Modlimb plates of Pulakeśin II

Editor: Dániel Balogh.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSBadamiCalukya00008.

Hand description:

Other palaeographic observations. Several anusvāras are shifted to the right, appearing above the next character. This is not consistent and does not seem to be driven by availability of space above the character where the anusvāra ought to be, so I encode each as a scribal error, as Gai and Katti have done.

Language: Sanskrit.

Repository: Bādāmi Cālukya (tfb-badamicalukya-epigraphy).

Version: (021acb2), last modified (c7df37a).

Edition

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1⟩ sva¿ts?⟨st⟩i⟨.⟩

I. Mālinī

jayati jalada-¡b!r̥nda-vyoma-nīlotpalābhaḥ

a

sphu⟨2⟩rad-uru-maṇi-ratna-srak-samāviddha-kaṇṭhaḥ

b

jaladhara I⟨3⟩va vidy¿a?⟨u⟩d-(vri)tta-maddhyaika-deśo

c

dharaṇi-dhara-nirodhā¿s?⟨t⟩ svinna⟨4⟩-vaktro varāha⟨ḥ⟩

d

śrī-sv¿a?⟨ā⟩mi-mah¿a?⟨ā⟩sena-pād¿a?⟨ā⟩nuddhyātānāṁ m¿a?⟨ā⟩navya⟨Page 2r⟩⟨5⟩-sagotr¿a?⟨ā⟩ṇā(ṁ) hārītī-putrāṇā(ṁ) Agniṣṭomāgnicayana-v¿a?⟨ā⟩⟨6⟩japeya-pauṇ(ḍ)ar¿i?⟨ī⟩ka-bahu-suvarṇṇāśvamedhāvabhr̥tha-snā⟨7⟩na-pavitrī-kr̥ta-śirasāṁ calukyān¿o?⟨ā⟩ṁ va¿śeṁ?⟨ṁśe⟩ saṁbhūtaḥ ca⟨8⟩lukya-¿v(v)aśā(ṁ)baṁra?⟨vaṁśāṁbara⟩-pūrṇ(ṇ)a-candra⟨ḥ⟩ Aparimita-vikramopātta-vipu⟨Page 2v⟩⟨9⟩⟨⟨la⟩⟩-yaśovataḥ tasya kīrttivarmm¿(ā)?⟨a⟩ṇa⟨ḥ⟩ putraḥ hira(ṇ)ya-(gar)bbhasyā(ś)vam(e)⟨10⟩dh¿ā?⟨a⟩-yājina⟨ḥ⟩ pautraḥ sva-bāhu-bala-vikramopātta-rājya⟨ḥ⟩ Ane⟨11⟩ka-nr̥pati-parameśva⟦ḥ⟧⟨⟨raḥ⟩⟩

vai¿ṣ?⟨ś⟩ākha-p(au)rṇṇamāsy¿a?⟨ā⟩ṁ taṭāk¿e?⟨o⟩dyamane ⟨12⟩ devagaṇasv¿a?⟨ā⟩mine kāśyapa-sagotrā¿ṇāḥ?⟨ya⟩ tiyare-gr¿a?⟨ā⟩ma⟨ḥ⟩ ⟨Page 3r⟩ ⟨13⟩ sinnā-taṭe Udaka-pū(r)vva⟨ṁ⟩ sabhogaḥ⟨.⟩

I. Anuṣṭubh

bahu{r}bhir vvasudhā bhukt¿a?⟨ā⟩

a

rā⟨14⟩ja¿(nai)?⟨bhiḥ⟩ sagarādhibhi⟨ḥ⟩

b

yasya yasya yadā bhūmi⟨ḥ⟩

c

tasya ta⟨15⟩(sya ta)dā phalaṁ

d
II. Anuṣṭubh

sva-dattāṁ para-dattā(ṁ) vā

a

yo haret¿e?⟨a⟩ vasundharāṁ

b

(ṣa?)ṣ(ṭ)i¿vaṁ?⟨ṁ va⟩va{ri}rṣa-s¿ā?⟨a⟩hasr¿a?⟨ā⟩ṇi

c

viṣ¿ṭ?⟨ṭh⟩āy¿a?⟨ā⟩⟨ṁ⟩ j¿a?⟨ā⟩yate k¡ri!(m)i⟨ḥ⟩||

d
⟨Page 3v⟩

Apparatus

⟨3⟩ -(vri)tta- ⬦ ¿bhra?⟨vr̥⟩tta GK • The first consonant (subscript to d of the preceding word) may be v with its bottom line incomplete, and there seems to be a small i marker attached on the left of the head (though other i markers are larger and sit squarely on top). — ⟨3⟩ svinna- ⬦ svinna{ḥ}- GK • Only one dot is visible here, not two. I believe it is a by-product of the hammering of the edge to raise the rim, not a character.

⟨5⟩ hārītī- ⬦ hāritī GK.

⟨7⟩ calukyān¿o?⟨ā⟩ṁ ⬦ calukyānāṁ GK • It is also possible that the engraver began writing ṇa, then corrected to nā.

⟨11⟩ -parameśva⟦ḥ⟧⟨⟨raḥ⟩⟩ ⬦ -parameśvaraḥ GK.

⟨12⟩ -gr¿a?⟨ā⟩ma⟨ḥ⟩ ⬦ -gr¿a?⟨ā⟩ma⟨ṁ⟩ GK • Gai and Katti suggest supplying prādāt or an equivalent verb at the end of the sentence. I prefer to supply tena and pradattam (bracketing the sentence) because sabhogaḥ seems to be quite clear in line 13.

⟨13⟩ sabhogaḥ ⬦ sabhogaṁ{ḥ} GK • I see no superfluous anusvāra here; there is a conspicuous dot above and to the left of ga, but that is not a position anusvāra takes anywhere else in the plates, so I take it to be an artefact of the raising of the edge. — ⟨13⟩ rā⟨14⟩ja¿(nai)?⟨bhiḥ⟩ GK • The second character is completely obscured in the scanned photo by a blotch, except for part of a headmark and a small vowel mark (for e or part of ai) on the left of that. I assume Gai and Katti’s reading is correct, but wonder if perhaps rājakaiḥ was in fact inscribed.

⟨16⟩ (ṣa?)ṣ(ṭ)i¿vaṁ?⟨ṁ va⟩va{ri}rṣa- ⬦ ¿ś?⟨ṣ⟩aṣ(ṭ)i⟨r⟩va{ṁri}rṣa- GK • The first character is indiscernible in the photo. Though there are some strokes that could be part of śa if this character was lowered for some reason, I’m more inclined to believe that ṣa was correctly inscribed. For the whole of the string, I think my emendation is what must have been intended: anusvāra has been shifted to the right several times above, and I believe the extra ri comes from a Prakritic pronunciation variṣa rather than a totally garbled attemt at writing rvarṣa.

Translation by Dániel Balogh

(1) Greetings!

I
Victorious is the Boar, who—with his appearance dark like a sky with a bank of clouds or like a blue waterlily, with a great, flashing necklace of gems and jewels swaying on his neck, and with his face sweaty from [the effort of] holding the mountains steady—resembles a cloud whose midsection is partly wrapped in lightning.

(3–11) In the dynasty of the Calukyas —who were deliberately appointed (to kingship) by the majestic Lord Mahāsena, who are of the Mānavya gotra, who are the sons of Hārītī, and whose heads have been hallowed through washing in the purificatory ablutions (avabhr̥tha) of the Agniṣṭoma, the Agnicayana, the Vājapeya, the Pauṇḍarīka, the Bahusuvarṇaka and the Aśvamedha (sacrifices)— was born a full moon of the sky that is the Calukya dynasty: son of that Kīrtivarman whose wide reputation was attained through his unlimited valour, grandson of Hiraṇyagarbha who performed the Aśvamedha, an overlord of numerous kings who attained his kingdom through the strength of his own arm and his valour.

(11–13) [By him, Pulakeśin II,] the village Tiyare on the bank of the Sinnā along with [all] its revenues [was given] (in a ceremony) accompanied by (a libation of) water to Devagaṇasvāmin of the Kāśyapa gotra on the full-moon day of (the month) Vaiśākha, on the occasion of the damming of a reservoir.

II
Many kings, beginning with Sagara, have enjoyed the bountiful land. Whosoever at any time owns the land, the fruit {reward (accrued of granting it)} belongs to him at that time.
III
He who would seize land, whether given by himself or by another, shall be born as a worm in faeces for sixty thousand years.

Translation into French by Estienne-Monod 2008

(1) Om ! prospérité !

I
Victoire à Varāha, pareil à un lotus dans un ciel couvert d’une multitude de nuages, dont le cou supporte le mouvement de colliers de grands joyaux brillants, pareil à un nuage, dont le cœur serait cerclé d’éclairs, dont le visage était en sueur, en raison de ce fardeau qu’était le port la terre !

(3–13) Né dans la lignée des Calukya, qui méditent au pied de l’illustre seigneur Māhasena, du même gotra que les descendants de Manu, fils de Hāritī, dont les têtes furent lavées par les bain purificatoires de l’agniṣṭoma, de l’agnicayana, du vājapeya, du pauṇḍarīka, du bahusuvarṇa, de l’aśvamedha, pleine lune dans le ciel de la lignée des Calukya, le fils de Kīrtivarman - dont la gloire immense fut acquise par un courage incommensurable, - le petit-fils de Hiraṇyagarbha, qui accomplit l’aśvamedha, dont le royaume fut acquis par la vaillance et la force de son bras, seigneur suprême des nombreux rois, (donne) lors du jour de pleine lune du mois de Vaiśākha, à l’occasion de la construction d’un étang, à Devaganasvāmin, du même gotra que les descendants de Kaśyapa, le village de Tiyare, sur la rive de la Sinnā, après une ablution, avec la jouissance de celui-ci.

II
De nombreux rois ont joui de la terre, Sagara le premier, celui qui possède la terre en possède le fruit.
III
Qu’elle soit donnée par lui ou par un autre, celui qui prend une terre renaît ver de terre dans les excréments pendant six mille années.

Commentary

(9) All unclear markup in l9 is mine; GK have none here. The photo in EI has dark spots along the top edge.

Bibliography

First noticed in the Marathi magazine Itihāsa-saṁgraha for April 1909 (not traced). First noticed in English in ASI Western Circle Report for 1912-13, No. 2595.1 Edited by G. S. Gai and M. N. Katti (1969–1970) with estampages but without translation. The present edition by Dániel Balogh is based on a collation of Gai and Katti’s edition with the published facsimile.

Primary

[GK] Gai, Govind Swamirao and Madhav N. Katti. 1969–1970. “Modlimb plates of Chalukya Pulakesin II.” EI 38, pp. 215–218.

Notes

  1. 1. Not traced; this does not seem to be the "Progress Report of the ASI Western Circle for the year ending 31 March 1913"