Metadata

Support
Āyaka pillar in two fragments (A = acc. no. 282; B has not been found). The following dimensions are those of the main fragment (i.e., A); h. 221 ×  w. 56 ×  d. 47 cm.
Text
Middle Indo-Aryan, Southern Brāhmī script. h. 95 ×  w. 63 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 East side of the Mahācaitya. Main fragment identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 282) in February 2016. The minor fragment of the inscription bearing portions of l. 1-2, corresponding to the second Leiden estampage sheet, could not be found.
Visual Documentation
Photo(s):
  • photos AL 2017
    • Photo(s) of estampage(s):
  • estampage Leiden N15 (two sheets, for fragments A and B)
  • Raghunath (only fragment A)
    • Editors
    Stefan Baums, Arlo Griffiths, Ingo Strauch and Vincent Tournier.
    Publication history
    First described by Vogel 1929–30a: 13 (A3) , but without edition of the text. This was first integrally published by Raghunath 2001: 99-100 (no. 10C) , an edition which lacks the middle portions of l. 1-2 and is marred by numerous involuntary errors. We re-edit the text here from the Leiden estampage sheets, and after autopsy of the stone.

    Edition

    (1) sidhaṁ na[mo] (bhagavato) (devarāja) [sakata]sa s[u]pab[u]dhabodhino savaṁñuno savasa[tā]nukaṁpakasa jitarāga(2)dosamohavipamutas[a] (mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa) (saṁmasaṁbudhasa) (dhā) [t]uvaraparigahitasa °imaṁmhi (3) mahācetiye mahārājasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa °agihotāgiṭhomavājapeyāsame(4)dhayājisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa savathesu °apatiha⟨ta⟩saṁkapasa (5) vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricāṁtamūlasa sodarā bhagini raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa pituchā mahāsenāpatisa (6) mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhiputasa kadasirisa bhariyā samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijadīnānugahavelāmikadānapaṭi(7)bhagavochiṁnadhārapadāyini savasādhuvachalā mahādānapatini mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā cāṁtisiriṁ °apano (8) °ubhayakulasa °atichita -m- anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ parināmetuna °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya (9) °atano ca nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake °imaṁ khaṁbhaṁ savalokasukhanivāṇathanāya patiṭhapitaṁ ti – raṁño (10) sirivirapurisadatasa saṁva 6 ⟨ vāpa 6 ⟩ diva 10

    (1) sidhaṁ na[mo] (bhagavato) (devarāja) [sakata]sa s[u]pab[u]dhabodhino savaṁñuno savasa[tā]nukaṁpakasa jitarāga-
    (2)dosamohavipamutas[a] (mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa) (saṁmasaṁbudhasa) (dhā) [t]uvaraparigahitasa °imaṁmhi
    (3) mahācetiye mahārājasa virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa °agihotāgiṭhomavājapeyāsame-
    (4)dhayājisa hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa savathesu °apatiha⟨ta⟩saṁkapasa
    (5) vāsiṭhīputasa °ikhākusa siricāṁtamūlasa sodarā bhagini raṁño sirivirapurisadatasa pituchā mahāsenāpatisa
    (6) mahātalavarasa vāsiṭhiputasa kadasirisa bhariyā samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijadīnānugahavelāmikadānapaṭi-
    (7)bhagavochiṁnadhārapadāyini savasādhuvachalā mahādānapatini mahātalavari khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā cāṁtisiriṁ °apano
    (8) °ubhayakulasa °atichita -m- anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ parināmetuna °ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya
    (9) °atano ca nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake °imaṁ khaṁbhaṁ savalokasukhanivāṇathanāya patiṭhapitaṁ ti – raṁño
    (10) sirivirapurisadatasa saṁva 6 ⟨ vāpa 6 ⟩ diva 10 
    <ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
               <lb n="1"/>
               <w xml:id="tok854">sidhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok855">na<unclear>mo</unclear>
               </w>
					          
					          <w xml:id="tok857">
                  <supplied reason="lost">bhagavato</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok858">
                  <supplied reason="lost">devarāja</supplied>
                  
                  <unclear>sakata</unclear>sa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok859">s<unclear>u</unclear>pab<unclear>u</unclear>dhabodhino</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok860">savaṁñuno</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok861">savasa<unclear>tā</unclear>nukaṁpakasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok862">jitarāga<lb n="2" break="no"/>dosamohavipamutas<unclear>a</unclear>
               </w>
					          
					          <w xml:id="tok864">
                  <supplied reason="lost">mahāgaṇivasabhagaṁdhahathisa</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok865">
                  <supplied reason="lost">saṁmasaṁbudhasa</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok866">
                  <supplied reason="lost">dhā</supplied>
                  
                  <unclear>t</unclear>uvaraparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok867">°imaṁmhi</w>
					          <lb n="3"/>
               <w xml:id="tok868">mahācetiye</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok869">mahārājasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok870">virūpakhapatimahāsenaparigahitasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok871">°agihotāgiṭhomavājapeyāsame<lb n="4" break="no"/>dhayājisa </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok873">hiraṁṇakoṭigosatasahasahalasatasahasapadāyisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok874">savathesu</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok875">°apatiha<supplied reason="omitted">ta</supplied>saṁkapasa</w>
					          <lb n="5"/>
               <w xml:id="tok876">vāsiṭhīputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok877">°ikhākusa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok878">siricāṁtamūlasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok879">sodarā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok879bis">bhagini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok880">raṁño</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok881">sirivirapurisadatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok882">pituchā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok883">mahāsenāpatisa</w>
					          <lb n="6"/>
               <w xml:id="tok884">mahātalavarasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok885">vāsiṭhiputasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok886">kadasirisa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok887">bhariyā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok888">samaṇabamhaṇakavaṇavaṇijadīnānugahavelāmikadānapaṭi<lb n="7" break="no"/>bhagavochiṁnadhārapadāyini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok890">savasādhuvachalā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok891">mahādānapatini</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok892">mahātalavari</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok893">khaṁdasāgaraṁṇakamātā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok894">cāṁtisiriṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok895">°apano</w>
					          <lb n="8"/>
               <w xml:id="tok896">°ubhayakulasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="cmp14">
                  <w xml:id="tok897">°atichita</w>
                  <w xml:id="tok898" type="hiatus-breaker">m</w>
                  <w xml:id="tok899">anāgatavaṭamānakānaṁ</w>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok900">parināmetuna</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok901">°ubhayalokahitasukhanivāṇathanāya</w>
					          <lb n="9"/>
               <w xml:id="tok902">°atano</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok903">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok904">nivāṇasaṁpatisaṁpādake</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok905">°imaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok906">khaṁbhaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok907">savalokasukhanivāṇathanāya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok908">patiṭhapitaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok909">ti</w>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok911">raṁño</w>
					          <lb n="10"/>
               <w xml:id="tok912">sirivirapurisadatasa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok913">saṁva</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok914" value="6">6</num>
					          <supplied reason="omitted">
                  <w xml:id="tok915">vāpa</w>
					             <num xml:id="tok916" value="6">6</num>
               </supplied>
					          <w xml:id="tok917">diva</w>
					          <num xml:id="tok918" value="10">10</num>
				        </ab>

    Translation

    (1-2) Success! Homage to the Bhagavant, worshipped by the king(s) of the gods, who completely realized Awakening, the Omniscient One, who is compassionate with all beings, who conquered and is released from lust, hate and delusion, the bull and rut elephant among great leaders, the Perfect Buddha who is ensconced in the excellent relic [or: element (i.e., nirvāṇadhātu)]!
    (2-9) At this Great Shrine, Cāntisirī — 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; paternal aunt of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta; wife of Great General, Great Talavara Vāsiṭṭhīputta Kandasiri; giver of an unequalled and uninterrupted stream of velāmika gifts as a favor to ascetics, brahmans, beggars, mendicants and the wretched; affectionate to all good people; great donor; Great-Talavara-wife, mother of Khandasāgaraṇṇaka — having dedicated (the merit) to the past, future and present members of her family on both sides, established this pillar for the sake of well‐being and happiness in both worlds and nirvāṇa, and for achieving the fortune of nirvāṇa for herself, for the sake of the happiness and nirvāṇa of all people.
    (9-10) In the 6th year of King Siri-Vīrapurisadatta, in the 6th fortnight of the rainy season, on the 10th day.

    Secondary bibliography