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

Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. III, No. 22, Plate XIII

Khoh Copper-Plate Inscription of the Mahārāja Hastin (The Gupta Year 163)

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Description & Provenance

• Location: Khoh (near Uchehra / Nagod), Satna District, Madhya Pradesh.
• Dynasty: Parivrājaka Mahārājas of Ucchakalpa/Hastin.
• King: Mahārāja Hastin (son of Dāmodara, grandson of Prabhāñjana, great-grandson of Devāḍhya).
• Date: Gupta-nṛpa-rājya-bhuktau Samvatsara 163 (163 Gupta Era = c. 482–483 CE), Chaitra-māsa śukla-pakṣa tṛtīyā (3rd day of the bright half of Chaitra).

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I. Sanskrit Text (Devanāgarī)

First Plate (Plate i)

ॐ नमो महादेवाय ॥ स्वस्ति त्रिषष्ट्युत्तरेऽब्दशते गुप्तनृपराज्यभुक्तौ महा-
राज-हस्तिनः प्रवर्द्धमान-विजय-राज्ये सम्वत्सरे १६३ चैत्र-मास-शुक्ल-
पक्ष-तृतीयायाम् अस्यान्दिवस-पूर्व्वायाम् नृपति-परिव्राजक-कुलोत्पन्नेन
नप्तृ-प्रणप्तृभ्याम् महाराज-देवाढ्य-प्रभाञ्जन-प्रणप्त्रा महाराज-दामोदर-सुतेन
गो-सहस्र-हस्त्य-श्व-हिरण्यानेकाग्रहार-प्रदेन गुरु-पितृ-मातृ-शुश्रूषण-परेण
अनेक-समर-शत-विजयिना स्व-वंशामल-कराम्बुरुहेण समप्रद्वेष-पक्षेण
परम-भागवतेन महाराज-हस्तिना स्व-पुण्याप्यायनाय कोरपार-
क-ग्रामे गोपाल-स्वामि-भव-स्वामि-मातृ-स्वामि-दत्त-स्वामि-भव-नाग-प्रभृति-
नानागोत्र-चरणेभ्यो ब्राह्मणेभ्यो रोहिणी-पुत्राय च गो-सहस्र-प्रदान-
समये पूर्व्व-दत्तक-मर्यादया विहित-प्रसादेन ताम्र-शासनेनातिसृष्टः [। *]
तद् युष्मद्वंशजैस् तावत् कालं प्रतिपालनीयो यावच् चन्द्रादित्य-तारका-
नक्षत्र-ग्रह-नक्षत्र-समकालिकत्वं भवति [। *] यो वास्मात् कुलात् समुत्पन्नो
ऽन्यो वा भूपातिर् लोभात् प्रमादाद् वास्यापहर्त्ता स पञ्चभिर् महापातकैः

Second Plate (Plate ii)

सोपपातकैः संयुक्तः स्यात् [। *] उक्तञ्च भगवता परमर्षिणा वेदव्यासेन
व्यासेन [॥ *] पूर्व्वदत्तां द्विजातिभ्यो यत्नाद् रक्ष युधिष्ठिर [। *] महीं महीमतां श्रेष्ठ
तच्छ्रेयो ह्यनुपालनम् [॥ *] बहुभिर् वसुधा भुक्ता राजभिः सगरादिभिः [। *]
यस्य यस्य यदा भूमिस् तस्य तस्य तदा फलम् [॥ *] षष्टिं वर्ष-सहस्राणि
स्वर्गे मोदति भूमिदः [। *] आच्छेत्ता चानुमन्ता च तान्येव नरके वसेत् [॥ *]
स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेत वसुन्धराम् [। *] स विष्ठायां कृमिर् भूत्वा
पितृभिः सह पच्यते [॥ *] विन्ध्याटवीष्व् अतोयासु शुष्क-कोटर-वासिनः [। *]
कृष्णाहयो हि जायन्ते भूमिदानं हरन्ति ये [॥ *] अग्नेर् अपत्यं प्रथमं
सुवर्णं भूर् वैष्णवी सूर्य-सुताश्च गावः [। *] लोकास् त्रयस् तेन जिता भवन्ति
यः काञ्चनं गाञ्च महीञ्च दद्यात् [॥ *] दूतको ऽत्र महाबलाधिकृत-नागसिंहः [॥ *]
लिखितञ्च भोगिक-सूर्यदत्त-पौत्रेण भोगिक-रवि-पुत्रेण कर्णिक-विष्णुदत्तेनेति [॥ *]
सम्बत् १६३ चैत्र-दि ३ [॥ *]

Seal (Circular/Oval Seal)

नृपति-परिव्राजक-
कुलोत्पन्न-महाराज-
हस्तिनः [॥ *]

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II. Roman Transliteration

First Plate (Plate i)

Oṁ namo Mahādevāya || Svasti triṣaṣṭy-uttare-'bda-śate Gupta-nṛpa-rājya-bhuktau mahā-
rāja-Hastinaḥ pravarddhamāna-vijaya-rājye samvatsare 163 Chaitra-māsa-śukla-
pakṣa-tṛtīyāyām asyān-divasa-pūrvvāyām nṛpati-parivrājaka-kul-otpannena
naptṛ-praṇaptṛbhyām mahārāja-Devāḍhya-Prabhañjana-praṇaptrā mahārāja-Dāmodara-sutena
go-sahasra-hasty-aśva-hiraṇy-ānek-āgrahāra-pradena guru-pitṛ-mātṛ-śuśrūṣaṇa-pareṇa
aneka-samara-śata-vijayinā sva-vaṁś-āmala-kar-āmburuheṇa sama-pradveṣa-pakṣeṇa
parama-bhāgavatena mahārāja-Hastinā sva-puṇy-āpyāyanāya Korapāra-
ka-grāme Gopāla-svāmi-Bhava-svāmi-Mātṛ-svāmi-Datta-svāmi-Bhava-nāga-prabhṛti-
nānā-gotra-caraṇebhyo brāhmaṇebhyo Rohiṇī-putrāya ca go-sahasra-pradāna-
samaye pūrvva-dattaka-maryādayā vihita-prasādena tāmra-śāsanen-ātisṛṣṭaḥ [| *]
tad yuṣmad-vaṁśajais tāvat kālaṁ pratipālanīyo yāvac candr-āditya-tārakā-
nakṣatra-graha-nakṣatra-samakālikatvaṁ bhavati [| *] yo v-āsmāt kulāt samutpanno
'nyo vā bhūpatir lobhāt pramādād v-āsy-āpaharttā sa pañcabhir mahāpātakaiḥ

Second Plate (Plate ii)

sopapātakaiḥ saṁyuktaḥ syāt [| *] Uktañ ca bhagavatā paramarṣiṇā Veda-Vyāsena
Vyāsena [|| *] Pūrvva-dattāṁ dvijātibhyo yatnād rakṣa Yudhiṣṭhira [| *] mahīṁ mahīmatāṁ śreṣṭha
tac-chreyo hy anupālanam [|| *] Bahubhir vvasudhā bhuktā rājabhiḥ Sagar-ādibhiḥ [| *]
yasya yasya yadā bhūmis tasya tasya tadā phalam [|| *] Ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣa-sahasrāṇi
svarge modati bhūmi-daḥ [| *] ācchettā c-ānumantā ca tāny eva narake vaset [|| *]
Sva-dattāṁ para-dattāṁ vā yo hareta vasundharām [| *] sa viṣṭhāyāṁ kṛmir bhūtvā
pitṛbhiḥ saha pacyate [|| *] Vindhy-āṭavīṣv ato-yāsu śuṣka-koṭara-vāsinaḥ [| *]
kṛṣṇ-āhayo hi jāyante bhūmi-dānaṁ haranti ye [|| *] Agner apatyaṁ prathamaṁ
suvarṇaṁ bhūr Vvaiṣṇavī sūrya-sutāś ca gāvaḥ [| *] lokās trayas tena jitā bhavanti
yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāñ ca mahīñ ca dadyāt [|| *] Dūtako 'tra mahābalādhikṛta-Nāgasiṁhaḥ [|| *]
Likhitañ ca bhogika-Sūryadatta-pautreṇa bhogika-Ravi-putreṇa karṇika-Viṣṇudatten-eti [|| *]
Sambat 163 Chaitra-di 3 [|| *]

Seal

Nṛpati-parivrājaka-
kul-otpanna-mahārāja-
Hastinaḥ [|| *]

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III. Translation

[Lines 1–3]
Om! Reverence to Mahādeva! Hail! In the year one hundred and sixty-three (163) of the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings, in the augmenting, victorious reign of the Mahārāja Hastin, in the year 163, on the third lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month Chaitra,—on this lunar day specified as above:—

[Lines 3–10]
By the Mahārāja Hastin, born of the family of kingly ascetics (Nṛpati-parivrājaka), the great-grandson of the Mahārāja Devāḍhya, the grandson of the Mahārāja Prabhañjana, the son of the Mahārāja Dāmodara; who is the donor of thousands of cows, elephants, horses, gold, and many agrahāra grants; who is devoted to ministering to his spiritual preceptors and parents; victorious in many hundreds of battles; a spotless lotus-like hand unto his own race; impartial towards friends and foes; a most devout worshipper of the Bhagavat (Parama-bhāgavata);—for the increase of his own spiritual merit, at the village of Korapāraka, (this land) has been granted by a copper-plate charter to the Brāhmaṇas Gopālasvāmin, Bhavasvāmin, Mātṛsvāmin, Dattasvāmin, Bhavanāga, and others of diverse gotras and caraṇas, and unto the son of Rohiṇī, at the time of making a gift of a thousand cows, according to the customary rules of former grants.

[Lines 11–14]
Therefore, this grant should be maintained and preserved by those born in your lineage as long as the moon, the sun, the planets, and the stars endure. And whatever king born of this family or of another, through avarice or negligence, shall confiscate it, he shall become invested with the five great sins (mahāpātaka) together with the minor sins (upapātaka).

[Lines 14–23]
And it has been said by the venerable supreme sage Vyāsa, the arranger of the Vedas:
"O Yudhiṣṭhira, best of rulers, carefully preserve land previously given to the twice-born; for preserving land is far more meritorious than granting it."
"The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara; whoever possesses the land at any time, reaps the fruit thereof at that time."
"The giver of land rejoices in heaven for sixty thousand years; both the confiscator and he who consents to confiscation dwell in hell for the same duration."
"He who takes away land given by himself or by others becomes a worm in excrement and rots together with his ancestors."
"Those who confiscate a grant of land are reborn as black serpents dwelling in dried-up tree-hollows in the waterless tracts of the Vindhya forests."
"Gold is the first offspring of Fire; the Earth belongs to Viṣṇu; and cows are the daughters of the Sun. All three worlds are won by him who gives gold, a cow, and land."

[Lines 23–25]
The Dūtaka (messenger/executor) here is the Mahābalādhikṛta (commander-in-chief) Nāgasiṁha. And this was written by the Karṇika (scribe) Viṣṇudatta, son of the Bhogika Ravi, and grandson of the Bhogika Sūryadatta.
The Year 163, the 3rd day of Chaitra.

[Seal]
(Of) the Mahārāja Hastin, descended from the family of the royal ascetics (Nṛpati-parivrājaka).