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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; No. 71, PLATE XLI A. 277
13 râśiḥ phaṇi-phaṇa-kuṭilair=ûrmmi-chakkrais=samantât yâvach-ch=Êndr-âdhivâsô
vividha-maṇi-śilâ-châru-śriṅgaṅ Sumêruḥ śôbh-âḍhyam
14 tâvad=êtad=bhavanam=uru-munêḥ śâśvatatvam=prayâtu || Samvat 200 60 9
Chaittra śu di¹ 7 ||
TRANSLATION.
Ôm ! Victorious for a very long time is that doctrine, replete with fame, of the Teacher,
the chief kinsman of the Śâkyas, by which, lustrous as the full-moon, the inscrutable pri-
mary substance of existence has been pervaded in all directions ; by which the warriors,
who are heretics, obstructive of the path of beatitude, have been broken to pieces, being
assailed with the weapon of logic ; (and) by which the whole treasure of religion, that had
been stolen by the enemy which is original nature, has been recovered for the welfare
of mankind !
(Line 2.)—May he, Mahâ-Kâśyapa, who is worthy of praise, protect you,—he who
observed the precepts of (Buddha) the chief of saints ; who practised that auspicious habit
of abstract meditation which is of the nature of a trance ; who overcame the anguish of suc-
cessive states of existence ; whose wonderful subjugation of the passions in final emanci-
pation (is to be) displayed in the hand of Maitrêya ;² and by whom the two pure feet of
(Buddha) the saint were beheld at the time of attaining nirvâṇa !³
(L. 4.)—His disciples, endowed with a connected tradition of doctrine, purified as to
(their) emotions, (and) active in compassion for existing beings, roamed at one time over
the stainless country at the feet of the mountains of Laṅkâ ; and in succession from them
there were born, in hundreds, disciples and disciples' disciples, possessed of the virtue of
(good) character, who, without the glory of (actual) sovereignty, were the ornaments of a
lofty race of kings.
(L. 6.)—Then there was the Śramaṇa Bhava, whose welfare was effected by the
development of abstract meditation ; who discriminated between good and evil ; who
destroyed error ; (and) who possessed an unequalled wealth of true religion.
(L. 7.)—And his disciple (was) he who had the name of Râhula ; after whom (there
came) the ascetic Upasêna (I.) ; then in succession (there was) Mahânâman (I.) ; (and)
after him another Upasêna (II.), whose special characteristic of affection, of the kind
that is felt towards offspring,—for any distressed man who came to him for protection,
and for any afflicted person whose fortitude had been destroyed by the continuous flight of
the arrows of adversity,—extended, in conformity with the disposition of a kinsman, (even)
to any cruel man who might seek to do (him) harm ; (and) by whose fame, arising from
good actions, the whole world was thus completely filled.
¹ As regards the interpretation of the symbol for the day, see page 274 above, note 2.
² Maitrêya is a Bôdhisattva, at present in the Tushita heaven, who is to be the next Buddha.
And the present passage, which is rather obscure, is perhaps explained by the injunction which
Buddha, when on the point of attaining nirvâṇa, gave to Mahâ-Kâśyapa, to deliver over his kâshâya
or yellow robe (and with it the transmission of the Buddhist doctrine) to Maitrêya, when he should
attain the condition of a Buddha (see Beal's Buddh. Rec. West. World, Vol. II. p. 142 ff.)
³ Mahâ-Kâśyapa was seated in meditation, when suddenly a bright light burst forth, and he
perceived the earth shaking. And then, exerting his divine sight in order to ascertain what wonder-
ful event was indicated by this portent, he saw Buddha in the act of entering on nirvâṇa (see id.
Vol. II. p. 161).