Plate
Hail! From the lavilintī
There may have been one akṣara before lavi. If so, the akṣaras lavi would be the second and third of the agrahāra’s name.
agrahāra, the princely advisor Gopāla,
favoured by the feet of the Lord,
The paramabhaṭṭāraka in the plate [Raktamālā #1](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00039.xml) is identifiable as Budhagupta (25). Note the absence of parama- here. Since Budhagupta’s predecessors were also referred to as bhaṭṭārakapādāḥ, no definitive conclusion can be drawn from the usage of this title here with regard to the reign in which this inscription was issued.
and the council,
greet the landholders kuṭumbin
25, 190 and other scholars have cited a stanza from the Nāradasmr̥ti (11.37) in the context of interpretations of the important word kuṭumbin as ‘peasant householder’: gr̥haṁ kṣetraṁ ca vijñeyaṁ vāsahetuḥ kuṭumbinām | tasmāt tan nākṣiped rājā tad dhi mūlaṁ kuṭumbinām || The house and the field are what the family lives on; therefore the king should not disturb them since they are the foundation of the family
(ed. and transl. ). But the textual material assembled by , which shows that the word is often used in connection with ownership and supports the translation as ‘landholder’ favored here, has unfortunately been ignored in most English-language scholarship.
both prominent and modest,
consisting chiefly of Brahmins,
The expression brāhmaṇottarān occurs in several other plates: [Raktamālā Grant no. 1, year 159](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00039.xml), line 2; [Baigram Charter of the Time of Kumāragupta I](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00049.xml), line 2; [A grant of land in the Tāvīra district](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00051.xml), line 6 ; [Paharpur Charter of the Time of Budhagupta](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00052.xml), line 3 and [Nandapur Plate of 169 GE](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00054.xml), line 1. The translation suggested here corresponds to the specific meaning of the compound brāhmaṇottara- reported by 1174. If we only follow the meaning given by 8408 and 178 for the word -uttara in fine compositi, the translation would be followed by Brahmins
.
in the village called ‘Minor Red Garland’ khuḍḍīraktamālikā
and they inform as follows:
Gaṇadatta, son of a good family residing in the agrahāra ‘Major Red Garland’ mahatī raktamālā,
petitions us as follows:
With respect to vendible properties in this division,
the custom is sale for one hundred kārṣāpaṇas of a kulyavāpa of waste land
which is without revenue charges and yields no tax,
to be enjoyed in perpetuity in accordance with the law on permanent endowments.
Therefore, having purchased in this very location atraiva
one kulyavāpa of waste land
that is without revenue charges and yields no tax,
for the spiritual benefit of my mother and father,
A fuller expression pañca-mahā-yajña-pravarttanāya mātā-pitror anugraheṇa for the purpose of the regular performance of the five great sacrifices for the spiritual benefit of his mother and father
is found in the grant [Raktamālā #1](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00039.xml), line 9. The ritual services expected from the Brahmin beneficiary are left implicit here.
I wish to give that land,
to be enjoyed in accordance with the law on permanent endowments by the Brahmin Yaśobhūti of the Kautsa gotra,
a Vājasaneyin belonging to the community of Brahmins
studying the four Vedas residing in the ‘Major Red Garland’ agrahāra,
by his sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, and so on.
Having received from me two hundred rūpakas,
measured by none other
than the customary rūpaka of eight paṇas,
On the coin terms, see 50.
be so kind as to give a kulyavāpa of waste land
that is without revenue charges and yields no tax,
in the village ‘Minor Red Garland’.
In that regard tatra,
it has been confirmed through investigation
by the record-keeper Keśavadatta: Indeed asti,
with respect to vendible properties in this division,
the sale of a kulyavāpa of waste land
that is without revenue charges and yields no tax,
to be enjoyed in perpetuity in accordance with the law on permanent endowments,
is customary for one hundred kārṣāpaṇas.
And no conflict of interest virodha
whatsoever will result through its sale:
on the contrary, for His Majesty
there will be increase of wealth and attainment of one sixth of the merit.
Yājñavalkya's Dharmaśāstra I.331 mentions the fact the king obtains a sixth portion of the merits by providing protection.
Hence tad,
after receipt of two hundred rūpakas,
measured by the customary rūpaka of eight paṇas,
also from this Gaṇadatta, son of a good family, one kulyavāpa of waste land
that is without revenue charges and yields no tax
in the village 'Minor Red Garland'
The translation presumes -kulyavāpam ekaṁ khuḍḍī-rakta-mālikāgrāme in order to restaure the gap line 16.
is to be given to the Brahmin Yaśobhūti,
to be enjoyed by his sons, grandsons, great-grandsons,
and so on, in accordance with the law on permanent endowments.
Wherefore we inform you that
one kulyavāpa of waste land without revenue charges and yielding no tax,
as per the above-written procedure of request and confirmation,
The translation presumes the restoration of anena yathoparilikhitaka-vijñāpitakāvadhārita-krameṇa for the different akṣaras missing line 17. See the apparatus part for the argumentation.
has been given by him in that village.
Regarding the kulyavāpa of waste land
that is without revenue charges and yields no tax
which has been given in accordance with the law on permanent endowments,
The gap of eight akṣaras at the end of the line 18 could be restored by the expression Akṣaya-nīvī-dharmmeṇa. See the apparatus part for the argumentation.
in a place which poses no obstacle to the agricultural activities of the landholders,
in the company of council that enjoys our confidence and the landholders of good families of the district,
you shall give this land after dividing and demarcating it
from this
In the parallel passage in [Raktamālā grant #1](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00039.xml) (line 21), I have interpreted ito as meaning for this reason
(23), but I now doubt whether this was correct. It may refer instead to one of the places fixed in the preceding clauses, in which case the meaning could be that the division and demarcation are to be carried out from that place, whether as starting point of a measurement process that proceeds step by step, or in the sense of demarcating X from Y. Another possibility is that ito refers to the village as a whole.
with eight by nine of the governmental nītika
When editing the [Raktamālā grant #1](DHARMA_INSBengalCharters00039.xml) (line 21), I tentatively read naitika, but noted that nītika was also a possible reading (22, 23, and 3518 ). Based on better photographs that I was able to make in 2017, I now consider that the reading is indeed nītika there, and this also seems to be the reading in the present grant, although its poor state of conservation makes it hard to be sure. I retain the tentative translation ‘governmental’ proposed in 2015.
cubits.
And having given it, you shall protect it
to be enjoyed in perpetuity in accordance with the law on permanent endowments.
And it has been said:
The giver of land resides sixty thousand years in heaven;
the one who challenges a donation as well as
the one who approves of the challenge will reside as many years in hell.
This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 123 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200, except for the verb used in the pāda b.
You, Yudhiṣṭhira, most excellent of kings,
must strenuously protect land previously given to Brahmins.
Safeguarding is even better than giving.
This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 131 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200.
The one who would steal land given by himself or another
becomes a worm in excrement and is cooked with his ancestors.
This verse corresponds to the verse numbered 132 among the Stanzas on Bhūmidāna listed by Sircar see II170-200.
Year 1, day 13. Written by ; heated by Keśavadatta.