Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 212

208
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[Novnom, !219
The translation of Kielhorn is: 'who had acquired the splendour of royalty by Lis devoted army (which consisted) of hereditary servants, hired soldiers and men eapicyd in posts'." Dr. Kultzsch, in his paper on the Ganesgad plater of Dhruvanena I, has translated it A followr: who acquired the glory of royalty by the strength of a devoted "lody of borerlitary servants, hired soldiers &nd friendo'.' Dr. Sten Konow has again offered the following ranglation of it in editing the l'alitans plates of Dhruvasena I: 'who obtained the glory of royalty by the strength of the array of devoted hereditary servante and friendo'.? None of the above translations, bowever, appears to be satisfactory. The real meaning of the words Maula, Bkrita, Mitra, Sreņi and Bale is quite diffcrent from what echolare have hitherto supposed.
The passage in question has now to be interpreted in the light of the Mahabadrata ano the Arthaldstra of Kautilya. The words mentioned above are all technical terms in Hundu Polity. Accoriling to it, Bala means 'army' which consisted of four kinds of troops, viz. Maula 10 i.e. bereditary). Bhita (i.e. hired) Mitra (i.e. allied) and Srexi lie, guild. This is exactly what we get in the Mahâbhârala :
Adadita balash raja maulani mitrabalar tatha alavi-baliw bhyita i cheziva talha iren-balai prabho.
"The passage in Kautilya also runs to the same effect—“ Sa maula-bhita-treni-mitrGaite-davi-balankan saraphalgutâi vidyal," p. 140 (cf. also p. 342).
The expression quoted at the bead of this note had therefore been better translated thus who (king) acquired the goddess of royalty (i.e. the kingdom) through the army (consisting on hereditary, meroenary, allied and guild soldiers'. It has reference, as has been already said, to Bhatakka, a Send pati, i.e., general, wbofounded the Valabbidynasty. The passage abows that be raised himself to the throne by the army, and it further throws light on the part played by guilds in Ancient India, which have thus an exact parallel to the Italian guilds who also maintained armies.
3.-Sravasti and TarBkarl of the Silimpur Inscription.
This important record has been recently edited in the Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XIII, p. 283 &. and Plate by Mr. Radhagovinda Basak. But before it was published in that Journal its contents wete already familiar to scholars of Bengal, it being published by him in a Bengali monthly, and discussed by Mr. Ramaprasad Chanda, in his book called The Indo-Aryan Races (1916, pp. 170-71). The passage of the inscription which was the main basis of his discussion runs as follows
"Yesham tasya Hiraq yagarv(b) bha-vapushah-svånga-prasdt-Angiro
vambe-janma samana-gotra-vachan-otkarsh6eBharadvájatah 1 * El., Vol. I, p. 89.
Ibid., Vol III, p. 322.
• Ibid, Vol. XI, p. 108. 10 This word occurs sluo in Mau stone inscription of Madana varman (BI., Vol. I, p. 201, 1. 23). There, Maula Prithvtvarman who is appointed the king's minister, is described to have been an expert in mounting olophants, horses and chariots, and skilled in archery
11 This pesonge has been quoted by Dr. R. C. Majumdar in his Corporate Life in Ancient india, p. 13, n. 19. .