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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 16, PLATE IX B. 71
11 Yô¹ vyakkramêd²=dâyam=imam nibaddham gô-ghnô guru-ghnô dvija-
ghâtakaḥ saḥ³ taiḥ pâtakai[ḥ*]
12 pañchabhir=anvitô=dhar=gachchhên⁴=naraḥ s-ôpanipâtakaiś=ch=êti ||
TRANSLATION.
Perfection has been attained! May that Sun, the rich source of rays that pierce (the
darkness which is) the envelope of the earth, protect you,—whom Brâhmaṇs, of enlightened
minds, (have recourse to)⁵ according to due rite, (and thus become) the utterers of praises
in meditation, which are directed solely to him; whose limit, either vertically or from side to
side, neither the gods nor the demons could ascertain; (and) by having recourse to
whom, mankind, when they have lost control of themselves through much disease and
agitation of the mind, acquire consciousness (again)!
(Line 3.)—In the augmenting victorious reign⁶ of the Paramabhaṭṭâraka and Mahâ-
râjâdhirâja, the glorious Skandagupta; in the year one hundred, increased by forty-six;
(and) while the month Phâlguna is current for the increase of the enjoyment, in (the land
of) Antarvêdî, of the Vishayapati Śarvanâga, who has been accepted (with favour) by
his⁷ feet;—
(L. 5.)—The Brâhmaṇ Dêvavishṇu, who belongs to the community of Chaturvêdins
of Padmâ of the town of Chandrâpura,—who is the son of Dêva, (and) the son's son of
Haritrâta, (and) the son of the son's son of Duḍika; who always recites the hymns of the
agnihôtra-sacrifice;⁸ who belongs to the Râṇâyanîya (śâkhâ); (and) who is of the
Varshagana gôtra,—for the increase of his own fame gives an endowment, (of which the
interest is) to be applied to (the maintenance of) a lamp for the divine Sun, which has
been established (in a temple) by the Kshatriyas Achalavarman and Bhrukuṇṭhasiṁha,
merchants of the town of Indrâpura,⁹ on the east of the settlement, (and) actually
touching.......¹⁰ of the settlement of the town of Indrapura.
(L. 8.)—This gift of a Brâhmaṇ's endowment of (the temple of) the Sun, (is) the per-
petual property of the guild of oil-men, of which Jîvanta is the head, residing at the town
of Indrapura, as long as it continues in complete unity, (even) in moving away from this
settlement. But there should be given by this guild, for the same time as the moon and
the sun endure, two palas¹¹ of oil by weight, (or in figures) by weight 2, uninterrupted in
use, (and) continuing without any diminution from the original value.
(L. 11.)—Whosoever shall transgress this grant that has been assigned,—that man,
(becoming as guilty as) the slayer of a cow, (or) the slayer of a spiritual preceptor, (or)
¹ Metre, Indravajrâ. ² Read yô vikkramêd; or, better, yô=tikkramêd.
³ Read sa. ⁴ Read dhô gachchhên.
⁵ Supply saṁśritya, from the third pâda of the verse.
⁶ See page 38 above, note 5.
⁷ i.e. Skandagupta's.
⁸ agnihôtra, 'an oblation to the god Agni, consisting chiefly of milk, oil, and sour gruel, offered
every morning and evening; the maintenance of the sacred fire.'
⁹ Here, line 6, the vowel of the second syllable is long; in lines 7 and 8 below, it is short.
¹⁰ The meaning of mâḍḍasydta is not apparent.
¹¹ pala, a particular weight, = 4 suvarṇas (gold-pieces), or 64 mâshas (beans); see the Mâna-
vadharmaśâstra, viii. 135, Burnell's Translation, p. 200.