South Indian Inscriptions

INCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF TRIPURI

( the temple which is so high that) it lessens the fatigue of multitudes of celestial damsels playing in the sky, with the breezes of the flags waving from its golden spires.

(V.14) He established a settlement of Brāhmaņas¹ called Karņāvatī, the foremost abode of bliss, the root of the creeper of Vedic scholarship, the crown of the heavenly river^² (and) the world of Brahmā on the surface of the earth.

(V.15) That lord of Kalachuris begot on the illustrious Āvalladēvī, the goddess of fortune produced from the ocean of the Hūņa family, the illustrious Yaśahkarņadēva, the splendour of whose fame is the companion of the waves of the milk-ocean, that surge up mistaking it for rise of the moon.³

(V.16) Of this pious prince the father, whose actions were pure, being guided by his family priest, performed himself the great coronation ceremony in the quadrangle (surrounded) by the great oceans, which had the sun and the moon as lamps and which was rendered resplendent by the lord of mountains⁴ as by a full jar.

(V.17) Glorious is he, who, like a jewel-lamp of the Jambūdvīpa⁵ shines in the Kali age, as (the jewel-lamp shines) in the darkness of the night; who is not influenced by partiality for the assemblies of wicked men, as a jewel-lamp is not filled by the wings of nightmoths,⁶ and who does not display evil conduct as a jewel-lamp does not give out lamp-black

(V.18) If the milk of the cow of plenty were put in two shells made of the wish-fulfilling gem, then there would be seen a likeness with the white and red eyes of this liberal king

(V.19) He set up high pillars of victory near the confines of the earth, as companions of the posts to which the elephants of the quarters are tied.

(V.20) (This) liberal (king) pours five or six drops of water on the hands of Brāhmaņas. Even with these, they satisfy their desire for wealth, and afterwards show their contempt for (the ocean which is) the mine of jewels.⁷

(V.21) Occupying a high position like Mēru, (this) ruler of the earth exceedingly gratifies the suppliants by his great gifts such as the tulā-purusha.⁸

(V.22) Bright as the tusks of the elephants of the lord of heaven, white like the conches of the milky ocean, and (resplendent) like the slough of the serpent which forms the couch of Vishnu, his fame has attained abundance.

(V.23) Extirpating with ease the lord of Andhra, the graceful movements of whose arms were flawless, he worshipped with (the offerings of) many ornaments the holy Bhīmēśvara, near whom the Gōdāvarī, with her dancing eye-brows of waves, sings his glory with the seven notes of her streams⁹ sweet with the cries of the intoxicated swans.
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¹ Kielhorn and following him, Hiralal translate Vra(Bra)hma-stambhō by ‘the pillar of piety’. But the correct expression is Brahma-stambō which means ‘a settlement of Brāhmaņas’, see above, No.43, line 2.
² This seems to suggest that the settlement was situated on the bank of the Gangā.
³ For fame is white like moon-beams.
⁴ I.e., Himālaya. What the poet intends to convey is that Yaśahkarņa was crowned Emperor of the whole earth surrounded by the four oceans.
⁵ Jambūdvīpa is the central division of the world, including India, Ep. Ind., Vol. II, p. 6, n. 44.
⁶ There is a play on the world paksha-pāta meaning (1) partiality and (2) the fall of wings.
⁷. The intended sense is that the king’s gifts are more precious than the treasure inside the ocean.
^8. Tulā-purusha means the gifts of some precious metal like gold equal to man’s weight. For this and other mahādānas see Hēmādri’s Chaturvaragachintāmaņi, Dānakhaņda (Banaras ed.) Vol. I, pp. 175 ff.
⁹ The seven mouths of the Gōdāvarī. by which it is traditionally supposed to have reached the sea, are sacred to the seven sages. They are the Kāśyapa or the Tulyā, the Atri or Coringa, the Gautami,