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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 49, PLATE XXXI A. 223
3 Kālaḥ¹ śattru-mahībhujāṁ praṇayināṁ ichchhā-phalaḥ pādapô l² dīpaḥ
kshattra-kulasya naika-samara-vyāpāra-śôbhāvataḥ [।*]
4 kāntā-chitta-haraḥ Smara-pratisamaḥ pātā va(ba)bhūva kshitêḥ śrī-Śārdûla
iti pratishṭhita-yaśā[h*] sāmanta-chūḍāmaṇiḥ ॥
5 Utpakshm-āntavilôhit-ôru-tarala-spashṭ-êshṭa-tārāṁ rushā l³ śrī-Śārdûla-nṛipaḥ
karôti vishamāṁ yattra sva-dṛishṭiṁ ripô(pau) ।
6 tattr-ākarṇṇa-vikṛishṭa-śārṅga-śaradhi-vyastaś=śarô=tt(nt)-āvahah tat-puttrasya
pataty=ananta-sukha-dasy=Ânantavarmma-śrutêḥ ॥
TRANSLATION.
Ôm! He, Anantavarman, who was the excellent son, captivating the hearts of
mankind, of the illustrious Śardûla,⁴ (and) who, possessed of very great virtues, adorned by
his own (high) birth the family of the Maukhari kings,—he, of unsullied fame, with joy
caused to be made, as if it were his own fame represented in bodily form in the world, this
beautiful image, placed in (this) cave of the mountain Pravaragiri, of (the god) Kṛishṇa.
(Line 3.)—The illustrious Śārdûla, of firmly established fame, the best among
chieftains,⁵ became the ruler of the earth ;—he who was a very Death to hostile kings;
who was a tree, the fruits of which were the (fulfilled) wishes of (his) favourites; who
was the torch of the family of the warrior caste, that is glorious through waging many
battles; (and) who, charming the thoughts of lovely women, resembled (the god)
Smara.
(L. 5.)—On whatsoever enemy the illustrious king Śārdûla casts in anger his
scowling eye, the expanded and tremulous and clear and beloved pupil of which is red at
the corners between the up-lifted brows,—on him there falls the death-dealing arrow, dis-
charged from the bowstring⁶ drawn up to (his) ear, of his son, the giver of endless plea-
sure, who has the name⁷ of Anantavarman.
No. 49; PLATE XXXI A.
NAGARJUNI HILL CAVE INSCRIPTION OF ANANTAVARMAN.
THIS inscription, again, appears to have been discovered, about 1785, by Mr. J. H
Harington, and was first brought to notice, in 1790, in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. II.
p. 168 f., where Sir Charles Wilkins published his translation of it, apparently from
a copy made under the direction of Mr. Harington.⁸—In 1847, in the Jour. Beng.
As. Soc. Vol. XVI. p. 401 ff., Major Markham Kittoe published a lithograph of it
¹ Metre, Śārdūlavikrīḍita ; and in the following verse.
² and ³ These marks of punctuation are unnecessary.
⁴ As regards this abbreviated form of his name, see page 8 above, note 3.
⁵ Sāmanta; see page 148 above, note 1. The use of the word here perhaps indicates the
exact status of these Maukhari chiefs.
⁶ śaradhi, lit. ‘the arrow-holder,’ is usually explained by ‘quiver.’ But here it plainly denotes
the string of the bow.
⁷ lit. ‘the hearing, the sound.’
⁸ See also the Calcutta reprint of the Asiatic Researches, Vol. II. p. 129.