# Mandsaur Stone Inscription of the Silk Weavers

Dániel Balogh

Alternative title: Mandasor Inscription of Kumāragupta and Bandhuvarman

Author of digital edition: Dániel Balogh

Identifier: DHARMA_INSSiddham00040

Repository: SIDDHAM (siddham)

File path: XML-Provisional/DHARMA_INSSiddham00040.xml

Language: Sanskrit [Southern Brāhmī (unspecified)]

Commit: 2026-09-16 10:40 (3083d2d), last modified 2026-09-16 09:24
(c200993)

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

## Edition

⟨1⟩ [sid]dh[a]m

1. Śārdūlavikrīḍita

y[o bh]r̥(ty-art)tham upāsyate sura-gaṇ(ais) sid(dhaiś ca)
siddhy-artthibhir
ddhyānaikāgra-parair vvidheya-viṣayair mmokṣ-ārtthibhir yyogibhiḥ|
bhaktyā tīvra-tapodhanaiś ca munibhiś śāpa-prasāda-kṣamair
hetur yyo jagataẖ kṣayābhyudayayoḫ pāyāt sa vo bhāskaraḥ|

2. Śārdūlavikrīḍita

ta¿tv?a-jñāna-vido ⟨’⟩pi yasya na vidur brahmarṣa⟨2⟩yo ⟨’⟩bhyudyatāẖ
kr̥tsnaṁ yaś ca gabhastibhiḥ pravisr̥taiḫ puṣ(ṇ)āti loka-trayaM
gandharvvāmara-siddha-kinnara-narais saṁstūyate ⟨’⟩bhyutthito
bhaktebhyaś ca dadāti yo ⟨’⟩bhila(ṣ)itaṁ tasmai savitre namaḥ|

3. Vasantatilakā

yaḫ pratyaham prativibhāty udayācalendra-
- vistīrṇṇa-tuṅga-śikhara-skhalitāṁśu-jālaḥ
kṣībāṁga(n)[ā]⟨3⟩-(ja)na-kapo(la)-talābhitāmraḫ
pāyā(t sa vas s)u-k[i]raṇābha(raṇo) vivasvā(N)

4. Āryā

kusuma-bhar(ā)nata-taruvara-devakula-sabhā-vihāra-ramaṇīyāT
lāṭa-viṣayān nag(ā)vr̥ta-śailāj jagati prathita-śilpāḥ(||)

5. Vasantatilakā

te deśa-pārtthiva-guṇāpahr̥tāḥ prakāśam
addhvādi-jāny aviral(ā)ny asukhā⟨4⟩ny apāsya(|)
jātādarā daśapuraṁ prathamaṁ manobhir
anv āgatās sa-suta-bandhu-janās sametya||

6. Vasantatilakā

mattebha-gaṇḍa-taṭa-vicyuta-dāna-bindu-
- siktopalācala-sahasra-vibhūṣaṇāyāḥ
puṣpāvanamra-taru-ṣaṇḍa-vataṁsakāyā
bhūmeḫ pura¿n? tilaka-bhūtam idaṁ krameṇa||

7. Upendravajrā

taṭottha-vr̥kṣa-cyuta⟨5⟩-naika-puṣpa-
-vicitra-tīrānta-jalāni bhānti(|)
praphulla-padmābharaṇāni yatra
sarāṁsi kāraṇḍava-saṁkulāni||

8. Upendravajrā

vilola-vīcī-calitāravinda-
-patad-rajaḥ-piñjaritaiś ca hamsaiḥ
sva-kesarodāra-bharāvabhugnaiḥ
kvacit sarāṁsy amburuhaiś ca bhānti|

9. Upendravajrā

sva-puṣpa-bhārāvanatair nnagendrair
mmada⟨6⟩-pragalbhāli-kula-svanaiś ca|
Ajasra-gābhiś ca purāṅganābhir
vvanāni yasmin samalaṁkr̥tāni||

10. Upajāti

calat-patākāny abalā-sanāthāny
atyarttha-śuklāny adhikonnatāni|
taḍil-latā-citra-sitābbhra-kūṭa-
- tulyopamānāni gr̥hāṇi yatra||

11. Vasantatilakā

k¿au?⟨ai⟩lāsa-tuṅga-śikhara-pratimāni cānyāny
ābhānti dīrggha-valabhī⟨7⟩ni sa-vedikāni|
gāndharvva-śabda-mukharā¿n?⟨ṇ⟩i niviṣṭa-citra-
-karmmāṇi lola-kadalī-vana-śobhitāni||

12. Upajāti

prā(s)āda-mālābhir alaṁkr̥tāni
dharāṁ vidāryyeva samutthitāni|
vimāna-mālā-sadr̥śāni yattra
gr̥hāṇi pū(rṇṇe)ndu-karāmalāni||

13. Āryā

yad bhāty abhiramya-sari⟨d⟩-dvayena capalormmiṇā samupagūḍhaṁ
⟨8⟩ rahasi kuca-śālinībhyāṁ prīti-ratibhyāṁ smarāṅgam iva||

14. Vasantatilakā

satya-kṣamā-dama-śama-vrata-śauca-dhairyya-
- svā(ddhyā)ya-vr̥tta-vinaya-sthiti-buddhy-upetaiḥ|
vidyā-tapo-nidhibhir asmayitaiś ca viprair
yyad bhrājate graha-gaṇaiẖ kham iva pradīptaiḥ||

15. Drutavilambita

Atha sametya nirantara-saṅgatair
ahar-ahaḥ pravijr̥mbhita⟨9⟩-sauhr̥dāḥ
nr̥patibhis sutavat pratim¿a?⟨ā⟩nitāḥ
pramuditā nyavasanta sukhaṁ pure||

16. Hariṇī

śravaṇa-(su)bhag(e) gāndharvve ⟨’⟩nye dr̥ḍhaṁ pariniṣṭhitāḥ
sucarita-śatāsaṅgāẖ keci(d v)icittra-kathāvidaḥ(|)
vinaya-nibhr̥tās samyag dharmma-prasaṅga-parāya(ṇā)ḫ
priyam aparuṣaṁ patthyaṁ cānye kṣamā bahu bhāṣitu¿ṁ?||

17. Indravajrā

⟨10⟩ kecit sva-karmmaṇy adhikās tathānyair
vvijñāyate jyotiṣam ātmavadbhiḥ
Adyāpi cānye samara-pragalbhāẖ
kurvvanty arīṇām ahitaṁ prasahya||

18. Vasantatilakā

prājñā manojña-va(puṣ)aḥ prathitoru-vaṁśā
vaṁśānurūpa-caritābharaṇās tathānye|
satya-vratāḥ praṇayinām upakāra-dakṣā
visrambha⟨11⟩-[pūrvva]m apare dr̥ḍha-sauhr̥dāś ca||

19. Mālinī

vijita-viṣaya-saṅgair ddharmma-śīlais tathānyair
m[r̥]dubhir adhika-sa¿tv?ai(r l)l(o)kayātrā-paraiś ca(|?)
sva-kula-tilaka-bhūtair mukta-rāgair udārair
adhikam abhivibhāti śreṇir evaṁ-prakāraiḥ||

20. Vasantatilakā

tāruṇya-kānty-upacito ⟨’⟩pi suvarṇṇa-hāra-
- tāṁbūla-puṣpa-vidhinā sama⟨12⟩[lamkr̥]to ⟨’⟩pi(|?)
nārī-janaḥ śriyam upaiti na tāvad agryāṁ
yāvan na paṭṭamaya-vastra-y(u)gāni dhatte||

21. Āryā

spa(r)śa(vatā?) va(rṇṇ-ān)tara-vibhāga-cittreṇa netra-su(bha)gena
(yai)s sakalam idaṁ kṣiti-talam alaṁkr̥taṁ paṭṭa-vastreṇa||

22. Vasantatilakā

vidyādharī-rucira-pallava-karṇṇapūra-
- vāteritāsthirataraṁ pravicintya ⟨13⟩ [lo]kaṁ(|?)
mānuṣyam arttha-nicayāṁś ca tathā viśālā(n)
(t)eṣāṁ śubhe (ma)tir abhūd acal(e ca?) (ta)s(miN?)||

23. Vaṁśastha

catus-(s)a(mud)r-(ā)(ṁbu?)-vilola-me(kha)l(āṁ)
sumer(u)-kailāsa-br̥hat-pa(yo)dharā(M)
vanānta-vānta-sphuṭa-puṣpa-hāsinīṁ
kumāragupte p¿ri?thivīṁ praśāsati||

24. Upendravajrā

samāna-dhīś śukra-br̥haspatibhyāṁ
lalāma-bhūto bhuvi ⟨14⟩ pārtthivānāṁ(|)
raṇeṣu yaḥ pārttha-samāna-(ka)rmmā
babhūva goptā nr̥pa-viśvavarmmā(||)

25. Vasantatilakā

dīn-ānukaṁpana-paraḥ kr̥paṇ-ārtta-vargga-
sāntva-prado ⟨’⟩dhika-dayālur anātha-nāthaḥ(|?)
kalpa-drumaḥ praṇayinām abhayaṁ-pradaś ca
bhītasya yo janapadasya ca bandhur āsī(T||)

26. Indravajrā

tasyātmajaḥ sthairyya-nayopapanno
bandhu-priyo ⟨15⟩ bandhur iva prajānāṁ(|)
baṁdhv-artti-harttā nr̥pa-bandhuvarmmā
dvi(ḍ-dr̥)pta-pa(kṣa-kṣa)paṇaika-dakṣaḥ|

27. Vasantatilakā

kānt(o y)u(vā) raṇa-paṭur vvinayānvitaś ca
rājāpi sann upasr̥to na madaiḥ smayādyai(ḥ|)
śr̥ngāra-mūrttir abhibhāty analaṁkr̥to ⟨’⟩pi
rūpeṇa yaẖ kusumacāpa Iva dvitīyaḥ||

28. Upajāti

vaidhavya-tīvra-vyasana-kṣatānāṁ
⟨16⟩ sm¿ri?tvā yam adyāpy ari-sundarīṇāṁ(|)
bhayād bhavaty āyata-locanānāṁ
ghana-stanāyāsa-karaḥ prakampaḥ||

29. Mandākrāntā

tasminn eva kṣitipati-v¿ri?ṣe baṁdhuvarmmaṇy (u)dāre
samya(k-s)phītaṁ daśapuram idaṁ pālayaty unnatāṁse|
śilpāvāpt(ai)r ddhana-samudayaiḥ paṭṭa-vā(yair u)dāraṁ
(ś)re(ṇ)ībhūtair bbhavanam atulaṁ kāritaṁ ⟨17⟩ dīpta-raśmeḥ||

30. Vasantatilakā

vistīrṇṇa-tuṅga-śikharaṁ śikhari-prakāśam
abhyudgatendv-amala-raśmi-kalāpa-gauraṁ(|?)
yad bhāti paścima-purasya niviṣṭa-kānta-
- cūḍāmaṇi-pratisaman nayanābhirāmaṁ||

31. Vasantatilakā

rāmā-sanātha-(bha)van(o)dara-bhāskarāṁśu-
-vahni-pratāpa-subhage jala-līna-mīne|
candrāṁśu-harmya-tala⟨18⟩-candana-tālavr̥nta-
- hāropabho(g)a-rahite hima-dagdha-padme||

32. Vasantatilakā

roddhra-priyaṁgu-taru-kunda-latā-vikośa-
- puṣpā(sa)va-pra(m)u(di)tāli-k(u)l(ā)bhirāme|
kāle tuṣāra-kaṇa-karkkaśa-śīta-vāta-
- vega-pranr̥tta-lavalī-naga-naika-śākhe||

33. Āryā

smara-vaśaga-taruṇa-jana-vallabhāṅganā-vipula-kānta-pīnoru-|
⟨19⟩ stana-jaghana-ghanāliṅgana-nirbhartsita-tuhina-hima-pāte||

34. Anuṣṭubh

mālavānāṁ gaṇa-sthityā
yāt(e) śata-catuṣṭaye|
tri-navaty-adhike ⟨’⟩bdānām
¿ri?tau sevya-ghana-stane||

35. Anuṣṭubh

sahasya-māsa-śuklasya
praśaste ⟨’⟩hni trayodaśe
maṅgalācāra-vidhinā
prāsādo yaṁ niveśitaḥ||

36. Anuṣṭubh

bahunā samatītena
⟨20⟩ kālenānyaiś ca pārtthivaiḥ|
vyaśīryyataika-deśo ⟨’⟩sya
bhavanasya tato ⟨’⟩dhunā||

37. Anuṣṭubh

sva-yaśo-(v)¿(r)i?ddhaye sa(rvva-?)
(dikṣ?)(ūd)āram udārayā|
saṁskāritam idaṁ bhūyaḥ
(śre)ṇyā bhānumato gr̥haṁ||

38. Āryā

Atyunnatam avadātaṁ nabha⟨ḥ⟩ ¿spr̥śann? iva manoharaiś śikharaiḥ(|)
śaśi-bhānvor abhyudayeṣv amala-mayūkh-āyatana⟨21⟩-(bhū)taṁ||

39. Āryā

vatsara-śateṣu paṁcasu viṁśaty-adhikeṣu navasu cābdeṣu|
yāteṣv abhiramya-tapasya-māsa-śukla-dvitīyāyāṁ||

40. Vasantatilakā

spaṣṭair aśoka-taru-ketaka-siṁduvāra-
- lolātimuktaka-latā-madayaṁtikānāṁ|
puṣpodgamair abhinavair adhigamya nūnam
aikyaṁ vijr̥ṁbhita-śare hara-pūta-dehe||

41. Āryā

⟨22⟩ madhu-pāna-mudita-madhukara-kulopagīta-naga-naika-pr̥thu-śākhe(|)
kāle nava-kusumodgama-daṁtura-kāṁta-pracura-roddhre||

42. Āryā

śaśineva nabho vimalaṁ kaus(tu)bha-maṇineva śārṅgiṇo vakṣaḥ|
bhavana-vareṇa tathedaṁ puram akhilam alaṁkr̥tam udāraṁ||

43. Mālinī

Amalina-śaśi⟨23⟩-le(khā)-da(ṁ)turaṁ piṅgalānāṁ
parivahati samūhaṁ yāvad īśo jaṭānāṁ|
vikaṭa-kamala-mālām aṁsa-saktāṁ ca śārṅgī
bhavanam idam udāraṁ śāśvata¿n? tāvad astu||

44. Anuṣṭubh

sreṇy-ādeśena bhaktyā ca
kāritaṁ bhavanaṁ raveḥ|
pūrvvā ceyaṁ prayatnena
racitā vatsabhaṭṭinā||

⟨24⟩ svasti kartr̥-lekhaka-vācaka-śrotr̥bhyaḥ|| siddhir astu||

## Bibliography

First reported and briefly discussed in Peterson 1885, pp. 380–381.
First edited in Fleet 1886. Re-edited in Fleet 1888. Corrected in
Bhandarkar 1889, pp. 94–97. Further corrections in Kielhorn 1890 and in
Durgâprasâd & Parab 1892, pp. 107–112 (the inscription is in fact No. 26
in this book, not 51-52 as cited by Bhandarkar et al. 1981, p. 322).
Revised in Bühler 1890, pp. 91–96 and discussed in Bühler 1890, pp.
8–31, the latter translated to English in Bühler 1913, pp. 137–148.
Correction in Agrawal 1941, p. 60. Summarised in Trivedi & Trivedi 2001,
p. 20 (No. 5). Further discussion in Diskalkar 1926, pp. 176–178,
Pisharoti 1936, Sharma 1937, Pisharoti 1938, Sharma 1938, Bose [1942]
1937–1938, pp. 327–328, Sharma 1939, Sadhu Ram 1964, Vajpeyi 1972,
Basham 1983, Mirashi 1980, Agrawal 1986 (also published as Agrawal 1986,
pp. 79–86).

Originally encoded for Siddham in the project Beyond Boundaries (Grant
Agreement No. 609823) by Dániel Balogh (2019, № IN00040). Encoding
updated to DHARMA conventions by Dániel Balogh.

### Secondary

Fleet, John Faithfull. 1888. Inscriptions of the early Gupta kings and
their successors. First edition. Vol. 3. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum.
Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing. Item 18.

Bhandarkar, Devadatta Ramakrishna, Bahadur Chand Chhabra & Govind
Swamirao Gai. 1981. Inscriptions of the early Gupta kings. Corpus
inscriptionum indicarum 3, revised edition. New Delhi: Archaeological
survey of India. Item 35.

Bhandarkar, Devadatta Ramakrishna. 1927–1936. A list of the inscriptions
of northern India in Brahmi and its derivative scripts, from about 200
A. C.: Appendix to Epigraphia Indica and record of the Archaeological
Survey of India, volumes XIX to XXIII. Calcutta: Archaeological Survey
of India. [URL]. Items 6, 8.

Sircar, Dines Chandra. 1965. Select inscriptions bearing on Indian
history and civilization. Volume I: from the sixth century B.C. to the
sixth century A.D. 2nd edition revised and enlarged. Calcutta:
University of Calcutta. Book III, item 24.

Agrawala, Prithvi Kumar. 1983. Imperial Gupta Epigraphs
(गुप्ताधिराजलेखमण्डल). Ancient Indian Epigraphical Sources (प्रत्नाभिलेखसंहिता)
10, pt. 1 / 2. Varanasi: Books Asia, Distributed by Prithvi Prakashan.
Item 40.

Goyal, Śrīrām. 1993. गुप्तकालीन अभिलेख/Guptakālīna Abhilekha (Inscriptions
of the Gupta Age). Jodhpur: Kusumanjali Prakashan. Items 352-355.