Early Inscriptions of Āndhradeśa

EIAD 54

Sculpted stone panel from site 106 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, year 24

Metadata

Support

Stone panel; h. 50 × w. 252 × d. 17 cm.

Text

Sanskrit language, Southern Brāhmī script. Engraved in a single line on a band above the frieze; h. 3.5 × w. 241 cm .

Date

Twenty-fourth regnal year of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, i.e., approximately between 250 and 300 CE.

Origin

Installed originally at findspot.

Provenance

Discovered during excavation in the 1956-57 season at Nagarjunakonda, Site 106. Identified at Nagarjunakonda Museum (acc. no. 13) in February 2016.

Visual Documentation

AL 2017

JM 2017

Photo(s) of estampage(s):

Sircar

RaghunathPhotos of the same ASI estampage sheets as published by Sircar, but at illegibly small size.

Editors

Arlo Griffiths and Vincent Tournier, with contributions by Stefan Baums and Ingo Strauch.

Publication history

First described and edited by Sircar 1963-64a: 11-3 (4) . Re-edited here from the published estampage, from our photographic documentation, and after autopsy of the stone.

(1) – siddham· [–] mahārājasya °ikṣvākūnāṁ śrī°ehavalacantamūlasya sanvatsaraṁ caturvvīśaṁ varṣapakṣaṁ catur[t]thaṁ [d]ivasaṁ pañca[maṁ] śrī[pa] (rva) [t] (e) vij[aya]pūryyāṁ [mahā]devī[par]iveṇe ◊ [°iru] ? ? [kula]prasū[ta]s[ya] ◊ b[ama]kīyā[ṇ]āṁ ◊ °i[śvarada]ttasya ◊ putreṇa ◊ syandakaparvvataśreṣṭhinā ◊ ku[mā]ranandinā [s]aha bharyyāya ◊ śreṣṭhinīya ◊ putreṇa ca ◊ °iśvarabharttinā ◊ śeṣeṇa ca ◊ svajanasambandhivarggeṇa ◊ °iyaṁ ◊ bha[ga]vatoḥ sar[v]vasa[t]v[o]tta[mas]ya ◊ sarvvaguṇapāramiprāptasya saṁmyaksambuddhasya buddha[s]ya ◊ śailamayī ◊ pratimā ◊ pratiṣṭhāpit[ā] ◊ °ātmaṇaḥ sarvvasatvānāñ ca hita[su]khārtthaṁ : bhavati cātra [ś]loko – ◊

IAnuṣṭubh

a (de) [ya]dharmmam idaṅ kr̥tv[ā] ◊ b yat pu[ṇ]yaṁ samupārjjitaṁ ◊

c te[na] puṇyeṇa loko yaṁ ◊ d nir[vv]āṇam adhigacchatu –

<ab xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
					          <lb n="1"/>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok3024">siddham·</w>
					          <pc>
						            <unclear>–</unclear>
					          </pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok3026">mahārājasya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3027">°ikṣvākūnāṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3028">śrī°ehavalacantamūlasya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3029">sanvatsaraṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3030">caturvvīśaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3031">varṣapakṣaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3032">catur<unclear>t</unclear>thaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3033">
						            <unclear>d</unclear>ivasaṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3034">pañca<unclear>maṁ</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3035">śrī<unclear>pa</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">rva</supplied>
                  <unclear>t</unclear>
                  <supplied reason="lost">e</supplied>
               </w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3038">vij<unclear>aya</unclear>pūryyāṁ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3040">
						            <unclear>mahā</unclear>devī<unclear>par</unclear>iveṇe</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3042">
						            <unclear>°iru</unclear>
						            <gap reason="illegible" quantity="2" unit="character"/>
						            <unclear>kula</unclear>prasū<unclear>ta</unclear>s<unclear>ya</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3047">b<unclear>ama</unclear>kīyā<unclear>ṇ</unclear>āṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3052">°i<unclear>śvarada</unclear>ttasya</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3054">putreṇa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3056">syandakaparvvataśreṣṭhinā</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3058">ku<unclear>mā</unclear>ranandinā</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3059">
						            <unclear>s</unclear>aha</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3060">bharyyāya</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3062">śreṣṭhinīya</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3064">putreṇa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3065">ca</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3067">°iśvarabharttinā</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3069">śeṣeṇa</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3070">ca</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3072">svajanasambandhivarggeṇa</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3074">°iyaṁ</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3076">bha<unclear>ga</unclear>vatoḥ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3077">sar<unclear>v</unclear>vasa<unclear>t</unclear>v<unclear>o</unclear>tta<unclear>mas</unclear>ya</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3079">sarvvaguṇapāramiprāptasya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3080">saṁmyaksambuddhasya</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3081">buddha<unclear>s</unclear>ya</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3083">śailamayī</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3085">pratimā</w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3087">pratiṣṭhāpit<unclear>ā</unclear>
					          </w>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          <w xml:id="tok3089">°ātmaṇaḥ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3090">sarvvasatvānāñ</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3091">ca</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3092">hita<unclear>su</unclear>khārtthaṁ</w>
					          <pc>:</pc>
					          <w xml:id="tok3094">bhavati</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3095">cātra</w>
					          <w xml:id="tok3096">
						            <unclear>ś</unclear>loko</w>
					          <pc>–</pc>
					          <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
				        </ab>

<lg xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xml:id="seq1200" met="Anuṣṭubh" n="I">
					          <l xml:id="seq4000" n="a">
						            <w xml:id="tok3099">
                     <supplied reason="lost">de</supplied>
                     <unclear>ya</unclear>dharmmam</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3100">idaṅ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3101">kr̥tv<unclear>ā</unclear>
						            </w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq4000bis" n="b">
						            <w xml:id="tok3103">yat</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3104">pu<unclear>ṇ</unclear>yaṁ</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3105">samupārjjitaṁ</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq4000ter" n="c">
						            <w xml:id="tok3107">te<unclear>na</unclear>
                  </w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3108">puṇyeṇa</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3109">loko</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3110">yaṁ</w>
						            <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/>
					          </l>
					          <l xml:id="seq4000quat" n="d">
						            <w xml:id="tok3112">nir<unclear>vv</unclear>āṇam</w>
						            <w xml:id="tok3113">adhigacchatu</w>
						            <pc>–</pc>
					          </l>
				        </lg>

Apparatus

(1) °ikṣvākūnāṁ Understand °ikṣvākūṇāṁ with Sircar 1963-64a .
(1) sanvatsaraṁ samvatsaraṁ DCS . Sircar emends saṁvatsaraṁ.
(1) śrī[pa] (rva) [t] (e) śrī[parvvate] DCS .
(1) [°iru] ? ? - °iru[sakā(?)]nāṁ DCS . The second akṣara could also be read <ra>.
(1) b[ama]kīyā[ṇ]āṁ ba[raṇa?]kīyānāṁ DCS .
(1) °i[śvarada]ttasya DCS . Sircar suggests emending °īśvara-. The form as it stands might however be explained as a residual shortening of vowel before consonantal cluster, according to the Middle Indo-Aryan law of morae.
(1) śreṣṭhinīya There is a superfluous stroke to the right of the subscript <r> in <śre>.
(1) °īśvarabharttinā °iśvarabharttinā DCS . Sircar suggests (n. 2) to read either īśvarabhartrā or īśvarabhaṭṭinā (in which case, we would be dealing with hypersanskritisation).
(1) bha[ga]vatoḥ Understand bha[ga]vataḥ. Cf. same form in EIAD 55, l. 1.
(1) sar[v]vasa[t]v[o]tta[mas]ya sartvasatv[o]tta[masya] DCS . Sircar emends sarvvasattvottamasya.
(1) saṁmyaksambuddhasya samyaksambuddhasya DCS .
(1) hita[su]khārtthaṁ : hita[su]khārtthaṁ DCS . Not representing the punctuation sign in his unemended reading, Sircar indicates -rttham || as normalized text.
(1) [ś]loko ślokā DCS . Sircar suggests emending ślokaḥ.
(1) samupārjjitaṁ samupārjjitaṁ | DCS . Sircar wrongly takes an irrgularity in the stone as a punctuation sign.
(1) puṇyeṇa Understand puṇyena, as suggested by Sircar.
(1) adhigacchatu – adhigacchatu || DCS . Sircar wrongly sees here two slanting strokes instead of one.

Translation

Success! In the twenty-fourth year of Great King Śrī-Ehavalacāntamūla of the Ikṣvākus, in the fourth fortnight of the rainy season, on the fifth day.

In Śrīparvata, in Vijayapurī, in the monk’s cell (pariveṇa) of the Great Queen, Kumāranandin — guild’s chief (śreṣṭhin) from Syandakaparvata, son of Īśvarabhatta of the Bamakīyas, who originates from the °Iru...-family — together with (his) wife, the guild’s-chief-wife, and (his) son Īśvarabharttin and the remaining group of his kinsmen and relatives established this stone image of the Bhagavant, the foremost of all beings, who has perfected all qualities, the Complete Perfect Buddha, the Buddha, for the well‐being and happiness of himself and all beings.

And on this there is a stanza:

By the merit accumulated having made this pious gift, may this world attain nirvāṇa.

Commentary

The verse quoted at the end of this inscription contains vocabulary that is typical of verse formulae assigning the reward of a given meritorious activity: pāda b, for instance, is identical to pāda b of the final stanza of a Mūlasarvāstivādin Prātimokṣasūtra (ed. Schmidt 1989: 93 ), st. 18. Concerning its goal — the universal realisation of nirvāṇa — it may be compared to a Gupta-period pedestal inscription whose second stanza reads: phalam asmād dhi yat praptam [em. prāptam] ebhiḥ satkarmmakāribhiḥ | satvānām eva tac chāntyai syād eṣāṁ cāmr̥tapada[m |]. The whereabouts of this inscription, which Sircar deciphered on the basis of an inked impression apparently obtained from the British Museum (Journal of Ancient Indian History 2, p. 269), is unknown to us. For the discussion of an earlier example from Gandhāra, that may contain a transfer of merit for a similar goal, see Ruegg 2005 .

Secondary bibliography

IAR 1956-57: 36, pl. LVII.A
ARIE 1956-57: no. B.28
ARIE 1959-60: no. B.101
Srinivasan & Sankaranarayanan 1979: no.45
Rosen Stone 1994: 58-61, ills. 126-36
Tsukamoto 1996: no. Naga 55
Raghunath 2001: 150-1 (no. 37)
Soundara Rajan 2006: 199

EIAD 54

Sculpted stone panel from site 106 at Nagarjunakonda — reign of Siri-Ehavalacāntamūla, year 24

Metadata

Edition

Apparatus

Translation

Commentary

Secondary bibliography

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