Copper plates from Tummalagudem (set I) — reign of Govindavarman I, year 37 author of digital edition Arlo Griffiths Vincent Tournier DHARMA Paris DHARMA_INSEIAD00174

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Copper plates from Tummalagudem (set I) — reign of Govindavarman I, year 37 Arlo Griffiths Arlo Griffiths Vincent Tournier Stefan Baums Ingo Strauch assistance with XML encoding and metadata verification Chloé Chollet assistance with XML encoding and metadata verification Marine Schoettel digital humanities consultant Emmanuelle Morlock digital humanities consultant Andrew Ollett

First digital edition made by École française d'Extrême-Orient (Paris, France), realized in collaboration with the HiSoMA Research Centre (Lyon, France) and hosted by TGIR Huma-Num (France) as Early Inscriptions of Āndhradeśa, in 2015-2017.

Early Inscriptions of Āndhradeśa DHARMA_INSEIAD00174

Copyright (c) 2017 by Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.

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svasti jitaṁ bhagavatā tena saṁbuddhena kr̥pātmanā nirvvāṇaprāptaye yena sadbhyo mārggaḥ pradarśitaḥ satvasatyatyāgābhijananayavinayotsāhādiguṇagaṇasaṁpadā svayamadhigatarājyānāṁ samyakprajāpālanāt pra thitāvadātapr̥thuyaśasāṁ rājñāṁ viṣṇukuṇḍīnām amalavipulasakalakulatilakena śrī-mahārājendravarmma-satpautreṇa mahārāja-śrīmādhavavarmmaṇaḥ suputreṇa svatayabhujabalotsāha-prabhāvānurāgāvāpta-svarājyena śauryya-dhairyya-pratāpānubhāvād anyasāmantākrāntarājyāntareṇa dānamānādibhir anuraktavarṇṇāśramasvajanaparijanena grāmakṣetrahiraṇya-dviradaturagagobalīvarddaśayanāsanayānapānabhojanabhājanabhavanavasanābharaṇakanyādāsīdāsasahasrāṇāṁ dātrā Anekadevāyatanavihārasabhāprapātaḍākodupānārāmapratisaṁskārapūrvvakaraṇenālaṁkr̥tasakaladigantareṇa bhikṣudvijānāthayācakavyādhitadīnakr̥paṇajanopabhujyamānanyāyādhigatavibhavadhanasamudayenāsakr̥dasakr̥tsarvvasvatyāginā sakalaśāstrārtthaśravaṇaparijñānād iha paratra cānanyacakṣuā vidvachhūramahā2kulīnajanasamāśrayeṇa sakalasatvadhātutrāṇāyotpāditamahābodhicigtena mahārājaśrīgovindavarmmaṇā Ātmanaḥ pravarddhamāna-vijaya-rājya-saṁvatsare saptatriṁśatke vaiśākha-pūrṇṇamāsyāṁ bhagavato daśabalabalinaḥ caturvvaiśāradyaviśāradasyāṣṭādaśāveṇikabuddhadharmmasamalaṁktamūrtter dvātriṁśatmahāpuruṣalakṣaṇavaropalakṣitasya jātijarāmaraṇaśokādiṣu bahusaṁsāraduḥkhanimagnasarvvasatvottāraṇāyānekakalpāsaṁkhyeyopacitapuṇyajñānasaṁbhārabhārasyāpagatarāgadveṣamohajananamaraṇaduḥkhasyāpratihatānāvaraṇasakalajñeyajñānāt samyaksaṁbuddhasya buddhasya mārggam abhiprapannaṁ nirvvidvirāgaśīlaśikṣādhutaguṇāddhyayanaśravaṇacintanabhāvanādhyānasamādhisamāpattyādibhi guṇagaṇair anuttaraṁ puṇyakṣetraṁ triyānayāyinaṁ cāturddiśam āryyasaṅgham uddiśya tyāgaparibhogānvayam aupadhikañ ca puṇyakriyāvastvabhinirvvarttayiṣyatā mātāpitroḥ sarvvasatvānāñ ca nikhiladāridye duḥkhopaśama-hetoḥ svasyā Agramahiṣyā parama-mahādevyā vihārasya dīpa-dhūpa-gandha-puṣpa-dhvaja-pāna-bhojana-śayanāsana-glāna-bhaiṣajya-khaṇḍasphuṭita-śīrṇṇa-saṁskārādi-kuśala-mūlānupacchedārtthaṁ dvāv embudala-peṇkapaṟa3-nāmadheyau grāmau Udakadāna-pūrvvakaṁm atisr̥ṣṭau sanidhisopanidhisadaṇḍakaravriṣṭisoccheṣaṇabhāgabhogapradeya cārabhaṭadūtavallabharājapuruṣair apraveśyau vimuktasakalaparirau viṣṇukuikulavaṁśyai rājabhis saṁrakṣaṇīyau saṁvarddhanīyau ca sthitir eṣā sthāpita sthityatikrame pañcamahāpātakayogaḥ pravr̥ttapuṇyakriyāvicchede cānattaduḥkhabhūyiṣṭhanarakatiryyakpretagatiṣv aniṣṭakarmmaphalopabhogam anubhavanti bhavanti cātra manugītā ślokā ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣasahasrāṇi svargge vasati bhūmidaḥ Ācchettā hy anumantā ca tāny eva narake vase svadattāṁ paradattāṁ vā yo hareta vasundharām· sa viṣṭhāyāṁ krimir bhūtvā pitr̥bhis saha pacyate bahubhir vvasudhā dattā bahubhiś cānupālitā yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalam· bhuvi merūdadhī yāvad divīnduravimārutā tāvac chrīviṇukuṇḍīnāṁ pr̥thivīṁ śāstu śāsana
satva-sattva--tyāgābhijana-tyāgābhijana-saṁpadāsaṁpadāṁsaṁpadāṁ and made a silent emendation. We prefer an instr. sg. ending.svataya-Read svanaya-, as suggested by .anyasāmantā-anyasāmantā-Emend ananya-?anuraktavarṇṇāśrama-anuraktavarṇāśrama-hiraṇya--hiraṇya--taḍākodupāna--taḍakodupāna- erroneously suggest to emend -kodapāna-. On udupāna, already found in Aśokan inscriptions, see BHSD, s.v.-rāmapratiA locative form is expected here: cf. the Gunaighar copper-plate inscription: vihāre ca khaṇḍaphuṭṭapratisaṁskārakaraṇāya. Perhaps a loc. singular form can be accepted, in which case there is no need to supply -ṣu.-pratisaṁskārapūrva--pratisaṁskārāpūrva-It seems necessary to follow here the silent emendation of . For a discussion on the term apūrvakaraṇa in light of parallels, see 28–29, n. 19.-sarvva--svasarvva--sarvva-The space left between the sa and the rvva might be due to the descending ya marker from the above line.iha paratraihāparatra does a silent emendation. satva-sattva--mahābodhicigtenaRead mahābodhicittena with Sankaranarayan.samalaṁkr̥-samalakr̥--triṁśat-Correct -triṁśan-.nirvviḍvirāga-nirvviḍvirāga- suggests that nirdviḍ is probably the intended first word. This, however, is incorrect. Cf. BHSD, s.v. nirvid.-śravaṇaci--śravaṇaci--bhāvanā--bhāvana--samāpattyādibhi-Emend samāpattyādibhir.puṇyakriyāvastvabhi-Understand puṇyakriyāvastum abhi-.dāridyedāridryaEmendation of . This seems supported by the not common occurrence of dāridryaduḥkha as a compound in Buddhist Sanskrit texts. See Gaṇḍavyūha (V) 77: ... eṣa samādhiḥ, yatra hi nāma evaṁ sarvasattvānām aparimāṇaduḥkhaskandhavyupaśamāya pratyupasthitaḥ, yaduta dāridryaduḥkhaskandhavyupaśamārthena pratyupasthitaḥ |. agramahiṣyā agramahiṣyā -bheṣajya- -bhaiṣajya- embudala-peṇkapaṟa ermadālapeṇkaru- The toponym is also attested in V engi Calukya 4, 14, and 15. CHECK spelling ṟa/ṟu. pūrvvakaṁmpūrvvakam -sadaṇḍakaravriṣṭisoccheṣaṇabhāga- -sadaṇḍaviṣṭisvocchiṣṭabhāga- -sadaṇḍakaraviṣṭisodraṅgabhāga- remarks that originally vvi was engraved. While the hypothetical reading proposed by is meaningful, the number of syllables does not match that of our plate. Moreover, the expression sodraṅga does not seem to be found in the inscriptions of this time and region. -pradeya cāra--pradeyāv ācāra-The akṣara ya might also be read yo, assuming the white mark running above the subscript ra of the above grā to be a vocalic marker. This would then be a mistake for pradeyau. Emend accordingly. sthāpitasthāpitāsthāpitāWe however see no trace of the marker, although one should emend sthāpitā.cānatta-Correct cānanta-.-bhūyiṣṭhanaraka--bhūyiṣṭhe narakeanubhavantianubhavatiThe -u marker of the akṣara nu unusually turns outwards, instead of inwards. manugītā manugītā manugitā varṣasahasrāṇi There seems to be a ponctuation mark at the end of the first pāda, although this might also be a scratch. hy anumantācānumantā cānumantā viṣṇukuṇḍīnāṁ viṣṇukuṇḍināṁ The medial horizontal line of the ṣ- element in ṣṇu appears to be missing. pr̥thivīṁpr̥thivī pr̥thivī śāstu śāstu śastu

Success! Hail!

Victory is achieved by the Bhagavant, the complete Buddha, the Compassionate One, by whom the path towards the obtention of nirvāṇa is shown to good people.

The great king Śrī-Govindavarman, who is an ornament to the entire great and spotless family of the Viṣṇukuṇḍin kings, who by their possession of many qualities such as goodness (sattva), truthfulness, relinquishment (tyāga), noble descent, restraint, discipline, and perseverance, had themselves obtained kingship, and whose spotless great fame spread far and wide because of their perfect governing of their subjects; [Govindavarman,] who is the good grand son of the illustrious great king Indravarman and the son of the great king Śrī Mādhavavarman; who has gained his kingship because of his restraint, the strength of his arms, his perseverance, might, and affection; who has overcome the proximate kingdoms of neighboring rulers (anyasāmanta) by the force of his heroism, courage, and majesty; to whom [men of all] classes and stages, kinsmen and servants are attached due to his gifts, courtesies, etc.; who is the giver of thousands of villages, fields, pieces of gold, elephants, horses, cows, bulls, beddings and seats, vehicles, drink and food, dishes, dwellings, garments, ornaments, brides, male and female slaves; who has adorned all directions by repairing and building anew many temples, monasteries, halls, cisterns, tanks, wells, and pleasure-groves (ārāma); whose array of wealth and riches, which he has lawfully acquired, is being enjoyed by monks, brahmins, those without a protector, beggars, the sick, the poor and the wretched people; who has relinquished, time and again, everything that he owns; who has an unequalled eye on this and the other world on account of his learning and understanding (śravaṇaparijñāna) of the meaning of all treatises; who is a refuge for the learned, the brave, and those of noble birth; who has conceived the great thought of Awakening in order to save the whole realm of sentient beings (sattvadhātu);

who, on the full moon day of (the month of) Vaiśākha, in the thirty-seventh year of his own prosperous, victorious reign, having assigned (uddiśya) [his gift] to the Noble Community of the four quarters mounting the three vehicles [leading to the states of arhant, pratyekabuddha and samyaksaṁbuddha] — (a community) that, because of its masses of qualities such as aversion from worldly matters (nirvid), absence of passion, virtue, proper conduct, qualities of ascetics (dhutaguṇa), study and learning, reflection, and mental cultivation [consisting, gradually in] meditative absorptions (dhyāna), concentration (samādhi) and attainments (samāpatti), is a supreme field of merit; [and] that has stridden onto the path of the Buddha, the Bhagavant, who is strong with the ten forces (bala) and fearless with the four fearlessnesses (vaiśāradya); whose embodiment (mūrti) is fully adorned by the eighteen exclusive attributes (āveṇika) of Buddhas; who is marked [externally] by the thirty-two attributes of a great man; who has accumulated, in multiple asaṁkhyeyas of kalpas a load of the [twofold] equipment [consisting in] merit and knowledge, in order to rescue all beings sunk in the many sufferings of saṁsāra, characterized by such pains as those caused by birth, old age, and death; who is free from the suffering of birth and death [rooted in] desire, aversion, and delusion; who is a perfect Buddha because of his unimpeded and unobstructed knowledge of everything that is to be known (sakalajñeyajñāna) — intending to bring about the ground of meritorious action (puṇyakriyāvastu) – which results from relinquishment (tyāga) and from the enjoyment (paribhoga) [of what has been relinquished] and is of a material kind (aupadhika) — aiming at the endurance (anupaccheda, lit. the not cutting off) of favorable roots [planted by the provision for] lamps, incense, perfumes, flowers, banners, drinks and food, beddings and seats, medicaments for the sick, the restoration of what is broken, split, and in disrepair and the like, in the monastery of his chief queen, the prominent mahādevī, for the sake of extinguishing all the miseries and sufferings of his parents as well as all beings,

[he, Govindavarman], having first given water, handed over the two villages of Embudala and Peṇkapaṟa together with their treasures on and under the ground, together with the right to collect punitive tax (daṇḍakara), corvée (viṣṭi), and with the share of the produce (bhāga) and the periodical levies (bhoga) left [by himself]; [the two villages] should not be entered by spies (cāra), mercenaries, envoys, courtiers (vallabha), or king’s men, and are freed from all taxes, and they should be maintained and augmented by kings belonging to the lineage of the Viṣṇukuṇḍin family. This rule has been established. In the event of transgression of this rule, this is equivalent to the five great sins; [similarly], in case of discontinuation of the meritorious deed that was set in motion, one will experience the fruit and result of evil karma in the [lower] realms of hells, the animals, and the pretas, afflicted by numerous and endless sufferings. And on this [issue] are the verses sung by Manu:

The giver of land revels in heaven for sixty thousand years; the one who seizes [land] as well as the one who approves (of the seizing) will reside as many [years] in hell.

He who would seize land given by himself or by someone else becomes a worm in excrement and is cooked together with his ancestors.

By numerous [kings], land has been given; and by many it has been protected. Whoever holds land at a given moment, to him does the fruit then belong.

May the rule of the Viṣṇukuṇḍins govern the world as long as Meru and sea are on earth, and [as long as] sun and wind are in heaven!

udakadānaOn this expression, pointing here at the preliminary pouring of water to mark the transfer of property, see 74, n. 56.

First described and edited by Sastri in Bharati 1965 , pp. 18ff., July, pp. 2ff.., followed by 738–41, 9–14 and 135–41. Re-edited here from published documentation and after autopsy of the plates.

1968–69: 2, no. A.2 37ff., 153–6 (I) 197–202