Epigraphia Indica Vol 06

Author(s): E Hultzsch
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 19

8
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. VI.
(V. 4.) When many members of that race, bent on conquest, applied to whom the title of Favourite of the Earth had at last become appropriate, had passed away,
(V. 5.) There was, of the Chalukya lineage, the king named Jayasimha-vallabha, who in battle where horses, footsoldiers and elephants, bewildered, fell down under the strokes of many hundreds of weapons, and where thousands of frightful headless trunks and of flashes of rays of swords were leaping to and frol- by his bravery made Fortune his own, even though she is suspected of fickleness."
(V. 6.) His son was he who was named Ranaraga, of divine dignity, the one master of the world, whose superhuman nature, (even) when he was asleep, people knew from the pre-eminence of his form.3
(V. 7.) His son was Polekesin, who, though endowed with the moon's Beauty, and though the favourite of Fortune, became the bridegroom of Vatapipuri.
(V. 8.) Whose path in the pursuit of the three objects of life the kings on earth even now are unable to follow; and bathed by whom with the water of the purificatory rite, when he performed the horse-sacrifice, the earth beamed with brightness.
(V. 9.) His son was Kirtivarman, the night of doom to the Nalas, Mauryas and Kadambas, whose mind, although his thoughts kept aloof from others' wives, was attracted by the Fortune of his adversary.
(V. 10.) Who, having secured the fortune of victory by his valour in war, being a scentelephant of a king, of great strength, at once completely broke down the multitude of the broad kadamba trees- the Kadambas.6
(V. 11.) When his desire was bent on the dominion of the lord of the gods, his younger brother Mangalêsa became king, who by the sheets of dust of his army of horse, encamped on the shores of the eastern and western seas, stretched an awning over the quarters.8
(V. 12.) Who in that house which was the battle-field took in marriage the damsel, the Fortune of the Katachchuris, having scattered the gathering gloom, (vis.) the array of elephants (of the adversary), with hundreds of bright-rayed lamps, (viz.) the swords (of his followers).
(V. 13.) And again, when he was desirous of taking the island of Rêvati, his great army with many bright banners, which had ascended the ramparts, as it was reflected in the water of the sea appeared like Varuna's forces, quickly come there at once at his word (of command).
1 Literally, 'dancing.' The compound commencing with arityad- reminds one of Ragh. VII. 48, where a warrior whose head has been cut off with the sword (khadga) rises into the sky, and from there views his headless trunk dancing on the battle-field (nrityat-kabandham samaré dadaría).-The preceding afva-patti-dvipa is equivalent to afva-dvipa-vtra, ibid. verse 89.
* Compare Ragh, XVII. 46, chopal-dpi svabhavataḥ... Śrth.
The gods are called a-nimisha, or a-nimésha, because they do not shut their eyes (compare Ragh. III, 43). When the king was asleep; he did shut his eyes, yet even then the pre-eminence of his form shewed him to be a god. Vapuh-prakarsha occurs eg. ibid. III. 34 and 52, and Kir. III. 2.- It may be noted that the word jagadkandthah, used in this verse, occurs in Ragh. V. 23, together with dvija rdja-kdatiḥ which is synonymous with the epithet frit-endukantih in the next verse of this inseription.
Beauty (Kdati) personified is regarded as the wife of the Moon. The town Vâtâpipurt is represented by the poet as a newly married woman (Vátdpipury-dva vadhûr-navódhd, tasyd varó vódhd); compare Bagh. XVII. 26, rdjyaérl-vadhú-varah.
1.e. dharma, artha and kama.
The expression prithu-Kadamba-kadamba-kadambakam apparently was suggested to our author by the prithu-kadamba-kadambaka in Kir. V. 9. In the Talgund Kadamba inscription the kadamba tree and the Kadamba family have the epithet wrw, corresponding to the adjective prithu in the present inscription and in the Kauthêm plates, Ind. Ant. Vol. XVI. p. 22, 1. 21.
1 I.e. when he died.
Compare Ragh. XVIII. 22, veld-tatéshúshita-sainikdivam; and IX. 50, gaganam-afvakhur-óddhatarepubhiranri-savita sa-vitdnam-iondkarót. The eastern and western sens bound the earth on either side; compare Kumdrasambhava, I. 1.