गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

10 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
32 Khâdyatapâkikasya mahâdaṇḍanâyaka-Dhruvabhûti-putrasya sândhivigrahika-
kumârâmâtya-ma[hâdaṇḍanâya]ka-Harishêṇasya sarvva-bhûta-hita-sukhây-
âstu । (॥)
33 Anushṭhitaṁ cha paramabhaṭṭâraka-pâd-ânudhyâtêna mahâdaṇḍanâyaka-
Tilabhaṭṭakêna । (॥)
TRANSLATION.
(Line 29.)—This lofty column (is) as it were an arm of the earth,¹ proclaim-
ing the fame,—which, having pervaded the entire surface of the earth with (its) develop-
ment that was caused by (his) conquest of the whole world, (has departed)
hence (and now) experiences the sweet happiness attained by (his) having gone to the
abode of (Indra) the lord of the gods,²—of the Mahârâjâdhirâja,³ the glorious⁴
¹ By taking an alternative meaning of uchchhhritaḥ, we might translate—"This column has been
erected, as if it were an arm of the earth," &c. But this would include the assumption that the column
had fallen, and was set up again in the time of Chandragupta II.; and in that case sthâpitaḥ would
have been a better word to use than uchchhhritaḥ, and the word would have stood better after, instead
of before, stambhaḥ. It seems best to adopt a translation that does not bind us to either view.—
Prinsep considered it to be proved that the column had fallen, and was set up again expressly to
display the present inscription. His grounds for this, opinion (Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. VI. p. 967 f.)
are, that there are several names on it which he considered to be in characters of a type interme-
diate between those of the Aśôka and the Gupta inscriptions, and one of which, at least, it would have
been exceedingly inconvenient, if not impossible, to have cut while the column was erect. But
this particular name, with several of the others referred to by him, is in characters that are
certainly of considerably later date than the Gupta inscription ; and none of the names are in characters
that are any earlier than the inscription.
² i.e. on his death.—Compare the expression in line 23 f. of the Karda grant of Kakka III. of
Śaka-Saṁvat 894,—"and when (his) elder brother, the glorious Kṛishṇarâjadêva, had ascended to
the skies, as if from a desire to conquer the realm of Indra" (Ind. Ant. Vol. XII. pp. 265, 268) ; com-
pare also line 14, verse 30, of the Gwâlior inscription of Mahîpâla of Vikrama-Saṁvat 1150 (id.
Vol. XV. pp. 37, 43),—"Padmapâla, still a youth, through the adversity of fortune, obtained a seat
[on the lap] of Saṁkrandana (Indra)."
³ Mahârâjâdhirâja, lit. 'supreme king of Mahârâjas' (see page 15 below, note 4), is one of the
titles indicative of supreme paramount sovereignty, and is the only expression that properly and fully
answers to our idea of a 'king.' I use it and all other technical titles and terms, without translation,
because, if only for the sake of uniformity and convenience of comparison, it is much better to use
them in this way, than to attempt to render them into English by expressions which must always vary
according to the idiosyncracies of the translators, and which can never suffice to give exact and
complete equivalents for the original titles.—The present title, Mahârâjâdhirâja, in somewhat
later times, is almost always coupled with two others, Paramêśvara, 'supreme lord,' and Parama-
bhaṭṭâraka, 'most worshipful one;' e.g. in line 50 ff. of the Alînâ grant of Śîlâditya VII., No. 39
below, Plate xxv. And the connection of the three titles was so constant, that a Rîwâ grant
(unpublished) of Trailôkyamalla, dated Vikrama-Saṁvat 1297, considers it unnecessary to give all
three titles in full, and contents itself with describing him as paramabhaṭṭârak-êty-âdi-râjâvalî-tray-
ôpêta, "possessed of the three kingly titles (lit. succession) commencing with Paramabhaṭṭâraka."—
Other titles of paramount sovereignty, occurring in this series, are Râjâdhirâja and Chakravartin.
⁴ śrî, 'fortune, majesty, glory,' and śrîmat, 'possessed of fortune, majesty, glory,' are words
of constant occurrence as honorific prefixes to the names of persons, gods, places, &c. I render them
by 'glorious,' in the case of paramount sovereigns and their wives ; 'illustrious,' of feudatories and other
ordinary persons ; 'saintly,' of priests, teachers, &c.; 'holy,' of gods; and 'famous,' of towns, &c.—
The usual rule seems to have been, to use śrî before a consonant, and śrîmat before a vowel; thus
śrîmad-Indrabala-sûnôr . . . . . . śrî-Nannadêvasya tanaya-prâptaḥ . . . . . . śrî-Mahâśiva-Tîvararâjaḥ,
in the Râjim grant of the Râja Tîvaradêva, No. 81 below, Plate xlv. l. 16 ff. But instances of deviation
from this occur; thus, without saṁdhi or the euphonic joining of vowels, śrî-Âdityasênadêva, in the
Shâhpur image inscription, No. 43 below, Plate xxixA. l. 2 f., and śrî-Âdityasênadêvas and śrî-