Sirpur Plates of Śivagupta, Year 52

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

Edition

Seal

rājña śrīharṣaguptasya sūno sadguṇaśālina śāsanaṁ śivaguptasya sthitam ā bhuvanasthite

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩

⟨1v1⟩ @ svasty aśeṣakṣit¿i?śavidyābhyāsaviśeṣāsāditamahan¿i?yav¿a?naya-

⟨1v2⟩ sapatsampāditasakalavijig¿i?ṣuguṇo guṇavatsamāśrayaḥ prakṛṣṭa-

⟨1v3⟩ taraśauryyaprajñāprabhāvasambhāvitamahābhyudayaḥ kārttikeya Iva

⟨1v4⟩ kṛttivāsaso rājña śr¿i?harṣaguptarājadevasya s¿u?nu somava-

⟨1v5⟩ ¡!śasambhava paramamāh¿a?śvaro mātāpitṛpādānudhyātaḥ śr¿i?mahāśiva-

⟨1v6⟩ guptarājadeva kuśal¿i?|| kikkiḍabhukt¿i?yagrāmāṭavituṅge| brāhma-

⟨1v7⟩ ṇāṁ sampūjya tatpratinivāsikuṭumb¿a?no yathākālādhyāsinaḥ samā{da}-

⟨Page 2r⟩

⟨2r1⟩ hartṛsannidhātṛprabhṛt¿i?n asmatpādopaj¿i?vinaḥ sar¡bv!arājapuruṣā¡! sa-

⟨2r2⟩ mājñāpayati| viditam astu bhavatāṁ yathāsmābhiḥ sampraty ayaṁ grāmaḥ sani-

⟨2r3⟩ dhānaḥ sopanidhānaḥ s{s}ar¡bv!akarādānasameta sar¡bv!ap¿i?ḍāvivarjjitaḥ sada-

⟨2r4⟩ śāparādhaḥ pratiṣiddhacāṭabhaṭapraveśa| asyām at¿i?takārttikapau-

⟨2r5⟩ rṇṇamāsyām atraiva śr¿i?puratalapratiṣṭhitaśr¿i?¡mutnatle!śvaratapovana-

⟨2r6⟩ sthānagur¿u?bhyaḥ phuṭṭipāṭivinirggatanandapur¿i?yabhagavacchr¿i?madd¿i?-

⟨2r7⟩ rghācāryyapraśiṣyaśr¿i?mad¡u!āleśvar¿i?yabhagavad¡b!yāpaśivācāryyaśiṣyaśr¿i?-

⟨2r8⟩ madbhagavadastraśivācāryyebhyaḥ śr¿i?jejjaṭavijñaptikayā śiṣyapra-

⟨Page 2v⟩

⟨2v1⟩ śiṣyāṇāṁ yāgad¿i?kṣā¡b!yākhyānātrasattrapravartanāya| mātāpitror āt¡n!ana-

⟨2v2⟩ ś ca puṇyābhi¡b!ṛddhaye samakālopabhogārtham ācandratārakārkkam uda-

⟨2v3⟩ kapūr¡bv!akaṁ tām{b}raśāsanena pratipādita Ity avagatya samucita bhoga-

⟨2v4⟩ bhāgādika samupanayanto bhavantaḥ sukhaṁ prativasant¿i?ti| bhāvina-

⟨2v5⟩ ś ca bhūmilān uddiśyedam abhidh¿i?yate| bhūmipradā divi lalanti

⟨2v6⟩ patanti hanta hṛtvā mah¿i? nṛpatayo narake nṛśa¡!T| Etad dvaya parika-

⟨2v7⟩ l¿ai?yya calāñ ca lakṣm¿i?m āyus tathā kuruta yad bhavatām abh¿i?ṣṭaṁ Api ca rakṣā-

⟨2v8⟩ pālanayos tāvat phalaṁ sugatidurggat¿i? ko nāma svarggam u¡cchri!jya nara-

⟨Page 3r⟩

⟨3r1⟩ ka pratipadyate|| ¡b!yāsag¿i?ś cātra ślokān udāharanti Agner apatya

⟨3r2⟩ prathamaṁ suvarṇṇaṁ bhūr ¡bv!aiṣṇav¿i? ¡ś!ūryyasutāś ca gāvaḥ dattās trayas tena bha-

⟨3r3⟩ vanti lokā yaḥ kāñcana gāñ ca mah¿i?ñ ca dadyāT| ¡s!aṣṭivarṣasaha-

⟨3r4⟩ ¡ś!rāṇi svargge modati bhūmidaḥ| ¿A?cchettā cānumantā ca tāny eva na-

⟨3r5⟩ rake va¡ś!eT bahubhir ¡bv!asudhā dattā rājabhiḥ sagarādibhiḥ yasya ya-

⟨3r6⟩ sya yadā bh¿u?mis tasya tasya tadā phalaṁ svadattāṁ {m}paradatt¿a?m ¡b!ā yatnād ra-

⟨3r7⟩ kṣa yudhiṣṭhira{} mah¿i? mah¿i?bhṛtā śreṣṭha{} dānāt śreyo 'nupālanaṁ| prava-

⟨3r8⟩ rddhamānavijayarājye sam¡b!atsare dvāpa¡n!cāśe mārggaprathamacaturdaśyā-

⟨Page 3v⟩

⟨3v1⟩ m aṅkenāpi sam¡b!atsaru 5 2 mārgga dina 1 4 utk¿i?rṇṇaṁ tām{b}rapaṭ¿i?ka golā-

⟨3v2⟩ yyas¿u?nunā nāgadeveneti||||

Apparatus

Plates

⟨1v1⟩ °mahan¿i?īya°°mahanīya° BJ.

⟨1v2⟩ °vijig¿i?īṣu°°vijigīṣu° BJ.

⟨1v4⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ.

⟨1v5⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ.

⟨2r3⟩ °p¿i?īḍā°°pīḍā° BJ.

⟨2r5⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ. — ⟨2r5⟩ °śr¿i?ī°°śrī° BJ.

⟨2r7⟩ °śr¿i?īmad¡u!bāleśvar¿i?īya°°śrīrmadrāleśvarīya° BJ. — ⟨2r7⟩ °¡b!vyāpaśivā°°vyāpaśivā° BJ. — ⟨2r7⟩ °śr¿i?ī⟨2r8⟩mad°°śrī⟨2r8⟩mad° BJ.

⟨2r8⟩ śr¿i?ī°śrī° BJ.

⟨2v1⟩ °¡b!vyākhyānātra°°vyākhyānātra° BJ.

⟨2v5⟩ uddiśyedamudiṣyedam BJ.

⟨2v6⟩ mah¿i?īmahī BJ.

⟨2v7⟩ lakṣm¿i?īmlakṣmīm BJ. — ⟨2v7⟩ abh¿i?īṣṭaṁabhiṣṭaṁ BJ.

⟨3r1⟩ ¡b!vyāsag¿i?īśvyāsagītāś BJ.

⟨3r2⟩ ¡bv!vvaiṣṇav¿i?ībvaiṣṇavī BJ.

⟨3r3⟩ mah¿i?īñmahīñ BJ. — ⟨3r3⟩ dadyāTdadyāT BJ.

⟨3r5⟩ va¡ś!seTva¡ś!seT BJ.

⟨3r6⟩ bh¿u?ūmisbhūmis BJ. — ⟨3r6⟩ svadattāṁ {m}paradatt¿a?āmsvadattām paradatam BJ.

⟨3r7⟩ mah¿i?ī mah¿i?ībhṛtāmahī mahībhṛtā BJ. — ⟨3r7⟩ 'nupālanaṁ'nupālana BJ.

⟨3r8⟩ dvā°dvavā° BJ.

⟨3v1⟩ utk¿i?īrṇṇaṁutkīrṇṇaṁ BJ.

Translation

Seal

The charter of Śivagupta, son of the illustrious king Harṣagupta, who is possessed of good qualities, endures as long as the existence of the world

Plates

⟨1v1–2r2⟩ Success! Hail! The illustrious and great rājadeva Śivagupta who has been born in the Lunar Dynasty as the son of a king, the illustrious rājadeva Harṣagupta, like Kārttikeya is of Kṛttivāsas (i.e., Śiva); who is entirely devoted to Maheśvara; who is favoured by his father and mother; and who is in good health: He has acquired all the qualities of a conqueror through the perfection of praiseworthy discipline, effected in particular by implementing all the "political sciences"; he is a refuge for the virtuous; and his great prosperity has been brought about by his superior valour, intelligence, and strength! After having saluted the Brahmins in the village of Aṭavituṅga situated in the Kikkiḍa bhukti, the king issues the following command to all royal officers who are dedicated to our service, beginning with the collector and the receiver; to those who are temporarily posted in the village; and to the householders being inhabitants of that village:

⟨2r2–2v3⟩ Let it be known to you that by means of this copperplate charter and preceded by a libation of water, this village has been granted by us today for the increase of religious merit of father, mother, and ourselves, to the venerable acārya Astraśiva, who is the senior officiant at the penance grove belonging to the Bāleśvara temple established here in the plains of Śrīpura, and who is the pupil of the venerable acārya Vyāpaśiva of the illustrious Bāleśvara temple and the grand-pupil of the venerable acārya Dīrgha of Nandapura, who originally hailed from Phuṭṭipāṭi. The grant of the village took place at the end of this day of the full moon in the month of Kārttika, and was requested by the illustrious Jejjaṭa in order to finance offering ceremonies, initiations, teaching, and housing of pupils and grand-pupils. The grant), which is meant to be enjoyed as long as the moon, the stars, and the sun will endure, comes along with the right to hidden treasures and deposits; the right to collect all taxes payable to the king; the exemption from all kinds of unpaid labour; the right to punish and realise fines for the ten offences; and the exemption from being entered by irregular or regular troops.

⟨2v3–2v5⟩ Having taken note of that, you should render the proper shares of periodical offerings, produce, and the like, while living happily in this village. And this is said for the instruction of the future kings:

2v5–2v7.

Kings who donate land sport in heaven, but look, kings who have taken land fall into hell for their wickedness. After having taken to heart these two rules and taken hold of Lakṣmī, you should live you life as you wish!

⟨2v7⟩ And also:

2v7–3r1.

Fortune and misfortune are truly the fruit of protecting and not protecting the land; who then discards heaven and resorts to hell?

⟨3r1⟩ And in this respect they quote the following stanzas sung by Vyāsa:

3r1–3r3.

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

3r3–3r5.

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!

3r5–3r6.

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!

3r6–3r7.

O Yudhiṣṭhira, zealously protect the land which was given by yourself or by others! O best of kings, protection is superior to giving!

⟨3r7–3v2⟩ On the fourteenth day of the first fortnight of the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, in the fifty-second year of the increasingly victorious reign of Śivagupta, in numbers: Year 52, Month Mārga, Day 14, the copperplate charter has been engraved by Nāgadeva, son of Golāyya.

Bibliography

First edited by Jain et al. 2005, pp. 196–217 from the original plates; published again by Bosma 2013; re-edited here by Natasja Bosma from the original plates (edition of the seal based on Jain).

Primary

[NB] Bosma, Natasja. 2013. “The Bāleśvara temple complex of Śivagupta: epigraphical evidence for the Śaiva Siddhānta and Soma Siddhānta traditions in Dakṣiṇa Kosala.” IIJ 56 (3-4), pp. 245–261. DOI: 10.1163/15728536-13560309. [URL].

[BJ] Jain, Balchandra, Girdhari L. Raikwar and Rahul Kumar Singh. 2005. Utkīrṇa lekha. Second edition. Chhattīsgarh (India): Culture & Archaeology Department. Pages 196–217.

Secondary

Bosma, Natasja. 2018. Dakṣiṇa Kosala: A rich centre of early Śaivism. Groningen: Barkhuis. [URL]. Pages 81, 254.

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1992. “Balesvara-Bhattaraka, a hitherto unknown Saiva establishment at Sripura.” JESI 18, pp. 15–23.

Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1995. Inscriptions of the Śarabhapurīyas, Pāṇḍuvaṁśins and Somavaṁśins, Part II: Inscriptions. New Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Motilal Bandarsidass. Pages 196–217.