# Ngadoman

Marine Schoettel and Arlo Griffiths

Authors of digital edition: Marine Schoettel, Arlo Griffiths

Contributors: Marine Schoettel, Arlo Griffiths

Identifier: DHARMA_INSIDENKNgadoman

Repository: Nusantara Epigraphy (tfc-nusantara-epigraphy)

File path: xml/DHARMA_INSIDENKNgadoman.xml

Language: Old Javanese [Script (unspecified)]

Commit: 2026-11-09 08:51 (6580fa0), last modified 2026-09-09 14:27
(72454d8)

## Palaeographic description

Tidy monumental script, with characters deeply engraved. However, some
vowel marks (hulu, taling tarung for vocalization o) are not as deeply
engraved as others and are only faintly visible. For particularities of
this script type, among which a quadrangular hulu opened on the right,
see de Casparis 1975, pp. 53–54, 65. This author believes that this
inscription’s script can be considered a continuation of Majapahit’s
chancery script, reduced to its essentials. Willem van der Molen rather
argues that this inscription belongs to a writing tradition distinct
from that of Majapahit, as well as from more ancient East-Javanese
scripts. He makes the interesting point that this script has more in
common with that used in inscriptions of the Central Javanese period,
showing that a number of akṣaras do not display innovations that
occurred through the East-Javanese period (1983, pp. 96–98.)

In this inscription, note the two different shapes of pasangan y. It
also seems that the boundary between words is emphasized by insertion of
a slightly larger space.

de manifester des formes plus récentes de l’ancienne écriture javanaise,
qui ne peuvent être reliées à ce qui aboutit finalement à la nouvelle
écriture javanaise.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Edition

⟨1⟩ Om̐ sri sarasoti kr̥ta, vukir ha¡d!⟨rd⟩i damaluṁ Uri⟨2⟩piṁ buhana
hañakra murusa patirtan paL̥maran· hapan yaṁ ⟨3⟩ vidi ha(m)ideni yaṁ
raditya yaṁ vulan· hanəL̥ I hala-hayu⟨4⟩ni deva-manusa yaṁ hanut ya(ṁ)
hagave bajaran tapak taṁt(u) ka¡b!⟨mb⟩aḥha ⟨5⟩ d(e)ni deva-manusa
muva(ḥ) saṁ tu(mo)n saṁṅ amanah aR̥ṅə luputa ⟨6⟩ riṁ Ila-Ila paḍa
kadəlana tutur-jati

yen ana ṅa¡b!⟨mb⟩aḥ ta⟨7⟩n pabəkəla patik vənaṁ tan pabaktaha histri
pituṁ ha(ja)ma (t)an vava⟨8⟩don avastu, sri syat i sakavarsa <liṅga>

1371

## Apparatus

⟨1⟩ Om̐ CS1 • The anunāsika is noted with a sign identical to the layar
used elsewhere in this inscription. See Cohen Stuart 1872, p. 279. — ⟨1⟩
ha¡d!⟨rd⟩i damaluṁ ⬦ hadi damaluṁ CS1; hadi Umaluṁ CS2 C • Damaluṅ is
one of the names anciently given to Mt. Merbabu and the term hardi,
albeit part of the toponym, is to be distinguished from the proper noun.
The colocations Ardi Damaluṅ or Hardi Pamrihan are commonly used to
refer to this mountain in the colophons of Merapi-Merbabu manuscripts
(as for instance in L 187, L 53, L 220, Mal-Pol 165). See Kuntara
Wiryamartana 1993, p. 505. — ⟨1⟩ Uri⟨2⟩piṁ CS1 C ⬦ Ūripiṁ CS2 • Cohen
Stuart already hesitated to read ūripiṁ in his first edition, and
recorded the uncertain reading thus: u(û?)riping.

⟨2⟩ hañakra CS1 CS2 ⬦ Añakra C.

⟨3⟩ ha(m)ideni ⬦ ha(n)ideni CS1 CS2; hani deni C.

⟨4⟩ ka¡b!⟨mb⟩aḥha C ⬦ kabahha CS1 CS2.

⟨8⟩ sri syat i ⬦ sri syati CS1 CS2 C • Understand Skt. śrī syāt. The
spelling, however, is that of Middle Javanese, where long and short
vowels are no longer differentiated, just as dental and palatal
sibilants. The present linguistic context probably explains the
irregularity of finding t before the vowel i instead of d.

## Translation

Om. Made by Śrī Sarasvatī. The mountain Hardi Damaluṅ, the life of the
Earth, was churning. The bathing place of Paləmaran would overflow, for
God Vidhi (i.e. Brahmā?) gave instructions (amidhyani) to the Sun and
the Moon to illuminate the bad and good of divine men, those who seek,
those who make a line of succession. The established sacred site will be
entered by divine men. And those (paḍa) who watch, who are intent, who
listen, will be free from defilement, will be invested with memory of
⟨former⟩ births. Should anyone enter, he shall not come provided with
live-stock, shall not bring wives pituṅ to have intercourse with, shall
not be obsessed with sex ⟨nor⟩ owning possessions (avastu). May there be
Fortune! In the Śaka year 1371.

## Commentary

⟨6⟩ The term tutur-jati is an Old Javanese (semi-)translation of the
Sanskrit jātismara. It refers to the ability to recollect or remember
one’s former births. Schopen 1982 has shown that this “old yogic
attainment”, found in early Buddhist sūtras within lists of
superknowledges acquired through meditational techniques, has been
reconceptualized in later (“medieval”) Mahāyāna literature as a fruit of
one’s religious merit and merit-making activities.

## Bibliography

First edited by A.B. Cohen Stuart (1872) with extensive notes on
vocabulary but without a translation, soon after re-edited by the same
author (1875). This second edition was republished with minor
modifications by de Casparis (1975). Re-edited here by Arlo Griffiths
and Marine Schoettel from published photos as well as photographic
documentation provided by the Museum voor Volkenkunde.

### Primary

[CS1] Cohen Stuart, Abraham Benjamin. 1872. “Eroe Tjakra.” BKI 19, pp.
285–288. DOI: 10.1163/22134379-90000749. [URL]. Page 277.

[CS2] Cohen Stuart, Abraham Benjamin. 1875. Kawi oorkonden in facsimile,
met inleiding en transcriptie. Leiden: Brill. [URL]. Page 36, item 27.

[C] de Casparis, Johannes Gijsbertus. 1975. Indonesian palaeography: A
history of writing in Indonesia from the beginnings to c. A.D. 1500.
Handbuch der Orientalistik 3.4.1. Leiden: Brill. Page 96.