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308
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXXIV
increase of yasah and kirti. It will be seen that Varga, who was the elder brother of Chhandaka, younger brother of Sridatta, son of Hari-Srështhin and grandson uf Kaivarti-árēshțhin, has been meritioned here as Varga-gramika. The word grāmika affixed to Varga's name suggests that he was the headman of a village which seems to be no other than Avadars. The synonymous words yasah and kirti, when used together, are often understood in the sense of glory in this life and fame after death.1
There is no doubt that the stone pillar, which bears the inscription and was erected by Varga, is called a bala-yashti. The use of the word yashti in the sense of a pillar raised in memory of the dead is known from the Sui-Vihär and Andhau inscriptions. It therefore appears that Varga raised the pillar bearing the inscription in memory of his grandfather Kaivarti-brēshțhin, his father Hari-brēshthin, his elder brother Sridatta and his younger brother Chhandaka who were apparently all dead. The memorial pillar is also called a götra-sailikā or 'family (pillar of] stone' apparently because it was raised in the memory of several members of the family. We know that the word gätra, apparently a mistake for götra which is a contraction of gotra-sailika, was used to indicate a memorial pillar in the region in question even in the medieval period.
The word bala in the expression bala-yashți seems to have been used in the sense of strong or stout'. Otherwise we have probably to suggest that, somehow in some regions, such memorial pillars were called 'Bala's (ie. Balarama's) Club' just as the pillars bearing Aboka's incriptions are known in certain places as 'Bhimasēna's Club'. But this is less likely.
The only geographical name mentioned in the inscription is Avadara which appears to have been a locality near modern Supiā, the findspot of the epigraph.
TEXT 1 [Srij-Gha[40]tkachash [*] tad-vansēc prava ... 2 [nöj? mahāra(rā)ja-sri-Samu[dragu]pta[1*] ta[t-pu)3 [tra][b] sri-Vikkramā[ditya[*] ta[tputra][b] mahārā(ja)4 (śr]-Mah@[ndrāditya)[1*tasya (pa]tra[b] Chakkra[va) 5 [rtti]-tuslyö] [mahā]-bala-vikkra[mē]pa R[āma)6 [tu]lyo dharmma)-pa[ra]tayā Yudhishtira sa[tyė)7 nacharavi[naya] mahārāja-sri-Ska[nda)8 guptasyal. rājya-(samvaltsara-sato ēka9 chatvāri[nsótta)rakēt [1] [asyām) divasa-pa10 rv våyam(yām) Avadara-vāstavya-kuţumbi[kaḥ "] 11 Kaivartti-śrēshthi-naptri(ptā) Hari-brēshthi-pu[tra][h*] Brida12 [tta][b 1*) tad-bhrātri(tä) Vargga[h *) ta[d-bhrā]ta(tā) Chohha(Chha)ndaka 1 11 13 sva-puny-āpyāyan-ārtham yasah-ki14 [rtti)-pravardha[ya*]māna-göttra-failika bala-ya15 shthi(shţih) pratishthăpitā Vargga-gråmikēna 16 Jõ(Jyē)shtha-māsā sukla-pakshasya dviti17 (yayam] tisthau] [lk]
1 Cf. CII, Vol. I, p. 18, note 7.
See Select Inscriptions, pp. 135-36, 167-69. . Cf. above, p. 172. • From an impression. . Road tad-vanée. • The two lost aksharas may be restored as rtland or rddhamd. * The damaged letter looks more like ndr. • Road Yudhishthira-tulyah. • Road nedchára-vinayaib or better saty.dchara-vinayoit. 10 Road guplab tasya. 11 Read Orithead-uttarake. 18 The lost lotters may be restored as shetti
11 Read warhutanara.
