Metadata

Support
Āyaka pillar in two fragments; h. 182 (NM 301), 155 (NM 502) ×  w. 46 ×  d. 30 cm. In recomposed state, the total height of the remains of the pillar would be less than the sum of the two recorded height dimensions.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 88 ×  w. 56 cm .
Date
Sixth regnal year of Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, approximately between 225 and 275 CE.
Origin
Erected originally at findspot.
Provenance
Discovered between March 1926 and October 1927 at Nagarjunakonda, Site 1, on the West side of the Mahācaitya. Fragments identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 301, 502) in February 2016.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos JM 2017 (of top part only)
  • photos AL 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Vogel 1929–30a
  • estampage Leiden N6 (bottom), N7 (top)
  • Raghunath 2001 The estampages shown in this publication under entries 5 and 6 together belong to EIAD 5.
    • Editors
    Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Vogel 1929–30a: 14, 19-20 (C2) . Edited again, from the EI estampage, by Sircar 1942: 222-4 and Sircar 1965: 231-3 . Re-edited here from the Leiden estampage sheets and after autopsy of the fragments of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa saṁma{saṁma}saṁbudhasa dhātuvara(2)parigahitasa mahācetiye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa (3) °agihotāgiṭho{giṭho}mavājapeyāsamedhayājisa hiraṇakoṭigosata(4)sahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa savathesu °apatihatasaṁkapasa (5) vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricātamūlasa sodaraya bhaginiya haṁma(6)siriṁṇikāya bālikā raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa bhayā mahādevi bapisiriṁṇikā (7) °apano mātaraṁ haṁmasiriṇikaṁ parinam⟨e⟩tuna °atane ca nivāṇasaṁpatisa⟨ṁ⟩pādake (8) °imaṁ selathaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ °acari[yā]naṁ °aparamahāvinaseliyānaṁ suparigahita⟨ṁ⟩ (9) °imaṁ mahācetiyanavakamaṁ paṁṇagāmavathavānaṁ dīghamajhimapaṁdamātukadesa⟨kavā⟩cakānaṁ (10) °a⟨ca⟩rayāna °ayirahaghāna °aṁtevāsikena dīghama⟨jhima⟩nigayadharena bhadaṁtānaṁdena (11) niṭhapita °ima navakama mahācetiya khaṁbhā ca ṭhapitā ti raṁño s⟨i⟩riviripurisadatasa (12) ◊ saṁva 6 vāpa 6 diva 10

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato devarājasakatasa saṁma{saṁma}saṁbudhasa dhātuvara-
    (2)parigahitasa mahācetiye mahārajasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa
    (3) °agihotāgiṭho{giṭho}mavājapeyāsamedhayājisa hiraṇakoṭigosata-
    (4)sahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa savathesu °apatihatasaṁkapasa
    (5) vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricātamūlasa sodaraya bhaginiya haṁma-
    (6)siriṁṇikāya bālikā raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa bhayā mahādevi bapisiriṁṇikā
    (7) °apano mātaraṁ haṁmasiriṇikaṁ parinam⟨e⟩tuna °atane ca nivāṇasaṁpatisa⟨ṁ⟩pādake
    (8) °imaṁ selathaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ °acari[yā]naṁ °aparamahāvinaseliyānaṁ suparigahita⟨ṁ⟩
    (9) °imaṁ mahācetiyanavakamaṁ paṁṇagāmavathavānaṁ dīghamajhimapaṁdamātukadesa⟨kavā⟩cakānaṁ
    (10) °a⟨ca⟩rayāna °ayirahaghāna °aṁtevāsikena dīghama⟨jhima⟩nigayadharena bhadaṁtānaṁdena
    (11) niṭhapita °ima navakama mahācetiya khaṁbhā ca ṭhapitā ti raṁño s⟨i⟩riviripurisadatasa
    (12) ◊ saṁva 6 vāpa 6 diva 10 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
               <lb n="1"/>
               <w xml:id="tok180">sidhaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok181">namo</w>
               <w xml:id="tok182">bhagavato</w>
               <w xml:id="tok183">devarājasakatasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok184">saṁma<surplus>saṁma</surplus>saṁbudhasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok185">dhātuvara<lb n="2" break="no"/>parigahitasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok186">mahācetiye</w>
               <w xml:id="tok187">mahārajasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok188">virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa</w>
               <lb n="3"/>
               <w xml:id="tok189">°agihotāgiṭho<surplus>giṭho</surplus>mavājapeyāsamedhayājisa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok190">hiraṇakoṭigosata<lb n="4" break="no"/>sahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok191">savathesu</w>
               <w xml:id="tok192">°apatihatasaṁkapasa</w>
               <lb n="5"/>
               <w xml:id="tok193">vāsiṭhīputasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok194">°ikhākusa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok195">siricātamūlasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok196">sodaraya</w>
               <w xml:id="tok197">bhaginiya</w>
               <w xml:id="tok198">haṁma<lb n="6" break="no"/>siriṁṇikāya</w>
               <w xml:id="tok199">bālikā</w>
               <w xml:id="tok200">raṁño</w>
               <w xml:id="tok201">sirivirapurisadatasa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok202">bhayā</w>
               <w xml:id="tok203">mahādevi</w>
               <w xml:id="tok204">bapisiriṁṇikā</w>
               <lb n="7"/>
               <w xml:id="tok205">°apano</w>
               <w xml:id="tok206">mātaraṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok207">haṁmasiriṇikaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok208">parinam<supplied reason="omitted">e</supplied>tuna</w>
               <w xml:id="tok209">°atane</w>
               <w xml:id="tok210">ca</w>
               <w xml:id="tok211">nivāṇasaṁpatisa<supplied reason="omitted">ṁ</supplied>pādake</w>
               <lb n="8"/>
               <w xml:id="tok212">°imaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok213">selathaṁbhaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok214">patiṭhapitaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok215">°acari<unclear>yā</unclear>naṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok216">°aparamahāvinaseliyānaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok217">suparigahita<supplied reason="omitted">ṁ</supplied>
               </w>
               <lb n="9"/>
               <w xml:id="tok218">°imaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok219">mahācetiyanavakamaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok220">paṁṇagāmavathavānaṁ</w>
               <w xml:id="tok221">dīghamajhimapaṁdamātukadesa<supplied reason="omitted">kavā</supplied>cakānaṁ</w>
               <lb n="10"/>
               <w xml:id="tok222">°a<supplied reason="omitted">ca</supplied>rayāna</w>
               <w xml:id="tok223">°ayirahaghāna</w>
               <w xml:id="tok224">°aṁtevāsikena</w>
               <w xml:id="tok225">dīghama<supplied reason="omitted">jhima</supplied>nigayadharena</w>
               <w xml:id="tok226">bhadaṁtānaṁdena</w>
               <lb n="11"/>
               <w xml:id="tok227">niṭhapita</w>
               <w xml:id="tok228">°ima</w>
               <w xml:id="tok229">navakama</w>
               <w xml:id="tok230">mahācetiya</w>
               <w xml:id="tok231">khaṁbhā</w>
               <w xml:id="tok232">ca</w>
               <w xml:id="tok233">ṭhapitā</w>
               <w xml:id="tok234">ti</w>
               <w xml:id="tok235">raṁño</w>
               <w xml:id="tok236">s<supplied reason="omitted">i</supplied>riviripurisadatasa</w>
               <lb n="12"/>
               <space type="horizontal" quantity="11" unit="character"/>
               
               <w xml:id="tok238">saṁva</w>
               <w xml:id="tok239">6</w>
               <w xml:id="tok240">vāpa</w>
               <w xml:id="tok242">6</w>
               <w xml:id="tok243">diva</w>
               <w xml:id="tok244">10</w>
            </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (5) -mūlasa The shape of the <ū> is unusual, with the length marker stemming from the centre of the akṣara.
    • (5) sodaraya sodarāya JPhV . Understand sodarāya.
    • (7) parinam⟨e⟩tuna °atane In his n. 10, Vogel proposes to read parināmetūna(ṁ) °atano. While it indeed seems necessary to emend atano, the spelling parināmetuna is found in the same context in at least four other inscriptions (EIAD 12, l. 7; 14, l. 8; 18, l. 8; 19, l. 9) and so must be accepted as intentional.
    • (7) -sa⟨ṁ⟩pādake -saṁpādake JPhV .
    • (8) selathaṁbhaṁ Emend selakhaṁbhaṁ? The compound is normally with -khaṁbha.
    • (8) patiṭhapitaṁ patithapitaṁ JPhV .
    • (9) -paṁdamātuka- Emend -paṁcamātuka-, as in EIAD 6, l. 11.
    • (10) °a⟨ca⟩rayāna °arayāna[ṁ] JPhV . Vogel proposes to emend ācariyānaṁ. This is supported by EIAD 6, l. 11, but °acariyāna⟨ṁ⟩ is also a possibility that is supported internally (by l. 8 of the present inscription).
    • (10) °ayirahaghāna °ayirahaghāna[ṁ] JPhV . Understand °ayirahaṁghānaṁ, cf. 6, l. 11.
    • (10) dīghama⟨jhima⟩nigayadharena dīghamanigayadharena JPhV . The restitution was already proposed by Vogel in a note, with reference to 6, l. 12.
    • (11) niṭhapita °ima navakama mahācetiya niṭhapita[ṁ] ima[ṁ] navakama[ṁ] mahācetiya[ṁ] JPhV . The parallel in 6, l. 12, shows that nithapitaṁ °imaṁ navakamaṁ mahācetiyaṁ is indeed to be understood, but we hesitate to assume involuntary omission of four anusvāras in a row.
    • (11) khaṁbhā khambhā JPhV .

    Translation

    (1-2) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!
    (2-11) At the Great Shrine, the Great Queen Bapisiriṇṇikā — child of Hammasiriṇṇikā, uterine sister of Great King Vāsiṭṭhīputta Siri-Cāntamūla the Ikṣvāku, favored by Mahāsena who has Virūpākṣa as his lord, sacrificer of the Agnihotra, the Agniṣṭoma, the Vājapeya and the Aśvamedha, giver of tens of millions of (pieces of) gold, hundreds of thousands of cows and hundreds of thousands of plows (of land), whose will is unimpeded in all matters; wife of king Siri-Vīrapurisadatta — having dedicated (the merit) to her own mother Hammasiriṇṇikā and for accomplishing the fortune of nirvāṇa for herself established this stone pillar. This construction of the Great Shrine has been firmly received by the Aparamahāvinaseliya teachers. This construction[, namely this] Great Shrine has been completed and the pillars established by the venerable Ānanda, preserver of the Long and Middle Divisions, pupil of the master, the noble Haṅgha, resident of the village Paṇṇa, the instructor and transmitter of the Long and Middle (Divisions) and the Five Matrices.
    (11-12) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

    Commentary

    • (5) -mūlasa the shape of the <-ū> is unusual, with the length marker stemming from the centre of the akṣara.
    • (9-10) paṁṇagāmavathavānaṁ ... °ayirahaghāna We interpret this sequence in the genitive plural as a pluralis majestatis, considering that the term antevāsika (fem. antevāsinī) as a rule follows the name of a single individual. Genetive plurals are similarly used in the Kanaganahalli corpus. See Nakanishi & von Hinüber 2014: 42–43, no. II.1,3–4; 91, no. III.2,2. Vogel translated instead “a disciple of the Masters od the Ārya-saṅgha who are resident in Paṁṇagāma and who are preachers and preceptors of the Dīgha and Majjhima-(nikāyas), and of the five Mātṛkas.” Cf. Vogel 1929–30a: 20. On the basis of this interpretation, Lamotte saw in the occurrence of ayirahaṅgha and that of EIAD 6, l. 11, hints that the Aparamahāvinaseliyas represented themselves as Mahāsāṅghikas. Cf. Lamotte 1958: 580, 582. Our thanks to Petra Kieffer-Pülz for her useful comments (e-mail, 27 november 2018) which led us to revise our interpretation of the passage.

    Secondary bibliography