Wat Sema Muang Inscription

It is a Sanskrit inscription of 775 A.D. in Pallava script engraved on stone of Sima-like shape with writing on 2 sides; the first side having 29 lines and the second one 4 lines. Its width is 50 cms., height 104 cms. and length 9 cms. It was discovered on April 30, 1907 at Wat Sema Muang, Tambon Viang, Muang Nakhon Si Thammarat District in the Province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. At present it is with the National Museum, Bangkok. SIDE-1 1. visarinya kirtya nayavinayasauryyasrutasamaksama 2 . dhairyyatyagadyutimatidayadyaksayabhuva param yasya 3 . kranta bhuvanakubhujam kirtti visara mayukhastaranam saradi 4 . tuhinansoriva ra (ru )ca|| gunanamadharastuhinagiri 5 . kutadhikaruca gunadhyanam pumsamapi jagati yastunga 6 . yasasam maninam bhurinam duritabhiduda ()vaniva maha 7 . n manijoyati (jyoti ) rlelakha (lekha ) valayisirasancapi phaninam || 8 . ghanaviko (ka) lataba (va) hijava (jva ) lavaliksapitasaya yama 6 . bhipatita ye te svastayam (sthyam ) param samupagata hadami 10 . va gajanitya sosyam prasannasubhammasam savitari ta 11 . patyuyagre sevayam (vyam ) sarojarajo (s) runam || gunabhrtamupa 12 . gamya yam gunadhyama (nujana ) ra manuna samam samantat 813 . madhusamayamivagrakasaradyas "sriyamadhikandadyate pa py

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14 . hiruhenadrah|| jayatyayam srivijayendraraja 15 . samantarajarccitigmasanasrih (srih ) prasastadharmmasthiratonmukhena 16 . vinirmmito visvasrjeva yatnat || srivijayesvarabhu (bhu ) pati 17 . resa guna (nau )gha ksiti tala sarvvasamantanrpottama eka 18 . sthapita aistika gehavaratrayametat kajakaramarani 16 . su (su ) danaba (va) jinivasam (m ) || santatametat trisamaya caityaniketa 20 . n dasadigavasthita sarvvajinottama dattam (ttam ) sarvvajagatmabhu 21 . dharakusisavaran tribhuvavibhutivisesadamamarapadam || 22 . punarapi jayantanama rajasthaviro nrpena (na) suniyuktah stu 23 . putrayamasi kurvvityatassa tadidantatha krt (ta) van || svarite 24 . (S) smi (smim ) stacchisoya (syo ) dhi (dhi ) muktirabhucca namatassthavirah istikacai 25 . tyadvitiyam caitya trtiyattike krtva (tava ) n || vrddhya 26 . pre sakaraje muninavarasikaimrmmadhavaikadasahe sukle ko (kau ) 27 . li (li ) ralagne bhrgusutasahite caryyamanjo (jyo ) tira deve 28 . ndrathena ca srivijayanrpatinanyaksitisottamena trai 26 . logaiyakau (ka ) gryacintamanivapavusa iva sthapitasasatupa (va) SIDE 2 1. svasti yo (5) sau rajadhirajassakalaripuganadhvanta suryyopa 2 . maikas svaujobhih kantalaksmya saradamalasasimanmathabho vapu 3 . sman visnva (nva )khyo (S) sesasarvvarimadavi dhanasca dvita (ti )yassvasaktya (s) sau 4 . yah sailendravasaprabhanigaditah srimaharajanama tasya ca sakalara Side 1 1. visarinya kirttya nayavinayasauryyasrutasamaksama 2. dhairyyatyagadyutimatidayadyaksayabhuva param yasya 3-krantay bhuvanakubhujam kirttivisara mayukhas sa

taranam saradi 4. tuhinamsoriva ra (u) ca // gunanamadharas tuhinagiri 5. kutadhikaruca gunadhyanam punsamapi jagati yas tunga 6. yasasam maninam bhurinam durita bhidudanvaniva maha 7. n manijoya (jyo)tirlelakha (lekha) valayisirasancapi phaninam // 8. dhanaviko(a) latav (b) ahnijava (jva) lavaliksapitasaya yama 9. bhipatita ye te svasta (sth)yam param samupagata hradami 10. va gajanitya sosyam prasannasubhambhasam savitarita 11. patyugre seva (vy) yam sarojara jorupam // gunabhrtamupa 12. gamya yam gunadhyama (nujana) ra manuna samam samantat 13. madhusamayamivamrakesar ady a 's sriyamadhikandadhate ma 14. hiruhendrah // jayatyayam srivijayendraraja 15. samantarajarccitigmasanasri (i)h prasastadharmma sthiratonmukhena 16. vinirmmito visvasrjeva srivijayesvarabhu (u) pati yatnat // 17. resaguno (au)gha ksititalasarvvasamantanrpottama eka 18. sthapita aistikagehavaratrayametat kajakaramarani 19. s(s)udanab (v) ajrinivasam // santatametat trisamaya- caityaniketa 20. n dasadigavasthitasarvvajinottamadattam New Delhi CC-0. Prof. Sarajagatmalabhu 21. dharakusisavaran

tribhavavibhutivisesadamamarapadam // 22. punarapi jayantanama rajasthaviro nrpen(n) a suniyuktah stu 23. patrayamasikurvvityatassatadidantatha krtvan // surite 24. smi stacchisoya dhimuktirbhuccanamatas sthavirah istikacai 25. tyadvitayam caityatritayantike krt(a)van // vrddhya 26. pte sakaraje muninavarasakairmmadhavai kadasahe sukle ko(au) 27. li(i)ralagne bhrgusutasahite caryyamanj (y) otirarryye deve 28. ndrathena ca srivijayanrpatinanyaksitisottamena trai 29. log(k) aiyakagryacintamanivapusa Side 2 iva sthapitasasatupa (ya) 1. svasti yo sau rajadhirajassakalaripuganadhvanta suryyopa 2. maikas svaujobhih kantalaksmya saradamalasasi manmathabho vapu 3. sman visn(n)vakhyo sesasarwarimadavidhanasca dvita (i)yas svasaktya sau 4. ya sailendravansaprabhanigaditah srimaharama tasya ca sakalara..... Translation 1. By his wide renown and abiding fame sprung from rectitude, modesty, valour, learning, (mental) discipline, forgiveness/tolerance, fortitude, munificence, majesty (lit. radiance), wisdom, compassion etc., he outstripped the mass of fame of the worlds' rulers as does by its ..., New Pehe stairs in the autumn. the moon rays of

. He, the bastion of virtues, with his refulgence surpassing that of the peak of the Himalaya, robbed the lustre (lit. removed the flows) of the abundance of jewels even of the highly meritorious and famous men in the world as does the mighty ocean of the snakes with their hoods encircled by the streaks of gems. 3. With their hopes burnt down by the flames of the fire of poverty, whosoever approached him (for succour), regained extreme happiness like the elephants who repair to a tank of clear and salubrious water, ruddy with the lotus-pollen, which never dries up even when the sun scorches hard. 4. Meritorious men who from all over approach him, the peer of Manu and endowed with (rare) virtues, assume all the more glory as the trees of earth like mango and kesara put up rich folige at the advent of the spring. 5. Victorious is the king Sri Vijayendra, the majesty of whose royal seat is adored by all the feudatory chiefs and who was created by Brahma as if with an intention to impart stability to the excellent Dharma. 6. This king Sri Vijayesvara, a virtual mass of virtues and the foremost of the rulers for the feudatory chiefs of the world, built this triad of brick-shrines that houses the thunderbold-wielder Indra who slayed Mara with lotus in his hand. 7. This triad of shrines is dedicated for ever to the best of Jinas, the Buddha, who pervades the ten quarters. A deadly thunderbolt to the mountain of evil of the universe, it bestows high affluence on the three worlds and is an abode of gods. 8. The royal Sthavira named Jayanta, who was duly appointed by the king was then asked to build three He did it in (only) a hundred days. on New Delhi Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

# adi Sanskrit Inscriptions of Thailand / 181 9. After he had departed to the heaven, his disciple Dhimukti became the sthavira. He constructed a second Caitya of bricks close to the triad of the earlier Caityas. 10. The stupas which seemed to be the embodiments of the wish-granting jewels of the three worlds were built by lf of Devendranatha and king Sri Vijaya when the Saka era had advanced by 997 years, on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of the Caitra month, in the Karka lagna joined by Mangala. SIDE 2 1-4. Hail. That soverign, Visnu by name who because of his splendour was like a sun to the darkness of enemies and invited comparison with the bright autumnal moon and Cupid due to his lovely (physical) charms. Well-built, he was death to the arrogance of the enemies, was al matchless in strength and was born in the Sailendra and was born i Notes race. Mahendra by name, and in his entire kingdom. It is one of the better composed and more poetic inscriptions of Thailand. On its Side 1 in its 29 lines it comprises ten verses of which the first two are in Sikharini, the third in Harini, the fourth in Puspitagra, the fifth in Upendravajra, and from the eighth to tenth in Arya. There is problem with regard to the sixth and the seventh. The construction does not fit into any metre. Of the two, the sixth and the seventh, the sixth is more homogeneous. It belongs to the category of Ardhasamavrtta, the metre in which the alternate quarters, first and third and second and fourth, are similar. The quarters, padas, could easily have fitted into two metres, the first and the third quarters going with the Dodhaka metre and the second and the fourth quarters going with the Mauktikadama metre. Dodhaka has three bhaganas in bhagana the initial syllable is long followed by two short syllables:

Dodhakam icchati bhatritayad gau and Mauktikadama has four jaganas (gana is a triad of syllables): caturjaganam vada Mauktikadama. So far so good. But in the present instance an extra bhagana is added to the first and the third quarters and an extra nagana (where all syllables are short) to the second and the fourth quarters. The works on Prosody allow this liberty to the poets, the liberty going under the name of Prastara. In the seventh stanza it is Mauktikadama in the first two quarters with the exception of additional bhagana in the first quarter and the additional nagana in the second one. In the third and the fourth quaters the poet just flies off. Though the construction otherwise is marked by felicity, it suffers from metrical violations in the form of having long, guru, syllables where short, laghu, was needed, e.g. nayasruta; samaksama or the number exceeds the required one, e.g., param yasasa kranta. The inscription is marred by numerous scribal/engraving errors after correcting which and putting the text in place it would read as follows. In its new format it could be a delight to connoisseurs. visarinya kitrtya nayavinayasrutasamaksama- dhairyyatyagadyutimatidayadyaksayabhuva | param yasasakranta bhuvanakubhujam kirttivisara of virtacs mayukhastaranam saradi tuhinamsoriva ruca || 1 || _____gunanamadharastuhinagirikutadhikaruca gunadhyanam pumsamapi jagati yastumgayasasam | maninam bhurinam duritabhidudanvaniva mahan uot manirjyotillekhavalayi sirasancapi phaninam ||2|| dhanavikalatavahnijvalavalaksapitasaya yamabhipatita ye te svasthyam param samupagatah | hrdamiva gaja nityasosyam CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shast Collection New Sell Batized by S 3 Foundation USA Delhi. savitari tapatyugre sevyam sarojarajorunam ||3|| wella anol a sidelius fitini sut

yam gunabhrtamupagamya ya gunadhya manujana (va)ra manuna samam samantat | madhusamayamima (va )mrakesaradyah sriyamadhikam dadhate mahiruhendrah | | 4 | | jayatyayam srivijayendraraja samantarajarccistigmasanasrih | prasastadharmmasthiratonmukhena vinirmmito visvasrjeva yatnat ||5|| srivijayesvarabhupatiresa gunaugha- ksititalasarvvasamantanrpottama ekah | sthapitamaistikagehavaratrayametat kajakaramaranisudanavajrinivasam | | 6 | | santatametat trisamayacaityaniketam dasadigavasthitasarvvajinottamadattam | sarvvajagatma (?) bhudhara kulisavaram tribhuvanavibhutivisesadamamarapadam ||7|| - punarapi jayantanama nij bew rajasthaviro nrpena suniyuktah stu- patrayamayi kurvvityatastadidam krtavan | | 8 | | svarite tasmimstacchisyo dhi- muktirabhucca namatah sthavira istika- caityadvitayam caityatritayantike krtavan ||6|| vrddhyapte sakaraje muninavarasikaimrmmadhavaikadasahe sukle kauliralagne bhrgusutasahite caryyamanyotiraryyo | devendra yena ca srivijayanrpatina- nyaksitisottamena trailokyagryacintamanivapusa ec \ihasthapitah stupa ew pail Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

SIDE 2 svasti yo 'sau rajadhirajassakalaripuganadhvantasuryopamaikah svaujobhih kantalaksmya saradamalasasimanmathabho vapusman | visnvakhyo'sesasarvvarimadavinasanasca dvitiyah svasaktya 'sau yah sailendravamsaprabhanigaditah srimaharajanama || tasya ca sakalara ... Notes Contiuued The poet-composer's command over prosody does not match his command over expression. He deserves plaudits for trying his hand at bigger metres which he handles well to a point after which he falters allowing himself many a violation, the guru in place of laghu, as in line 1 of the first verse itself where the ma of sama followed by ksa of ksama which makes it guru on account of the conjunction of the consonants, vide samyoge guru, or the excess of a syllable in line 3 of the same verse : yasasa where one syllable is in excess of the required number apart from its need to be guru. There is serious metrical violation in line 2 of the verse 5: samantarajarcistigmasanasrih. There is another anomaly in the inscription not allowed in Sanskrit metrical compositions, and that is that a part of the word or syllable of the second line is not connected with the third one. There is no break of the word in the second line. It has to be complete in itself. Tautology is noticeable at two places in the composition. Manujanarah, if that be the reconstruction more proble it is that na in manujanara is engraver's error for va, the original reading having been manujavara and asesa and sarvva juxtaposed in line 3 of the verse in Side 2. Delhi Digitized by $3 Foundation USA The poet in the composer embellishes his composition with a number of figures of speech both of word and meaning. There is beautiful makaranuprasa, m-alliteration in the verse

Sema Muang Inscription, Side-1

Sema Muang Inscription, Side-2 gunabhrtam upagamya yam gunadhya manujavara manuna saman samantat/ madhusamayam ivamrakesaradyah sriyam adhikam dadhate mahiruhendrah// The same is noticeable in the hemistich prasastadharmmasthiratonmukhena vinirmmito visvasrjeva yatnat Of the figures of speech of meaning there is Drstanta in connecting the king with the moon and the other kings whose lustre is eclipsed by her (moon's) rays with the stars, the same figure of speech is carried forward in the second verse where the king's refulgence is said to surpass that of the snakes with their hoods studded with jewels; the king is the mighty ocean and the other meritorious men are snakes with gem-studded hoods. The ocean submergess the risken New Delhi Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA likening the triad of shrines as the deadly thunderbolt to the evils of the world the composer

has resorted to charming Rupaka. There is a telling Simile in comparing the people burnt down by the flames of fire of poverty to elephants repairing to a tank of clear and salubrious water under the scorching sun. There is Nidarsana again in comparing the meritorious people adding to their glory by taking resort with the king to the best of the trees like mango and Kesara adding to their charm by taking resort to spring season. The king being spoken of as having been created with effortvinirmmito visvasrjeva yatnat reminds one of the Kalidasan depiction of the ruler of Avanti in the Svayamvara of Indumati where he is spoken of in similar strain as aropya cakrabhramam usnatejas tvastreva yatnollikhito vibhati