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Chapter - 2

LITERARY HERITAGE OF SANSKRIT ANDINSCRIPTIONS

2.1. Some Phenomenal features of Sanskrit

2.2. Sanskrit as an Epigraphical Language

2.3. Orthographical features of Sanskrit inscriptions

2.4. Ka=vyas in Sanskrit Inscriptions

Chapter - 2LITERARY HERITAGE OF SANSKRIT AND

INSCRIPTIONS

xÉÇxMüÉUuÉirÉÉå eÉaÉÌiÉ xÉliÉÑ pÉÉwÉÉÈ mÉUÈvÉiÉqÉç |iÉjÉÉÌmÉ xÉÇxM×üiÉÉÍpÉZrÉÉ lÉÉlrÉxrÉÉ SØvrÉiÉå YuÉÍcÉiÉç ||

Sanskrit today is the oldest known perfectly evolved

language with a lavish and multifarious literature. Sanskrit is

not only a store-house of religious and philosophical

knowledge but also a great bearer of the learning in the fields

of fine arts, law and administration, medicine, architecture,

music, rhetorics, dramatics, astronomy and astrology,

mathematics and many other science then known.

Sanskrit brought about a brand of national integration in

India till the end of the so called medieval period in history.

So much that even some Muslim kings also used to get their

inscriptional records and eulogies written in Sanskrit. For

example, a king by name Mohammad Begadha who ruled in

Gujarat, patronized a poet named Udayara=ja and promoted

him to write a panegyric in Sanskrit called Ra=javinoda.1

As a result of patient and laborious comparative study

of Sanskrit with the ancient classical languages of the West,

like Greek, Latin, Old German etc. it has been shown by

55

many European as well as Indian scholars that these

languages can be traced back to a common origin and in all

probability, that is Sanskrit. Thus in a sense, it can be said that

Sanskrit has united the Indians linguistically, with the people

in the West.

Some Phenomenal Features of Sanskrit:

a) Sanskrit has a most scientific and systematic grammar in

the world.

b) The adjective attains the same gender and case of the

noun to which it is assigned.2 This has allowed a great

freedom in arranging the words in a sentence. This is

called as ‘Anvaya’. This helps a lot in the composition

of verses with a great variety of metres.

c) Sanskrit has a rich vocabulary and further a great

number of words can be derived using Sama=sas and

Sandhis.

d) Thus there is a large possibility of synonymous words

and this helps a poet or composer to choose the words

according to their metrical requirement and on the other

hand it also provides a vast range of words to select soft

(WûvÉç) and harsh (ZÉUç) letters according to their need with

respect to the rhetorical aspects like gun/a, rasa etc.

e) The facility of phrasing long compound words (DiÇrgha-

sama=sa) is unique to Sanskrit language, which is very

Literary Heritage of Sanskrit & Inscriptions

helpful in the depiction of the sentiments like ViÇra,

Raudra and BiÇbhatsa. For example,

ÌlÉÍvÉiÉÌlÉÎx§ÉÇvÉbÉlÉbÉÉiÉmÉÉÌiÉiÉÉËUÌ²USMÑüqpÉqÉhQûsÉaÉsÉ¯WûsÉvÉÉåÍhÉiÉxÉSÉÍxÉ-

£üqÉÑ£üÉTüsÉmÉëMüUqÉÎhQûiÉUhÉÉÇaÉhÉÌuÉÌuÉkÉU¦ÉxÉqpÉÉUsÉÉpÉsÉÉåpÉÌuÉeÉ×qpÉqÉÉhÉÉËU-

uÉÉQûuÉÉlÉsÉÈ ……..

lÉÉlÉÉWåûÌiÉmÉëWûÉUmÉëÌuÉbÉÌOûiÉpÉOûÉåUMüuÉÉOûÉåÎijÉiÉÉxÉ×akÉÉUÉxuÉÉSmÉëqÉ¨ÉÌ²mÉvÉiÉcÉUhÉ-

£ÉÉåSxÉqqÉSïpÉÏqÉå ………

f) The articulation of the language is genteel and pleasant,

and hence the style of the language is very captivating.

Sanskrit as an Epigraphical Language:

Sanskrit language has played a very important role in

the development of Indian culture, languages and literature.

In ancient India, not only the men of letters but also the

common people have adored and looked up to Sanskrit.

Though the initial epigraphical language was Prakrit, in a

course of time Sanskrit became the widest and most popular

language of Indian epigraphical literature.

Even after the regional languages became prominent

and permeated into the administrative issues, the standing of

Sanskrit did not plummet at all. To uphold this, the

Ganga=dharam inscription of Jinavallabha3 can be furnished,

where three different languages have been used. The

inscription is found at Kurkya=la in Andhra Pradesh. In this

epigraph Telugu has been used as it was the vernacular.

56Literary Heritage of Sanskrit & Inscriptions

Kannada is used as the administrative language and Sanskrit

is used as the national language.

Sanskrit occupied a greater portion, even in the texts of

the inscriptions in regional languages. Sanskrit words were

lavishly used in the compositions of the regional languages

like Kannada, Telugu etc. Many times, except the verbs and

the suffixes (pratyayas) of tense, case, gender, number etc.

being in the regional language, the whole sentence or verse is

in Sanskrit. The following verses which are in Kannada, can

be furnished as examples;

S~riÇmat-se=na=dhina=tho=ttamananamitanam? Raks/isuttirke Ta=ra=-

Sto=mam? Nilvannegam? Na=radamasr/n/arasavyaktagiÇta=mr/tam? Gau- |

RiÇmugdha=nandamandasmitamadhurakat/a=ks/a=mr/tam? De=vara=ja-

Pre=mastutya=disadva=gamr/tanamr/tana=tham? Trilo=kaikana=tham? ||

( Amr/ta=pura Inscription of Amr/tes`vara, composed by the

renowned Kannada poet Janna,)4

S~riÇmadgam?ga=taram ?go=ccal/itajal/akan/as `re=n/ipuh/pa=l/is`o=bha=-

Dha=mam? Cam?cajjat/a=pallavamamr/takaro=dyatphal/am? Ba=hus`a =kha=-

Ra=mam? GauriÇlata=lim?gitamamaranutam? S~ambhukalpadruva =dam

Ra=mam?giÇgatthiyam? va=m?chitaphal/acayamam? Santato=tsa=hadim ?dam?

(Abbaluru Inscription of Somesvara IV of Kalya=n/a Ca=lukya

dynasty, dated circa. 1200 A.D.)5


Thus Sanskrit boasted a great vogue in both classical

and epigraphical literature across the length and breadth of

the nation until the English intrusion.

This was due to some singular characteristics of Sanskrit

language. And it can be determined as follows, that on what

reasons, Sanskrit persisted as the major language of Indian

epigraphs.

a) It is already known that Sanskrit was the only language

prevalent in all parts of the country. Except the edicts if

king Asoka, which were mainly purported to promulgate

the message of righteousness among the common

people, the inscriptions would generally contain, big or

small prasasti portions of the kings, intended to spread

their fame every nook and cranny.

b) After the stupendous efforts of phenomenally genius

grammarians like Pa=n/ini, Sanskrit attained a stable form

that would not alter with the passage of time and would

not differ from region to region. Whereas it was not

possible in the case of other languages. Therefore,

Sanskrit was used in order to make their records

understandable to the people of all regions and

accessible for the future generations also.

c) After the king Asoka, for the kings and royal dignitaries

of consequent times, it became a de rigueur to get their


panegyrics written on stones or other epigraphic

materials. And for such eulogistic compositions Sanskrit

was the most apposite language due to its superlative

characteristics.

d) The poets of the inscriptions were generally patronized

in imperial courts. And they embellished the triumphs,

generosity, grandeur etc. of their patron kings and their

precursors. Sanskrit was considered as the best medium

for such embellishment owing to its rich and prolific

vocabulary, the wide scope that it provides in phrasing

captivating sentences using short or long compounds,

many other specials characteristics and its decorous

fashion which is only one of its kind.

e) The composers of the eulogies used to elucidate the

genealogy of their kings and ascribed their origin of that

royal family to the mythological icons or celestial

beings such as Su=rya, Candra etc. in order to establish

the greatness of the lineage. As all the Pura=n/as were

written in Sanskrit it was straightforward to glorify the

kings accordingly.

f) In most of the cases the composers of Sanskrit

inscriptions were endowed poets. They were adroit in

bringing to bear, many literary elements. They were au

fait with rhetorics, grammar, prosody, literature and


several other branches of knowledge. Hence they

plumped for the language used by the highbrows, as the

medium of inscriptions.

g) It may be presumed that the kings held it to be a matter

of cachet to have scores of inscriptions along with

embroidered eulogies which was feasible in Sanskrit.

From the opening of the first century A.D. as late as the

period of the imperial Guptas, both Prakrit and Sanskrit were

used in the inscriptions. During this period some of the

inscriptions written in Prakrit were influenced by Sanskrit,

while, it was vice versa in many other cases. For example, the

Besanagara Garud /a pillar inscription 6 of the time of

Bha=gabhadra and the Kosam stone inscription were written in

Prakrit influenced by Sanskrit, whereas, the Ayodhya= stone

inscription of Dhanadeva and the Ghosun/d/I stone inscription

of king Sarvata =la were composed in Sanskrit quietly

influenced by Prakrit.

Orthographical features of Sanskrit inscriptions

All the same, the texts of the Sanskrit inscriptions

were composed by learned officers, emissaries or court poets,

many orthographical errors often occur in most of the

inscriptions. Some of such errors frequently observed in

Sanskrit inscriptions are as below;

a) According to the rules of Sanskrit grammar, the

anusva=ra that occurs at the end of the sentence or an


even quarter of the verse or before a vowel, should

become ‘qÉç’. But this rule is not seriously followed in

Sanskrit inscription.

b) Perhaps due to the influence of the accent and

pronunciation of Prakrit or other regional languages,

instead of the letters such as ‘uÉ’, ‘vÉ’, ‘wÉ’, ‘sÉ’ the letters

‘oÉ ’ , ‘xÉ ’, ‘Vû’ etc. are used which seem to be

phonetically similar. The vice versa is also seen in many

inscriptions.

c) In many cases, the visarga (È) is dropped, even though

it was necessary.

d) Sometimes the words are conjoined improperly or

where the conjunction is not possible. For example, it is

inscribed as ‘uÉmÉÑMüÉïMÑüxjÉuÉqÉÉï’ while the correct form is

‘uÉmÉÑÈ MüÉMÑüxjÉuÉqÉÉï’ (Ta=l/agunda inscription of Ka=kusthavarma=,7

line 1)

e) Many times the words are written wrongly as they are

heard. For example, instead of ‘iÉÉqÉëvÉÉxÉlÉqÉç’ it is written

as ‘iÉÉÇoÉëvÉÉxÉlÉqÉç’. Similarly ‘lÉUÍxÉÇWû’ as ‘lÉUÍxÉÇÀû’ etc.

f) In Sanskrit, the anusva=ra that comes before the classified

consonants (uÉaÉÏïrÉurÉgeÉlÉÉÌlÉ), should be replaced by the

nasal (AlÉÑlÉÉÍxÉMü) consonant of the corresponding group.

But this is not strictly followed in the epigraphs.

The main reason for such orthographical errors was that

the preparation of an inscription would generally involve


three stages; the first, an eminent poet of the royal court

would compose the text of the inscription except the local

details of the grant etc. In the next stage a local officer or a

poet in the local administrative court would write the text of

that inscription on the selected stone or other epigraphic

materials. And in the third stage a sculptor would engrave the

written text. In case of copper plates, usually goldsmiths

were employed to inscribe the text. Many inscriptions

themselves provide clear evidence for this threefold process

of writing inscriptions. For example,

bÉÌOûiÉÇ uÉÉqÉlÉålÉÉ§É ÍsÉÎZÉiÉÇ MüÐÌiÉïxÉÔlÉÑlÉÉ |

sÉ£qÉÏkÉUxÉÑiÉålÉåSqÉç EiMüÏhÉïÇ iÉÉqÉëqÉÑ ÉqÉqÉç ||

NûlSÉåsÉÇM×üÌiÉvÉoSqÉlqÉjÉMüsÉÉvÉÉx§ÉÉoeÉcÉhQû±ÑÌiÉ-

¶É¢åü SåuÉaÉhÉÈ mÉëvÉÎxiÉqÉqÉsÉÉÇ ´ÉÏU¦ÉÍxÉÇWûÉiqÉeÉÈ ||

rÉÈ MüÉurÉMæüUuÉÌuÉMüÉxÉlÉvÉÏiÉUÎvqÉ-

Â¬ÉqÉoÉÑÌ®ÌlÉsÉrÉÉåÅeÉÌlÉ mÉÉsÉxÉÔlÉÑÈ |

ÌuÉ±ÉÌuÉsÉÉxÉuÉxÉÌiÉÌuÉïqÉsÉÉÇ mÉëvÉÎxiÉÇ

ÉÏqÉÉÌlÉqÉÉÇ MÑüqÉUmÉÉsÉoÉÑkÉÉå ÍsÉsÉåZÉ ||

mÉëvÉÎxiÉËUrÉqÉÑiMüÏhÉÉï ÂÍcÉUÉ£ÉUmÉÇÌ£üÍpÉÈ |

kÉÏqÉiÉÉ xÉÔ§ÉkÉÉUåhÉ xÉÉqmÉÑsÉål É qÉlÉÉåUqÉÉ ||

The first verse which is from the Bilangadh Copper-

plate Inscription of Pr/thviÇdeva II8, tells that the inscriptional

text was composed by Va=mana; written by KiÇrtisu=nu, and was


inscribed by the son of Laks/miÇdhara. Next three verses from

the Ratnapura stone inscription9 of the same king, record that

this flawless eulogy was composed by a versatile literary

prodigy, Devagan/a; the spick and span text of the epigraph

was written by Kumarapa=la, and the beautiful letters of the

inscription were engraved by Sa=mpula.

During this process, the inscriptional text composed by

the court poet, though flawless, may get slightly corrupted

while being written on the stone. Because the writers were

usually not as learned as the original composers. And one

more thing is that, many times, the same text portion

containing the genealogy of the royal family, followed by the

eulogy of the king, was commonly used in different

inscriptions. And perhaps the writers of the inscriptions

would learn by rote the common prasasti portion. Thus these

writers might have committed many mistakes in the writing

of the inscriptional texts either by overwriting or overlooking.

And on the other hand, while writing the common pras`asti

text, if the writers forgot some words, sentences of quarters of

the verses, they substituted them by their own words.

The major problem was in the third stage where the

person who was employed to etch the written text on the

inscriptional stone, was generally illiterate. Due to his

ignorance many orthographical errors occurred in the


epigraphs. And if a letter or word once incised wrongly on the

stone or metal plates, it was impossible to correct the mistake.

Composers of Sanskrit inscriptions have taken freedom

to modify some words for the facility of their compositions.

Usually some non-Sanskrit proper nouns have been modified

in order to mold them according to the enunciation of Sanskrit

language and sometimes for the metrical adjustment. For

example, the name of a Muslim chief, Mallik Ibra=him, is

changed as MalikiÇbhara=ma. Similarly, the term Sulta=n, is

altered as Suratra=n/a.

In many Sanskrit inscriptions of Vijayanaga dynasty, a

name Mohammad Shah, is modified as Mahamanda S~a=hu and

very interestingly the inscriptions themselves give an

artificial etymology of the name as ‘Mahair-mandah/’ which

means lacklustre. Kannada names such as Mallayya, Appan/n/

a, BhiÇmappa, are expressed as Mallaya, Appan/a, BhiÇmapa

correspondingly.

Ka=vyas in Sanskrit Inscriptions :

In the initial stages of indological studies by European

scholars, Prof. Max Muller proffered the theory of the

Renaissance of Sanskrit literature. The theory astutely

expounded the resurgence of Sanskrit during the reign of the

Guptas, after passing through its dark age at the time when

India was facing unremitting foreign blitzes. Though this

theory enjoyed a long-drawn-out popularity, it was generally


thrust aside by the epigraphical researches of scholars like G.

Buhler, F. Kielhorn and J. F. Fleet. The detailed examination

of the evidence corroborated by the early inscriptions ranging

from the second to the fourth century A.D. not only proved

the existence of a majestic writing of Sanskrit prose and verse

in the Ka=vya style, but it also raised the conjecture that most

of the pras`asti-writers were au fait with some principles of

poetic art.

If the former theory suggested the ebb of literary

activities in Sanskrit because of the invasions of the S~akas, it

is now authoritatively gathered that the Western Ks/atrapas of

s‘aka origin were not great destroyers, on the contrary they

patronized Indian art, religion and Sanskrit as the epigraphical

language as early as A.D. 150.

It is certainly borne out by the Junagadh inscription10 of

Maha=ks/trapa Rudrada=man, which is the only great Sanskrit

inscription with the fragrance of well developed poetic

structure, that can be, with certainty, placed in a considerably

earlier age. This epigraph is engraved on the top of the

famous Girna=r rock which also contains the edicts of the great

Mauryan king Asoka and an inscription of Skandagupta. It is

situated about one and half mile to the town of Juna=gadh in

Gujarat. The inscription was first brought to light by Col. Tod

in 1832 in the J.A.S.B. Vol. VII. The entire epigraph is written

in Sanskrit prose. Though it does not mention the name of its


author, there can be no doubt that the poet was of a high

classical order.

The text of the inscription is written in ka=vya style and

possesses the features of VaidarbhiÇ riÇti, as laid down in

Ka=vya=darsà of Dan/d/in. The inscription gives a beautiful

poetic description of a lake called Sudarsana. Once it was

destroyed by a storm during the reign of Rudrada=man. The

poet describes that, all the water having escaped after the

disaster, the lake, though by name Sudarsàna, became

Durdarsàna. The author of the inscription seems to be more

interested in S~abda=lan?ka=ras rather than Artha=lan?ka=ras. About

the style of the author, Prof. S.G. Buhler says that the author,

trusting to the effect of a plain, yet forcible narrative and

characterization of events and individuals, makes spare use of

those, often conventional ornaments, which abound in later

inscriptions.11

Similarly the elegant epigraphical compositions of many

poetic luminaries like Haris/en/a, Vatsabhat/t/I, RavikiÇrti etc.

have enabled the Sanskrit inscriptional literature to be

considered in the purview of ka=vya. Dr. S.G. Buhler in his

scholarly essay on Indian Inscriptions and Antiquity of Indian

Artificial Poetry, has dealt with the poetic aspects of Haris/en/

a’s panegyric in detail.

Vatsabhat/t/i, the author of the Mandasor stone inscription

of Kuma=ragupta12, in spite of the short limit of the


epigraphical space, tries to bring the charm of a Maha=ka=vya

to his composition. In Sanskrit rhetorics the characteristics of

a Maha=ka=vya are illustrated as below –

lÉaÉUÉhÉïuÉzÉæsÉiÉÑïcÉlSìÉMüÉåïSrÉuÉhÉïlÉqÉç |

E±ÉlÉxÉÍsÉsÉ¢üÏQûÉqÉkÉÑmÉÉlÉUiÉÉåixÉuÉÉÈ ||

ÌuÉmÉësÉqpÉÉå ÌuÉuÉÉWû¶É MÑüqÉÉUÉåSrÉuÉhÉïlÉqÉç |

qÉl§É±ÔiÉmÉërÉÉhÉÉÎeÉlÉÉrÉMüÉprÉÑSrÉÉ AÌmÉ ||

LiÉÉÌlÉ rÉ§É uÉhrÉïliÉå iÉlqÉWûÉMüÉurÉqÉÑcrÉiÉå |

LwÉÉqÉ¹ÉSzÉÉlÉÉÇ rÉæÈ MæüÍ¶ÉSÕlÉqÉmÉÏwrÉiÉå ||13

i.e. a literary composition is said to be a Maha=ka=vya, if

there is description of nagara (city), arn/ava (ocean), S~aila

(mountain), r/tu (season), candrodaya (moonrise), arkodaya

(sunrise), Udya=na (garden), salilakriÇd/a= (water play),

vipralambha (separation), viva=ha (marriage), mantra (advise),

praya=n/a (travel), a=ji (battle), and na=yaka=bhyudaya (prosperity

of the hero). But there is no hard and fast rule that all of these

must be present in a Maha=ka=vya and there is a concision to

drop a few.

Here the very eagerness with which Vatsabhat/t/i

takes advantage of every little circumstance to bring in poetic

details and descriptions shows that he cherished to do his best

to make the composition a maha=ka=vya. Out of the as/t/a=das`a

varn/anas, those employed by Vatsabhat/t/i, can be drown out as

follows –


Praya=n/a (journey) –

MÑüxÉÑqÉpÉUÉlÉiÉiÉÂuÉUSåuÉMÑüsÉxÉpÉÉÌuÉWûÉUUqÉhÉÏrÉÉiÉç |

sÉÉOûÌuÉwÉrÉÉ³ÉaÉÉuÉ×iÉzÉæsÉÉ‹aÉÌiÉ mÉëÍjÉiÉÍzÉsmÉÉÈ ||

iÉå SåzÉmÉÉÍjÉïuÉaÉÑhÉÉ™iÉÉÈ mÉëMüÉzÉqÉkuÉÉÌSeÉÉlrÉÌuÉasÉÉlrÉxÉÑZÉÉlrÉmÉÉxrÉ |

eÉÉiÉÉSUÉ SzÉmÉÑUÇ mÉëjÉqÉÇ qÉlÉÉåÍpÉUluÉÉaÉiÉÉÈ xÉxÉÑiÉoÉlkÉÑeÉlÉÉÈ xÉqÉåirÉ ||

“From the region of La=t/awhich is pleasing with choice

trees that are bowed down by the weight of flowers, and with

temples, assembly-halls, pleasure gardens and the mountains

covered over with vegetation; to this city of Dasapura there

came in a band together with their children and kinsmen, and

who were renowned in the world for skill in their craft (of

silk-weaving) and who being manifestly attracted by the

virtues of the king of this country, not minding the continuous

discomforts caused by the journey and its accomplishments.”

Nagara (city) :

cÉsÉimÉiÉÉMüÉlrÉoÉsÉÉxÉlÉÉjÉÉ-

lrÉirÉjÉïzÉÑYsÉÉlrÉÍkÉMüÉå³ÉiÉÉÌlÉ |

iÉÌQûssÉiÉÉÍcÉ§ÉÍxÉiÉÉpÉëMÔüOû-

iÉÑsrÉÉåmÉqÉÉlÉÉÌlÉ aÉ×WûÉÍhÉ rÉ§É ||

MæüsÉÉxÉiÉÑ…¡ûÍzÉZÉUmÉëÌiÉqÉÉÌlÉ iÉÉlrÉÉ-

lrÉÉpÉÉÎliÉ SÏbÉïuÉsÉpÉÏÌlÉ xÉuÉåÌSMüÉÌlÉ | vv. 10-11

i.e. (in the city Das‘pura) where the houses look

beautiful with flying flags, with a number of tender women


and with very white towers rising higher resembling the

peaks of white clouds variegated with flashes of lightning.

And where some other houses look beautiful with long

terraces and stone seats resembling the lofty summits of the

mountain Kaila=sa; resounding with musical sounds having

portraits kept arranged in them; (and) being adorned with

groves of waving plantain trees.

S~aila (mountains)

qÉ¨ÉåpÉaÉhQûiÉOûÌuÉcrÉÑiÉSÉlÉÌoÉlSÒ-

ÍxÉ£üÉåmÉsÉÉcÉsÉxÉWûxÉëÌuÉpÉÔwÉhÉÉrÉÉÈ |

mÉÑwmÉÉuÉlÉqÉëiÉÂqÉhQûuÉiÉÇxÉMüÉrÉÉ

pÉÔqÉåÈ mÉUÇ ÌiÉsÉMüpÉÔiÉÍqÉSÇ ¢üqÉåhÉ || v. 6

“The place which is adorned by a thousand mountains

whose rocks are besprinkled with the drops of rut that trickle

down from the edges of the temples of rutting elephants, and

which has for (its) decorative crests the trees weighed down

with flowers. And in this way it became the forehead

decoration of the earth.”

Udya=na (gardens) :

xuÉmÉÑwmÉpÉÉUÉuÉlÉiÉælÉïaÉålSìæÈ

qÉSmÉëaÉspÉÉÍsÉMÑüsÉxuÉlÉæ¶É |

AeÉxÉëaÉÉÍpÉ¶É mÉÑUÉ…¡ûlÉÉÍpÉ-

uÉïlÉÉÌlÉ rÉÎxqÉlxÉqÉsÉƒ¡ÙûiÉÉÌlÉ || v. 9

i.e. where the gardens look beautiful being adorned with

lofty trees bending under the burden of their flowers and are


full of the humming of the flights of bees wild with

intoxication and with the city women walking for pleasure

and singing perpetually.

R/tu (season)

UÉqÉÉxÉlÉÉjÉUcÉlÉå SUpÉÉxMüUÉÇzÉÑuÉÌ»ûmÉëiÉÉmÉxÉÑpÉaÉå eÉsÉsÉÏlÉqÉÏlÉå |

cÉlSìÉÇzÉÑWûqrÉïiÉsÉcÉlSlÉiÉÉsÉuÉ×liÉWûÉUÉåmÉpÉÉåaÉUÌWûiÉå ÌWûiÉSakÉmÉ©å ||

UÉåkÉëÌmÉërÉ…¡ÓûiÉÂMÑülSsÉiÉÉÌuÉMüÉåzÉmÉÑwmÉÉÇxÉuÉmÉëqÉÑÌSiÉÉÍsÉMüsÉÉÍpÉUÉqÉå |

MüÉsÉå iÉÑwÉÉUMühÉMüMïüzÉzÉÏiÉuÉÉiÉuÉåaÉmÉëlÉ×¨ÉsÉuÉsÉÏlÉaÉhÉæMüzÉÉZÉå ||

xqÉUuÉzÉaÉiÉÂhÉeÉlÉuÉssÉpÉÉ…¡ûlÉÉÌuÉmÉÑsÉMüÉÎliÉmÉÏlÉÉåÂ- |

xiÉlÉeÉbÉlÉbÉlÉÉÍsÉ…¡ûlÉÌlÉpÉïÎixÉïiÉiÉÑÌWûlÉÌWûqÉmÉÉiÉå ||

xÉWûxrÉqÉÉxÉzÉÑYsÉxrÉ mÉëzÉxiÉåÅÌ»û §ÉrÉÉåSzÉå ........ vv. 31-34

“In that season which unites men with lovely women,

which is pleasant on account of the feeble rays of the sun and

the warmth of fire; when the fishes lie low down in the water;

when the rays of the moon, the top floors of houses, sandal

ointment, palm fans and necklaces afford no enjoyment;

when the water-lilies are burnt down by frost; which is lovely

by the humming of the bees rejoiced by the juice of the full

blown flowers of the Rodhra and Priyan?gu plants and the

jasmine creepers; when the solitary branches of the LavaliÇ

and Nagan/a trees dance freely with the force of wind harsh

and cold with particles of frost; wherein the snowfall is

uncared for by the close embraces of the massive thighs and


the lovely breasts and the bulky hips of their beloveds by

young men, completely under the influence of love; i.e. on

the auspicious thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the

month Sahasya (Paus/a).”

Na=yaka=bhyudaya (prosperity of the hero/king)

cÉiÉÑxxÉqÉÑSìÉliÉÌuÉsÉÉåsÉqÉåZÉsÉÉÇ

xÉÑqÉåÂMæüsÉÉxÉoÉ×WûimÉrÉÉåkÉUÉqÉç |

uÉlÉÉliÉuÉÉliÉxTÑüOûmÉÑwmÉWûÉÍxÉlÉÏÇ

MÑüqÉÉUaÉÑmiÉå mÉ×ÍjÉuÉÏÇ mÉëzÉÉxÉÌiÉ || v. 23

i.e. while Kuma=ragupta was reigning over the earth

whose moving girdle is the verge of the four oceans; whose

high breasts are (the mountains) Sumeru and Kaila=sa and

whose smile are the blowing flowers showered forth from the

borders of the wood.

Thus it is necessary scrutinize such inscriptions to

understand how far the models of the ka =vya sty le

incorporated in theses epigraphs agree with the works of

celebrated masters of Sanskrit poetic art and how far the

composition is related to the rules laid down in the rhetorical

manuals.

Now a model of literary assessment of a particular

inscription having poetic charm, is exemplified taking an

inscription, the purport of which seems to be purely literary. It

is from Hanumakonda14, a small town near Warangal in the


same district of Andhra Pradesh. The region is well known as

it had been the capital of the Kakatiyas, a famous dynasty that

ruled over Andhra region between 1000-1326 A.D. The

epigraph has been inscribed on a rock at the top of the hillock

called ‘Siddhe=s`vruni gut/t//a’ near Hanumakonda. There are

altogether thirty seven and a quarter verses and the inscription

is incomplete.

The characters of the inscription are Telugu and the

language is Sanskrit throughout. Occasionally Vû is used

instead of sÉ perhaps due to the influence of Telugu. Owing

to the incomplete nature of the inscription the date and other

historical information is not available. On the palaeographical

grounds, the editors of the epigraph have assigned the

epigraph to about the 13th cent. A.D. As has been suggested

by the editors of the record the inscription falls in the period

of Prata=parudra II (1291-1330 A.D.)

Despite its incomplete nature, the inscription is of great

interest from its literary point of view. The inscription has

been composed in an ornate ka=vya style. The inscription

graphically depicts the Andhra land in general and in

particular, Ekashilanagari15 the capital of Kakatiyas then and

stops there abruptly.

The epigraph is not articulate regarding its actual

purport. All the same, we could surmise that this elaborate


description of Ekashilanagari might have formed a prelude to

the consequent description of the king and his kingdom which

he ruled over, The ravishing ka=vya style of the inscription

manifests the fact that the record is composed by a man of

letters well trained in the distinguished poetic traditions for

which the period is well known16. The poet of this inscription,

though anonymous17, can certainly be placed in the line next

to that of the other most celebrated inscriptional poets like

Kubja, Haris/e=n/a and RavikiÇrti.

The most fascinating literary feature of this epigraph is

that the author has made an endeavour to fashion this tiny

composition into a niro=s/t /hya ka =vya. i.e. by not using the

o=s/t/hya-varn/as 18, i.e. the letters of labial class. Examples for

this kind of composition can be seen in classical Sanskrit

literature also. For instance, in the famous Das`akuma=racarita

of the renowned poet Dan/d/i+, the seventh chapter is entirely

composed in this niro=s/t/hya style. Exemplifying this species of

ka=vya there is another work called Niro=s/t/hya-Ra=ma=yan/a19 by

Mallika=rjunabhat/t/a, which is said to be contemporaneous with

the inscription under study. Here, apart from an only

exception (in line 13), the composer has successfully shown

his competence to compose a ka=vya worthy of plaudit,

without using the o=s/t/hya-varn/as. The uniqueness of this

inscription is that, among the plenteous Sanskrit literary

compositions compiled from inscriptions, this is the only

example of this class of composition.


Regarding the metre the inscription holds no signal

interest as all the thirty-seven verses in it are composed in the

simple Anus/t/up20 metre. The inscription contains certain

slo=kas remarkable for their sabda=lan?ka=ras (figures of words)

and artha=lan?ka=ras (figures of sense). Following verse is an

exquisite example for sabda=lan?ka=ra.

‘MüÉliÉrÉÉ blÉÎliÉ rÉiMüÉliÉÉÈ MüÉliÉÉlÉÉÇ WØûSrÉÇ SØvÉÉ |

MüÉliÉrÉÉ blÉÎliÉ rÉiMüÉliÉÉÈ MüÉliÉÉlÉÉÇ WØûSrÉÇ SØvÉÉ ||’ - line 20, verse 28

The above verse means, in this city, the beloved, by their

bewitching glances, captivate the bosom of their lovers;

(similarly) the lovers, by their beautiful sights, captivate the

bosom of their beloved.

This is a fine example for Yamak-a =lan ?ka=ra . The

repetition in the same stanza, of words or syllables similar in

sound but different in meaning is called Yamaka.

AjÉåï xÉirÉjÉïÍpÉ³ÉÉlÉÉÇ uÉhÉÉïlÉÉÇ xÉÉ mÉÑlÉÈ ´ÉÑÌiÉÈ |

rÉqÉMüÇ mÉÉSiÉ°ÉaÉuÉ×Í¨É iÉ±ÉirÉlÉåMüiÉÉqÉç || 21

In precise, it exemplifies Sam?pu=rn/a-yamaka, a subtype

of Yamaka. Such an experiment of the poet reveals his

eminence, as Bha=maha, a noted Sanskrit rhetorician says that

it is very difficult to compose Sam?pu=rn/a-yamaka for which it

is also known as Dus/kara-yamaka.

AlÉliÉUæMüÉliÉUrÉÉåUåuÉÇ mÉÉSÉliÉrÉÉåUÌmÉ |

M×üixlÉÇ cÉ xÉuÉïmÉÉSåwÉÑ SÒwMüUÇ xÉÉkÉÑ iÉÉSØvÉqÉç ||22


Similarly, many lines in the inscription embrace another

famous type of S~abd-a=lan?ka=ra i.e. Anupra=sa or alliteration

which is widely adored by Sanskrit poets. It is defined as;

AlÉÑmÉëÉxÉÈ vÉoSxÉÉqrÉÇ uÉæwÉqrÉåÅÌmÉ xuÉUxrÉ rÉiÉç |

xuÉUqÉÉ§ÉxÉÉSØvrÉÇ iÉÑ uÉæÍcÉ§rÉÉpÉÉuÉÉ³É aÉÍhÉiÉqÉç ||23

The resemblance between the words or letters is called

Anupra=sa . Further, there are several types in it, such as

che =ka=nupra=sa, vr/tyanupra=sa etc. If there is a continuous

repetition of two pairs of similar consonants, then that is said

to be che=ka=nupra=sa.

pÉuÉåSurÉuÉkÉÉlÉålÉ ²rÉÉåurÉïgeÉlÉrÉÑaqÉrÉÉåÈ |

AÉuÉ×Í¨ÉrÉï§É xÉ oÉÑkÉævNåûMüÉlÉÑmÉëÉxÉ CwrÉiÉå ||24

The poet has successfully used this in the following

verse of the inscription;

UxÉÉsÉxÉÉsÉÌWûliÉÉsÉiÉÉsÉMåüiÉMüMåüiÉlÉå |

MüÉliÉÉUå rÉ§É MüÉliÉÉlÉÉÇ eÉÉiÉÈ vÉ×ÇaÉÉUxÉÇaÉUÈ || - line 3, verse 4

If there is resemblance between the syllables or words,

once or many times and regularly or irregularly, then that is

called vr/tyanupra=sa.

AlÉåMüxrÉæMükÉÉ xÉÉqrÉqÉxÉM×ü²ÉmrÉlÉåMükÉÉ |

LMüxrÉ xÉM×üSmrÉåwÉ uÉ×irÉlÉÑmÉëÉxÉ EcrÉiÉå ||25

This type of anupra=sa can be seen in the lines from the

inscription as below;


MühÉïMüsWûÉUMüÍsÉMüÉWûÉsÉÉvÉÏMüUsÉåÌWûlÉÈ……… MülÉÏÌlÉMüÉMüVûÇÌMülrÉÉ

MüÉ Îli ÉcÉ ÎlSìMürÉ É Îx§ÉrÉÈ , W ûÉsÉ ÉUrÉ å lÉ iÉUsÉ É rÉ§É ÉUÉsÉSØv É ÉÇ SØv ÉÈ,

LMüÉxirÉ åMüÍvÉsÉÉZrÉ É§É lÉaÉUÏ rÉÉ aÉUÏrÉxÉÏ, MüÐUÉ ÌlÉUliÉUÇ rÉ ÉÎli É

ÌlÉeÉeÉÉiÉÏrÉvÉÇMürÉÉ, MüOûÇMüUÏrÉÌlÉMüOûÌlÉUÉbÉÉOûMüÌOûxjÉsÉÉÈ etc.

Besides, the inscription is also replete with various

Artha=lan?ka =ras . The poet employs a good number of

Artha=lan ?ka=ras such as Upama=, Svabha=vo =kti, Vyatire =ka,

Bhra=ntimat, Uda=tta, Atisayokti, and Ru=paka of which Upama =

happens to be handled frequently. Nevertheless there are

several varieties of Upama=lan?ka=ra or simile, the general rule

for this is-

ÌuÉÂ®ålÉÉåmÉqÉÉlÉålÉ SåvÉMüÉsÉÌ¢ürÉÉÌSÍpÉÈ |

EmÉqÉårÉxrÉ rÉixÉÉqrÉÇ aÉÑhÉsÉåvÉålÉ xÉÉåmÉqÉÉ ||26 or xÉÉkÉqrÉïqÉÑmÉqÉÉ pÉåSå |27

Presenting an expression making a comparison between

two different objects out of a common characteristic often

using the words iva, vat, yatha= etc. is called Upama=. By way

of illustration the following verses from the inscription can be

appreciated;

rÉ§É MüÉgcÉlÉxÉÇMüÉvÉÉ UxÉÉsÉÉlÉÉÇ UeÉÈMühÉÉÈ |

OûÇMübÉ×¹xrÉ iÉUhÉårÉïjÉÉ sÉåvÉÉ¶ÉMüÉxÉÌiÉ || - line 11, verse 15

The above verse means, the golden hued pollen of the

mango trees there, resemble the specks of the sun, produced

by the chiseling.

AlkÉëÉÈ xÉÎliÉ aÉUÏrÉÉÇxÉÈ MüÉgcÉlÉcNûÉrÉvÉÉsÉrÉÈ |


rÉjÉÉ WûÉOûMüvÉæsÉxrÉ MüOûMüÉ U¦ÉvÉÉÍsÉlÉÈ || - line 1, verse 1

The above verse means, there is the great A+ndhra-de=s`a

full of rice (fields), of golden hue, resembling the dales of the

golden mountain (i.e. Me=ru) with gems.

There are a few splendid examples of Svabha=vo=kti. It is

nothing but a veracious and graceful description of an object

or a situation. It is defined by the rhetoricians as-

xuÉpÉÉuÉÉåÌ£üUxÉÉæ cÉÉÂ rÉjÉÉuÉ²xiÉÑuÉhÉïlÉqÉç |28

One of the interesting examples of this figure of speech

from the inscription is;

vÉÉÍsÉxÉÇUÍ£ÉhÉÏWûxiÉiÉÉsÉæÈ MüÇMühÉlÉÉÌSiÉæÈ |

§ÉÉÍxÉiÉÉÈ ÌMüsÉ aÉcNûÎliÉ rÉiMüÏUÉxiÉÌªUÉ ÎeÉiÉÉÈ || - lines 2-3, verse 3

It means, the parrots (that come to eat the grains) fly

away being frightened by the sounds produced from the

bangles of the women-guards of the rice fields due to the

clapping of their hands and also being overcome by their

utterances.

Another alan?ka=ra called Vyatire=ka can be seen in a

couple of verses from the composition. Vyatire=ka is illustrated

as;

pÉåSmÉëkÉÉlÉxÉÉkÉqrÉïqÉÑmÉqÉÉlÉÉåmÉqÉårÉrÉÉåÈ |

AÉÍkÉYrÉÉsmÉiuÉMüjÉlÉÉSè urÉÌiÉUåMüxxÉ EcrÉiÉå ||29


If the object is described as more beauteous than the

object with which it is being compared, by observing a

special character in it, then that is said to be Vyatire=ka. The

example from the inscription is;

lÉaÉUÉÍhÉ aÉUÏrÉÉÇÍxÉ lÉÉÌMüU£rÉÉÍhÉ sÉ£ÉvÉÈ |

xjÉÉlÉÏrÉÉlÉÉÇ xÉWûxÉëÉÍhÉ rÉ§ÉirÉÉlÉÌiÉvÉåUiÉå ||

lÉ lÉlSlÉÇ cÉæ§ÉUjÉÇ lÉ cÉ rÉ§É ÌlÉUÏ£rÉiÉå |

MüÉliÉÉUÇ lÉlSlÉÇ M×üixlÉÇ M×üixlÉÉÈ cÉæ§ÉUjÉÉÀûrÉÉÈ ||

- lines 12-13, verses 17-18

The meaning is, the countless big cities of the country

outshine the numerous divine cities: because instead of the

Nandana (the pleasure garden of Indra) and the Caitraratha

(the sporting park of Kube=ra), its entire forests constitute the

Nandana and the whole (of the wooded land) constitute the

Chaitraratha here.

Another figure of speech used in this inscription is

Bhra=ntimat. It is defined as- pÉëÉÎliÉqÉÉlÉlrÉxÉÇÌuÉ¨É ÉÑsrÉSvÉïlÉå30 i.e. the

apprehension of one thing as another on the perception of one

thing similar to that of another is called Bhra=ntimat. The

following verse from the epigraph is a good example of this

alan?ka=ra.

MüSVûÏMüÉlÉlÉå rÉ§É WûËUiÉcNûSWûÉËUÍhÉ |

MüÐUÉ ÌlÉUliÉUÇ rÉÉÎliÉ ÌlÉeÉeÉÉiÉÏrÉvÉÇMürÉÉ || - lines 9-10, verse 13


which means, there the parrots thinking that they belong

to their same group, resort always to the groves of plantain

trees with attractive green leaves.

While describing the glory of the city of E+kasìla=, the

poet takes advantage of Atisàyo=ktyalan?kara to show how

lofty were the erections of the city. Atisayo=kti is defined as;

ÌlÉÍqÉ ÉiÉÉå uÉcÉÉå rÉ ÉÑ sÉÉåMüÉÌiÉ¢üÉliÉaÉÉåcÉUqÉç |

qÉlrÉliÉåÅÌiÉvÉrÉÉåÌ£üÇ iÉÉÇ AsÉÇMüÉUiÉrÉÉ rÉjÉÉ ||31

Describing a thing hyperbolically as a genuine cause,

but which is inconceivable in this world, is termed as

Atisayo=kti. And it is exemplified by the verse below;

cÉlSìvÉÉsÉÉxÉÇÍ ÉiÉÉlÉÉÇ cÉlSìÉxrÉÉlÉÉÇ ÌlÉUliÉUæÈ |

rÉ§ÉÉxrÉcÉlSìæaÉïaÉlÉå cÉlSì¥ÉÉlÉÇ lÉ vÉYrÉiÉå || - lines 17-18, verse 25

That means, the assemblage of numerous damsels with

moon-like faces, on the top-most floor of the houses of the

city, makes it difficult to know about the existence of the real

moon in the sky. The essence of sàbda=nupra=sa can also be

perceived in this s`lo=ka wherein the word Candra is used

repeatedly.

The Ru=paka=lan?ka=ra is also used in the inscription. The

Ru=paka is defined as;

EmÉqÉÉlÉålÉ rÉ ÉüÉqÉÑmÉqÉårÉxrÉ ÃmrÉiÉå |

aÉÑhÉÉlÉÉÇ xÉqÉiÉÉÇ SØwOèuÉÉ ÃmÉMüÇ lÉÉqÉ iÉÌ²SÒÈ ||32


Owing to their common feature, if two objects of

comparison are said one and same, then that is called as

Ru=paka. An example for this from the inscription is;

MülÉÏÌlÉMüÉMüVûÇÌMülrÉÉ MüÉÎliÉcÉÎlSìMürÉÉ Îx§ÉrÉÈ |

AÉWûÉUrÉÎliÉ rÉ§ÉirÉÉ¶ÉÎlSìMüÉWûÉËUhÉÈ ZÉaÉÉlÉç || - lines 25-26, verse 36

It means, by the moon-light of the luster of their faces

where the pupil of eyes serving as the dark patch of the moon,

the women of the city feed the birds which subsist on moon-

light (i.e. Cako=ras )

One more figure of speech called Uda=tta=lan?ka=ra is

used in the inscription. It is defined as;

iÉSÒSÉ¨ÉÇ pÉuÉå±§É xÉqÉ×®Ç uÉxiÉÑ uÉhrÉïiÉå |33

Delightful description of an affluent object is called

Uda=tta=lan?ka=ra. the instance for this from the inscription is;

sÉ£rÉliÉå rÉ§É ÌlÉÍcÉiÉÉ sÉ£ÉvÉÈ vÉÉÍsÉUÉvÉrÉÈ |

aÉåWûÉÇMühÉå rÉjÉÉMüÉvÉå iÉÌQûiMüÉÎliÉkÉUÉ bÉlÉÉÈ || - lines 8-9, verse 11

The above verse means, the multitudinous heaps of

paddy seen in the courtyard of the houses, there, look like the

clouds in the sky, possessing lightning.

Like the alan?ka=ras, gun/as also add charm to the

composition. ‘MüÉurÉvÉÉåpÉÉrÉÉÈ MüiÉÉïUÉå kÉqÉÉïÈ aÉÑhÉÉÈ’34. The gun/a that

can be seen widely in the present composition is Ma=dhurya. It

is defined as;

rÉÉ mÉ×jÉYmÉSiÉÉ uÉÉYrÉå iÉlqÉÉkÉÑrÉïÇ mÉëMüÐirÉïiÉå 35


If the words in the sentence are isolated from each other,

that is said Ma=dhurya. It can be shown by the following verse

from the inscription.

WûÉsÉÉÈ MüsÉlirÉÈ xÉiÉiÉÇ rÉ§ÉirÉÉixÉWûMüÉUiÉÈ |

ÌlÉÌSïvÉÎliÉ ÌlÉUÉiÉÇMüÇ lÉiÉïlÉÉrÉæ ÍvÉZÉÎhQûlÉÈ || etc.

After assessing the gun/as, we cannot relinquish the

do=s/as from our investigation. In the present inscription two

do=s/as, laid down in the rhetorical works, can mainly be

noticed. They are viz. Bhinnavr/tta and Visandhi. The former

is defined as;

aÉÑUÉåsÉïbÉÉå¶É uÉhÉïxrÉ rÉÉåÅxjÉÉlÉå UcÉlÉÉÌuÉÍkÉÈ |

iÉ³rÉÔlÉÉÍkÉMüiÉÉ uÉÉÌmÉ ÍpÉ³ÉuÉ× ÉÍqÉSÇ rÉjÉÉ ||36

The breach of the rules of prosody is termed Bhinnavr/tta.

The poet of the inscription, quite a few times, infringes the

rules of Anus/t/up, the metre he has used throughout the

composition. The cases are given below;

1. xÉliÉÉlÉMüÉliÉÉUsÉiÉÉaÉlkÉaÉëÎljÉsÉcÉåiÉxÉÈ |

2.MüwÉïMüx§ÉÏMåüvÉWûxiÉæWïûxiÉlÉÉVûÏMüxÉÇrÉiÉæÈ |

3.iÉeeÉïrÉÎliÉ rÉ§É lÉÉrÉïÈ MüUMüÇMühÉËUÇZÉhÉæÈ |

Another do=s/a to be noticed in the inscription is Visandhi.

It is defined as ÌuÉxÉÇÌWûiÉÉå ÌuÉÃmÉÉå uÉÉ rÉxrÉ xÉÎlkÉÌuÉïxÉÎlkÉ iÉiÉç37 i.e.

not forming sandhi wherever there is a case of its occurrence

(in a verse). The following line from the inscription can be

shown as an example;


MüÉliÉÉUÇ lÉlSlÉÇ M×üixlÉÇ M×üixlÉÉÈ cÉæ§ÉUjÉÉÀûrÉÉÈ | (line13) The

scutva-sandhi was expected between the last two words.

Apart from metrical compositions one can relish

elegant gadyas (prose) in Sanskrit inscriptions. These prose

passages usually enjoy the ojogun/a (vigour) which is defined

as consisting long compound words or the profuseness of

compounds; inspired by the well known statement in Sanskrit

rhetorics AÉåeÉÈ xÉqÉÉxÉpÉÔ rÉxiuÉqÉ åiÉª±xrÉ eÉÏÌuÉiÉqÉç | A prose

passage which commonly occurs in the inscriptions of

Chalukya dynasty, can be seen as an example –

´ÉÏqÉiÉ ÉÇ xÉMüsÉpÉ ÑuÉlÉqÉÉlÉqÉÉlÉurÉxÉaÉÉå §ÉÉhÉ ÉÇ WûÉ ËUiÉÏmÉÑ §É ÉhÉ ÉÇ

xÉmiÉsÉ ÉåMüqÉÉi ÉÚÍpÉxxÉmiÉqÉ ÉiÉ× ÍpÉUÍpÉuÉ Î®ïi ÉÉlÉ ÉÇ MüÉÌ¨ÉïMåürÉmÉ ËUU£ÉhÉmÉëÉmiÉ-

MüsrÉÉhÉmÉUqmÉUÉhÉÉÇ pÉaÉuÉ³ÉÉUÉrÉhÉmÉëxÉÉSxÉqÉÉxÉÉÌSiÉuÉUÉWûsÉÉgNûlÉå£ÉhÉ£ÉhÉ-

uÉzÉÏM×üi ÉÉzÉåwÉqÉWûÏpÉ×iÉ ÉÇ cÉÍsÉYrÉÉlÉÉÇ MÑüsÉqÉsÉƒ¡ûËUwhÉÉåUµÉqÉåkÉÉuÉpÉ× iÉxlÉÉlÉ-

mÉÌuÉ§ÉÏM×üiÉaÉÉ§ÉxrÉ ´ÉÏmÉÑsÉMåüÍzÉuÉssÉpÉqÉWûÉUÉeÉxrÉ xÉÑiÉÈ mÉUÉ¢üqÉÉ¢üÉliÉ-

uÉlÉuÉÉxrÉÉ ÌSmÉUlÉ×mÉÌiÉqÉhQûsÉmÉëÍhÉoÉ®ÌuÉzÉÑ®MüÐ¨ÉåïÈ ´ÉÏMüÐÌ¨É ïuÉqqÉ ïmÉ×ÍjÉuÉÏ-

uÉssÉpÉqÉW ûÉUÉeÉxrÉ ÌmÉ ë rÉ É iqÉeÉÈ xÉqÉUxÉ ÇxÉ£üxÉMüsÉÉå¨ÉUÉmÉjÉ åµÉU-

´ÉÏW ûwÉ ïuÉ®ïlÉmÉUÉeÉrÉÉå mÉ É¨ÉmÉUqÉåµÉUÉmÉUlÉÉqÉkÉå rÉxrÉ xÉirÉÉ´ÉrÉ´ÉÏmÉ× ÍjÉuÉ Ï-

uÉssÉpÉqÉW ûÉUÉeÉ É ÍkÉUÉeÉUÉeÉmÉUqÉ åµÉUxrÉ ÌmÉë rÉi ÉlÉrÉxrÉ mÉ ë¥ É Éi ÉlÉrÉxrÉ

ZÉ…ûqÉÉ§ÉxÉW ûÉrÉxrÉ ÍcÉ§ÉMühPûÉÍpÉkÉÉlÉmÉëuÉUiÉÑ U…¡ûq ÉåhÉæMå ülÉ Éå ixÉ ÉËUiÉ ÉzÉ åwÉ-

ÌuÉÎeÉaÉÏwÉÉåUuÉÌlÉmÉÌiÉÌ§ÉiÉrÉÉliÉËUiÉÉÇ xuÉaÉÑUÉåÈ Í´ÉrÉqÉÉiqÉxÉÉiM×üirÉ ..........

One more thing to be observed in the poetic

compositions of Sanskrit inscriptions, is the influence of

many classical Sanskrit literary works. Above all the


influence of the great poet Ka=lida=sa, can be noticed in a

number of Sanskrit inscriptional compositions. A myriad of

instances can be traced out from Sanskrit epigraphs in this

regard, which enhance the veracity of Gan?ga=devi’s statement

about Ka=lida=sa –

SÉxÉiÉÉÇ MüÉÍsÉSÉxÉxrÉ MüuÉrÉÈ Måü lÉ ÌoÉpÉëÌiÉ |

CSÉlÉÏqÉÌmÉ iÉxrÉÉjÉÉïlÉç EmÉeÉÏuÉlirÉqÉÏ rÉiÉÈ || 38

Following are the few examples to illustrate the

epigraphical reflections of Ka=lida=sa and some other poets.

The Praka=sha inscription39 of Sim?han/a’s time says that

the kings of the family of Prabhuvara and Abhras‘ya=ma

possessed many virtuous qualities and also explains how

righteous the kings were, in the following verse-

AkÉÏiÉÇ MüqÉïhÉå rÉåwÉÉÇ iÉjÉÉ MüqÉï ÌuÉqÉÑ£ürÉå |

rÉvÉxÉå eÉÏÌuÉiÉÇ rÉåwÉÉÇ mÉëeÉÉrÉæ SÉUxÉÇaÉëWûÈ ||

This verse resembles a famous verse from the

Raghuvamsha Mahakavya of Kalidasa describing the

greatness of the kings of Raghu lineage-

irÉÉaÉÉrÉ xÉqpÉ×iÉÉjÉÉïlÉÉÇ xÉirÉÉrÉ ÍqÉiÉpÉÉÌwÉhÉÉÇ |

rÉvÉxÉå ÌuÉÎeÉaÉÏwÉÔhÉÉÇ mÉëeÉÉrÉæ aÉ×WûqÉåÍkÉlÉÉqÉç || 40

A verse in a pras`asti inscription from the reign of

Mahendrapa=la of Kanauj41, is benefitted by the two lines of

Ka=lida=sa –


a) ÎxlÉakÉcNûÉrÉÉiÉÂwÉÑ uÉxÉÌiÉÇ UÉqÉÌaÉrÉÉï´ÉqÉåwÉÑ

b) pÉuÉÎliÉ lÉqÉëÉxiÉUuÉÈ TüsÉÉåªqÉæÈ

the former from the Meghadu=ta and the latter from the

Abhijn#a=nas`a=kuntala. The verse is as follows –

iÉxrÉ pÉëÉiÉÉ aÉÑhÉÌlÉÍkÉUpÉÔixÉÉåSUÉå SåuÉUÉeÉÈ

xTÔüeÉï¨ÉåeÉÈ mÉëÌuÉWûiÉmÉUxTüÉUxÉålÉÉlkÉMüÉUÈ |

xjÉÉlÉÇ zÉÉliÉåÈ £ÉiÉMüÍsÉqÉsÉÈ Í£ÉmiÉUÉaÉÉÌSSÉåwÉÈ

ÎxlÉakÉcNûÉrÉxiÉÂËUWû iÉiÉxxÉiTüsÉÉlÉqÉëqÉÔÌiÉïÈ ||

The Dhvanya=loka of A+nandavardhana opens with the

invocation of Lord Narasim?ha as follows –

xuÉåcNûÉ MåüxÉËUhÉÈ xuÉcNûxuÉcNûÉrÉÉrÉÉÍxÉiÉålSuÉÈ |

§ÉÉrÉliÉÉÇ uÉÉå qÉkÉÑËUmÉÉåÈ mÉëmÉ³ÉÉÌiÉïÎcNûSÉå lÉZÉÉÈ ||

An invocatory verse of inscription is worth comparable

with this. The verse is as follows –

xuÉåcNûÉ MåüxÉËUhÉÈ ÌWûUhrÉMüÍzÉmÉÉåÈ ¢üÉåkÉÉÎalÉUliÉaÉïiÉÈ

mÉëÉåªcNûlÉç ÂÍkÉUcNûsÉålÉ ™SrÉÇ ÍpÉiuÉÉ kÉëÑuÉÇ SÍzÉïiÉÈ |

UÉWÒûxêiÉÏ ÌuÉM×üiÉÉ M×üiÉÉjÉïÌuÉkÉuÉÉ rÉålÉÉxÉÑUSìÉåÌWûhÉÉ

xÉ iuÉÇ mÉÉiÉÑ pÉuÉÉ°uÉÉÍkÉzÉrÉlÉx§ÉæsÉÉåYrÉlÉÉjÉÉå WûËUÈ ||

Similarly echoes of the subha=s/itas of Bhartr/hari can be

noted in Sanskrit inscriptions. For example,


SÉlÉÇ pÉÉåaÉÉå lÉÉzÉÎxiÉxÉëÉå aÉiÉrÉÉå pÉuÉÎliÉ ÌuÉ¨ÉxrÉ |

rÉÉå lÉ SSÉÌiÉ lÉ pÉÑ‡åû iÉxrÉ iÉ×iÉÏrÉÉ aÉÌiÉpÉïuÉÌiÉ ||42

This verse from the NiÇtisataka, is reflected in the Pimpal/

ner copper-plate inscription43 of Pulakes‘I II, as follows –

AÉrÉÉxÉzÉiÉsÉokÉxrÉ mÉëÉhÉåprÉÉåÅÌmÉ aÉUÏrÉxÉÈ |

aÉÌiÉUåMæüuÉ ÌuÉ ÉxrÉ SÉlÉqÉlrÉÉ ÌuÉmÉ¨ÉrÉÈ ||

Another fine example for the reflection of Bhartr/hai’s

verse can be seen in the Bilahari stone inscription of

Yuvara=jadeva II. Following are the verses are worthy of

comparison.

YuÉÍcÉ°ÕqÉÉæ zÉrrÉÉ YuÉÍcÉSÌmÉ cÉ mÉrÉïƒ¡ûzÉrÉlÉÈ

YuÉÍcÉcNûÉMüÉWûÉUÈ YuÉÍcÉSÌmÉ cÉ zÉÉsrÉÉåSlÉÂÍcÉÈ |

YuÉÍcÉiMüljÉÉkÉÉUÏ YuÉÍcÉSÌmÉ cÉ ÌSurÉÉqoÉUkÉUÈ

qÉlÉxuÉÏ MüÉrÉÉïjÉÏï aÉhÉrÉÌiÉ lÉ SÒÈZÉÇ lÉ cÉ xÉÑZÉqÉç ||

(NiÇtisataka of Bhartr/hai v. 83)

YuÉÍcÉÎ°£ÉÉuÉ×Ì ÉÈ YuÉÍcÉSÌmÉ cÉ zÉÉMüÉprÉuÉ™ÌiÉÈ

YuÉÍcÉlqÉÔsÉÉWûÉUÈ YuÉÍcÉSÌmÉ cÉ MülSÉÇ¶É oÉÑpÉÑeÉå |

mÉUÇ erÉÉåÌiÉÈ zÉæuÉÇ ÌuÉaÉÍsÉiÉUeÉxMüÉlkÉiÉqÉxÉÇ

ÌuÉÍcÉluÉliÉÉæ rÉÉiÉÉæ ÌuÉwÉrÉÌuÉwÉuÉåaÉxrÉ MüsÉlÉÉiÉç ||

(Bilahari stone inscription of Keyu=ravars/a)44

Thus from such analyses, the fact is clear that the great

and plenteous poetical features of Sanskrit epigraphs have

formed such a distinctive branch of epigraphical study which

can be instrumental to the research oriented scholars having


literary interest. Nevertheless, unlike the other forms of

literature it is bit difficult to formulate an all-encompassing

theory in the composition of inscriptions, they possess

considerable literary merits for which they can never be

dispensed with in the study of literature.


Notes and references

1. M. Krishnamachariar, History of Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarasidas

pub.1970 p.271 & p. 433

2. rÉ²cÉlÉÇ rÉÎssÉ…¡Çû rÉÉ cÉ ÌuÉpÉÌ£üÌuÉïzÉåwrÉxrÉ pÉuÉÌiÉ |

iÉ²cÉlÉÇ iÉÎssÉ…¡Çû xÉÉ cÉ ÌuÉpÉÌ£üÌuÉïzÉåwÉhÉxrÉÉÌmÉ ||

3. S.V. Padigar, Bha =rati Çya Itiha =sada S~a =sana A+karagal /u

(Kannada), Dharwad, 2004 pp. 115 ff.

4. E.C. Vol. VI, TK No. 45

5. E.I. Vol. V pp. 245 ff.

6. S.V. Padigar, Bha =rati Çya Itiha =sada S~a =sana A+karagal /u

(Kannada), Dharwad, 2004 pp. 35 ff.

7. E.C. Vol. VII, SK No. 176

8. C. I. I. Vol. IV. pp.458 ff.

9. A.S.R. Vol. VII pp.215 ff.; E.I. Vol. I, pp.45 ff.

10. E.I. Vol. VIII pp. 42 ff.

11. Buhler G., The Indian Inscriptions and the Antiquary of

Indian Artificial Poetry, I.A. (1913), pp. 29 ff.

12. Fleet J.F. Gupta Inscriptions, pp. 79 ff.

13. Prataparudriya of Vidyanatha, ed. Dr. H. Tipperudrasvami,

D.V.K. Murty pub. Mysore, 2010, pp. 102-103,

14. E.I. Vol. XXXVI pp. 209 ff.

15. Ekashilanagari is the Sanskrit name of the city Warangal which

was extended up to the Hanumakonda S~aila.

16. Many scholarly works on Sanskrit poetics such as the

Prata=parudri+ya by Vidya=na=tha, E+ka=vali+ by Vidya=dhara, Ka=vy-

a=nus‘a=sana by Va=gbhat /a II, Candra=lo=ka by Jayade=va were

written during this period.


17. However the poet’s name is not cited in the record, the editor

has tried to recognize him by the name Narasim?ha who was a

well versed inscriptional poet of the same region and period.

E.I. Vol. XXXVI p. 210

18. The o=s/t/hya-varn/as are mÉ, Tü, oÉ, pÉ, qÉ, EmÉkqÉÉlÉÏrÉ, AÉå, AÉæ and uÉ.

EmÉÔmÉkqÉÉlÉÏrÉÉlÉÉqÉç AÉå¸Éæ | AÉåSÉæiÉÉåÈ MühPûÉå¸qÉç | uÉMüÉUxrÉ SliÉÉå¸qÉç | -

vide. Laghusiddha=nta-kaumudi+ by Varadara=ja=ca=rya, p.12, pub.

by Gi+ta= Press, Gorakhapur.

19. M. Krishnamachariar, History of Sanskrit Literature, Motilal

Banarasidas pub.1970 p.794, fn. 2

20. It contains eight syllables in each quarter and in its usual form,

the fifth syllable of each pa=da should be short, the sixth long

and the seventh alternatively long and short.

mÉgcÉqÉÇ sÉbÉÑ xÉuÉï§É xÉmiÉqÉÇ Ì²cÉiÉÑjÉïrÉÉåÈ |

aÉÑÂ wÉ Ç uÉ eÉÉlÉÏrÉÉiÉç vÉåwÉåµÉÌlÉrÉqÉÉå qÉiÉÈ || Chando=man#jari+ IV, 258

21. Kavya Prakasha of Mammata, IX, 83, Choukhamba pub. 2008,

p. 485

22. Kannada kavyalankara , II, 16, by Dr. K. Krishnamurthi,

Abhinava pub. 2007 p. 66

23. Sahitya Darpana of Vishvanatha, X, 3

24. Prataparudriya of Vidyanatha, ed. Dr. H. Tipperudrasvami,

D.V.K. Murty pub. Mysore, p.302

25. Sahitya Darpana of Vishvanatha, X, 4

26. Kannada kavyalankara, II, 30 op.cit p. 70

27. Kavya Prakasha of Mammata, X, 1 op.cit p. 1 (SvÉqÉ EssÉÉxÉÈ)

28. Prataparudriya of Vidyanatha, op.cit p.362

29. Ibid. p. 388

30. Kavya Prakasha of Mammata, X, 46 op.cit p. 180 (SvÉqÉ EssÉÉxÉÈ)

31. Kannada kavyalankara, II, 81, op.cit p. 82


32. Ibid. II, 21, p. 68


34. Kannada Kavyalankara-sutra-vritti, III, 1, by K. Krishnamurthy,

pub. Dr. K. Krishnamurthy Sanskrit Research Foundation, 2009

p. 71


36. Kannada kavyalankara, IV, 25 op.cit p. 119


38. Madhura=vijayam of Gan?ga=deviÇ I, 7 ed. S. Tiruvenkatachari,

pub. Annamalai University

39. E. I. Vol. XXXVI, pp. 19

40. Raghuvam?s‘a of Ka=lidasa I, 7

41. E. I. Vol. I pp. 246-47 v. 17 ll. 14-15

42. NiÇtis‘ataka of Bhartr/hai 41 pub. Sama=ja Pustaka=laya, Dharwad,

2007

43. I.A. Vol. IX p. 293

44. E. I. Vol. I p. 262 v. 83 l. 32


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