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No 31 ]
BHANDUP PLATES OF CHHITTARAJADEVA.
265
55 dharam sa vishthayam krimir-bhatvá kfimibhiḥ saba pachyaté 11 Yathā
ch=nitad=ēvam tathi sasana-dată 56 lekhaka-hastöna sva-matam=aropayatilyatha matam mama mabāmandalesva
(sva)ra-fri-Chchhittarājadēvasya ma57 Lamandalesva(sva)ra-śrimad-Vajjadadēvaraja-sanor=gad-atra B. (ba) sano likhitam ||
Likhitam ch-aitan-maya 58 Srimad-rāji(i)-ánujñayā bhändågarasēna-Jogapaigēna bhāņdāgåraséna-mabākavi-sri
Nāga59 laiya-bhrātsi-sutēna yad-atr-on-äksharam-adhik-aksharam=vå tat=barvyam
pramåņam=iti || Srir-bhavatu
TRANSLATION. Om! Victory and elevation !-(Verse 1) May he [Ganapati], the Leader of the Gawas, who receives attention by worship in affairs, protect you from misfortune, removing (every) obstacle !
(Verse 2) May he, Siva, always protect you, on whose crown there shines the Jāhnavi (the Ganges), resembling the clear digit of the moon rising over the summit of Samēru!
(Verse 3) (There was Jimütakētu's son, always compassionate, renowned throughout the three worlds by the name Jimütavāhana, who, counting his own body as (mere) grass for another's sake, saved Sankhachada from Garuda.
(Verse 4) In his lineage there arose a king, Kapardin (I), a forehead-mark of the Silara race, who destroyed the pride of (his) enemies : and from him there was a son, by name Pulasakti, possessed of intense splendour equal to that of the sun.
(Verse 5) Then there was born his son, Laghu-Kapardin (.e. "Kapardin junior," Kapardin II), through fear of whom all (his) enemies offered up freely, for the welfare of (their) kingdoms, water in (their) hands joined together so as to make cups.
(Verse 6) And from him there was a son, & sole hero in the world, by name the illustrious Vappuvanna, brave in the field of battle: his son was the illustrious Jhanjha, possessed of good fame: aud then there was born (his) brother, king Goggi, possessed of good appearance.
1 A. Bubler pointed out, this verse contains a pun on the syllables gananayakah : from one point of view these denote Ganapati as "the leader of the Gaņas, the attendants of Siva," who, as being also the god of wisdom and obstacles, is frequently invoked at the beginning of undertakings, specially of literary nature; from the other point of view, they have to be analysed as mesning gananah, accusative plural of gagana, 'counting and yakan, ya, 'who. It is rather difficult to find a suitable rendering of the words labhate garaná), lit. "be receives countings" previous translators have given "claims precedence," "receives consideration," " is honoured."
The allusion is to a story which is found in the Kathasaritsagara, chapters 22 and 90 : translation by Tawnoy, vol. 1, p. 174 ; vol. 2, p. 307. Jimütakētu was a king of the Vidyadharas, a class of demigods; and Jimutavihana was his son and heir. Garuda, the eagle-man, the servant and vehicle of Vishnu, had obtained from Vishnu the boon that the Nagas, the serpent-men, should be his food; and Visuki, king of the serpents, sest one of them every day to serve as the required meal. One of them, Sankhachůds, was found by Jimutavábans waiting to be devoured at the rook of execution or sacrifice" (trans., 1, 183; 2, 815), otherwise inentioned as " lofty rocky slab" (2, 318). Jimūta vāhana, who was by nature very compassionate, took Sankhachůda's place, and was duly eaten, or partially so, by Garuda. The position, however, was then explained by Sankbachůda to Garuda, who moved by remorse, went to get nectar from heaven to revive Jimütavahana. Merawbile, the goddess Gaari, pleased by the devotion paid to her by Jimutavahana's wife, came and rained bectar on him, and
o restored him to life. After that, of course, Garuda abstained from devouring any more Nigas. The story was dramatized in the Naganands of Sriharsha : for an abstract of P. Boyd's translation of this work, noe Ind. Ant., vol. 1, p. 147. Regardiug this name, 100 note 7 on p. 261 above.
On this name, so note 3 on p. 262 above.
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