Epigraphia Indica Vol 29

Author(s): Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 246

No. 16] CHATESVARA TEMPLE INSCRIPTION
131 of decoration could be served by the sparklings of lustre of the toe-nails of his lotus-like feet, what was the necessity of tying a tiara on the block of a forehead of the hostile chiefs ?
(Verse 12) Now, he (Anangabhima), the tops of whose feet used to fall into a slumber (as it were) on the balconyi (in the form) of the foreheads of (hostile) princes, had one Vishnu, like a second (god) Vishnu (himself), who served him uninterruptedly as his minister. What should we speak of his (Vishnu's) fame which, having created hundreds of white parasols (all over the world), brought the whole) empire of the king, the lord of Trikalinga, under one single parasol 1°
(Verse 13) How wonderful that no sooner had they approached the foot of Vishņu: than both (leinds of the hostile chiefs, those who surrendered to him, laying down the arms in front of him in the forefront of the battle-field, and those who stood their ground with their swords upraised, itching for a trial of strength, achieved the blissful state of complete emancipation !
(Verse 14) The anchorites of the Vaikhānasa order, by their striving in the practice of yoga, do not so much perceive this universe to be composed of the god) Vishnu as indeed it appeared to the king of Tummāņa to be consisting of the minister) Vishnu, who, (in his hallucination) out of fear, saw him in all) the directions, repeatedly uttering there is Vishņu, there is Vishņu,' (during his flight from the battle) at the skirts of the Vindhya hills, in the forests along the Bhimā river, (and) on the shore of the sea..
(Verse 15) How are we to describe that heroism of his (Vishņu's) during his fight with the Muslim king, while all alone-his arrows appearing as his ear-pendants-he shot dead (many) expert soldiers, which (display of heroism) became a grand feast to the sleepless and unwinking eyes of the gods who were the interested lookers-on in the heaven above ?
(Verse 16) While he (Vishnu) is on the alert, no harm whatsoever (can come) to the sovereignty of the lord of Utkala; horses in their thousands are prancing on all sides, elephants are playing about in herds, all the quarters of the space are choked with multitudes of lilies swaying on (either side of every) road, residence is in camps (also, on the mountain ridges), (and) tramping is on the foreheads of (hostile) chiefs of noble birth (also, on the peaks of the celebrated mountains).
1 The term vadabhi or valabhi, proporly speaking, means 'topmost part of a building' or 'part of a sloping roof projecting from the outer wall,' which in Hindustani is called chhajja.
* The point of poetic perplexity is the creation of hunderds of umbrellas on the one hand, and on the other the keeping of the government under only one umbrella. It may be pointed out that'single parasol' is sym. bolio of universal sovereignty. Cf. ekatapatran jagatah prabhutvam, in Kalidasa's Raghuvam sa, II, 47.
• Vishnu's pada refers to the god Vishnu's holy feet as well as to the minister Vishnu's proximity. The verso implies that those of the enemies who dared to oppose were killed downright, and those who surrendered were allowed to enjoy their freedom !
The poet has cleverly kept up the minister Vishnu's comparison with the god of that name in this verse as well. For a different interpretation of the expression bhima-lafini-kurje, see above, p. 125.
. That is, pulling the bow-string right up to the ear while shooting arrows.
• The eyes of the gods are traditionally known to be ever wide open, without winking. The poet ovidently wishes to convey that, in watching the heroio feat of Vishnu, the natural winklessness of their eyes proved an extra advantage to the gods, because thereby they did not miss the great sight even for so short a time as the twinkling of an eye.
"On the alert ' is a free rendering of the original kruddha which literally means 'engry' or 'furious'. This is to be eqnated with the udynta-danda ('one with the rod upraised") of the rajaniti or statecraft. Expatiating on rajadharma, Manu says: Nityam-udyata dandaayat, eto., “Let him be ever ready to strike", eto. (Mann. emrit, VII, 102 and 103, and G. Buhler's translation in the Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XXV, p. 232). Commen. tators like Kullaka explain danda in this context by hasty-abu-adilikah-abhydsa, military training and drilling, especially for wars with the help of elephants and horses. The poet of our prasasti evidently refers to such a warpreparedness on the part of Vishnu in mentioning the sports of horses and elephants and all the rest of it in the present verse. The lilies and lotunes symbolise the peace with plenty ostablished through his good administration, while the tramping on foreheads points to the proper subjugation of hostile elements in like manner.
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