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

120 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
cultivators, beginning with the Brâhmaṇs, and to the artisans, at (the village of)
Chhandâpallikâ in the Nâgadêya santaka :—
(L. 6.)—“Be it known to you that, for the purpose of increasing my own religious
merit, this village is granted by me,—with the udranga and the uparikara, (and with the
privilege that it is) not to be entered by the irregular or the regular troops, (but) with
the exception of (the right to fines imposed on) thieves,—to the Brâhmaṇ Mitrasvâmin,
of the Kâṇva gôtra and the Vâjasanêya-Mâdhyamdina (śâkhâ).
(L. 9.)—“You yourselves shall render to him the offering of the tribute of the
customary royalties¹ and taxes, and shall be obedient to (his) commands.
(L. 10.)—“And those kings who shall be born in Our lineage,—by them this grant
should not be confiscated, (but) should be assented to ; (and) the tribute of the taxes which
by custom should not belong to the king, should not be taken.
(L. 12.)—“And whosoever may confiscate this grant,—he shall become invested
with (the guilt of) the five great sins and the minor sins.”
(L. 13.)—And it has been said in the Mahâbhârata by the venerable Vyâsa,—“‘ O
Yudhishṭhira, best of kings, carefully preserve land that has been given, whether by thy-
self or by another ; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) (is) more meritorious than
making a grant ! The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara,
whosoever at any time possesses the earth, to him belongs at that time, the reward (of this
grant that is now made, if he continue it) ! As a rule, indeed, no inauspicious condition is
experienced by kings ; but they are purified for ever, when they bestow land ! The giver of
land enjoys happiness in heaven for sixty thousand years ; (but) the confiscator (of a grant),
and he who assents (to an act of confiscation), shall dwell for the same number of years
in hell ! Fathers (in the world of the dead) clap their hands upon their arms, (and)
grandfathers leap (from joy), (saying)—‘ A giver of land has been born in our family ;
he shall become our deliverer ’ ! He who confiscates land, rich in all (kinds of) grains,
(that has been granted),—he becomes a worm in the ordure of a dog, and sinks (into
hell), together with (his) ancestors !”
(L. 21.)—In a century of years, together with the seventy-fourth (year), on the
fourteenth day of the month Âshâḍha,—on this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the
day (&c.),²—(this charter) has been written by me, the Bhôgika Guñjakîrtti, the
grandson of the Bhôgika, the Amâtya Râjyila, and the son of the Bhôgika Dhruvadatta.
The Dûtaka (is) the Uparika, Dîkshita,³ householder,⁴ and chief of architects,⁵
Śarvadatta.
(L. 24.)—The year 100 (and) 70 (and) 4 ; (the month) Âshâḍha ; the day 10
(and) 4.

¹ bhâgabhôga ; lit. ‘enjoyment of shares. My rendering is on the authority of Monier Williams’
explanation of bhâga-bhuj, in his Sanskrit Dictionary, by ‘enjoying taxes ; a king, sovereign.’
² See page 97 above, note 1.
³ Dîkshita ; ‘one who has received initiation, or by whom the preparatory ceremonies have been
observed.’
⁴ grihapati ; ‘the master of a house, a householder ; a man of the second class, who, having finished
his studies, is married and settled.’
⁵ sthapati-samrâj ; the meaning, however, is not quite certain. Perhaps it may mean ‘superin-
tendent of the attendants of the women’s apartments.’