Metadata

Support
Lower fragment of an Āyaka pillar; h. 234+ ×  w. 45 ×  d. 39 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 45 ×  w. 54 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. Identified during fieldwork in February 2016, on the west Āyaka platform of the reconstructed Mahāstūpa at Nagarjunakonda.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • Est. ASI: Vogel
  • estampage Leiden N7
  • Raghunath
    • Editors
    Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.
    Publication history
    First described and edited by Vogel 1929–30a: 14, 20-1 (C5) . Re-edited here from the Leiden estampage and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato saṁmasaṁbu⟨dha⟩sa dhātuvaraparigahitasa mahācetīye (2) mahāsenāpatisa mah[ā]talavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa pūkīyānaṁ mahākaṁdasirisa (3) bhayā mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa viṇhusirisa mātā mahātalavari °apano (4) °ubhayakulaṁ parināmet[u] ⟨na⟩ °atano °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇatha⟨nā⟩ya ca °imaṁ (5) selakhaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ ◊ mahārajasa sirivirapurisadatasa saṁva 6 vāpa 6 diva 10

    (1) sidhaṁ namo bhagavato saṁmasaṁbu⟨dha⟩sa dhātuvaraparigahitasa mahācetīye
    (2) mahāsenāpatisa mah[ā]talavarasa vāsiṭhīputasa pūkīyānaṁ mahākaṁdasirisa
    (3) bhayā mahāsenāpatisa mahātalavarasa viṇhusirisa mātā mahātalavari °apano
    (4) °ubhayakulaṁ parināmet[u] ⟨na⟩ °atano °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇatha⟨nā⟩ya ca °imaṁ
    (5) selakhaṁbhaṁ patiṭhapitaṁ ◊ mahārajasa sirivirapurisadatasa saṁva 6 vāpa 6 diva 10 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					          <lb n="1"/>
               <w xml:id="tok316">sidhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok317">namo</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok318">bhagavato</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok319">saṁmasaṁbu<supplied reason="omitted">dha</supplied>sa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok320">dhātuvaraparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok321">mahācetīye</w>
					          <lb n="2"/>
               <w xml:id="tok322">mahāsenāpatisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok323">mah<unclear>ā</unclear>talavarasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok324">vāsiṭhīputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok325">pūkīyānaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok326">mahākaṁdasirisa</w>
					          <lb n="3"/>
               <w xml:id="tok327">bhayā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok328">mahāsenāpatisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok329">mahātalavarasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok330">viṇhusirisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok331">mātā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok332">mahātalavari</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok333">°apano</w>
					          <lb n="4"/>
               <w xml:id="tok334">°ubhayakulaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok335">parināmet<unclear>u</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="omitted">na</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok336">°atano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok337">°ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇatha<supplied reason="omitted">nā</supplied>ya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok338">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok339">°imaṁ</w>
					          <lb n="5"/>
               <w xml:id="tok340">selakhaṁbhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok341">patiṭhapitaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok343">mahārajasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok344">sirivirapurisadatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok345">saṁva</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok346">6</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok347">vāpa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok348">6</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok349">diva</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok350">10</w>
            </ab>

    Apparatus

    • (1) mahācetīye mahācetiye JPhV .
    • (2) mahākaṁdasirisa Or should we edit {mahā}kaṁdasirisa?
    • (4) -nivāṇatha⟨nā⟩ya -nivāṇathaya JPhV . The restitution is imposed by unanimous evidence from parallel passages: EIAD 4, l. 11 °ubhayalokahitasukhāvahathanāya; 8, l. 5-6 -sukhanivāṇathanāya; 11, l. 8 °ubhayalokahitasukhāvahathanāya; 13, l. 7 °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya; 15, l. 5 °ubhayalokahitasukhāvahathanāya; 18, l. 8 °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya; 21, l. 2 °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya.
    • (4) parināmet[u] ⟨na⟩ The <u> is unusually round, and it is not impossible that <ū> was intended.

    Translation

    (1) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!
    (1-5) At the Great Shrine, the wife of Great General, Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Big Kandasiri of the Pūkīyas, mother of Great General, Great Talavara Viṇhusiri, Great-Talavara-wife, having dedicated (the merit) to her own family on both sides, established this stone pillar for the sake of well-being and happiness in both worlds and nirvāṇa for herself.
    (5) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

    Secondary bibliography