Stela from Prasat Tonle Sgnuot (K. 1450), 11th century EpiDoc Encoding Kunthea Chhom intellectual authorship of edition Dominic Goodall Kunthea Chhom DHARMA Siem Reap DHARMA_INSCIK01450

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Copyright (c) 2019-2025 by Kunthea Chhom.

2019-2025
DHARMAbase The inscription praises a courtier whose name is not likely to be mentioned in the readable portion of the inscription. He seems to be previously a priest at the temple Śrī Śikharīśvara (Preah Vihear) and head of his own corporation or clerical order (ātmavarṇṇa) called Amara before serving the king (who is probably to be identified as Sūryavarman I). By his expertise in Vedic and Āgamic rituals, he was appointed by the king as chief of sacrificial hall of fire and chief of royal priests. He was a devout worshiper of God Śiva. Out of devotion, he installed statues in four sacred sites beginning with Śrī Śikharīśvara (Preah Vihear). At the temple Śrī Śikharīśvara, he installed golden images of Nandin and Mahākāla along with villages, servants and lands. At other temples made of stone and brick beginning with Parameśvara (Preah Ko), he installed various śivaliṅgas and gods’ images. Furthermore, he installed many metal and gold images of gods and liṅgas at temples such as Phalapriya and resided at religious places like Bhadreśvara (Vat Phu). There, he conducted many rites (pūjā) for Śiva and offered paraphernalia such as palanquins, parasols and other ornaments, together with grains, servants, cows, buffaloes, horses, elephants, cattle and lands. He made many considerable water bodies flowing into channels running through places where there were roads and made gardens along the roads with plenty of fruits and shade. He belonged perhaps to a family of five brothers; he, being the youngest, yet the most skillful and glorious. He was comparable to Arjuna, supposedly the best among the five Pāṇḍava brothers in the Mahābhārata. It is probable that he was appointed as a teacher at the temple Śrī Śikharīśvara, possibly a chief of court of justice and later, a chief of a district (viṣaya). The king married his daughter to him, the highest of royal favours.

The lettering is characteristic of the eleventh century CE.

The project DHARMA has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no 809994).

Public URIs with the prefix bib to point to a Zotero Group Library named ERC-DHARMA whose data are open to the public.

Internal URIs using the part prefix to point to person elements in the DHARMA_IdListMembers_v01.xml file.

resolved validation errors Initial encoding of the inscription
Ambhonidhānasya jalasya yasya śrutasya cāho mahad antara ya Ekarṣiṇā pītam aśuṣyad ekam aneka-dhīrais tv apara samārddhya dharmyāṁ pravṛttin dadhatāpi yena manv-ādiyuktyāgama-vedināpi kenāpi nitya hr̥dayaṃ śrutañ ca vahu-śrutānāṃ muitaṃ prasahya śaivī gatiṁ me hr̥di vedmi dr̥ṣṭyā kathaṁ pareṣān tu samīhate tat· Itīva viprādihṛdā mahīyān yo hr̥dya-vr̥ttena yato vibheda deyañ ca dāna-priya-mānasañ cā -py-ekaikam anyatra sudurllabhatvāt· dvayaṃ sva-punyopacayais tu yatrā -bhavat sadā-nyonya-jigīṣayeva saṁprīṇayan deva-pitr̥̄n sadā yaḥ karttavya-vedya-dhvara-somadānāt· Annādibhiś ca dvija-pūrvva-pūjyā yajvā vadanyo vigata-smayo bhūt· parārtha-dhāraṇa-mānaso pi yo yatna-sapādita-pakṣa-pātī nirjitya ṣad-varggam udastatandrī yad varddhayām āsa sadā tri-vargga yo danta-daṇḍan dhavalātapatraṁ suvarṇṇadolām ahi-bhoga-bhīmām· bhoktā prasādena mahī-bhṛto sya bhogeṣu mā varṇṇyata bhāgya-bhūmiḥ pūrvvaṁ purodhāś śikharīśvarādrau rājño girā rājamato pi paścāt· yaś cāmarākhye prabhur ātma-varṇṇe rājopasevotsuka-mānaso bhū karmmāntare mānyataras tarasvī karmmāntare dhīśadhiyādhipo ya hiraṇya-retaś-śaraṇādhipo bhūd bhūyo dhipo rāja-purohitākhye yo ntar-vvahir-vvimala-bhaktir adhr̥ṣyaceṣṭo nānā-nayaikanilayo nr̥pa-mantrivaryyaḥ nyāyeṣu kovidataras sva-yaśaḥ-prakāśaṁ pūrṇṇendu-mandṇḍalanibhaṁ bhuvane vitene śrīsūryyavarmmeśvara-pādapadma mūrddhnoddharat svarṇṇa-maya sva-rūpam· bhaktyā nyadhāt kṣetracatuṣṭaye yo liṅgāntike śrīśikharīśvarādau dvidhātma-mūrttā Iva nandi-kālau hiraṇmayau nitya-siṣeviṣo ya śivāntike śrīśikharīśvarādrau sakiṅkara-grāma-bhuvau nyadhatta prāsāda-varyyeṣu śilā-mayeṣu yeneṣṭikāḍhyeṣu ca rañjiteṣu ām anekaṁ śivaliṅgam arccā nyadhāyi bhaktyā parameśvarādau śilmayīṁ hema-mayīm anekām arccāṁ harāder vvahu hema-liṅgam· phalapriyādye bhavane nyadhatta bhadreśvarādye ca kr̥tāśramo yaḥ sāṣṭādaśāṅga-kratum agra-pujāṁ suvarṇṇa-dolān dhavalātapatram· rai-rupya-ratnādi dhanaṁ subhūṣā īśe yathākālam adān mudā ya sa-dāsa-dāsī-mahiṣāśva-hasti -gāvas samastās sabhuvo vabhūvu sasāra-duḥkhārṇṇava-bhīruṇānye dhānyādayo yena śivāya dattā dvijādi-hr̥dyaṁ hr̥dayaṁ svam accha śītaṅ gabhīraṃ prathayann ivāḍhyam· jalāśaya yo vidadhe vivekī tat-kulya-nīraṁ vividhādhvadeśe dur-mmārgga-duḥkhāmvu-nidhāv agāḍhe nekādhvagāṁs tārayitu nimagnān· tatāna setu hita-marggam arhān priyātma-śiṣyān iva dikṣitān ya śubhair anekais sukr̥tais samādhi -yogātiśīla-vrata-saṁyamāc ca Ārohayan yo nu pitr̥̄n divan tat sopānavac caṅkramam eva cakre kathan na santāpabhujo subhājas santīti santāpa-haraṁ phalāḍhya saṁhlādi sacchāyam agādharamyam udyānam uptaṁ vahu yena mārgge vr̥ṣyāṁś catur-bhrātara Āsur eām ādir yyadīyā guru-dhī-garīyān· mahendramānyo viditorukīrttir adhyāpakaś śrīśikharīśvarādrau sabhāṁ sadādhyāsya mayāpaneyā vipat prajānām iti sa kṣitīśa praty ātmatas surṇṇamaye svapīthe takre pi padhyasya sabhādhipatyam· kanīyasas tu kṣitipa-prasādaḥ kiṅ kathyate nyaḥ parameśvareṇa tenaiva rājñā kila rājaputrī -parigraho yad vidhivat kr̥to bhūt· kalāsu niṣṇāta-matiḥ padhīyān eka kanīyān api nītivr̥ddhaḥ Avāpa vīro viṣayādhipatyaṁ bhogañ ca bhogyān anayān apūrvvān· caturṣu sodaryya-kuleṣu teṣu hetur guṇarddher guṇinā varo ya śuddhasvabhāvān mahitodayāc ca kṣoṇy-ādi-bhūteṣv iva khaṁ vabhūva Audāryya-saundaryya-yuteṣu teṣu mānyāpadāneṣv iva pāṇḍaveu yudhiṭhirādyeṣu vabhūva kīrtt dhairyyeṇa dhāmnā yaśasārjuno yaḥ m atrāgama-śāstra-sāre vivekinā vedyavidām varo yaḥ sena taṭāka-vāpyā -śramāmarasthāna-purāṇi cakre rvvaṁ satyāśiṣā vrahmavi

Between the ocean of water and the ocean of his learning, oh ! aho what a huge difference, since yat the one dried up when drunk by a single sage Agastya; the other increased when drunk by many stalwarts !

Although api he upheld dadhatā ethical dharmyām conduct pravṛttim and although he knew the scriptures and manners of reasoning of Manu and so forth, somehow kenāpi he constantly nityam stole muṣitam the hearts hṛdayam and the learning śrutam of the very learned bahuśrutānām by force prasahya.

I know, from seeing it, that Śaiva destiny/understanding/salvation is in my heart. But how can that heart of others also desire that Śaiva salvation? As though with this in mind, that greater person yo mahīyān, controlled yataḥ broke open, with his hearty actions, the hearts of brahmins and others.

Because they are extremely difficult to find in others, even individually, giving deyam and having a heart fond of giving, both came into being in him, however, because of his heaps of merit, as though constantly trying to conquer each other.

In ceaselessly pleasing the gods, ancestors, and persons worthy of honour such as brahmins by means of the rites that must be performed, by giving soma in sacrifices on altars and by gifts of food and the like respectively, this sacrificer/founder yajvā was bountiful and devoid of pride.

Although he turned his mind to the common good for the sake of others, he particularly favoured things that he accomplished with effort, since (yat), after vanquishing the group of the six enemies that are the passions ṣaḍvargam he, after casting off weariness udastatandrī, constantly sadā caused to increase varddhayām āsa the group of three aims of man: viz. dharma, kāma, artha trivargam.

He received enjoyment bhoktā, by the grace prasādena of that asya king mahībhṛtaḥ, of an ivory-caned dantadaṇḍam white parasol dhavalātapatram, and a gilded palanquin that was fearsome with the coils of snakes abhibhogabhīmām.

Formerly priest of the king at the mountain of Śikharīśvara, then afterwards revered by the king for his eloquence, being head of his own “caste”/guild called Amara, he became desirous of giving service to the king.

Being especially honoured mānyataraḥ as strong/swift tarasvī in one type of work karmāntare, he was put in charge adhipaḥ of another type of work karmāntare by the decision of the king adhīśadhiyā: he became abhūt master of the sacrificial hall of fire hiraṇyaretaśśaraṇādhipaḥ, and further bhūyaḥ head adhipaḥ in the work referred to as being chaplain to the king rājapurohitākhye.

Being of pure devotion that manifested both inside and out, of unassailable conduct, the one treasury of various stratagems, the most excellent of the king’s ministers, very knowledgeable kovidataraḥ in matters of law nyāyeṣu he spread the radiance of his own fame upon the earth like the orb of the full moon.

Out of devotion he set down a golden image of himself svarūpam holding up uddharat with his head mūrdhnā the lotus-feet of Śrī Sūryavarmeśvara near the liṅga in four sacred sites beginning with Śrī Śikharīśvara.

At the mountain of Śrī Śikharīśvara, he yaḥ gave nyadhatta, along with slaves, villages and lands, golden images of Nandin and Mahākāla, as though they were incarnate forms of himself split into two dvidhā, since he was constantly desirous of giving service in the proximity of Śiva śivāntike.

In excellent temple-towers made of stone and rich with brick, richly decorated with stucco and painting, he gave yena… nyadhāyi to Parameśvara and others numerous śivaliṅgas and statues for worship arccāḥ with devotion.

He gave/set down nyadhatta numerous sculptures of stone and of gold of gods such as Hara and numerous golden liṅgas, in temples bhavane such as that of the deity (?) Phalapriya, and he made sojourns in such places as Bhadreśvara.

With joy mudā he gave to Śiva īśe at the appropriate times superlative pūjās, in which offerings were made along with the eighteen constituents, a golden/gilded palanquin, a white parasol, wealth consisting of gold, silver, gems and such, and fine ornaments.

The other things anye, grain and such dhānyādayaḥ that he gave to Śiva, for he was fearful of the ocean of suffering in the cycle of rebirth, were accompanied by sa° male and female slaves, buffaloes, horses, elephants and cattle, and by lands sabhuvaḥ.

A man of discrimination vivekī, as though spreading out his clear, cool, deep, rich heart, which was heartening to brahmins and others dvijādihṛdyam, he created vidadhe water-bodies that were clear, cool, deep, rich and charming for birds and other animals, thus spreading prathayan water through its channels in different places along the roads vividhādhvadeśe.

He built a bridge setum in order to allow to cross tārayitum those sinking nimagnān, straying on different paths anekādhvagān, in a deep agāḍhe ocean ambunidhau of suffering caused by bad roads, as though it were a beneficial path allowing his own dear disciples, who were worthy arhān initiates, to cross.

Surely nu in climbing ārohayan, following anu his ancestors pitr̥̄n, up to heaven divam by means of his numerous good deeds and by means of meditation, yoga, extreme virtue, religious observances, and self-restraint, he therefore tat made cakre a walkway caṅkramam with stairways sopānavat.

Thinking iti, “How katham could there be a state in which there are no creatures asubhājaḥ experiencing torment?”, he planted uptam many gardens udyānam along the roads mārge that were rich with fruits phalāḍhyam, delightful saṁhlādi, that furnished shade sacchāyam and gave deep pleasure agādharamyam.

There were āsuḥ four manly vr̥ṣyāḥ brothers. The first ādiḥ among them eṣām, particularly venerable for his weighty intellect gurudhīgarīyān, was a teacher on the mountain of ŚrīŚikharīśvara, as venerable as Great Indra /revered by the king mahendramānyaḥ, of fame that was broad and widely known.

Presiding adhyasya constantly over the court sabhām, the king, thinking iti “I must remove the suffering vipat of my subjects”, in place of prati himself ātmataḥ on his own throne svapīṭhe, made of gold, he brought about cakre pi the middle brother’s madhyasya presidency of the court sabhādhipatyam.

Of the youngest, what other grace from the king kṣītipaprasādaḥ need be told, since yat by that same supreme lord parameśvareṇa the king his marriage with the king’s daughter was made, as we know kila, according to rules?

Being very sharp-witted paṭīyān, with a mind well-versed in the arts niṣṇātamatiḥ, unique, senior in political acumen nītivṛddhaḥ even though younger in age, this warrior obtained the governorship of a district, and honours bhogam and unparalleled apūrvān possessions bhogyān that were unjustifiable /obtained without recourse to legal proceedings anayān.

Among the four families of the four brothers sodaryyakuleṣu teṣu, he was the cause hetuḥ of the profusion of their virtues guṇarddheḥ, being himself the best varaḥ among the virtuous guṇinām, just as iva ether kham among the four other elements beginning with earth kṣoṇyādibhūteṣu is the cause of the increase in the number of their properties because of having pure nature śuddhasvabhāvāt and being one whose ascendancy was praised /whose arising was characterised by great size mahitā mahitodayāt.

Among those brothers teṣu, who were possessed of nobility and beauty, and characterised by great feats worthy of honour mānyāpadāneṣu, like the Pāṇḍavas beginning with Yudhiṣṭhira, he was like Arjuna in fame, in steadfastness, in splendour, in reputation.

Here atra, he who was the best among learned persons who are discriminating with respect to the essence of treatises and scriptures .

The sandstone block looks as though it may have been an inscribed doorjamb that was reused in the building of the hospital flooring. It now measures 100 cm high, 40 cm wide and 20 cm thick. It seems that the block/doorjamb had been trimmed to fit the new location. Consequently, the lines in the beginning and the end of the text have been lost. A few syllables of many lines on the edge have also disappeared.

Preliminary edition by Dominic Goodall and Kunthea Chhom; then edited again and translated by Diwakar Acharya, Kunthea Chhom, Chloé Chollet, Dominic Goodall and Nina Mirnig.