Epigraphia Indica Vol 34

Author(s): D C Sircar
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 35

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXXIV mätrā and this fact shows that our inscription exhibiting three varieties of a more developed sign of medial i has to be assigned to a much later date. The first two types of this sign are noticed in both the Mathurā inscriptions of Chandragupta II, referred to above, particularly in the fragmentary one. The third variety of the sign, which is ornamental, is found, often along with the other two varieties, in records like the Mehrauli posthumous pillar inscription of Chandra (i.e. Chandragupta II), the Shorkot inscription of 402 A.D., and the Mandasor pillar inscriptions of Yasodharman, one of which is dated in 532 A.D. Similarly, the signs for medialu in rtu (line 1) and medial riin nri (once in line land twice in line 2) used in the record are also generally found in inscriptions later than those of the Kushänar. But the letter ch, j, n, p, 8, etc., &s used in our epigraph, are not generally expected in records much later than the 5th century A.D. On palaeographical grounds therefore the inscription can be roughly assigned to a date about the close of the 4th or in the 5th century A.D.
The language of the inscription is Sanskrit. There are two stanzas (one in Arya and the other in the Upajäti metre) with a prore endorsement at the end. As regards orthography, there is no case of the reduplication of a consonant in conjunction with r, though dh followed by y has been reduplicated in line 3. The inscription bears no date.
The first line of the epigraph contains a stanza apparently in the Aryā metre, of which the major part of the second and nearly the whole of the third feet are lost. Another difficulty is that the last two syllables of the first foot and the four extant syllables at the beginning of the second foot appear to contain some errors as they do not yield any sense as they are. But the first foot speaks of one Nřipamitra-bhartri in the sixth case-ending, while the last foot seems to mention a person named Udāka or Udoka also in the sixth case-ending. The latter is called sad-dharma-ruchi referring to his devotion to the true faith' probably meaning Buddhism. The name Nripamitrabhartri is interesting since the word bharti suffixed to it is undoubtedly the same as Prakrit bha(tara derived from Sanskrit bhartri (actually from the plural form bhartārah) but later adopted as a Sanskrit word.' Gradually the word bhattāraka (derived from bhattāra) and later the expression paramabhattāraka became popular in the sense of a king' and was often used with reference to a monarch. The word bhattāraka was sometimes also suffixed to the names of kings and princes, e.g. Arthapati-bhattāraka, Prithivivigraha-bhattāraka, Lokavigraha-bhattāraka, Manchyaņņabhattāraka, etc. There is little doubt that Nřipamitra-bhartsi is the same as Nripamitra-bhattāraka and, as will be seen below, this Nripamitra was a king apparently of the Mathurā region. The verse in question therefore seems to speak of a pious work of a Buddhist named Udäka or Udoka who was most probably an officer or subordinate of king Nripamitra. The pious work was no doubt the installation of the image, on the pedestal of which the inscription under study was engraved.
The second verse is in the Upajāti metre, of which the major part of the second foot and the beginning of the third are lost. The first foot obviously refers to the pious work of Udāka or Udoka (i.e. the installation of an image by him), mentioned in verse 1, and states that it was caused to be made by Nřipamitra-bhartri (i.e. Nțipamitra-bhattāraka), while the latter half of the stanza prays for the welfare of 'that king of kings' (tasya nsip-adhipasya) in this world and in the next. This 'king of kings' is no doubt the same as Nripamitra-bhartsi mentioned earlier in the same stanze
1 CII, Vol. III, Plate XXI A. * Abovo, Vol. XVI, Plate facing p. 15.
CII, Vol. III, Plates XXI B and C and XXII.
. CF. Select Inscriptions, p. 162, text line 3; p. 283, text line 1 ; p. 325, text lino 7; p. 344, text line 13; etc. abovo, Vol. XXVIII, p. 16, text line 8 ; p. 334, text line 12; etc.
Abovo, Vol. XX VIII, p. 16, toxt line 2 ; p. 84, text lines 3-4 ; p. 331, text lines 3-4; Vol. XVII, p. 388 text. line 11.