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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 55, PLATE XXXIV. 241
purity of mind, and with other meritorious qualities; who belonged to an uninterrupted
succession of sons and sons' sons, whose treasure and means of government had been
accumulating for a hundred years; who behaved like Yudhishṭhira;—
(L. 4.)—Who¹ was the son of the Mahârâja of the Vâkâṭakas, the illustrious
Rudrasêna (I.), who² was an excessively devout devotee of (the god) Svâmi-Maha-
bhairava; who was the daughter's son of the illustrious Bhavanâga, the Mahârâja of the
Bhâraśivas, whose royal line owed its origin to the great satisfaction of (the god) Śiva,
(caused) by (their) carrying a liṅga of Śiva placed as a load upon (their) shoulders, (and)
who were besprinkled on the forehead with the pure water of (the river) Bhâgîrathî that
had been obtained by (their) valour, (and) who performed ablutions after the celebration
of ten aśvamêdha-sacrifices;—who³ was the son of Gautamîputra;—
(L. 1.)—(And) who⁴ was the son of the son of the Mahârâja of the sovereign
Vâkâṭakas, the illustrious Pravarasêna (I.), who celebrated the agniśṭôma,⁵ aptôr-
yâma, ukthya, shôḍaśin, âtirâtra,⁶ vâjapêya, brihaspatisava,⁷ and sâdyaskra⁸ sacrifices
and four aśvamêdha-sacrifices, (and) was of the Vishṇuvṛiddha gôtra:—
(L. 18.)—The village named Charmâṅka, on the bank of the river Madhunadî,
in the Bhôjakaṭa kingdom, (measured) by eight thousand bhûmîs,⁹ (or in figures) 8000,
according to the royal measure, is, at the request of Koṇḍarâja, the son of Śatrughna-
râja, given to one thousand Brâhmaṇs of various gôtras and charaṇas.
(L. 21.)—Wherefore Our¹⁰ obedient and high-born¹¹ officers, employed in the office of
general superintendents,¹² (and Our) regular soldiers and umbrella-bearers, should be
(thus) directed with a command preceded by (the words) 'O illustrious one':— "Be it
known to you, that, in order to increase Our religion and life and strength and victory and
dominion, (and) for the sake of (Our) welfare in this world and in the next, (and)
¹ i.e. Prithivîshêṇa.
² i.e. Rudrasêna I.
³ See page 237 above, note 1.
⁴ i.e. Rudrasêna I.
⁵ The agniśṭôma, lit. 'praise of the god Agni, or fire,' was a protracted sacrifice, extending over
five days in spring, and forming one of the parts of the Jyôtishṭôma, which was one of the principal
sacrifices connected with the sacred Sôma plant and juice. Other parts of the Jyôtishṭôma sacrifice
were the aptôryâma, ukthya, shôḍaśin, âtirâtra, and vâjapêya ceremonies, which are mentioned in
the text here; the seventh, and last, part being the atyagniśṭôma, which is not here mentioned.
⁶ Monier Williams, in his Sanskrit Dictionary, gives only the form atirâtra, with the short vowel
a in the first syllable; so also Max Müller in his Sanskrit Literature, p. 177, note. But the Text
here distinctly gives the long vowel â. And, though in line 1 of the next inscription, page 245 below,
the vowel is rather imperfectly formed, yet a comparison with bhâgîratthy-âmala, in line 5 of the
same, shews that there also the vowel â is intended.
⁷ The brihaspatisava was another sacrifice, lasting a day, apparently connected with Bṛihaspati,
the priest and preceptor of the gods.
⁸ The sâdyaskra was another sacrifice, of which I have not been able to find any explanation in
the books of reference available.
⁹ bhûmî, lit. 'land, the earth,' is evidently used here as some technical land-measure, the value
of which is not known.
¹⁰ asmat-santaka, lit. 'belonging to Us;' see Childers' Pâli Dictionary, s. v. santaka.
¹¹ kulaputra.
¹² Sarvâdhyaksha.