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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 59, PLATE XXXVI C. 253
tion than the pillar itself; and this suggests that possibly the present position of the pillar
is not its original one. On the south side of the pillar, towards the top of the square base,
there is engraved, in two lines of rather rough Dêvanâgarî characters of about the tenth
to the twelfth century A.D., Śrī-yōgī Vra(bra)hmasâgara, "the holy ascetic, Brahmasâ-
gara;" with perhaps an imperfect date below, of (Vikrama-Saṁvat) 1008 (A.D. 951-52).
And this may possibly indicate the period when the pillar was placed in its present position.
The writing, which covers a space of about 9' 4" broad by 2' 6½" high, is in a state
of almost perfect preservation throughout.—The size of the letters varies from 1⅛" to 2".
The characters must be regarded as belonging to the northern class of alphabets.
They include the so-called Indo-Scythic form of m, quite in accordance with the date of
the record. They also include, in line 1, forms of the numerical symbols for 8, 20, and
400.—The language is Sanskrit; and the entire inscription is in prose.—In respect of
orthography, we have to notice (1) the use of the jihvâmûlîya in yaśaḫ-kula, line 4;
(2) the use of the guttural nasal, instead of the anusvâra, in viṅśêshu, line 1, and vaṅśa,
line 4; (3) the doubling throughout of t, in conjunction with a following r, e.g. in puttrêṇa,
line 2; (4) the doubling of p, once, under the same circumstances, in suppratishṭhita,
line 2; (5) the very exceptional doubling of ś, in conjunction with a following r and y, in
śśrêyô, line 4, and pañchadaśśyâm, line 2; (6) the doubling of bh in conjunction with a
following y, in abbhyudaya, line 4; and (7) the doubling of t, in conjunction with a follow-
ing v, in puttrattva, line 4.
The inscription is one of a Râja named Vishṇuvardhana, of the Varika tribe.
It is dated, both in words and in numerical symbols, when the year four hundred and
twenty-eight had expired; on the fifteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight of the month
Phâlguṇa (February-March). The era is not stated; but the type of the characters indi-
cates with the locality of the inscription, that we must refer the date to the Mâlava or
Vikrama era, with the result of A.D. 371-72 expired, and A.D. 372-73 current. And this
shews that the Varika Vishṇuvardhana was in all probability a feudatory of the Early
**Gupta king Samudragupta.**¹ The inscription is non-sectarian; the object of it only
being to record the erection, by Vishṇuvardhana, of this pillar, which is called a yûpa
or 'sacrificial post,' on the completion of a puṇḍarîka-sacrifice.
TEXT.²
1 Siddham [1*] Kṛitêshu chaturshu varsha-śatêshv=ashṭâviṅśêshu 400 20 8
2 Phâlguṇa(na)-bahulasya pañchadaśśyâm=êtasyâm=pûrvvâyâm³ [1*]
3 Kṛitau puṇḍarîkê yûpô=yam=pratishṭhâpitas=suppratishṭhita-râjya-nâmadhêyêna
śrî-Vishṇuvarddhanêna Varikêna Yaśôvarddhana-sat-puttrêṇa
Yaśôrâta-sat-pauttrêṇa Vyâghrarâta-sat-prapauttrêṇa⁴
¹ If we refer the date to the Śaka era, the result, A.D. 506-7, might perhaps be used to
identify this Vishṇuvardhana with the king of the same name mentioned in the Mandasôr inscription
of Mâlava-Saṁvat 589 (A.D. 532-33). But there is nothing to justify us in assuming that the Śaka era
was ever used in early times in this part of the country. Also, the form of m, as a northern letter, is
too early for that period. And, as is shewn by his titles of Râjâdhirâja and Paramêśvara, as well as
by the general tenor of his inscription, the Vishṇuvardhana of the Mandasôr record was a far greater
person than this Vishṇuvardhana, the Varika.
² From the original stone. ³ Supply tithau.
⁴ The form of ya that occurs here differs from the form used in the other instances throughout
this inscription, in the distinct loop on the right hand of the bottom of the letter.