreign> marker bending back counterclockwise to the left of the <foreign>akṣara</foreign>.</note>

</app>

<lem>hayvā<lb n="4" break="no"/>gyā</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">havyā gya</rdg>

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<lem>buddhiniṁ satva</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">buddhini satva</rdg>

<note>Unmetrical.</note>

</app>

<!-- stanza II

b. chalān: note shape of lā significantly different from that in Ratu Baka C.

-->

<lem>malavas·</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">salavas·</rdg>

<note>It is impssoble to read <foreign>sa</foreign>. Though <foreign>ṣa</foreign> is imaginable, its shape would be rather different from the one in <foreign>tuṣṭa</foreign> (l. 12).  If we had <foreign>ṣa-</foreign> in the meaning of prefix <foreign>sa-</foreign>, the spelling with retrolex sibilant would be unusual. It seems better to accept that we have here a relatively small <foreign>ma-</foreign>.</note>

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<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">Āsaikaṁ</rdg>

</app>

<lem>malakuṁ hurip·</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">malaku hurip·</rdg>

<note>Unmetrical.</note>

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<lem>sākṣāt·</lem>

<note>The shape of the second <foreign>akṣara</foreign> is markedly different from that of the <foreign>kṣa</foreign> in <foreign>pratyakṣa</foreign> in the preceding line. But cf. <foreign>sikṣān</foreign> in line 20. Should we read <foreign>ks</foreign> in both cases?</note>

</app>

<lem>deniṁ</lem>

</app>

<lem>haṁkāraniṁ</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">haṁkārani</rdg>

<note>Unmetrical.</note>

</app>

<lem>manonn atyanta-</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">manon-atyanta-</rdg>

</app>

<note>Unmetrical.</note>

</app>

<lem>devatasāniddhya</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">devatasānindhya</rdg>

</app>

<lem>vākya</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">vakya</rdg>

</app>

<lem><choice><orig>s</orig><reg>ś</reg></choice>ikṣān·nike<unclear>ṁ</unclear></lem>

<note>See the apparatus entry for line 11.</note>

</app>

<lem>meṅat· ri</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">meṅatri</rdg>

</app>

<lem>ciṣāsaḥ Adha tan·</lem>

<rdg source="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01">viṣāyaḥ Artha tan·</rdg>

<note>The <foreign>akṣara</foreign> that I read read as <foreign>dha</foreign> has no significant similarity to the <foreign>tha</foreign> in <foreign>vyartha</foreign> (line 3).</note>

</app>

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<p rend="stanza" n="1">It is with your glance, you the Holy one (i.e., Vināyaka), that you observe both virtues and faults. The glance at the mind is not in vain, when one who is about to begin an action <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>ādikarmika</foreign></supplied> is being observed.<note>The word <foreign>ādikarmika</foreign>, borrowed from Sanskrit, occurs exclusively in Buddhist contexts in Sanskrit literature. As regards Old Javanese literature, it is cited in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Zoetmulder1982_01"/></bibl> with reference only to two occurrences in the Buddhist scripture <title>Advayasādhana</title> (<bibl><ptr target="bib:Kats1910_01"/><citedRange unit="mixed">31.3 and 42.12</citedRange></bibl>). It is therefore hard to escape the impression that our author is alluding to Buddhists here.</note></p>

<p rend="stanza" n="2">Do not be impatient to inspect the other man, let alone when you are blaming them for <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>an</foreign></supplied> prudence <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>naya</foreign></supplied>.<note>Could the author here be alluding to the technical meaning of <foreign>naya</foreign> <q>school, doctrine</q> as in <foreign>mantranaya</foreign>, a synonym for the Buddhist <foreign>mantrayāna</foreign>, i.e., <foreign>vajrayāna</foreign>?</note> The mind of the living being is unfathomable, spread out like the sky.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="3">In that way for a long time that lone boulder is observed by you. Although the living being is dejected, it is destined to walk its life.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="4">In this way, its <supplied reason="explanation">the boulder's</supplied> form gives fruit, namely that the god becomes visibly incarnate. The man is amazed when, with his own eyes, he sees Vināyaka on <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>di</foreign></supplied> the mountain.<note>The use of the Malay preposition <foreign>di</foreign> instead of expected Javanese <foreign>ri</foreign> is remarkable. Cf. <bibl><ptr target="bib:Griffiths2011_02"/><citedRange unit="page">145</citedRange></bibl>.</note>.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="5">The mind of the Holy one becomes prosperous and is satisfied by the good works <supplied reason="subaudible">of living beings</supplied>. The egotism of the mean one vanishes, when he sees the Extremely Frightful one.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="6">That is the reason why I say <supplied reason="subaudible">that</supplied> He is the one who is omniscient in the world. He gives boons to the virtuous. He is like Death unto the wicked.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="7">Whoever has a nihilistic mind is merely arrogant and egotistic. When he sees the presence of the God, his arrogance vanishes, <supplied reason="subaudible">and</supplied> is no more.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="8">How could the wicked not be defeated by <supplied reason="subaudible">this</supplied> poetic speech? The staff of wrath catches him, and also <supplied reason="explanation"><foreign>bheda</foreign></supplied> the wicked will be punished by it.</p>

<p rend="stanza" n="9">He who is attentive <supplied reason="subaudible">only</supplied> to another man’s faults, <supplied reason="subaudible">and</supplied> laughs <supplied reason="explanation">? <foreign>upahāsya</foreign></supplied> when he sees <supplied reason="subaudible">his</supplied> virtues. <gap reason="ellipsis"/> not on his guard. That is an extremely evil man.<note>Cf. <title>Bhuvanakośa</title> 37 <foreign>ikaṅ vvaṅ upahāsya ri sira, tәhәr gurunindā ya</foreign> <q>The man who mocks him, and who is also critical toward the teacher</q>. I am unable to make sense of <foreign>pāda</foreign> c.</note></p>

</div>

<p>The entire text is composed in regular <foreign>anuṣṭubh</foreign> stanzas, with one <foreign>vipulā</foreign> (<foreign>na</foreign>) occurring in stanza III. The three occurrences of <foreign>uAṁ</foreign> (in stanzas II, IV and IX) all need to be scanned <foreign>vvaṁ</foreign> to satisfy the constraints of the meter. The word <foreign>kavnaṁ</foreign> (stanza VIII) needs to be scanned <foreign>kavənaṁ</foreign>.</p>

</div>

<p>First published in <bibl><ptr target="bib:RitaMargarethaSetianingsih1989_01"/></bibl>. The fairly accurate reading given in this publication was probably based entirely on a transcription provided by Boechari (<bibl rend="omitname"><ptr target="bib:Boechari2012_01"/><citedRange unit="page">XXVII-XXVIII</citedRange><citedRange unit="item">8</citedRange></bibl>). This reading was subsequently republished with numerous involuntary errors in the volume <title>Pusaka Aksara Yogyakarta</title> (2007, 2015) whose variant readings it has not seemed useful to report in my apparatus. These various publications all contain the same <foreign>terjemahan</foreign>, which is quite unreliable. The main default of the published editions is that they ignore the rules of meter and thus fail to note several <foreign>cecak</foreign> marks. The edition presented here has been established through direct inspection of the stone, with use of the EFEO estampage n. 2061 and a photogrammetry by Adeline Levivier.</p>

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