Āyaka pillar from site 1 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, year 6

Editors: Anonymous editor.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSEIAD00005.

Language: Prakrit.

Repository: Early Andhra (tfb-eiad-epigraphy).

Version: (9fa90aa), last modified (35386f0).

Edition

⟨1⟩ sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa saṁma{saṁma}saṁbudhasa dhātuvara⟨2⟩parigahitasa mahācetiye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa ⟨3⟩ °agihotāgiṭho{giṭho}mavājapeyāsamedhayājisa hiraṇakoṭigosata⟨4⟩sahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa savathesu °apatihatasaṁkapasa ⟨5⟩ vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricātamūlasa sodaraya bhaginiya haṁma⟨6⟩siriṁṇikāya bālikā raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa bhayā mahādevi bapisiriṁṇikā ⟨7⟩ °apano mātaraṁ haṁmasiriṇikaṁ parinam⟨e⟩tuna °atane ca nivāṇasaṁpatisa⟨ṁ⟩pādake ⟨8⟩ °imaṁ selathaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ °acari(yā)naṁ °aparamahāvinaseliyānaṁ suparigahita⟨ṁ⟩ ⟨9⟩ °imaṁ mahācetiyanavakamaṁ paṁṇagāmavathavānaṁ dīghamajhimapaṁdamātukadesa⟨kavā⟩cakānaṁ ⟨10⟩ °a⟨ca⟩rayāna °ayirahaghāna °aṁtevāsikena dīghama⟨jhima⟩nigayadharena bhadaṁtānaṁdena ⟨11⟩ niṭhapita °ima navakama mahācetiya khaṁbhā ca ṭhapitā ti raṁño s⟨i⟩riviripurisadatasa ⟨12⟩ saṁva 6 vāpa 6 diva 10

Apparatus

⟨5⟩ -mūlasa • The shape of the ū is unusual, with the length marker stemming from the centre of the akṣara. — ⟨5⟩ sodaraya ⬦ sodarāya Vogeld • Understand sodarāya.

⟨7⟩ parinam⟨e⟩tuna °atane • In his n. 10, Vogel proposes to read parināmetūna[ṁ] °atano. While it indeed seems necessary to emend atano, the spelling parināmetuna is found in the same context in at least four other inscriptions (EIAD 12, l. 7; 14, l. 8; 18, l. 8; 19, l. 9) and so must be accepted as intentional. — ⟨7⟩ -sa⟨ṁ⟩pādake ⬦ -saṁpādake Vogeld.

⟨8⟩ selathaṁbhaṁ • Emend selakhaṁbhaṁ? The compound is normally with -khaṁbha. — ⟨8⟩ patiṭhapitaṁ ⬦ patithapitaṁ Vogeld.

⟨9⟩ -paṁdamātuka- • Emend -paṁcamātuka-, as in EIAD 6, l. 11.

⟨10⟩ °a⟨ca⟩rayāna ⬦ °arayāna(ṁ) Vogeld • Vogel proposes to emend ācariyānaṁ. This is supported by EIAD 6, l. 11, but °acariyāna⟨ṁ⟩ is also a possibility that is supported internally (by l. 8 of the present inscription). — ⟨10⟩ °ayirahaghāna ⬦ °ayirahaghāna(ṁ) Vogeld • Understand °ayirahaṁghānaṁ, cf. 6, l. 11. — ⟨10⟩ dīghama⟨jhima⟩nigayadharena ⬦ dīghamanigayadharena Vogeld • The restitution was already proposed by Vogel in a note, with reference to 6, l. 12.

⟨11⟩ niṭhapita °ima navakama mahācetiya ⬦ niṭhapita(ṁ) ima(ṁ) navakama(ṁ) mahācetiya(ṁ) Vogeld • The parallel in 6, l. 12, shows that nithapitaṁ °imaṁ navakamaṁ mahācetiyaṁ is indeed to be understood, but we hesitate to assume involuntary omission of four anusvāras in a row. — ⟨11⟩ khaṁbhā ⬦ khambhā Vogeld.

Translation

(1–2) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!

(2–11) At the Great Shrine, the Great Queen Bapisiriṇṇikā — child of Hammasiriṇṇikā, uterine sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters; wife of king Siri-Vīrapurisadatta — having dedicated (the merit) to her own mother Hammasiriṇṇikā and for accomplishing the fortune of nirvāṇa for herself established this stone pillar. This construction of the Great Shrine has been firmly received by the Aparamahāvinaseliya teachers. This construction[, namely this] Great Shrine has been completed and the pillars established by the venerable Ānanda, preserver of the Long and Middle Divisions, pupil of the master, the noble Haṅgha, resident of the village Paṇṇa, the instructor and transmitter of the Long and Middle (Divisions) and the Five Matrices.

(11–12) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

Commentary

(5) -mūlasa1

(9–10) paṁṇagāmavathavānaṁ ... °ayirahaghāna2

Bibliography

First described and edited by Vogeld. Edited again, from the EI estampage, by Sircar1942 and Sircar1965. Re-edited here from the Leiden estampage sheets and after autopsy of the fragments of the stone.

Secondary

Srinivasan1979a

Tsukamoto1996

Raghunath2001

Notes

  1. 1. the shape of the -ū is unusual, with the length marker stemming from the centre of the akṣara.
  2. 2. We interpret this sequence in the genitive plural as a pluralis majestatis, considering that the term antevāsika (fem. antevāsinī) as a rule follows the name of a single individual. Genetive plurals are similarly used in the Kanaganahalli corpus. See Nakanishi2014. Vogel translated instead “a disciple of the Masters od the Ārya-saṅgha who are resident in Paṁṇagāma and who are preachers and preceptors of the Dīgha and Majjhima-(nikāyas), and of the five Mātṛkas.” Cf. Vogeld On the basis of this interpretation, Lamotte saw in the occurrence of ayirahaṅgha and that of EIAD 6, l. 11, hints that the Aparamahāvinaseliyas represented themselves as Mahāsāṅghikas. Cf. Lamotte1958