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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 1, PLATE I. 17
Bhaṭṭâraka,¹ (and) whose mind is expanded by the favour of constantly walking about
in (his) presence,—let it be for the welfare and happiness of all existing beings!
(L. 33.)—And the accomplishment of the matter has been effected by the
Mahâdaṇḍanâyaka Tilabhaṭṭaka, who meditates on the feet² of the Parama-
bhaṭṭâraka.³
¹ It is somewhat doubtful whether this title here denotes Samudragupta, or his successor; but
on the whole, êshâm, 'these,' being used, not têshâm, 'those,' the passage seems to have a strictly
present sense, and to refer to Chandragupta II.; contrast tasya, 'of him, of that one,' which is used
to denote Samudragupta in line 17 above, but which I have had, for convenience, to render in the
translation by the relative pronoun.—Bhaṭṭâraka, lit. 'one who is entitled to reverence or homage,'
is another technical kingly title. In somewhat later times, it seems to have belonged properly
to feudatory Mahârâjas; thus, it is coupled with the name of the Mahârâja Śivadêva I. in
two of the Nêpâl inscriptions (Ind. Ant. Vol. IX. p. 168, No. 5, line 2, and Vol. XIV. p. 98,
line 2), and with the name of the Mahârâja Dhruvadêva in the same series (id. Vol. IX. p. 173.
No. 10, line 4, where the syllables mahâ, at the end of the line, are omitted in the published text).
So, also, we find the feminine form, Bhaṭṭârikâ, used as the termination of the names of wives of
Mahârâjas; e.g. in line 3 ff. of the Asîrgaḍh seal of Śarvavarman, No. 47 below, Plate xxxA., and in
line 4 of the Nirmand grant of the Mahârâja and Mahâsâmanta Samudrasêna, No. 80 below, Plate
xliv.—As applied to paramount sovereigns, the fuller and more usual title is Paramabhaṭṭâraka, as
in line 33 of this inscription (see also page 10 above, note 3). But other instances occur in
which the shorter title is used; e.g. in line 6 of No. 9 of the Nêpâl inscriptions (Ind. Ant. Vol. IX.
p. 172), Aṁśuvarman has the titles of Bhaṭṭâraka and Mahârâjâdhirâja; in line 17 ff. of the
Wokkalêri grant of Kîrttivarman II. (id. Vol. VIII. p. 26 f.), the Western Chalukya kings
Vikramâditya I. and his successors, down to Kîrttivarman II., all have the titles of Mahârâjâdhirâja,
Paramêśvara, and Bhaṭṭâraka. And we have the same title in Old-Kanarese inscriptions, in the ab-
breviated, or perhaps original, forms of Bhaṭâra and Bhaṭṭâra; e.g. in line 2 f. of the Mahâkûṭa
inscription of the Western Chalukya king Vijayâditya (id. Vol. X. p. 103), in which he has the titles
of Mahârâjâdhirâja, Paramêśvara, and Bhaṭâra; and in line 2 of the Paṭṭadakal inscription of the
Râshṭrakûṭa king Dhruva (id. Vol. XI. p. 124), in which he has the titles of Mahârâjâdhirâja,
Paramêśvara, and Bhaṭṭâra.—In the sense of 'reverend,' bhaṭṭâraka was also a priestly title; e.g. it
is applied to the Jain priest Kumudachandra, in line 2 of the Nêsargi inscription (id. Vol. X. p. 189,
note 16).—And, in the sense of 'worthy of worship; sacred,' it was also applied to gods; e.g. to
Paśupati (Śiva), in line 1 of No. 6 of the Nêpâl inscriptions (id. Vol. IX. p. 169); to the Sun, in line 15
of the Khôh grant of the Mahârâja Śarvanâtha, No. 28 below, Plate xviii.; and to Varuṇavâsin (the
Sun), in line 13 of the Dêô-Baraṇârk inscription of Jîvitagupta II., No. 46 below, Plate xxixB.
² pâd-ânudhyâta.—This is a customary technical term, used of the relations between a para-
mount sovereign and his feudatory chieftains, officials, &c.; e.g. in the Udayagiri cave inscription
No. 3 below, Plate iiB., the Mahârâja, who makes the gift, is described as meditating on the feet of
Chandragupta II.—It is also applied to the relations between parents and their children; e.g. in line
18 of the Râjîm grant, No. 81 below, Plate xlv., the Râja Tîvaradêva is described as meditating on
the feet of his mother and father. It is also used in connection with kingly successions, whether the
natural relationship is that of fathers and sons, or of elder and younger brothers; e.g. throughout the
Kârîtalât grant of the Mahârâja Jayanâtha, No. 26 below, Plate xvi.; and in lines 0 and 8 of the grant
of the Mahârâja Vinâyakapâla (Ind. Ant. Vol. XV. pp. 140, 141), who is described as meditating on
the feet of his father, Mahêndrapâla, and of his elder brother, Bhôja II. And it is also used in respect
of the worship of gods; e.g. in line 3 of the grant of the Eastern Chalukya king Amma II. (Ind. Ant.
Vol. XIII. p. 249), the Chalukyas are described as meditating on the feet of the god Svâmi-Mahâ-
sêna.—In one solitary instance, line 33 f. of the Khârêpâṭaṇ grant of Śaka-Saṁvat 930 (Jour. Bo.
Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. I. p. 218), anudhyâta occurs without pâda preceding it, and the Śilâhâra chieftain
Raṭṭarâja is described as śrî-Satyâśrayadêv-ânudhyâta, "meditating on the glorious (king) Satyâśraya."
But the omission of pâda here is probably due only to carelessness on the part of the drafter of the
record.
³ i.e. Chandragupta II.—Paramabhaṭṭâraka, lit. 'one who is supremely entitled to reverence
or homage,' is one of the technical titles indicative of supreme sovereignty (see page 10 above, note 3).—
I have found one instance in which it is also used as a priestly title, in line 43 of an inscription of
Śaka-Saṁvat 1172 at Mamdâpur in the Belgaum District (Indian Inscriptions, No. 1), where it is
applied to a Śaiva priest named Vimalaśiva or Vimalaśambhu.—The feminine form, Parama-
bhaṭṭârikâ, was one of the titles of the wives of paramount sovereigns; e.g. in the Mandâr Hill
inscriptions of Âdityasêna, Nos. 44 and 45 below.
D.