South Indian Inscriptions

INSCRIPTIONS OF THE EARLY GURJARAS

of those who long (for rain). Though brave, he was always apprehensive of (incurring) infamy ; though free from avarice, he had an unceasing thirst for the acquisition of virtues ; though he was in the habit of giving everything, he was averse to giving his heart to others’ wives¹ ; though eloquent, he was dull-witted in abusing others; His handsome form was not opposed to good character; (nor) his youth, to good conduct ; (nor) his wealth, to charity ; (nor) his pursuit of the three (aims of life), to the absence of mutual conflict (among them)² ; (nor) his power to forgiveness ; (nor his living in) the Kali age, to (his possession of) virtues.

(L. 25) His son, the illustrious Dadda [II] who has attained the Pañchamahāśabda,³ ─who has covered the expanse of the sky all round with the shoots of his fame as white as the night-lotuses which are made to bloom by the rays of the moon as she emerges from a mass of water-laden clouds; the prowess of whose spotless sword is (always) being loudly celebrated in songs in the guise of the morning lamentations of the virtuous wives of the hostile neighbouring princes, who were slain (by him) when they opposed him in many dangerous battles ; whose head is radiant with a crown shining with the bright rays of the tips⁴ of diamonds (set in it) which are scratched in making obeisance to the lotus-like feet of gods, Brāhmanas and elderly persons; the store of whose religious merit─the sole companion in heaven──is being increased by the unwearied⁵ fulfilment of the desire for wealth of the poor, the helpless and the sick, guests and supplicants ; who shows himself as a cultured man of the town by winning (again) by means of sweet words preceded by obeisance, the favour of proud ladies who are made angry by (their) love (for him) ; who has cast the mass of the dense darkness of the Kali age into the cage of the rays of his spotless virtues─ (he), being in good health, thus informs all the kings, feudatories, Bhōgikas and heads of vishayas, the Mahattaras of rāshtras (provinces) and villages, officials and others-

(L. 33) ‘Be it known to you! For the increase of the religious merit and fame of Our mother and father and of Ourself, We have granted with a libation of water, fixing first (the immunities) in the case of the community of the Chāturvēdins,6 on the full-moon day of Kārttika, this village (viz.,) Śirīshapadraka situated in the vishaya of Akrūrēśvara ─together with udranga and uparikara, inclusive of all dues, and exempt from all gifts, forced labour and special rights,─which is not to be entered by chātas and bhatas, according to the maxim of waste land, (and) which is to be enjoyed by a succession of sons and sons’ sons (of the donees) as long as the moon, the sun, the ocean and the earth will en-
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¹Dr. Fleet translates: ‘He was averse to destroying the hearts of the wives of other men’s and remarks ‘The play is on the two meanings of dāna ‘giving’ and ‘cutting or destroying.’ The idea of cutting the hearts of others’ wives is not met with elsewhere in Sanskrit literature. The contrast intended here is between his readiness to give everything to supplicants and his aversion to give his love to others’ wives.
²As Dr. Fleet has pointed out, the words joined here are paraspara and apīdana. The sense intended to be conveyed is that king practiced dharma, artha and kāma, avoiding all conflict among them.
³I. e., the right to use five musical instrument. J. B. B. R. A. S., N. S., vol. I., pp. 23 f.
⁴Fleet translates vajra-mani-kōti by ‘a crore of diamonds,’ But the idea that tips of diamonds are brightened by rubbing in the act of salutation is common in Sanskrit literature.
⁵Fleet translates klishta by ‘people in distress’, but the word is aklishta and its position after jana shows that it is used here as an adverb modifying paripūrita.
⁶Parikalpanā is derived from Pari-klip, to fix or to settle Chāturvvidya-Parikalpanā-purvvam corresponds to Chāturvidy-āgrahara-maryādā which generally occurs in Vākātaka records and probably refers to the fixing of immunities in the case of agrahāra villages granted to Chāturvēdins. Fleet, however, translates it as ‘preceded (as a primary object) by providing for the community of Chāturvēdis.’