Pīparḍūlā Plates of Narendra, Year 3

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSDaksinaKosala00001.

Language: Sanskrit.

Repository: Dakṣiṇa Kosala (tfb-daksinakosala-epigraphy).

Version: (048a990), last modified (a38304d).

Edition

Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh

khaḍgadhārājitabhuvaḥ śara(bhā)t prāptajanmanaḥ

ab

nṛpateś śrīnarendrasya śāsanaṁ ripuśāsina⟨ḥ⟩

cd

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1v1⟩ @ svasti śarabhapurān mahārājaśrīnarendraḥ ⟨1v2⟩ nandapurabhogīyaśarkarāpadrake brāhmaṇā⟨1v3⟩dīn prativāsikuṭumbino bodhayati

⟨1v4⟩ Eṣa grāmo rāhudevena svapuṇyābhivṛddha⟨1v5⟩ye brāhmaṇavājasaney¡aṁ Ā!⟨ā⟩treyasagotra⟨Page 2r⟩⟨2r1⟩svāmippāya tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩śāsanenātisṛṣṭo mayā⟨2r2⟩pi ca Acāṭabhaṭaprāveśya Ity anumodito ⟨2r3⟩ yato bhavadbhir asya yathākālaṁ meya⟨2r4⟩hiraṇyādīnāṁ pratyāyānām upanayanaḥ ⟨2r5⟩ karttavyaḥ

bhaviṣyataś ca bhogapatīn abhinandayati ⟨Page 2v⟩ ⟨2v1⟩ pūrvvadatter anupālanāc chreyasā sambandhaḥ Ā⟨2v2⟩cchedāc ca pratyapāya Ity anuprapaśyadbhir bhavadbhi⟨2v3⟩r asya grāmasyānupālanaṁ karttavyaM ⟨2v4⟩ vyāsagītāv atra ślokāv udāharanti<dashPlain>

I. Anuṣṭubh

pūrvva⟨2v5⟩dattāṃ dvijātibhyo yatnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira

ab

⟨Page 3r⟩ ⟨3r1⟩ mahīṁ mahīmatāṁ śreṣṭha dānāc chreyo ’nupālanaM

cd
II. Anuṣṭubh

⟨3r2⟩ ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi svargge vasati bhūmidaḥ

ab

⟨3r3⟩ Ācchettā cānumantā ca tāny eva narake ⟨3r4⟩ vase⟨T⟩

cd

pravarddhamānat¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tīyavarṣasya mārggaśi⟨3r5⟩ramāsadivase daśame Utkīrṇṇāṁ śrīdatteneti(<dashPlain>)

⟨Page 3v⟩

Apparatus

Seal

⟨ab⟩ °bhuvaḥ ⬦ °bhuvaḥ SS; °bhuvaiḥ AMS.

Plates

⟨1v5⟩ °vājasaney¡aṁ Ā!⟨ā⟩treya° ⬦ °vājasaneya-Ātreya° SS; °vājasaneya-Ātreya° AMS.

⟨2r1⟩ tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩° ⬦ tāmra° SS; tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩° AMS.

⟨2v1⟩ pūrvva° ⬦ pūrvva° SS; pūrva° AMS.

⟨2v4⟩ °gītāv atra ⬦ °gītau cātra SS; °gītāv atra AMS.

⟨3r4⟩ °t¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tīya° ⬦ °t¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tīya° SS; °tṛ{i}tīya° AMS.

Translation by Natasja Bosma

Seal

The charter belongs to the illustrious king Narendra who chastised his enemies, who was the son of Śarabha who conquered the earth with the blade of his sword.

Plates

(1v1–1v3) Success! Hail! From Śarabhapura, the illustrious Mahārāja Narendra informs the landholders, beginning with the Brahmins, settled in [the village of] Sarkarāpadraka situated in the Nandapura bhoga:

(1v4–2r5) This village has been granted by Rāhudeva for the increase of his own (religious) merit to the Brahmin Svāmippa, belonging to the Ātreya gotra and to the Vājasaneya [school], by means of a copperplate charter; and [the grant] is thus also confirmed by me, [making it] not to be entered by irregular or regular troops. Therefore, you should render taxes consisting of the [proper] shares of produce, gold, et cetera at the proper time.

(2r5–2v4) And he (Narendra) instructs the future rulers: The protection of [the grant of] this village should be taken care of by you, well-discerning that: Prosperity derives from protecting a grant made previously, and sin derives from confiscating [such a grant]. In this respect, they quote two stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v4–3r1
O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect what was previously given to Brahmins! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!
3r2–3r4
A giver of land dwells in heaven for sixty thousand years; he who confiscates it or allows [another to confiscate it] will dwell for the same period in hell!

(3r4–3r5) [The copperplate charter] has been engraved by Srīdatta on the tenth day of the month of Mārgaśiras of the prosperous third year [of Narendra’s reign].

Commentary

Bibliography

First edited by Sircar and Pandeya 1943 from rubbings made of the original plates and seal; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 5–7; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs (unclear passages based on Sircar and Pandeya).

Primary

[AMS] Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass. Pages 5–7.

[SS] Sircar, Dines Chandra and L. P. Pāndeya Śarmā. 1943. “Piparḍūlā Copper-plate Inscription of King Narendra of Śarabhapura.” IHQ 19, pp. 139–146.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 230–231.

Chaturvedi, S. P. 1943. “A note on the alleged metrical defect in the legend-verse on the seal of the Pīparḍūlā copper-plate inscription.” IHQ 19, pp. 358–359.