South Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE EARLY GURJARAS

brahmadēya field belonging to the Brāhmana Narma residing at Kōrillā─this field thus defined by its four boundaries, together with the udranga¹ and the uparikara, with taxes on things manufactured or imported (into the village),² with its income in grain and gold, with (fines imposed for) the ten offences³, with the right to forced labour arising therefrom,⁴ with houses, immovables and movables, streets, (the right to) ingress, egress (and) (free) movements, pasture-lands for four-footed animals, step-wells, (other) wells tanks, (and other) things necessary for living in the villages;⁵ free from the interference of all officers of the state ; exclusive of grants previously made to gods and Brāhmansa; (which is) to be enjoyed according to the maxim of waste land, successively by sons, sons’ sons, and their descendants as long as the moon, the sun, the ocean, the earth, rivers and mountains will endure,─to the Brāhmana Dēvasvāmin, who is known by the name Kallumbara which we have given him; (who is) the son of the Brāhmana Datta, who belongs to the Prāgāyana gōtra (and) is a student of the Mādhyandina ( śākhā) of the Vājasanēya (i.e., White Yajurvēda); who has emigrated from (the city of ) Girinagara and is now residing at the agrahāra (village) Śraddhikā and belongs to the community of the Chāturvēdins of the place,─for the performance of the five great sacrifices (viz.) bali, charu, vaiśvadēva, agnihōtra, (reception of) guests and such other (religious) rites.

(L. 31) Wherefore, none should cause obstruction while he is enjoying (it), cultivating (it), or causing (it) to be cultivated or directing (others to cultivate it) in according with the rules applicable to brahmadāya (land). And future gracious kings, whether born in our family or others, should consent to this our gift and preserve it ! Whoever with his mind shrouded by the veil of the darkness of ignorance, would confiscate it or allow it to be confiscated, shall incur the five great sins together with the minor sins.”

(L. 34) And it has been said by the holy Vyāsa, the redactor of the Vēdas─ (Here follow six imprecatory and benedictive verses).

(L. 41) This (charter) has been written by the Mahābalādhikrita Kēśava, the son of The Bhōgika…. on the fifteenth (tithi) of the bright fortnight of Māgha in the year four hundred increased by fifty-six. The dūtaka of this (charter) is the Balādhikrita Bāvulla. This is recorded on [Tuesday] the month [Māgha, the bright fortnight, the lunar day 10 and 5] in the year 400 (and) 50 (and) ⁶.

This is the sign-manual of Me, the illustrious Jayabhata (III).
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¹As remarked by Bhagvanlal, some of these rights and privileges are hardly appropriate in the case of the donation of a field.
²As Dr. Altekar has shown (Rashtrakūtas and Their Times, P. 229), vāta refers to the articles imported and bhūta to those manufactured in the village. The expression sometimes occurs in the form ‘bhūt-ōpātta-pratyāya,’ Notice the analogous expression sa-bāby-ābhyantar-ādāyam ‘together with external and internal taxes’ in Ichhāwār plates of Paramardideva. Ind. Ant., Vol. XXV, pp. 205 ff.
³These are probably identical with the ten sins enumerated in the Śukranītisāra (adhyāya 3, sl. 6) viz., murder, theft, adultery, slander, harsh language, lying, divulgence of secrets, evil design, atheism and perverseness. The same enumeration occurs in the Ashtāngahridaya of Vāgbhata. Cf. also Fleet, C. I. I., Vol. III, p. 189, n. 4.
⁴Pandit Bhagvanlal omits sōtpadyamāna in the translation.
⁵Pandit Bhagvanlal translates padr-ōpajīvya-samētam by ‘with those who live on the skirts of the village.’ Padra, which often occurs at the end of a village-name, seems to mean a village, here, the people living in the village. The expression seems to convey some miscellaneous rights enjoyed by villagers.