Stray Pokhra Plate of the Kings of Śarabhapura, undated

Editor: Natasja Bosma.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSDaksinaKosala00017.

Language: Sanskrit.

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

Version: (048a990), last modified (f94ae3a).

Edition

⟨Page 2r⟩⟨2r1⟩śitārākiraṇapratihataghorāndhakāraṁ jagad avatiṣṭh¿ā?⟨a⟩te tā⟨va⟩d upabhogya⟨2r2⟩s sanidhis sopanidhir acāṭabhaṭaprāveśyas sarvvakaravisarjjitaḥ sabā⟨2r3⟩lavṛddhadaṇḍacakkreṇa puṇyābhivṛddhaye vājasaneyabh¿a?⟨ā⟩radvājasa⟨2r4⟩gotrad¿i?⟨ī⟩kṣitānantasvāminaḥ Atisṛṣṭak¿ā?⟨o⟩ bhūtvā tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩śāsane⟨2r5⟩nāsmābhir anumoditaḥ

te yūyam evam upalabhyāsyājñāśravaṇavidhe⟨2r6⟩yā bhūtvā yathocitaṁ bhogabhāgam upanayantas sukhaṁ prativ¿i?⟨a⟩tsyatha ⟨Page 2v⟩ ⟨2v1⟩ bhaviṣyataś ca bhūmipān anudarśayati~

I. Vasantatilakā

d⟦o⟧⟨⟨ā⟩⟩nād viśiṣṭam anupāla⟨2v2⟩najaṁ purāṇā

a

dharmmeṣu niścitadh¿ī?⟨i⟩yaḫ pravadanti dharmmaṁ~

b

tasmā⟨d⟩ dvijāya{ḥ} ⟨2v3⟩ suviśuddhakulaśrutāya

c

dattāṁ bhuvaṁ bhavatu vo mat¿ī?⟨i⟩r eva goptu⟨ṁ⟩~

d

⟨2v4⟩ tad bhavadbhir apy ¿a?⟨e⟩ṣā dattir anupālayitavyā vyāsagītāṁś cātra ślokān udā⟨2v5⟩haranti

II. Indravajrā

Agner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇa⟨ṁ⟩~

a

bhūr vvaiṣṇavī sūryyasutā⟨2v6⟩ś ca gāvaḥ

b

dattās trayas tena bhavanti lokā{ḥ}

c

yaẖ kāñcanaṁ gāṁ ca mahī⟨ṁ⟩ ca

d

Apparatus

⟨2r1⟩ avatiṣṭh¿ā?⟨a⟩te ⬦ avatiṣṭhate MGD; avatiṣṭh¿ā?⟨a⟩te AMS.

⟨2r2⟩ sanidhis ⬦ manidhis MGD; sanidhis AMS. — ⟨2r2⟩ sopanidhir ⬦ mopanidhir MGD; sopanidhir AMS.

⟨2r3⟩ °vṛddha° ⬦ °bṛddha° MGD; °vṛddha° AMS. — ⟨2r3⟩ °cakkreṇa ⬦ °cakreṇa MGD; °cakkreṇa AMS.

⟨2r4⟩ °d¿i?⟨ī⟩kṣi◯tā° ⬦ °dīkṣi◯tā° MGD; °d¿i?⟨ī⟩kṣi◯tā° AMS. — ⟨2r4⟩ Atisṛṣṭak¿ā?⟨o⟩ ⬦ Atisṛṣṭako MGD; Atisṛṣṭak¿ā?⟨o⟩ AMS. — ⟨2r4⟩ bhūtvā ⬦ bhūttvā MGD; bhūtvā AMS. — ⟨2r4⟩ tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩° ⬦ tāmmra° MGD; tā¡mbra!⟨mra⟩° AMS.

⟨2r6⟩ bhūtvā ⬦ bhūttvā MGD; bhūtvā AMS. — ⟨2r6⟩ prativ¿i?⟨a⟩tsyatha ⬦ prativatsyatha MGD; prativ¿i?⟨a⟩tsyatha AMS.

⟨2v1⟩ ~ • Dikshit 1957 interprets this punctuation symbol as a visarga — ⟨2v1⟩ d⟦o⟧⟨⟨ā⟩⟩nād ⬦ d⟦o⟧⟨⟨ā⟩⟩nād MGD; dānād AMS.

⟨2v2⟩ °dh¿ī?⟨i⟩yaḫ ⬦ °dhiyaḫ MGD; °dh(i)yaḫ AMS. — ⟨2v2⟩ dvijāya{ḥ} ⬦ dvijāya MGD; dvijāya{ḥ} AMS.

⟨2v3⟩ mat¿ī?⟨i⟩r ⬦ matir MGD; mat¿ī?⟨i⟩r AMS. — ⟨2v3⟩ goptu⟨ṁ⟩~ ⬦ gopta¡ḥ!⟨M⟩ MGD; gopt¿a?⟨u⟩⟨M⟩~ AMS.

⟨2v4⟩ ¿a?⟨e⟩ṣā ⬦ eṣā MGD; ¿a?⟨e⟩ṣā AMS.

⟨2v5⟩ suvarṇṇa⟨ṁ⟩~ ⬦ suvarṇṇa¡ḥ!⟨M⟩ MGD; suvarṇṇa⟨ṁ⟩~ AMS. — ⟨2v5⟩ bhūr ⬦ bhur MGD; bhūr AMS. — ⟨2v5⟩ vvaiṣṇavī ⬦ vvaiṣṇave MGD; vvaiṣṇavī AMS.

⟨2v6⟩ ca ⬦ va MGD; ca AMS.

Translation by Natasja Bosma

(2r1–2r5) [Let it be known to you that this village] has been granted on behalf of Daṇḍacakra and members of his family [and] confirmed by us, for the increase of religious merit of dīkṣita Anantasvāmin, belonging to the Bhāradvāja gotra and to the Vājasaneya [school]. [The grant of the village] is to be enjoyed as long as the world will endure, [the world] of which the darkness of the night is removed by the rays of the [sun, moon] and stars; [comes along with the right to] hidden treasures and deposits; is not to be entered by irregular or regular troops; and is exempt from all taxes.

(2r5–2v1) Having taken note of that, you should be obedient to the command received from him (i.e., the donee) and render the [proper shares of] periodical offerings and produce, while living happily [in this village]. And [the king] instructs the future rulers:

2v1–2v3
The ancients, reflecting on virtue, proclaim that the religious merit arising from the protection [of a grant] is more excellent than [that which arises] from the giving [itself]; therefore, your intent should indeed be to protect the earth that has been granted to a Brahmin of perfectly pure family and religious learning.

(2v4–2v5) This gift is to be protected by you as well! And in this respect they quote the [following] stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

2v5–2v6
Gold is the first child of Agni, land is born of Viṣṇu, and cows are the offspring of Sūrya: [Therefore], whoever [would give] gold, a cow, and land would give the three worlds.

Commentary

This is the second copperplate of a charter and, therefore, does not contain any information about the issuing king or the date. The stray plate was found in the possession of an inhabitant of Rājim, but originally the plate was unearthed in Pokhra as part of a complete set of copperplates. The other two plates and the ring were melted (Dikshit 1957).

Bibliography

First edited by Dikshit 1957 from the original plates; published again by Shastri 1995, pp. 59–61; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma based on the published photographs.

Primary

[MGD] Dikshit, Moreshwar G. 1957. “A new copper plate grant from Chattisgarh.” IHQ 33, pp. 84–85.

[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 59–61.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 238–239.