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No. 19.) BRAHMI INSCRIPTION ON A WOODEN PILLAR FROM KIRARI.
157
No. 2. (PART OF LINE 2.)
Text. P[r]ati[hā]ra-Khipatst Ji-gaņakā(a)-Nago(a)-Hēasi-găhapätiya-Gharika-bh[@]odák(g)ēri[ka].
Remarks. The first word is certainly pratihāra which means door-keeper. The second word may read vaipatti signifying good foot soldier but comparison with the Nāsik cave inscription, referred to above, would show that it must be read as Khipatti. The conjunct t is partly visible in the impression but clear on the eye-copy. What follows must be ganaka. Had the preceding word been vaipatti one could take it, in reference to the Kirätārjuniyam (XV. 16), in the sense of an officer whose chief function is to muster the infantry or superior foot-soldiers.' But I prefer to read the first akshara as khi and would take ganaka in the sense of accountant'. The word that follows, i.e., Nāga, indicates the tribe to which Heagi belonged. Hēasi is appar ently an aboriginal term. 'Gäha pātiyal I would connect with the word Garhapatya and translate as the keeper of the household or gärhapatya fire. Gharika must have been the name of this officer and is perhaps an apabhrama of grihika (?) as is gharini, the Pāli form of grihini. The word that follows is certainly the equivalent of Sanskrit bhāndāgārika and means 'storekeeper'.
Now I give a transcript of the eye-copy, as far as I have been able to make it out, for what it is worth, or rather to satisfy a curiosity. In the facsimiles the impressions of the existing portions of the epigraph and the whole of the eye-copy are reproduced. The paper used by the Pandit was of a small size. So lines could not be brought out in their full length. Taking the entire lines into consideration, the inscribed portion of the pillar measures about 8 feet and the eye-copy approximately supplies of the actual size of the letters on it. The text given below follows the order in which Pandit Lakshmi Prasad copied the inscription.
Text. (Line 1.) Naga[ra]-rakhino-V[1]rap[a]lita Chirag[]hake Sē[n]āpa[ti]-[D7]val bama[dējo yadhi....g(?)..nantāvasa(b?)hathi bama [de]yikama, sa patali . i ....i....si. i. i. ...sā..i ..... să. a. no bhatāya kës[a]va-vīțhida kāmik(a ore) tatě (or bhabhë) sāvida (n)im[i]tta.
(Line 2.) P[r]atih[ā]ra Khipatti ga[ņa]ka-Nāga Hēasi gāhapätiya Gharika-bhandakärika Asādhia vaihäthädhiāra hathārõhë asäröhe devathayaka pădamūlika rathika sisāra khakhimala (?) butanamaka tabhaka mahanasika kukudabata.
(Line 3.) Hāthivaka yamasrika dhāvaka sagandhake gõmandilika yānasālāyudhagharikë daliakhēmha (?) palavithida välikë avasakāraka sava(or kha)radāpa(or ha)deaka vadi Kesavanäshö(?) vacharé anu . yino dunuvșitta lēhahārako pētsa (?) payutasäva (?) kuli(la)puttra kuli(la)puttramanusēnā]pati.
(Line 4.) Vu ... salinama. [bu)hésara mah[@]sēnāni Sitharsā]ja .. Kudva (?) .... putasa .... pijta (?).. rapayati game puvarathi .... kavayu ... se na k[u]m[āro .... da . nayaka
(Line 5.) Bhayayu (or ghē ?)ra (da)pā. ta(?) (a?).. puna[vi?]yāma
1 Gáhapatiya is a proper name, also, sec Burgess, Cave Temples, p. 89. Deva may be taken as a proper name, and bamaděya msy stand for brahmadiya. That will give us ore more official, to wit, one in charge of cbarities?
