List of avatāras in Ādivarāha cave, Mahābalipuram

Editors: Sylvain Brocquet, Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPallava00250.

Summary: A verse list of the ten avatāras, which interestingly includes Buddha, but not Kṛṣṇa.

Hand description:

The Grantha script is not well mastered. See p and s confusion.

Language: Sanskrit.

Repository: Pallava (tfa-pallava-epigraphy).

Version: 2024-12-21 12:36 (f2f3eaa), last modified 2024-06-06 16:22 (18e0138).

I. anuṣtubh

⟨1⟩ [matsyaḥ kūrmo var](ā)ha¿sy?⟨ś c⟩a

nāra(s)iṁhaś ca vāmana⟨ḥ⟩

rāmo rāma¿py?⟨ś c⟩a rāma¿sy?⟨ś c⟩a

buddha⟨ḥ⟩ kalkī ca te daśa ||

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ [matsyaḥ kūrmo var](ā)ha¿sy?⟨ś c⟩a • We follow here the restoration suggested by Krishna Sastri 1926. — ⟨1⟩ nāra(s)iṁhaś ⬦ nārasiṁhaś HKS. — ⟨1⟩ rāma¿py?⟨ś c⟩a ⬦ rāma¿sy?⟨ś c⟩a HKS. — ⟨1⟩ || ⬦ ||| HKS • The punctuation mark (end of stanza) is, it seems from the estampage published in Krishna Sastri 1926, a joint double daṇḍa.

Translation by Emmanuel Francis

I

[The Fish, the Turtle], and the Boar,

The Man-Lion and the Dwarf,

Rāma, Rāma, and Rāma,

Buddha and Kalkin: such are the ten.

Translation into French by Brocquet 1997

I

[Le poisson, la tortue,] et le sanglier,

Et l’homme-lion, le nain,

Rāma, et Rāma, et Rāma,

Buddha, et Kalkin : tels sont les Dix.

Commentary

The three Rāmas are respectively Paraśurāma, Rāmacandra or Dāśaratha Rāma, and Balarāma.

This verse is also found in the Southern recension of the Mahābhārata. See Hazra 1940, p. 84, Francis 2014, pp. 216–218.

Hazra 1940, p. 84 note que la strophe est quasi identique à Mbh XII.348.2 (Kumbhakoṇam ed. mais pas dans les éd. ASB, Bombay et Vaṅga) : matsyaḥ kūrmo varāhaś ca narasiṁho ’tha vāmanaḥ | rāmo rāmaś ca rāmaś ca buddhaḥ kalkīti te daśa ||.

Srinivasan 1964, p. 173: la plus ancienne énumération épigraphique des dix avatāra. Fait intéressant, elle n’inclut pas Kṛṣṇa et inclut Buddha.

Gail 1969, p. 15: renvoie à R. C. HAZRA (1940, p. 88) avec une strophe encore plus proche : matsyaḥ kūrmo varāhaś ca nārasiṁho ’tha vāmanaḥ | rāmo rāmaś ca rāmaś ca buddhaḥ kalkī ca te daśa ||.

Rabe 1996, p. 227: atteste l’implication dynastique, impliquant que le roi appartient à la continuation de la lignée des avatāra de Viṣṇu (et les 2 autres rois aussi). But it is not clear if this is a royal inscription or not.

Bibliography

Edited and translated by Krishna Sastri 1926, with a facsimile (EI 17, no. 5); text and summary in Mahalingam 1988 (IP 53); text and translation in Brocquet 1997 (B no. 69), Francis 2017 (IR 53).

This edition by Sylvain Brocquet & Emmanuel Francis (2020), based on the estampage published in Krishna Sastri 1926.

Primary

[HKS] Krishna Sastri, H. 1926. Two statues of Pallava kings and five Pallava inscriptions in a rock-temple at Mahabalipuram. MASI 26. Calcutta: ASI.

[IP] Mahalingam, T. V. 1988. Inscriptions of the Pallavas. New Delhi; Delhi: Indian Council of Historical Research; Agam Prakashan. Page 624, item 250.

[SB] Brocquet, Sylvain. 1997. “Les inscriptions sanskrites des Pallava : poésie, rituel, idéologie.” Thèse de doctorat, Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle. Paris. Page 777, item 69.

[EF] Francis, Emmanuel. 2017. Le discours royal dans l'Inde du Sud ancienne : inscriptions et monuments Pallava, IV^ème-IX^ème siècles. Tome II : Mythes dynastiques et panégyriques. Publications de l'Institut orientaliste de Louvain 64. Louvain-la-Neuve; Paris: Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste; Peeters. Page 538.

Secondary

[ARIE 1922-1923] Venkoba Rao, G. 1924. Annual report on South-Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1923. Madras: Government Press. Pages 45, 94, appendix B/1922, item 663.

Hazra, R. C. 1940. Studies in the Purāṇic records on Hindu rites and customs. No place: Dacca. Page 84.

Srinivasan, K. R. 1964. Cave-temples of the Pallavas. Architectural survey of temples 1. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. Page 173.

Gail, Adalbert J. 1969. Bhakti im Bhāgavatapurāṇa. Religionsgeschichtliche Studie zur Idee der Gottesliebe in Kult und Mystik des Viṣṇuismus. Münchener Indologische Studien 6. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. Page 15.

Rabe, Michael D. 1996. “The Māmallapuram praśasti: A panegyric in Figures.” Artibus Asiae 57, pp. 189–241. Page 227.

Francis, Emmanuel. 2013. Le discours royal dans l'Inde du Sud ancienne : inscriptions et monuments Pallava, IV^ème-IX^ème siècles. Tome I : Introduction et sources. Publications de l'Institut orientaliste de Louvain 64. Louvain-la-Neuve; Paris: Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste; Peeters. Page 285, item IR 53.

Francis, Emmanuel. 2014. ““Woe to them!” The Śaiva curse Inscription at Mahābalipuram (7th century CE).” In: The archaeology of Bhakti I: Mathurā and Maturai, back and forth. Edited by Emmanuel Francis & Charlotte Schmid. Indologie 125. Pondicherry: IFP; EFEO, pp. 176–223. Pages 216–218.

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The three Rāmas are respectively Paraśurāma, Rāmacandra or Dāśaratha Rāma, and Balarāma.

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This verse is also found in the Southern recension of the Mahābhārata. See <bibl>

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note que la strophe est quasi identique à Mbh XII.348.2 (Kumbhakoṇam ed. mais pas dans les éd. ASB, Bombay et Vaṅga) : matsyaḥ kūrmo varāhaś ca narasiṁho ’tha vāmanaḥ | rāmo rāmaś ca rāmaś ca buddhaḥ kalkīti te daśa ||.

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<bibl><ptr target="bib:Srinivasan1964_01"/><citedRange unit="page">173</citedRange></bibl>: la plus ancienne énumération épigraphique des dix avatāra. Fait intéressant, elle n’inclut pas Kṛṣṇa et inclut Buddha.

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<bibl><ptr target="bib:Gail1969_01"/><citedRange unit="page">15</citedRange></bibl>: renvoie à R. C. HAZRA (1940, p. 88) avec une strophe encore plus proche : matsyaḥ kūrmo varāhaś ca nārasiṁho ’tha vāmanaḥ | rāmo rāmaś ca rāmaś ca buddhaḥ kalkī ca te daśa ||.

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<bibl><ptr target="bib:Rabe1996_01"/><citedRange unit="page">227</citedRange></bibl>: atteste l’implication dynastique, impliquant que le roi appartient à la continuation de la lignée des avatāra de Viṣṇu (et les 2 autres rois aussi). But it is not clear if this is a royal inscription or not.

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