Bhādāna Grant of Aparājita

Success! Om! Obeisance to Vināyaka!

Verse 1

May he (i.e. Viṣṇu), whose navel-lotus Brahmā has made his abode, protect you, and also Śiva, whose head has been adorned by a lovely digit of the moon!

Verse 2

May the faces of Brahmā, sanctified as they are by the recitation of the Vedas, which are the abode of the names of all creatures and things in the creation of the moveable and immoveable worlds, secure your well-being completely!

Verse 3

There was the incomparable king, Govindarāja I; thereafter there was Karkarāja I.  Then there was the king, the illustrious Indrarāja I, and thereafter his son Dantivarman. Then there was the well-known and illustrious king Kṛṣṇarāja I, the son of Karkarāja I, who exterminated his enemies. From him was born Govindarāja II, and thereafter reigned his younger brother, the illustrious Emperor Dhruva.

Verse 4

His son, eminent on account of his merits, named Jagattuṅga (Govinda III), reigned after him. Thereafter reigned his son Amoghvarṣa I, known as Vallabha and thereafter reigned his son Kṛṣṇa II.

Verse 5

Thereafter there reigned the illustrious Indradeva III, the son of Jagattuṅga known as Nityavarṣa, the lord of the earth, who was feared on account of the eminence of his valour.

Verse 6

From him was born Amoghvarṣa II, who ruled only for a year, and who, to the delight of the people poured forth large streams of gold even as a cloud pours large showers of water.

Verse 7

Then there sat on the throne his younger brother, the illustrious king Govindarāja IV known as Suvarṇavarṣa, who rescued royal fortune even as Hari in his Boar incarnation lifted the earth, and who, being of great might and having an invincible and well equipped army that delighted all good people, was Puruṣottama (Viṣṇu) himself, who bear the excellent Nandaka sword and the unfailing Sudarśaṇa discus.

Verse 8

Then there reigned for a long period Amoghvarṣa III, the uncle of Suvarṇavarṣa (gold-rainer, i.e. Govinda IV), the younger brother of Nityavarṣa (i.e. Indra III), ridding his kingdom of troublesome people by his austerities and adventurous spirit.

Verse 9

The son of that king, Vaddigadeva by name, thereafter became king. He, the king of kings, looked attractive like the god of love.

Verse 10

Therefore, when that king Baddiga (Amoghvarṣa III) went to the abode of Śambhu to make it look brighter with his fame, though it was already very bright, the girl in the form of royal fortune went over to Kṛṣṇarāja III, having bathed, as it were, under the showers from golden vessels.

Verse 11

When that lord, the Emperor, who overran the whole world, who delighted the people and who, being possessed of bright splendour, destroyed the enemies even as the moon of great brightness withers day-lotuses, disappeared and obtained heavenly abode by the decree of fate, the king known by the name of the illustrious Khoṭṭigadeva sat on the throne.

Verse 12

Thereafter, Royal Fortune went over to the king Kakkala, son of the king Nirupama, who had a lovely form like that of the god of love, who was possessed of good fortune, who was a light illumining the house-like world, who procreated good progeny, and who was waited upon by princes.

Verse 13

When that king, the lord of the people, was destroyed through misfortune by the mighty Tailappa even as a bright lamp is put out by a strong storm and the kingdom of the Raṭṭas was reduced to a tale of the past—

Verse 14

There appeared here Jīmūtavāhana, the son of Jīmūtaketu, well-known on the earth—the ornament of the Śīlāra family, who the faultless one, by offering his own body, saved all serpents from Garuḍa.

Verse 15

In his family was born Kapardin I, the destroyer of enemies, who was greatly pleased with learned people, who was most praiseworthy and contented on the surface of the earth, who was fond of residing inside a water-fort, who pleased his favourite people, who caused consternation to the enemies’ cities and destroyed dreadful Nāga kings.

Verse 16

From him there was the mighty Pulaśakti with his body horripilated, who, large-hearted as he was, was generous like Karṇa, with his showers of gold. Then there was his son Kapardin II, the magnanimous one, who vanquished the armies of the enemies and was a saviour to the whole earth.

Verse 17

From that Vappuvanna was born that well-known son named Jhañjha, who manifested the greater and greater rise of his family.

Verse 18

Thereafter, there reigned his brother, the illustrious Goggirāja, the unique treasure of good qualities and jewel-like learned men, who deserved to be honoured and who protected his relatives even as the ocean gave shelter to mountains, who was the treasure of royal fortune, followed the path of king Sagara and was resorted to by all creatures.

Verse 19

The son of that king was the illustrious king Vajjaḍadeva, whose happy sleep was disturbed by the lamentations of the wives of the enemies overpowered and killed by him. The festivity of his charity does not even now come to an end—the festivity which is uproarious with the shouts of panegyrists gladdened by his gifts.

Verse 20

To him was born the son, the illustrious Aparājita, also known as Mṛgāṇka, who is unceasingly engaged in bestowing gifts, is valorous, conversant with political wisdom and an abode of glory.

Verse 21

He (i.e. Aparājita) is the God of death to cruel foes; he is an abode of excellent splendour, the wish-fulfilling tree to suppliants, a source of delight to the eyes of the people, an ocean of courage, a sprouting root of good fortune, an abode of good learning and a store of artistic excellence. He is Bṛhaspati in respect of political wisdom; he is an excellent abode of religious merit; he has a clear intellect and exhibits the highest dalliance of the Goddess of prosperity.

Verse 22

He, a lion in the destruction of the elephants that were his powerful foes, is well known as the foremost of kings; he is known for his discriminative intellect; his mind is intent on religious observances; he is waited upon by learned men; he is courageous in dealing with all his foes; he is possessed of all good qualities and has fulfilled the expectations of all suppliants.

Verse 23

He has beautiful bodily splendour, engages himself in noble pastimes, has filled the three worlds with his matchless fame, is skilled in all arts and is blameless in this world. He has excellent fortune and has vanquished all his foes.

Verse 24

There is now no enemy equal to him who has harassed all wicked people by his valour. There is also no king who is possessed of honoured royal virtues like him—How can there be one superior to him?

Line 39-42

In the past when the Raṭṭa kingdom was overthrown and destroyed after the calamities that befell the illustrious paramabhaṭṭāraka, mahārājādhirāja, parameśvara Kakkaladeva, who meditated on the feet of the illustrious paramabhaṭṭāraka, mahārājādhirāja, parameśvara Khoṭṭigadeva, who meditated on the feet of the illustrious paramabhaṭṭāraka, mahārājādhirāja, parameśvara Kṛṣṇarāja, residing in Mānyakheṭa.

Line 43-48  

The mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, the illustrious king Aparājitadeva—who is adorned with all royal titles obtained by his valour such as ‘he who has obtained the five mahāśabdas (the right to use five musical instruments),’ mahāśāmantrādhipati (the foremost among the mahāśāmantas), tagarapuraparameśvara (the lord of the city of Tagara), ‘he who is a Śīlāra king,’ ‘born in the family of Jīmūtavāhana,’ ‘he who has the banner of the golden eagle,’ he who has the titles of abhimānamahodadhi (the great ocean of pride),’ malagalagaṇḍa (a conqueror of mountains), gaṇḍakandarpa (the god of love among heroes), Sahaja-Vidyādhara (Vidyādhara by birth), apara-dig-vadhū-tilaka (the forehead-mark of the Western Quarter), nunni-samudra (the ocean of truth), pratāpa-mārtaṇḍa (the Sun of Valour), śanivārāvijaya (victorious even on Saturdays)—informs, by salutation, honour and order, all people, whether prominent or not, according as they may be concerned—the people such as future village-headmen, sāmantas, princes, heads of towns, the three classes of townsmen and the people of the locality as follows:-

Line 49

Be it known to you—

Verse 25

Prosperity is unstable, youth is momentary, life is as it were in the jaws of the god of death. Notwithstanding this, people are indifferent to the acquisition of the other world.

Oh! How astonishing is this action of men!

Line 51-66

Having realised that all this is unsubstantial and transitory by nature and that religious merit is the only real and eternal friend, we have donated—having worshipped with pure devotion Hari, Hara, Hiraṇyagrabha, Agni and other gods and having poured water on the hands of the merchants Ambu-śreṣṭhin and Vāppaiya-śreṣṭhin, the bhojaka Celapaiya, the Brāhmaṇa Govaṇaiya and others, the representatives of the guild of Guṇapura, for the acquisition of the reward in this world and the next of Our parents and for the increase of Our religious merit and fame, on the holy and auspicious occasion of the Dakṣiṇāyana or Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti on the fourth tithi of the dark fortnight of Āṣāḍha in the current cyclic year Hemalamba, in the expired year nine hundred increased by nineteen of the era of the Śaka king, in figures, year 919, Āṣāḍha va. di. 4—the village Bhādāna in the viṣaya of Māhirihāra comprised in the country of Koṅkaṇa consisting of fourteen hundred villages—the boundaries of which village are as follows: on the north, a bhinnāra field of the village, Paḍigaha; on the west, the boundary of the village Āsacchadī; on the south, the great river Murulā; on the east, the river Kumbhārī—the village marked with these four boundaries, inclusive of the clusters of trees, extending to its boundaries, inclusive of udraṇga and parikara and exclusive of the gifts previously made to gods and Brāhmaṇas, together with deposits, together with the right to levy fines for major and minor offences such as crimes against unmarried girls and the right to the property of persons who would die without leaving a son, in favour of the holy god Loṇāditya, who illumines the three worlds, at Lavaṇetaṭa for his worship with flowers, incense, lights, offerings of food, public shows etc. and for the repairs of doors etc. that may be broken and become dilapidated, to be enjoyed by sons, sons’ sons and others so long as the moon and the sun endure.

Line 67-73 

Nobody should cause obstruction while it is being enjoyed or allowed to be enjoyed by others or is being ploughed or is allowed to be ploughed according to their free will. On the other hand, it should be understood that the village Bhādāna has been donated to the holy Loṇāditya for all time. In this respect there should be no obstruction either mutually or from others.

This religious gift should be preserved, welcomed and agreed to as lasting as long as the moon and the sun endure, by all future rulers, whether of Our family or others, who should be afraid of falling into the deep vale of evil deeds and should be apprehensive of terrible agonies of the hell Avīci dreadful with thousands of sparks of burning fire.

Whoever, with his mind clouded by the mass of the darkness of ignorance, would confiscate this gift or would allow it to be confiscated, would incur the five major sins together with the minor ones.

Line 74

And it has been said by the holy Vyāsa: -

      (Here follow seven benedictory and imprecatory verses.)

Line 82-89 

The mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, the illustrious Aparājitadeva records his approval of the gift as detailed above by the hand of the scribe. “This has been approved by me, the illustrious Aparājitadeva.”

While the illustrious Saṅgalaiya is the mahāmātya and the illustrious Sīhapaiya is the mahāsāndhivigrahika, by the order of the King, who is the illustrious titleholder, this charter has been written by Annapaiya, the son and deputy of Saṅgalaiya, who has obtained the royal permission. And it has been preserved at Sthānaka.

Whatever is written here—right or wrong—all that should be regarded as authoritative. It should be managed hereafter accordingly.

The guild should, year after year, pay two hundred and sixty drammas—in figures 260—to the royal family as a gift of veneration.

May there be happiness and great prosperity!