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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 51, PLATE XXXII A. 229
northern class of alphabets, and are radically of much the same type as those of the
Asîrgaḍh seal of Śarvavarman, No. 47 above, Plate xxxA.; but the execution is, in some
details, still more florid. In dôrbhyâm, line 1, kîrttêr, line 4, karair=guṇair=guṇavatâm,
line 5, and other places, we have to note that the superscript r is formed on the top line
of the writing, instead of above it.—The language is Sanskrit; and the extant portion of
the inscription is in verse throughout.—In respect of orthography, the only points that
call for notice are (1) the doubling of k, t, and d, in conjunction with a following r, e.g. in
kkrûra, line 5; kshattrêṇa, line 1; and upaddravair, line 5; and (2) the use of v for b, in
lavdha, line 1.
The inscription mentions, in line 4, a 'king' named Îśvaravarman, of the
Maukhari, or as it is here called the Mukhara family, who is evidently the Mahârâja
Îśvaravarman, the grandfather of Śarvavarman, who is mentioned in line 5 of the
Asîrgaḍh seal, No. 47 above, page 219. But the lacunæ in the following lines are so exten-
sive, that it is impossible to say whether the historical information given in them refers to
Îśvaravarman, or to one of his descendants. It is much to be wished that the first half of
the stone could be recovered; since, in addition to clearing up this point, it would probably
give the name of a king in connection with the city of Dhârâ that is mentioned in line 6,
and also the name of a king in connection with the Andhras who are spoken of in lines
7 and 8; and the latter information might afford the much-wanted starting-point for settling
the chronology of the Andhra family. It would probably give us also the name of a king of
Saurâshṭra or Kâṭhiâwâḍ, in connection with the mountain Raivataka that is men-
tioned in line 7. The extant portion of the inscription contains no date, and nothing to
indicate a sectarian character.

**TEXT.**¹

1 ² . . . . . . . . . . . r(?). ksh(?). l(?). gam³ || Dôrbhyâm⁴=[Â]tmabhuvô dhanuḥ
saha-bhuvâ kshattrêṇa lavdh(bdh)-âtmanâ vistâr⁷
2 . . . . . . . . [u]dayini⁵ Mukharâṇâṁ bhûbhujâm=anvavâyê | sakala-
purusha-śakti-vyakta-śâṅrga-pratâpô
3 . . . . . . . . . . . karmmaṇâ⁶ yajñaṁ dh[û]ma-vitâna-mêgha-nivahaḥ puṇyaṁ
vitênê divi ||⁷
4 . . . . . . . . . . . laka⁸-srast-âlakâgram kulaiḥ || Tasya⁹ dikshu [v]itat-
âmala-kîrttêr=âtmajô nṛipatir=Îśvaravarmmâ
¹ From the ink-impression.
² If (since we have a half-mark of punctuation after anvavâyê in line 2) we accept the double mark
of punctuation after the fourth extant akshara of this line as marking properly the end of a verse,
seventy-two aksharas have been cut away and lost here. If, however, it marks only the end of the
second pâda of a verse, then only thirty-eight aksharas are lost.—I have tried several ways of
arranging the verses, in order to determine exactly how many aksharas are lost at the commencement
of each line, but without being able to satisfy myself. The probability is, however, that the larger
number (seventy-two) has been lost at the beginning of this line, and in proportion all the way down.
³ Metre, doubtful. ⁴ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita.
⁵ Metre, Mâlinî.
⁶ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita.
⁷ This mark of punctuation is followed by some scroll-work, to fill up the line.
⁸ Metre, Śârdûlavikrîḍita.
Metre, Svâgatâ.