SII 1.32: original edition by Eugen Hultzsch PART I. SANSKRIT INSCRIPTIONS. I. INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PALLAVA DYNASTY. No. 32. A PALLAVA INSCRIPTION FROM AMARĀVATĪ. Reprinted from the Madras Journal of Literature and Science for 1886-87. author of digital edition Emmanuel Francis DHARMA Paris, CEIAS DHARMA_INSSIIv01p0i0032 DHARMAbase

The subjoined Sanskrit inscription is engraved on three sides of an octagonal pillar,See Dr. Burgess' Notes on the Amarāvatī Stūpa, p. 49f. which was excavated at Amarāvatī by Mr. R.Sewell and sent by Dr. Burgess to the Madras Museum. The top of the pillar and some letters of the uppermost lines of the inscription have been broken off. The inscription has hitherto remained a puzzle, as each line seems to end incomplete. Finding, that the first words of some lines were connected with the last words of the following lines, I was led to suppose that the inscription must begin from the bottom and not from the top. Curiously enough, this is really the case. If the inscription is read upwards, we find that it consists of eleven complete verses and of a prose passage, the end of which is lost through the mutilation of the pillar at the top.

The inscription opens with an invocation of Buddha and with a mythical genealogy of Pallava, the supposed founder of the Pallava dynasty.

[[genealigical table]] Brahman. Bharadvāja. Aṅgiras. Sudhāman. Droṇa. Aśvatthāman, married to the Apsaras Madani. Pallava.

Verse 8 gives a popular etymology of the name Pallava. Then there follow the names of seven Pallava kings:—

1. Mahendravarman, son of Pallava.

2. Siṁhavarman I., son of 1.

3. Arkavarman, son of 2.

4. Ugravarman.

6. Nandivarman, son of 5, Śrī-Siṁhavishṇu.

7. Siṁhavarman II.

The inscription contains no information about the relationship, which existed between 3 and 4, 4 and 5, 6 and 7. Neither does the genealogy agree with the lists derived by Mr. FoulkesInd. Ant. Vol. VIII, pp. 167, 273. Salem Manual, Vol. II, p. 349. and Mr. Fleet Kanarese Dynasties, p. 16. from other Pallava inscriptions, although similar names of kings occur in them. For these reasons great care should be taken in using the above list for historical purposes.

From the incomplete prose passage at the end of the inscription, we learn that, on his return from an expedition to the north, Siṁhavarman II. came to a place sacred to Buddha, which was called Dhānyaghaṭa (line 38) or Dhānyaghaṭaka (line 47). The lost part of the pillar must have recorded a donation, which the king made to Buddha.

Dhānyaghaṭa or Dhānyaghaṭaka is evidently identical with Dhānyakaṭa or Dhānyakaṭaka, “corn-town,” the well-known old name of Amarāvatī. The use of gha instead of ka can perhaps be explained by the Tamil habit of softening a single consonant between two vowels.See note on the inscription No. 10 of the Dharmarāja Ratha, p. 3, above.

Further conversion of digital encoding to DHARMA encoding scheme according to EGD (Encoding Guide for Diplomatic Editions) Conversion of digital encoding to DHARMA encoding scheme according to EGD (Encoding Guide for Diplomatic Editions)

śriyaṁ varāṁ vaściramādiśaṁtu te bhavadviṣaḥ śrī ghanapādapāṁsavaḥ . surāsurādhīśaśikhāmaṇi tviṣāmanāṁtarayye vilasanti saṁcaye . 1 babhūva dhā tuḥ prathamādakalmaṣo munirbbharadvāja Iti śru tīśvaraḥ . tatoṁgirā nāma girāpagodadhistata ssudhāmeti munirvviniśrutaḥ . 2 tatassamastā gamapāradṛśvā droṇābhidhāno munirugravīryyaḥ . Atarppayantsoṣṭatanuṁ tapobhirvvaṁśasya karttusta nayasya hetoḥ . 3 prasādena tataśśaṁbhoraśvāatthā meti viśrutaḥ . prādurbbabhūva tejasvī prātarbbhā nurivodayāt· . 4 tapasyatastasya kilāpsarovṛtā sureṁdrakanyā madanīti viśrutā . kadācidāraṇyani vāsimandiraṁ didṛkṣurālokapathaṁ jagāma sā . 5 saraḥpravātāṁbujavisṣkhalatpriyāviyogabhītaṁ kalahaṁsamaṇḍalaṁ . Aśokabhūmāvupaviśya saspṛhaṁ vilokayantīmupatasthivānṛṣiṁḥ . 6 Ume va śarvva prababhūva nātmano nirīkṣitaṁya taṁ kāmamiva rṣiveṣinṇaṁm· . Athobhayaṁ gāḍhanibaddhabhāvakaṁ surāṁganāssaṁgamayāṁbabhūvire . 7 Asūta kāle sura rājakanyā nāthaṁ bhuvassāgaramekhalāyāṁḥ . sapallavoau ghāstaraṇe śayānaṁ pitā sutaṁ pallava Ityavādīḥta . 8 maheṁdravarmmeti tataḥ kṣitīśaḥ śūrastato jāyati siṁhavarmmā . tatorkkavarmmā tadanuūgravarmmā śrī siṁhaviṣṇoratha nandivarmmā . 9 Anekarājanyaśiro maṇiprabhāvibhātakalpāyitaśārvvarāsthitiḥ . sa siṁhavarmmā samabhūdya Ucyate hayadvipāṣṭādaśalakṣako janaiḥ . 10 sa sāgarāṁbarāmurvvī gaṁgāmoauktikahāriṇīṁ . babhāṁ ra suciraṁ vīro merumandarakuṇḍalāṁ . 11 Atha kadācidama ragiriśikharāyamānṇakaricaraṇanakharavidāritaka nakadalacaraturagakhuramukhasamutthitavrajastā panīyavitānitanabhasthtalaḥ sakalamaṇḍalīkasāma ntasamaravīroparacitapārṇṇipārśvapuronurakṣokhi ladigvijayārjjitayaśāḥsvthāpanāyasumeruśi kharamupātiṣṭhata . tatra kila nikhiladharaṇītalapa ryyaṭanajanitaśramamapaninīṣuḥ katipayāni dināni nītvā kanakataṭaruhaharicandanatarucchāyānandi tahṛdayaḥ tato bhāgīrathīmuttīryya tathaiva godāvarīṁ kṛ ṣṇaverṇṇaāṁ ca śrīdhānyaghaṭanagarannāma vītarāgabhaṭṭārakama drākṣīt· . dṛṣṭvā sakutūhalamakhilakṣetrarakṣaṇani yuktādhidevatāssavinayamupagamyābhivandyaikānte dharmmadeśāanāmaśṛṇot· . śrutvā cāparajanmānaṁ bhivandyedamuvāca . Ahamapi bhagavan· bhagavato dikāmihaiva maṇikanakarajatavicitraṁ kalpa Evamukte bhagavānuvāca . sādhu sādhu Upā saka siṁhavarmman Itoparamabuddhakṣetraśrī ṣveveti . tatobhivandya dhānyaghaṭake

°manāṁtarayye Read ºmanantaraṁ ye. āraṇya The wrong form āraṇya, instead of araṇya, is caused by the metre. sādhu The letter e is written over dhu.

(Verse 1.) May the dust of the gloriousWith śrīghana compare Pāli sirīghaṇa or sirīghana in the Dīpavaṁsa, I, 11; II, 1. feet of Bhavadvish,Literally, “the enemy of worldly existence.” The prose passage at the end of the present inscription shows, that Buddha is meant. which thickly coversLiterally, “which glitters (or plays) without interstice on,” etc. the multitude of brilliant crest-jewels of the lords of gods and of demons, for a long time show you (the way to) supreme glory!

(2.) From the first creator (Brahman) there sprang a pure sage, called Bharadvāja, who mastered the śrutis; from him an ocean (uniting) the rivers of speech, Aṅgiras by name; from him the renowned sage Sudhāman;

(3.) From him a sage called Droṇa, who thoroughly knew all āgamas and who possessed terrible might. In order to obtain a son who would found a race, he strove to please the eight-formed (Śiva) by austerities.

(4.) By the favour of Śaṁbhu, there arose to him a brilliant (son), famed by the name of Aśvatthāman, just as at morn the brilliant sun rises over the eastern mountain.

(5.) Once, surrounded by (other) celestial maidens, the famous nymph Madanī, who wished to see the abode of the hermits, entered the path of sight of that ascetic.

(6.) The saint approached her, while, seated amongst a group of aśoka-trees, she was wistfully regarding the male swans, which were afraid of being separated from their beloved ones, whenever they lost sight of them behind a lotus of the lake, which was agitated by the wind.

(7.) Perceiving him who resembled Cupid in the dress of a saint, she lost her selfcontrol, just as Umā on seeing Śarva. Then the nymphs united the couple, which had conceived a deep affection (towards each other).

(8.) In due time, the nymph gave birth to a protector of the earth, which is girt by the ocean. The father called his son Pallava, as he was lying on a couch (covered) with a heap of sprouts (pallava).

(9.) From him came the ruler of the earth Mahendravarman; from him the valiant Siṁhavarman; from him Arkavarman; after him Ugravarman; then Nandivarman from Śrī-Siṁhavishṇu.

(10.) There arose that Siṁhavarman, in whose audience-hall darkness is transformed into dawn by the splendour of the jewels on the heads of many princes, and whom people call (the lord) of eighteen lakshas of horses and elephants.

(11.) This hero for a long time protected the earth, whose garment is the occan, whose pearl-necklace is the Gaṅgā, and whose earrings are Meru and Mandara.

(Line 28.) Once, while his back, his flanks and his front were guarded by all his brave vassals and tributaries (maṇḍalīka-sāmanta), he marched to the peak of Sumeru, in order to place (there) the fame, which he had acquired by conquering all quarters,I.e., in order to put up a pillar of victory. His elephants, which resembled the peaks of the mountain of the gods (Meru), tore with the claws (!) of their feet the gold,Viz., of which Mount Meru consists. and his horses, walking on those pieces (of gold), made the sky appear like a canopy by the gold-dust rising under their hoofs. There, in order to remove the fatigue caused by wandering over the whole world, he passed a few days, enjoying the shade of the yellow sandal-trees, which grow on the slopes of gold. Then, having crossed the Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā), the Godāvarī and the Kṛishṇaverṇā,This is the Kṛishṇā; see Fleet's Kanarese Dynasties, p. 67, note 2. he perceived (a place sacred to) the lord Vītarāga (Buddha), named the illustrious town of Dhānyaghaṭa. Having regarded it with curiosity, and having humbly approached and saluted the tutelar deities, which were charged with the protection of the whole sacred place (kshetra), he listened to a discourse on the lawSee Childers's Pāli Dictionary, s.v. dhammadesanā. . . . . in a secluded spot. Having heard it, he saluted the highest-bornWith aparajanman compare aparamabuddha in line 45 of the present inscription. On apara as a synonym of anuttama, see Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV, p. 201, note 21. . . . . and spoke thus: “I also, O lord ! (shall erect a statue?) of the lord at this very place, ornamented with jewels, gold, and silver.” After he had thus spoken, the lord said: “Well, well, layworshipper Siṁhavarman! Here [at] the place sacred to the highest Buddha . . . .” Then having saluted . . . . . in Dhānyaghaṭaka . . . . . . . . . .

Digital edition of SII 1.32 by converted to DHARMA conventions by Emmanuel Francis.

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