Miraj Plates of Mārasiṃha

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Verse 1

May Śaṃbhu, the lord of the three worlds, be victorious!—he who has knowledge of all arts, modes of meditations and three eyes, whose body is decorated with serpents, and who has the ornament of a mass of brown matted hair.

Verse 2

Hail! There was the illustrious Vidyādhara-like king, an ornament of the Silāhāra family, the source of the large family descended from Jīmūtavāhana, who had the fluttering graceful banner of the golden Eagle, who appeared splendid with the bride of the Earth that had the extensive ocean for her girdle, who deserved praise from the whole circle of the earth, and who was a serpent to the hostile army.

Verse 3

His mighty son was the illustrious King Jatiga II, who was opposed to the whole multitude of hostile princes, who was a powerful ruler of the city of Tagara, who was always true to his word, who shone with his valour, who was a veritable lion of the mountain that was the fortress of Pannāḷa, the best of hills, who looked splendid with his brilliant rising fame, who was the lord of the renouned Māṇḍalikas of the earth, and was capable of giving protection to the whole earth;

Verse 4

Who was a veritable serpent to the army of the enemy, Indra among all rulers, the crest-jewel of the family of the Vidyādharas, resembling in lustre the hot-rayed sun, a veritable treasure of all Māṇḍalikas, fond of fighting.

Verse 5

There was the illustrious Goṅka, the best of kings, a liberal and valiant prince, who gave away all his possessions, who with his sharp sword, overthrew the leader (gañjāmagra) of the multitude of his foes, and ruled for all time over the annexed viṣayas of Karahāṭa and Kuṇḍi, and also Miriñjadeśa, and the extensive great country of Koṅkaṇadeśa.

Verse 6

His younger brother was the prince Guhala, who was conversant with political science, who did not provoke laughter (i.e. won praise) as he danced on the battle-field by his merit of leadership (gaṇḍa-guṇa), and who became favourite with Satyāśraya as he honoured his feet.

Verse 7

He was a veritable serpent to the hostile army, a Bhairava to his māṇḍalikas, the commander of his elephant force and cavalry, who had full control over the government; who uprooted new kingdoms; who was ruthless in dealing with his foes; a wise prince, who held the excellent hill fort of Kiḷigiḷa; who was the lord of the whole extensive earth; who was a Neo-Sāhasāṅka; and who was a valiant person causing terror to the minds of the hostile kings.

 Verse 8

To the aforementioned king Goṅka there was born a son of great fame, who had the marks of all virtues, who was devoted to the omniscient God and had the blessings of the whole world.

Verse 9

He is Mārasiṃha, whose arm wielding a sword is fully capable of destroying the army of his powerful foes; whose gift-bestowing hand gladdens the whole multitude of poor, distressed and forlorn suppliants; whose pious hand shines by the construction of temples resembling the heavenly mountain Meru; whose arm is engaged in rescuing the great earth; and who is an ornament of the three worlds.

Verse 10

The king Mārasiṃha has a body resembling the god of love; he is a veritable lion to the rutting scent-elephants that are his valiant enemies; he is brave, being the abode of valour, and looks splendid with his excellent merits.

Verse 11-12

The king Mārasiṃha resembles Revanta and Udayana in respect of excellent horse-riding, and Bhīma by his terrible valour; he becomes victorious by the prowess of his own arm; he is proficient in political science; he is the god of love in respect of beautiful form; his the off-shoots of his bright and faultless fame have reached the ends of the quarters; and by his deeds he resembles Rāma and other primeval great kings.

While the illustrious Mārasiṃhadeva is ruling, diverting his mind with happy conversation at his capital, the well-known fort of Khiḷigiḷa, adorned with all royal titles such as Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, ‘he who has obtained the five mahāśabdas,’ ‘he who is the lord of the excellent city of Tagara’, ‘the illustrious Śiḷāhāra king born in the family of Jīmūtavāhana,’ ‘he who has the banner of the golden Eagle,’ ‘he who is a serpent to the hostile army, ‘the weapon-holder of Goṅka,’ ‘a lion-like son of Gūha (i.e. Gūhala),’ ‘a veritable Bhairava to the hostile māṇḍalikas,’ ‘a lion to the elephants in the form of his enemies,’ ‘the Sun among archers,’ ‘a veritable Nārāyaṇa in point of handsome form,’ ‘Vikramāditya of the Kali age,’ ‘Revanta in horse-riding,’ ‘a god of love to women’, and ‘he who has obtained the favour of a born from the divine Mahālakṣmī’.

Verse 13-14

May the sage, Brahmeśvara Paṇḍita be victorious!—he who has become venerable to the whole world by his knowledge of the Pāśupata āgama acquired by him by the sacred touch of the holy Siṃha, who was residing at Mudunīra, who has dedicated his great sage-disciples to the god Lemelīsa; who remains far away from all evils ending in miseries, who is adorable to the people of all the worlds, who is steadfast in austerities, who has conquered the missiles of the god of love, and who has given up worldly life; who is the god Brahmā in respect of proficiency in arts, a young well-conducted Brahmachārin, who meditates on the feet of Maheśvara (Śiva), who is free from all deceit, and who pursues the noble path.

Verse 15

His foremost disciple knows all the āgamas,—he who has kept away from the blemishes such as lustful passion, anger and greed; who has pleasing appearance; who is well conducted and is a light showing the right dharma; who is proficient in the knowledge of the padārthas (categories of the Vaiśeshika philosophy), and the foremost among those who long for liberation.

Verse 16

The illustrious lord of the hilly tract (i.e. the aforementioned disciple) deserves praise from his great disciple, the King; he is a lotus-like decoration of this town of Miriñja and the precious treasure of those who long for liberation.

Verse 17

The holy Cikkadeva is an irresistible lion whose claws break open the temples of the hostile elephants in the form of karma, the ever-rising sun that by its rays in the form of the siddhāntas makes the lotus of dharma bloom, who is a bee on the lotuses in the form of the feet of his guru of praiseworthy conduct on the earth (lit. what is supported by the Tortoise), who is free from delusion of mind and blemishes, and has performed matchless penance.

Verse 18

There is not, never was, and will never be any one like Cikkadeva in respect of charity, piety, austerity, character and the vow of celibacy and such other qualities.

Line 44

On the holy occasion of the Udagayana (Uttarāyaṇa Saṅkramaṇa), on Thursday, the seventh tithi of the bright fortnight of the month Pauṣa in the current year Vilamba in the years nine hundred increased by eighty, in figures … … … …, which have passed by the era of the Śaka king, that illustrious prince Mārasiṃha has granted with devotion to that brilliant ascetic, after having washed his feet and poured out water, the village, Kuṇṭavāḍa by name, together with all rights of ownership, and together with its four boundaries the village which is situated in the midst of the following neighbouring villages, viz. Kannavāḍa, Hāḍalivāḍa and Gāḷikuṭṭi situated in the three directions, east, south and west, on the southern bank of the river Kṛṣṇaverṇā in the territorial division of Sirivolala-twentyfour included in the Miriñjadeśa-three thousand.

Verse 20

On the outskirt of the city of Miriñja, King Mārasiṃha has made the temple of the Śiva pañcāyatana a royal memorial.

Verse 21

That village is connected with that pañcāyatana. The naishṭhika Brāhmaṇa (i.e. Cikkadeva) has become the owner of it in place of the former holder.

Verse 22

Only seasoned ascetic—and none other—can observe the following practices of Cikkadeva devotion to the sun, great purity, observance of prayers, vows and contemplation, brahmacarya (celibacy) characterised by tranquillity, self-restraint and observance of silence, great courage, study of one’s religious texts and meditation worship of Śiva’s feet, knowledge of philosophical principles, good yogic practices and prayers at twilights.

Verse 23

The matchless pañcāyatana is to be worshipped by Cikkadeva—the pañcāyatana which is the great abode of the Lady, namely the Goddess of fortune, the dwelling place of the illustrious Rāma of blameless speech, the excellent and charming residence attended by the excellence of brilliant austerities of fierce practice, the rich splendour of continuous maintenance of a free feeding-house and charity, and the abode of the Lady, namely, the entire excellent Fame, which is in this manner sanctified by splendour.

                                 (Here follow three benedictory and imprecatory verses.)

Verse 27

This royal order has been written by the Chief Secretary Bhūpāla by the order of his king. And Cikkadeva has secured it.