Kurud Plates of Narendra, Year 24

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSDaksinaKosala00002.

Language: Sanskrit.

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

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

Edition

Seal

I. Anuṣṭubh

khaḍga(dhā)rājitabhuva⟨ḥ⟩ śarabhāt prāptajanmanaḥ

ab

nṛpate(ś śrī)narendrasya (śā)sanaṁ ripu(śā)sana⟨M⟩

cd

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1v1⟩ @ svasti vijayaskandhāv(ā)rāt tilakeśvaravāsakāt paramabhāga⟨1v2⟩vato mātāpitṛpādānuddhyātaḥ śrīmahārājanarendraḥ cullāḍa⟨1v3⟩s¿ima?⟨īmā⟩bhogīyakeśavake brāhmaṇapurassarān prativāsi⟨1v4⟩kuṭumbinas samājñāpayati

viditam astu vaḥ yathāya⟨ṁ⟩ grāma⟨ḥ⟩ ⟨1v5⟩ paramabhaṭṭārakapādai⟨ḥ⟩ ¿bha?śrutasvāmine dhāraṇisagotrāya ⟨Page 2r⟩ ⟨2r1⟩ gaṅgāyā⟨ṁ⟩ majjana⟨ṁ⟩ kurvvadbhi⟨ḥ⟩ tālapatraśāsanena svapuṇyābhivṛ⟨2r2⟩ddhaye dattakaḥ tac ca tālapatraśāsana⟨ṁ⟩ g¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩hadā¿gh?⟨h⟩e dagdham ity adhi⟨2r3⟩karaṇāvadhāraṇayā prākprabh¡ri!⟨ṛ⟩tyavyavacchedabhogenāya⟨ṁ⟩ grā⟨2r4⟩mo bhujyata Iti|| adhunā ¿bhā?śrutasvāmiputraśaṅkhasvāmine ⟨2r5⟩ paramabhaṭṭārakapādānā⟨ṁ⟩ puṇyāpyāyanād eva tāmraśāsa⟨Page 2v⟩⟨2v1⟩nenānumoditaḥ Ity

evam upalabhyāsyājñāśravaṇavidheyā ⟨2v2⟩ bhūtvā yath¿o?⟨ā⟩kālam ucitabhogabhāgadhānyahiraṇyāder upa⟨2v3⟩nayaṁ ka¡rṣyi!⟨riṣya⟩theti|| bhaviṣyataś ca bhūpā⟨n⟩ kuśalopetam anu⟨2v4⟩darśayati|| dūtakam adhikaraṇa⟨M⟩|| vyāsagītā⟨ṁ⟩ś cātra ślokān udāha⟨2v5⟩ranti||

I. Anuṣṭubh

bahubhir vvasudhā dattā rājabhis sagarādibhi⟨ḥ⟩

ab

yasya yasya ⟨Page 3r⟩ ⟨3r1⟩ yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ||

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II. Anuṣṭubh

pūrvvadattāṁ dvijātibhyo ya⟨3r2⟩tnād rakṣa yudhiṣṭhira

ab

mahīṁ mah¿i?⟨ī⟩matāṁ śreṣṭha dānāc chreyo ’nupāla⟨3r3⟩na⟨M⟩||

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III. Anuṣṭubh

ṣaṣtiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ

ab

ācche⟨3r4⟩ttā cānumantā {c}ca tāny eva narake vaseT

cd

pravarddhamānavija⟨3r5⟩yarājya¡savva!⟨saṁva⟩tsare caturvvi¡ṅ!⟨ṁ⟩śatime 20 4 vaiśākha di 4 ⟨3r6⟩ Utk¿i?⟨ī⟩rṇṇaṁ śrīdatteneti||

⟨Page 3v⟩

Apparatus

Seal

Plates

⟨1v3⟩ °s¿ima?⟨īmā⟩° ⬦ °sīma° MGD; °sīm¿a?⟨ā⟩° AMS; °sīmā° JRS.

⟨2r1⟩ gaṅgāyā⟨ṁ⟩ ⬦ gaṅgāyā⟨ṁ⟩ MGD; gaṅgāy¡a!⟨ā⟩⟨ṁ⟩ AMS; gaṅgāyāṁ JRS.

⟨3r1⟩ phalaṁ ⬦ phala⟨m⟩ MGD; phala⟨m⟩ AMS; phala⟨m⟩ JRS.

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

(1v1–1v4) Success! Hail! From the camp of victory inhabited by Tilakeśvara, the illustrious Mahārāja Narendra who is entirely devoted to Viṣṇu and favoured by his father and mother informs the landholders, beginning with the Brahmins, settled in the village of Keśavaka situated in the Cullādasīma bhoga:

(1v4–2v1) Let it be known to you that this village has been granted to Bhaśrutasvāmin, belonging to the Dhārani gotra, by the respected Paramabhaṭṭāraka for the increase of his own religious merit, when taking a bath in the Gaṅgā, by means of a charter [written] on palmyra leaf. And because that charter on palmyra-leaf is burnt in a conflagration at the (donee’s) house and because this village is enjoyed by uninterrupted use from the beginning onwards according to an official investigation of the governor, [the grant] is reaffirmed now to Śaṅkhasvāmin, son of Bhāśrutasvāmin, by means of a copperplate charter, thus causing the increase of religious merit of the respected Paramabhaṭṭāraka.

(2v1–2v5) Having thus learned, you should be obedient to the command received from him and render the proper shares of periodical offerings, produce, grains, gold, et cetera. And [the king] orders the future kings to apply [the command] properly. The (local) council [will act as] the executor of the grant. And they quote in this respect the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v5–3r1
The earth has been granted by many kings, beginning with Sagara; whoever possesses the land at any time, to him belong the fruits at that time!
3r1–3r3
O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect what was previously given to Brahmins! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!
3r3–3r4
A giver of land rejoices in heaven for sixty thousand years; he who confiscates it or allows [another to confiscate it] will dwell for the same period in hell!

(3r4–3r6) [The copperplate charter] has been engraved by Srīdatta [on] the day 4 [of] the month of Vaiśākha in the twenty-fourth 24 year of the increasingly victorious reign [of Narendra].

Commentary

Bibliography

First edited by Dikshit [1960] 1955–1956 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 8–11 and Jain et al. 2005, pp. 6–10; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma from the original plates (edition of the seal based on Dikshit).

Primary

[MGD] Dikshit, Moreshwar G. [1960] 1955–1956. “Sirpur inscription of the time of Balarjuna.” EI 31, pp. 197–198.

[JRS] Jain, Balchandra, Girdhari L. Raikwar and Rahul Kumar Singh. 2005. Utkīrṇa lekha. Second edition. Chhattīsgarh (India): Culture & Archaeology Department. Pages 6–10.

[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 8–11.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 13–15, 231.

Sircar, Dines Chandra. 1955–1956. “Note on Kurud plates of Narendra, year 24.” EI 31, pp. 267–268.