South Indian Inscriptions

INCRIPTIONS OF THE KALACHURIS OF TRIPURI

elephants, Śesha, the lord of serpents and the Tortoise, who lost their patience on account of the pain they (had to) bear.

And he?

(V. 5) Where did he not cause temples to be constructed, tanks to be excavated, wells with steps and those without them to be dug, and gardens of mango trees to be planted ?

(V. 6) Having obtained him, eminent by noble descent,¹ as his Prime Minister, the illustrious Yuvarājadēva (I) attained prosperity free from all deficiency, just as the sun being united with the eastern mountain―which, being a principal mountain, appears beautiful,―attains high altitude, completely dispelling the night.

(V. 7) His son was that Sōmēśvara, well-known here, who felt no doubt in (interpreting) the Vēdas ; who was a complete master of grammar ; who was (an) inconceivable (adept) even in logic ; who had a superior intellect in the interpretation of Tantra (works) ; who was the foremost in Vēdānta, (and) clever in remembering poetic compositions.

(V. 8) His intellect did not discard painting;² he was incomparable in conduct and quite skilful in triple symphony; he was matchless in the sciences of the care and examination of elephants and horses and in (the testing of) the three (kinds) of jewels (and) was at the head of the intelligent.

(V. 9) There is only one kalā (i.e., digit of the moon) on the head of Śiva ; the kalās of the moon are well-known to be fifteen (in number) ; (but) who is able to enumerate the pleasing kalās (arts) of the illustrious Bhatta, the Dīkshita Sōmēśvara ?

(V. 10) (The mountain) Mēru is one mass of hoarded gold; the Himālaya has become extremely frigid by its increasing heaps of snow ; the mountain of crystal (i.e., Kailāsa) appears dreadful.³ How can he (i.e., Sōmēśvara) who has bestowed on supplicants his entire store of gold, who has reached the limit of highest knowledge (and) who is gentle (by nature), be compared to this triad of mountains ?

(V. 11) In the sacrifice, he smeared his body with butter, discarding saffron;⁴ for, what is difficult to be accomplished by the self-controlled ?

(V. 12) Of his wives this was the dress on (the days of) Parvan, specially charming, being uncommon,―in which the girdle was set aside (and) a rope of muñja⁵ was worn (instead), the silken garment dropped down (from their bodies), (and) the linen cloth was chosen (in its place)⁶

(V. 13) The multitudes of the house-parrots of him, the sacrificer, said thus at (each) twilight:―‘O Agnīdh⁷! kindle the fires according to prescribed rules. O Adhvaryu !
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¹ There is a play on the words unnati, dōsha (or dōshā) and kula-gōtra, in consequence of which the expressions in which they occur can be understood in connection with both Yuvarājadēva I and the sun.
² Monier-Williams in his Sanskrit Dictionary gives pusta in the sense of painting. It can also be taken in the sense of a book or a record. Compare pustapāla which occurs in several Gupta records in the sense of a record-keeper, see, e.g., Ep. Ind., Vol. XXI, p. 81.
³ There are puns on the words jādya and raudra, which besides the meanings given above convey those of ‘dullness’ and ‘belonging to Rudra’ respectively.
⁴ In the initiatory rite (dīkshanīy-ēshti) of the Agnishtōma sacrifice, the sacrificer is required to anoint himself with butter. See Baudhāyana Śrauta Sūtra (ed. by Caland), p. 157.
⁵ In an ishti, the wife of the sacrificer ties round her waist a threefold girdle of kuśa, called yōkira.
⁶ The meaning of vūra is uncertain, but the context shows that some coarse garment (as contrasted with dukūla, a silken raiment) is meant. On the occasion of agnyādhāna, the sacrificer and his wife are required to dress themselves in garments of linen (kshauma) which may be meant here.
⁷ The priest who kindles fire in a sacrifice.