Epigraphia Indica Vol 24

SR No.: 032578
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1937
Total Pages: 472
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 22 MB

Page 237

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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XXIY
TRANSLATION. (1) Of the son of mahākshatrapa Rājävula, svämin ..... (2) The images of the holy pañchaviras of the Vfishpis ... the stone shrine .... (3) Who the magnificent matchless stone house of Touha ........ (4) The five objects of adoration made of stone radiant, as it were, with highest beauty.....
REMARKS. As remarked already in the notes on the text, it is most probably the svāmin mahākshatrapa Šodies who was mentioned in the first line, and the record has therefore to be dated in his reign, which perfectly agrees with the palaeography of the inscription. I consider it also probable that the words preserved of the first line belong to the date. It will be noticed that there is a marked contrast between the first line and the rest of the inscription as far as the language is ooncerned. Whereas the first line shows the popular language, the following three lines are apparently in pure Sanskrit. This strange diversity would seem to be best accounted for by assuming that the author of the inscription, even when writing in Sanskrit, for the date used the language customary in the documents of the time.
From the second line it appears that the inscription recorded tho setting up of five images representing the holy pañchaviras of the Vpishộis in a stone temple. Parichavirānām hardly means simply of five heroes', which at any rate in correot Sanskrit would be pañchänām virānām. Panchaviräh would rather seem to denote a fixed group or body. In this sense the word occurs in the Dasakumaracharita, where the meeting or the meeting-house used by a ganikā for her musical performances is called pañchaviragoshtha Kumāramañjaryāh svasa yaviyasi Rāgamañjari nāma pafchaviragoshthe samgitakam anushthäsyati (ed. K. P. Parab, p. 96). In commenting on the passage Kavindra Sarasvati quotes for the meaning of the word the Rosasära : tat pafchaviragoshthan tu yat tu janapadam sadah. Panchavira, therefore, would seem to be the designation of some administrative body, perhaps equivalent to the modern paxchāgat, but, as far as I am aware, no such body is mentioned in the Epic in connection with the Vpishņis. When some time ago I was reading the inscription with Dr. Alsdorf, I asked him if the term might perhaps be found in the Jaina scriptures, and he promptly favoured me with the following note :
"In the canonical writings of the Jainas, there occurs what might be called a statistics of the subiecte ruled by Krishna Vasudeva at Dväravati. In the first chapter of the Antagadadasão it reads as follows: tattha par Bäravainayarie Kanhe naman Vasudeve rāyā parivasaï..... se nam tattha Samuddavijaya pamokkhānan dasaphan Dasarānani, Baladevapamokkhapath panohaphath mahaviranath, Pajjunnapāmokkhānam addhufthamani kumārakodinas, Sambapamolokhānar satthie duddantasäkassinan, Vahäsenapāmokkhānanie chhapannāe balavagasähassinan, Virasenapāmokkhānam egaviske virasākassinan, Uggasena pamokkhanam solasanhan rayasähassinan, Ruppinipāmokkhānan solasanhań devisāhassinam, Anangasenāpāmokkhānam anegānam ganiyāsāhassinan, annesini cha bahunan isarao jāva satthavāhānan Bäravaie nayarie addha-Bharahassa ya samatthassa ahevachchan java viharai.
For those who are not too familiar with Jaina Prakrit, I add the translation of Barnett: In this city of Bäraval dwelt King Vasudeve, hight Kanhe, .... Here he held sway over Samuddavijae and the rest of the ten Dasaras over Baladeve and the rest of the Ave great heroes, over Pajjunne and the cost of the three and a half crores of princes, over Sambe and the
1 Perhaps bhagavatam is to be construed with Vrishninärt. • omit the obscure words udadhasamadhana.
The quotation has given also, without stating its source, in Shvarima's commentary and in the Lagkudipika. • P. L. Vaidya's edition, Poona 1932, p. 4f.