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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 9, PLATE IV D. 41
This inscription is on the upper part of the proper right side of the stone. Almost
the whole of the first line, and the first half of each of the remaining lines, has been entirely
broken away and lost. The remnant of the writing, however, covering a space of about 4"
broad by 9" high, is fairly well preserved and easy to read.—The size of the letters varies from
¼" to ½". The characters belong to the northern class of alphabets, and are of precisely
the same type as those of the preceding two inscriptions, Nos. 7 and 8, being probably
engraved by the same hand. They include, in the date, forms of the numerical symbols
for 8 and 90.—The language is Saṁskṛit; and the inscription is in prose throughout.—
The orthography presents nothing calling for remark.
The name of the king is broken away and lost in the first half of line 2. But the
inscription is dated, in numerical symbols, in the year ninety-eight (A.D. 417-18); and
this shews that the record must belong to the time of the Early Gupta king
Kumâragupta. So little remains of it, that the form of religion to which it belonged,
cannot be determined; nor can the object of it; except that it records a gift of twelve
dînâras, apparently as a contribution to the perpetual maintenance of a sattra, or charitable
hall or almshouse.
TEXT.¹
1 [Jitam bhagavatâ || Para]mabh[â]gavata-[mahârâjâdhi]-
2 [râja-śrî-Kumâragupta-râjya-saṁvatsa]rê² 90 8 ......
3 ...... [asyâṁ divasa]-pûrvvâyâṁ³ paṭṭa ....
4 ............................................ nê(?)n=âtma-puny-ôpa[cha]-
5 [y-ârtthaṁ] ............................. kâliyaṁ sadâ-sat[t]ra-
6 ..................................... kasya talakanivanśê(?) ..
7 ................................... tya(?)ṁ dînârâḥ dvâdaśa
8 ............................... sy=âṁkur-ôdbha(?)sta-chchha ......
9 .................................... [saṁ]yukta[ḥ*]⁴ syâd=iti ||(||)
TRANSLATION.
[Victory has been achieved by the Divine One!] [In the reign⁵] of the most devout
worshipper of the Divine One, [the Mahârâjâdhirâja, the glorious Kumâragupta]; in
the year 90 (and) 8; ............................; [on this] (lunar day), (specified) as above
by the day (&c.) ;—
(Line 3)— .................... [for the purpose] of adding to (his) own religious
merit .................... (to endure) for the same time with ............................
a perpetual almshouse ............................ twelve dînâras ....................
(L. 9.)— .................... shall become invested with ....................
¹ From the original stone.
² To be corrected into râjyê saṁvatsarê; see page 38 above, note 5.
³ Supply tithau.
⁴ The measure of the lines of this inscription seems to shew that it did not contain here the
full formula of the preceding two, Nos. 7 and 8.
⁵ See page 38 above, note 5.
G₂