Dinakādu grant of Vijayāditya I

Editor: Dániel Balogh.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSVengiCalukya00067.

Languages: Sanskrit, Telugu.

Repository: Eastern Cālukya (tfb-vengicalukya-epigraphy).

Version: (195df1d), last modified (3b549b7).

Edition

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⟨1⟩ śrī-tribhuvanāṁkuśa

Plates

⟨Page 1r⟩

⟨Page 1v⟩ ⟨1⟩ @svasti⟨.⟩ śrīmatāṁ sakala-bhuvana-sa⟨ṁ⟩stūyamāna-mānavya-sagotrāṇāṁ hārīti⟨2⟩-putrā(ṇāṁ) k(au)śikī-vara-prasāda-labdha-r(āj)yānāṁ mātr̥-gaṇa-paripālitānāṁ svāmi⟨3⟩-mah(ā)sena-pādānudhyāt(ān)āṁ bhaga(van-nā)rāyaṇa-prasāda-samāsādita-vara⟨4⟩-varā(ha)-lāṁcha(nekṣaṇa-kṣa)ṇa-vaśīkr̥tārāti-ma(ṇḍa)lānāM Aśva⟨5⟩(medhāva)bhr̥(tha-sn)āna-(pavitrī)kr̥ta-(va)puṣāṁ calukyānā(ṁ) kulam alaṁkariṣṇoḥ ⟨6⟩ (śrī-maṅgi-)yuvarājasya priya-pautraḥ nija-bhuja-bala-v¿ā?⟨a⟩rjitāśe⟨7⟩ṣa-bhū¿ṣ?⟨p⟩āla-maṇḍalasya Aneka-tulā-dhr̥ta-suvarṇa-dāna-(varddhi)⟨Page 2r⟩⟨8⟩tāvadāta-kīrteḥ sarvalokāśraya-śrī-viṣṇuvarddhana-mahārājasya priya⟨9⟩-tanayaḥ sva-pratāpāvanata-samasta-sāmanta-cakraś cakravartti-la⟨10⟩kṣaṇopeto nira(va)dyodāra-guṇa-gaṇālaṁkr̥taḥ parama-brahmaṇya⟨11⟩ḫ parama-m¿a?⟨ā⟩heśvaro mātā-pitr̥-pādānudhyātas samasta⟨12⟩-bhuvanāśraya-śrī-vijayāditya-mahārājādhirāja-para⟨13⟩meśvara-bhaṭṭārakaḥ prakuṇora-viṣaye dinakādu nāma grāmam adhi⟨14⟩(vasa)to (rāṣṭra)k¿u?⟨ū⟩ṭa-pramukhān ku¿ḍ?⟨ṭ⟩uṁbinas sarv¿a?⟨ā⟩n ittham ājñāpayati

vi⟨Page 2v⟩⟨15⟩[di](tam a)[stu] (vo) ⟨’⟩(smā)bhi(ḥ va)ṅgipaṟu-v¡a!⟨ā⟩sta(vyāya) bhāradvāja-sagotrāya ⟨16⟩ m(ā)dhava-(caturvedi)-pautr(ā)ya ś(i)vama-caturvedi-putrāya mādha⟨17⟩va-catu(rve)d(i)-(śarmaṇe) ¡dvedi! sūryya-grahaṇa-(nimi)tte⟨.⟩ grāma-pūr(v)a⟨18⟩taḥ⟨.⟩ Asyāvadhiḥ pūrvataḥ moṭṭapaṟiti pulaṁkarusu⟨.⟩ da⟨19⟩kṣiṇataḥ val(l)ar-boya-(kṣe)traM⟨.⟩ paścimataḥ miṟiticerla⟨.⟩ Utta⟨20⟩(ra)taḥ maṁga(ḍu)-cenu⟨.⟩ (dvāda)śa-khaṇḍi-vr(ī)hi-v(ā)pa-pramāṇaṁ kṣetraM⟨.⟩ Udaka⟨21⟩-pūrvaṁ sarva-kara-parih(āreṇa) dattaM⟨.⟩ Eteṣāṁ catur-avadhi-madhy¡a! kṣetra(M)

⟨Page 3r⟩ ⟨22⟩ Asyopari na kenacid bādhā karaṇīy¿a?⟨ā⟩⟨.⟩ karoti yas sa pa⟨23⟩ñca-mahāpātaka-saṁyukto bhavati⟨.⟩ vyāsenāpy ukta¡ḥ!⟨M⟩

I. Anuṣṭubh

bahubhir vas(u)⟨24⟩dhā dattā

a

bahubhiś cānupālitā

b

yasya (ya)sya yadā bhūmis

c

ta⟨25⟩sya tasya tadā phala(M)

d
II. Anuṣṭubh

sva-dattāṁ para-da(ttāṁ) v¿a?⟨ā⟩

a

yo haret¿i?⟨a⟩ vasuṁdhar(āṁ)

b

⟨26⟩ ṣaṣṭi-va¡riṣa!⟨rṣa⟩-sahasrāṇi

c

viṣ¿ṭ?⟨ṭh⟩āy¿a?⟨ā⟩ṁ jāyat(e) kr̥m(iḥ)

d
III. Anuṣṭubh

brahma-svaṁ tu viṣaṁ gho⟨27⟩raṁ

a

na viṣaṁ viṣam ucyate

b

viṣam ekākinaṁ haṁti

c

brahma-sva⟨ṁ⟩ putra-pautrikaM

d
⟨Page 3v⟩

Apparatus

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Plates

⟨13⟩ dinakādu • SR prints dinakādu in his edition but calls the village Dinakaḍu (sic) in his discussion. The ARIE report says the name is Dinakāḍu. Indeed, d and ḍ can look exceedingly similar. I prefer to read du here, because the consonant of this akṣara is fully identical to that of di in this word, as well as to other clear instances of d in the text (e.g. in l3, prasāda). The akṣara is, however, also fully identical to one in the next line where kuṭuṁbinas must have been intended, where I choose to read the same glyph as ḍu. There are no other instances of (ḍ) in the grant except as a subscript consonant.

⟨15⟩ (va)ṅgipaṟu- ⬦ varjipaṟu- SR.

⟨16⟩ ś(i)vama ⬦ sivāya- SR • SR’s si is probably a typo, and his ya is a misreading. The last character is definitely ma in spite of some damage and may have a repha on top. As SR also points out, the donee is probably identical to the donee of the Nemmaḷūru grant, there named Mādhavaśarman, son of Śivaśarman and grandson of Mādhavaśarman. Before having access to the original plates, I had assumed śivarma (omitting śa) was inscribed here, but it is clearly the variant name śivama.

⟨17⟩ -(caturve)d(i?)-(śarmaṇe) ¡dvedi! ⬦ caturveda-śravaṇādvedi SR • SR translates his reading as “who knows the recital of the four Vedas”. I am quite confident in my own reading. In the Nemmaḷūru grant, the donee’s father is spoken of as mādhava-caturvvedi-śarmmaṇaḥ, with the qualification similarly inserted into the name. There remains the word dvedi that calls for an explanation. I believe this must be a scribal correction, intended for dvivedi as a replacement of the earlier caturvedi, but I do not mark this up in the edition to reduce the complexity of the text. The donee Mādhavaśarman is described as a veda-dvayayādhyāyin in the Nemmaḷūru grant. SR in his discussion notes that this grant must be later than that one, as the donee had in the meantime acquired knowledge of two more Vedas. Given the received text, I think otherwise: the donee is still a dvivedin, but the scribe erroneously wrote him down as a caturvedin and then clumsily corrected this error. — ⟨17⟩ -pūrva⟨18⟩taḥ ⬦ -purva⟨18⟩taṁ SR.

⟨18⟩ moṭṭapaṟiti SR ⬦ meṭṭapaṟati SR.

⟨19⟩ val(l)ar-boya- ⬦ valleniyā- SR. — ⟨19⟩ miṟiticerla ⬦ ciṟāti-cela SR.

⟨20⟩ maṁga(ḍu)- ⬦ magaṇa SR. — ⟨20⟩ (-kha)ṇḍi- • The word expected here is khaṇḍika or khaṇḍikā. In some related grants, khaṇḍikodrava occurs, and in those cases I have emended to khaṇḍika-kodrava, assuming eyeskip omission. That explanation, however, does not work here. Either we are facing random scribal omission or a legitimate variant of the term. — ⟨20⟩ -pramāṇaṁ ⬦ -pūrveṇaṁ SR.

Translation by Dániel Balogh

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(1–14) Greetings. The dear grandson of His Majesty Maṅgi Yuvarāja, who was eager to adorn the lineage of the majestic Calukyas—who are of the Mānavya gotra which is praised by the entire world, who are sons of Hārīti, who attained kingship by the grace of Kauśikī’s boon, who are protected by the band of Mothers, who were deliberately appointed (to kingship) by Lord Mahāsena, to whom the realms of adversaries instantaneously submit at the [mere] sight of the superior Boar emblem they have acquired by the grace of the divine Nārāyaṇa, and whose bodies have been hallowed through washing in the purificatory ablutions (avabhr̥tha) of the Aśvamedha sacrifice—; the dear son of His Majesty King (mahārāja) Viṣṇuvardhana (III), the shelter of all the world (sarva-lokāśraya), who has fended off the entire circle of kings by the power of his own arm, and whose resplendent fame was heightened by gifts of gold weighed in many a balance (against his body); [namely] His Majesty the supremely pious Supreme Lord (parameśvara) of Emperors (mahārājādhirāja), the Sovereign (bhaṭṭāraka) Vijayāditya, shelter of the entire universe (samasta-bhuvanāśraya), supreme devotee of Maheśvara, who was deliberately appointed (as heir) by his mother and father, who has the complete circle of peripheral rulers (sāmanta) bowed down through his own prowess, who possesses the bodily marks of a universal sovereign (cakravartin) and who is adorned by a host of irreproachable (niravadya) and noble virtues, commands all householders (kuṭumbin)—including foremost the territorial overseers (rāṣṭrakūṭa)—inhabiting the village Dinakāḍu in Prakuṇora1 district (viṣaya) as follows:

(14–21) Let it be known to you that on the occasion of an eclipse of the sun we have [given a field] to the grandson of the caturvedin Mādhavaśarman, the son of the caturvedin Śivama, [namely] the dvivedin Mādhavaśarman,2 a resident of Vaṅgipaṟu of the Bhāradvāja gotra. [The field is] to the east of the village. Its boundary to the east is ¿the verge of the fields of Moṭṭapaṟu?3 To the south, the field of Vallar-boya.4 To the west, Miṟiticerla. To the north, the field of Magaṇa.5 The field is of a measure (sufficient) for sowing twelve khaṇḍis6 of rice. [It has been] given with a remission of all taxes, sanctified by (a libation of) water. The field is located amid these four boundaries. Let no-one pose an obstacle (to his enjoyment of his rights) over it. He who does so shall be conjoined with the five great sins. Vyāsa too has said:

I
Many (kings) have granted land, and many have preserved it (as formerly granted). Whosoever at any time owns the land, the fruit {reward (accrued of granting it)} belongs to him at that time.
II
He who would seize land, whether given by himself or by another, shall be born as a worm in faeces for sixty thousand years.
III
The property of a Brahmin is terrible poison: it is not [actual] poison that is [properly] called poison. Poison kills just the one man, while [seizing] the property of a Brahmin [destroys] his progeny.

Commentary

Bibliography

Reported in Krishnamacharlu 1938, p. 7, appendices A/1934-35, № 20 without discussion of details. Edited by R. Subba Rao (1930-1931, № 2), probably from the original as well as from estampages, with estampages (of the plates and the seal) and translation. The present edition by Dániel Balogh is based on photos of the original taken by myself in February 2023 at at the Andhra Sahitya Parishad Museum, Kakinada, collated with Subba Rao’s edition and his facsimiles.7 Minor typographic mistakes in Subba Rao’s edition are ignored in the apparatus here.

Primary

[SR] Subba Rao, R. 1930-1931. “Two new copper plate inscriptions of Vijayaditya I.” JAHRS 5, pp. 51–56. Item 2.

Secondary

Krishnamacharlu, C. R. 1938. Annual report on South Indian epigraphy for the year ending 31st March 1935. Delhi: Manager of Publications. Page 7, appendixes A/1934-35, item 20.

Notes

  1. 1. This is probably identical to the district elsewhere called Pāguṇavara.
  2. 2. See the apparatus to lines 16 and 17 for some textual problems associated with this sentence. I translate according to the interpretation suggested in the apparatus.
  3. 3. SR translates “an elevated stone boundary”.
  4. 4. I deviate from SR’s reading here; see the apparatus to line 19.
  5. 5. SR translates “stone heap.”.
  6. 6. See the apparatus to line 20.
  7. 7. In fact, Subba Rao only edits lines 13 to 21, stating that the contents of the preceding and following lines is identical to the text of the Nemmaḷūru grant. The present edition is thus the first diplomatic edition for these lines.