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

156 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
higher. By him, having brought into subjection, with peaceful overtures and by war, the
very mighty kings of the east and many (kings) of the north, this second name of "su-
preme king of kings¹ and supreme lord,"² pleasing in the world (but) difficult of attain-
ment, is carried on high. Through him, having conquered the earth with (his own) arm,
many countries,—in which the sun is obscured by the smoke, resembling dense dark-blue
clouds, of the oblations of the sacrifices; (and) which abound with thick and thriving
crops through (the god) Maghavan pouring cloudfuls of rain upon (their) boundaries;
(and) in which the ends of the fresh sprouts of the mango-trees in the parks are eagerly
plucked in joy by the hands of wanton women,—enjoy the happiness of being possessed
of a good king. Through the dust, grey like the hide of an ass,—stirred up by his armies,
which have (their) banners lifted on high; (and) which have the lōdhra-trees³ tossed
about in all directions by the tusks of (their) infuriated elephants; (and) which have the
crevices of the Vindhya mountains made resonant with the noise of (their) journeying
through the forests,—the orb of the sun appears dark (and) dull-rayed, as if it were an
eye in a peacock's tail reversed.⁴
(L. 9.)—The servant of the kings who founded the family of that lord, was Shash-
thidatta,—the fame of whose religious merit was known far and wide through the protec-
tion of (their) feet; who by his resoluteness conquered the six enemies (of religion);⁵
(and) who was indeed very excellent. As the torrent, flowing high and low, of (the river)
Gaṅgā (spreads abroad) from (the mountain) Himavat, (and) the extensive mass of the
waters of (the river) Rēvā from the moon,—(so) from him, whose dignity was manifested,
there spreads a pure race of Naigamas, most worthy to be sought in fellowship.
(L. 11.)—Of him, from a wife of good family, there was born a son, resembling
him (in good qualities), the source of fame,—whom, (being named) Varāhadāsa, (and)
being full of self-control (and) of great worth, people speak of as if he were an (incarnate)
portion of (the god) Hari.
(L. 11.)—As if it were the sun (illumining) the mighty summit of a mountain,
Ravikīrtti with the wealth of his character illumined that family, which was made eminent
by men who combined good actions with worldly occupations; which had its foundations
well established in the earth; (and) which maintained a very firm position of endurance
that was free from (any risk of) being broken;—(Ravikīrtti), by whom, sustaining the
pure (and) undeviating path of traditional law that is acceptable to good people, nobility
of birth was not made a thing of false assertion (even) in the Kali age. From him,
(his) chaste wife Bhānuguptā gave birth to three sons, who dispelled the darkness (of
ignorance) with the rays of (their) intellects,—as if (she had produced three) sacrifices
from a fire.
(L. 13.)—The first was Bhagavaddōsha, the prop of his relatives in the paths of
religious actions, just as Uddhava (was) of the Andhakas,—who was a very Vēdhas in
displaying much prudence in the hard-to-be-traversed path of the meaning (of words);
who, like Vidura,⁶ always looked far ahead with deliberation; (and) who is with great
¹ Rājādhirāja; see page 35 above, note 7. ² Paramēśvara; see page 10 above, note 3.
³ lōdhra, also rōdhra; the tree Symplocos Racemosa.
⁴ i.e. "looked at from the wrong side of the feathers."
⁵ The ari-shaṭka or ari-shaḍ-varga, 'the aggregate of six hostile things,' viz. desire, wrath,
covetousness, bewilderment, pride, and envy, which impede the practice of religion.
⁶ An epic hero, the younger brother of Dhṛitarāshṭra and Pāṇḍu, described as the wisest of all
prudent and sagacious people.