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PANAMALAI ROCK TEMPLE INSCRIPTION OF RAJASIMHA 233
Then from that pure Aévatthaman, there came out into men's view, the lover of the spacious earth, named Pallava, who had accumulated great penance, as from the Vedic collection (sprang forth) the auxiliary sciences (of the Veda).
DECEMBER, 1919]
From whom this great family of the Pallavas which is worthy of honour, because of its (constant) treading in the (ancient) holy path (of righteousness), (spread continuously out), as, from the haremarked (moon), the continuous flow of the celestial Ganges (Mandâking is a distinctive term for the celestial course of the Ganges before it falls on earth).
From Ekamalla Deva (the sole strong-lit. combatant-lord) whose fame was published throughout the circle of the spacious earth won by the undiminished prowess of his arm, and who was the banner of the Pallava (race) of universal sovereigns and enjoyers of the earth who were purified of their sins (of conquest) by the closing baths of the horse-sacrifice (which can be performed only after letting loose the sacrificial horse to wander freely for a year and conquering all kings who seek to restrain its movements), who were untouched by the least particle of danger, and who were sprung from the most pure family of Bharadvaja (a Vedic seer). From him (was born), like Guha (Subrahmanya, so called because of his secret birth. among the reedscf. ; as God of war, he is compared with Rajasi mha), he, who shone by routing (?) other (rulers of earth);
Who was mighty in his strength; who (was endowed with) great valour (proud with victory in-seen in?) battle; who (lived in) well-known and auspicious fame as Rajasimha; who was (verily) a Rajasimha (lion of kings) by his having uprooted the elephants, i.e. the enemy kings;....
He took away the elevations (in power and fame) of the tribe of hostile (kings). He was also the doer of an (unbroken) succession of auspicious deeds; and, in his mind, purified by constantly-fostered devotion, (Siva), who wears on his crest the deermarked (moon), holds (his foot). (The moonspot is variously imaged as the hare, the deer, etc).
(The remaining lines, as they stand, are obscure.)
We will now note and discuss the differences in reading and interpretation between ourselves and Mr. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar.
His in is not supported by the plate. The metre, moreover, requires here a long vowel like in our . His द्रोणि न is wrong for द्रोणिनी, for the metre requires a long vowel or a short vowel followed by a conjunct consonant after , the name is not fr but, and the plate distinctly reads I, and the Sanskrit for - 'name' is नाम, Plate I reads तस्मानि and not तस्मानि and तस्मान् + नेि= तस्मान्न. The Sanskrit for ' Veda' is आम्नाय and its ablative is आम्नायात and not भग्नवत्, and metre also requires both these vowels to be long. The plate also reads them as long. T is wrong for a and is an obvious omission. And the plate as also the Sanskrit for named 'requires : for Mr. Krishnaswami suggests emendation of qr to q wrongly construing it with : instead of with पार्थ. The genitive of सम्राट् is समाजां and not सचार्ज, and the plate also reads as I . पल्लवाना before विमनतर is obviously a mistake for the genitive पद्मवानां Metre requires six long vowels infeffer. So we should read g, ft, and r. The plate is clear as to ar at the end. I take a to qualify, and add a final visarga. But Mr. Krishnaswami
The s between
:.