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

62 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
the completely victorious one,—who, for the sake of the happiness of (Indra) the lord of
the gods, seized back from (the demon) Bali the goddess of wealth and splendour, who is
admitted to be worthy of enjoyment, (and) who had been kept away from him for a very
long time!¹
(Line 2.)—And next, victorious for ever is the supreme king of kings over kings, whose
breast is embraced by the goddess of wealth and splendour; who has developed heroism
by (the strength of his) arms; and who plucked (and utilised) the authority of (his local)
representatives, who were so many Garuḍas, (and used it as) an antidote against the (hostile)
kings, who were so many serpents, lifting up their hoods in pride and arrogance;²—
Skandagupta, of great glory, the abode of kingly qualities, who, when (his) father by his
own power had attained the position of being a friend of the gods,³ bowed down his enemies,
and made subject to himself the (whole) earth, bounded by the waters of the four
oceans, (and) full of thriving countries round the borders of it;—whose fame, moreover,
even (his) enemies, in the countries of the Mlêchchhas ............ having (their)
pride broken down to the very root, announce with the words—"verily the victory has
been achieved by him;"—(and) whom the goddess of fortune and splendour of her own
accord selected as her husband, having in succession (and) with judgment skilfully taken
into consideration and thought over all the causes of virtues and faults, (and) having dis-
carded all (the other) sons of kings (as not coming up to her standard.)
(L. 5.)—While he, the king, is reigning, verily no man among his subjects falls away
from religion; (and) there is no one who is distressed, (or) in poverty, (or) in misery, (or)
avaricious, or who, worthy of punishment, is over-much put to torture.
(L. 6.)—Thus having conquered the whole earth, (and) having destroyed the height
of the pride of (his) enemies, (and) having appointed protectors in all the countries,
he cogitated in many ways,—"Among all my servants put together, who is there, who—
suitable; endowed with intellect; modest; possessed of a disposition that is not destitute
of wisdom and memory; endowed with truth, straightforwardness, nobility, and prudent
behaviour; and possessed of sweetness, civility, and fame;—loyal; affectionate; endowed
with manly characteristics; and possessed of a mind that (has been tried and) is (found to
be) pure by all the tests of honesty; possessed of an inner soul pervaded by (the inclina-
tion for) the acquittance of debts and obligations; occupied with the welfare of all
mankind;—capable both in the lawful acquisition of wealth, and also in the preservation
of it, when acquired, and further in causing the increase of it, when protected, (and able)
to dispense it on worthy objects, when it has been increased,—shall govern all my
(countries of the) Surâshṭras? I have it; (there is) just one man, Parṇadatta,
competent to bear this burden."

¹ The legend is that the demon Bali, or Mahâbali, by his austerities acquired the dominion over
the three worlds, and caused annoyance and anxiety to the gods. Vishṇu then became incarnate as a
dwarf, appeared before Bali, and asked for as much land as he could cover with three strides. Bali
assented to his request, and Vishṇu with two strides recovered the heavens and the earth, but, in
commiseration for Bali, who then humbled himself, left him the dominion over the lower regions
below the earth.
² Garuḍa, the servant and vehicle of Vishṇu, half man and half bird, was the special enemy
and destroyer of the serpent-race.—There is possibly a secondary allusion to Skandagupta having
overthrown some kings of the well-known Nâga or serpent-lineage.
³ i.e. "had died."