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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 21. 95
The inscription is one of the Parivrâjaka¹ Mahârâja Hastin. It is dated, in
words, "in the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings,"² in the year one hundred
and fifty-six (A.D. 475-76), in the Mahâ-Vaiśâkha samvatsara,³ and on the third lunar
day of the bright fortnight of the month Kârttika (October-November). The inscription
is non-sectarian, except for the opening invocation of the god Śiva, under the name of
Mahâdêva. The object of it is to record the grant, by the Mahârâja Hastin, of the
village of Vasuntarashanḍika to Gôpasvâmin and other Brahmans.
TEXT.⁴
First Plate.
1 Namô Mahâdêvâya ॥ Svasti Shatpañchâś-ôttarê=bda-śatê Gupta-nṛipa-
2 râjya-bhuktau Mahâ-Vaiśâkha-saṁbatsarê⁵ ।⁶ Kârttika-mâsa-śukla-paksha-tṛitîyâ-
3 yâm=asyân=divasa-pûrvvâyâm⁷ nṛipatiparivrâjaka-kul-ôtpannêna ।⁸ mahâ-
4 râja-Dêvâḍhya⁹-pranaptrâ mâ(ma)hârâja-Prabhañjana-naptranâ¹⁰ mahârâja-
Dâmôdara-sutêna
¹ parivrâjaka means literally 'a wandering religious mendicant, an ascetic in the fourth and last
religious order or stage of life.'—The compound used in line 3 of the Text, nṛipati-parivrâjaka, 'a
kingly ascetic,' is of the same class with râj-arshi, 'a royal saint, a saint of royal descent.' Compare
also râjâdhirâj-arshi, 'a saintly sovereign,' which is applied to Chandragupta II. in the Udayagiri
cave inscription, No. 6, page 35 above, line 3.—The particular kingly ascetic, from whom Hastin's
family derived its origin, was Suśarman (see No. 25 below, Plate xvB. line 5 f.)—The word parivrâ-
jaka seems to have been adopted as the regular and habitual appellation of the family. At any rate,
it furnishes, for distinctive purposes, a convenient and unobjectionable name for it.
² Gupta-nṛipa-râjya-bhuktau; line 1f.—The same expression occurs in Nos. 22, 23, and 25.
It indicates clearly that the Gupta dynasty and sway were still continuing; and of course the date
refers to the era used by the Guptas. But there is nothing in the expression, tending to give the era
the name of the "Gupta era."—Prof. H. H. Wilson's translation of this date, combined with that of
the following inscription, No. 22, (Prinsep's Essays, Vol. I. p. 251) was "in the 163rd year of the oc-
cupation of the kingdom by the Gupta kings." And this was substantially correct. But he added a
note that bhuktê or bhuktau might be read muktê or muktau, 'from the end or cessation.'—In pub-
lishing this translation, Mr. Thomas pointed out that the reading muktê or muktau could not possibly
be admitted. And, following this, Dr. Hall (Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. XXX. pp. 3 f., note, and 6, 12)
adopted the reading bhuktau or bhuktê; but laid down the dictum that bhukti, "if unqualified by a
temporal particle, denotes 'possession,' or 'fruition,' only as a thing of the past;" and he then pro-
ceeded to translate the passage by "in the year one hundred and fifty-six of the extinction of the
sovereignty of the Gupta kings;" and again "one hundred and sixty-three years after the domination,
of the Guptas had been laid to rest."—Gen. Cunningham (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 11) gave
"in the year one hundred and fifty-six of the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings." And
this, again, was substantially correct, though not grammatically.—As in the case of śântê, in line 3 of
the Kahâum pillar inscription of Skandagupta (see page 67 above, note 7), it is impossible to ima-
gine how bhukti, lit. 'the act of enjoying or eating; enjoyment, eating; fruition, possession,
usufruct,' ever came to be applied in the sense of 'extinction;' except under the influence of a pre-
conceived bias, so strong as to prevent entirely the critical consideration which would at once have
shewn the error.
³ saṁvatsara, 'a year,' is used principally, if not entirely, to denote (as is indicated by the first
component, saṁ, 'with, together with') years that have a close connection with those that precede and
follow them; i.e. years of cycles, eras, and reigns.—In the present case, the twelve-year cycle of the
planet Jupiter is referred to.
⁴ From Gen. Cunningham's hand-copy. ⁵ Read saṁvatsarê.
⁶ This mark of punctuation is unnecessary. ⁷ Supply tithau.
⁸ This mark of punctuation is unnecessary. ⁹ See page 97 below, note 4. ¹⁰ Read naptrâ.