The Buddhist Art of Ancient Arakan ( XI )

By U SAN THA AUNG

This piece of stone inscription (See Plate 24 )GO was found in Vesali village which is situated five miles north of Mrauk_Oo. It was actually found somewhere on the brick mound which is situated at the edge of the so-called canal. This place is situated at the southwest corner of Vesali village and the northwest corner of Tharlarwaddy village.

We can well imagine that about one thousand two hundred years ago, the so-called canal was the moat of the Vesali inner city or palace, and the mound, a spot at the southwest corner of the moat. From the contents of the inscription we can infer that this stone inscription has fallen out of a now-ruined ceti [of which there is no longer any trace at present] which formerly stood on that mound.



Script and size of the inscribed stone

The script was inscribed on a piece of stone slab 9 inches in length and 7 inches in breadth. The script resembles that of the Anandacandra inscription, inscribed on the west face of a stone pillar, now to be seen at the Shittaung Phara at Mraunk-Oo. The characters illustrated here appear to be a little earlier than the Anandacandra inscription, as can be inferred from the way gha and sa were written. The characters are also more square in form. Again unlike the dandas used in the Anandacandra inscription, the first member of the double dandas curves inwards, as in earlier Vesali inscriptions. After the final dandas, there is a symbol consisting of a circle with four V shapes, above, below and on either side of the circle, followed by two double dandas.

The upper portion of the stone slab has broken off and been lost. The missing part probably contained the beginning of the inscriptions, which normally would have mentioned the name of the donor and of his ancestors. We are left with only ten lines of inscription. The language of the inscription is Sanskrit. The lines illustrated in Plate 24 belong to two complete verses. The first verse being in Vasantatilaka metre and the second in anustubh sloka. The missing part probably contained one verse. The inscription commemorates the construction of a caitya (ceti). A line by line transliteration of the characters from the stone slab to modern Burmese characters is shown in plate 24.



Palaeographic Determination of Date

Palaeographically, we can assign the inscription to the late 7th or early 8th centuries, possibly to the reign of Dharmacandra, (740-720 A.D), the father of Anandacandra.



TEXT

Verse 1. (Lost)

Verse 2. punyam mayaptamatulam yamihadya caityam nispadya tena bhavasagrato hi param, trsma taranga bhrsa cancala raudra nadat satvah prayantu sukhina trimala prahinah.

Verse 3. yati prajvalitam ghoram bhedako rauravam param, divyakalpa sahasrani svarge tisthati palaka iti



Translation

As I have completed the building of the ceti in this place today, I have gained the incomparable nerit. For the meritorious deed I have done let all beings be able to discard the three impurities (lobha, dosa, moha) and cross the ocean of becoming which is roaring fiercely due to the waves of craving and striking violently, and reach the other shore (nirvana) happily.



Verse 3.



































The one who destroys the ceti goes to terrible and flaming “roruwa” hell after death and the one who looks after (it) stays in heaven for thousands of heavenly aeons. This is the end.

We should note that to attain nirvana, one has to discard the three impurities (lobha, dosa, moha). This is stated in the inscription. Discarding the three impurities is nothing but purifying one’s own mind. This is the teaching of Buddha and the Buddhism at that time was based on the teachings of Buddha. (See verse 183 of the Dhamapada).

The ceti mentioned in the inscription is no longer in existence. But we still have the dedicatory inscription with us. What was the shape of the ceti? How large and how beautiful was it? We can only speculate and dream about what the answers to these questions may be.

A Ceti Dedicatory Inscription from Eighth Century Vesali Site of find
Text Box: Back

Arakan Library was founded by a group of Arakan Action Association (AAA) in exile in Thailand from Burma in 2007 doing to voice for the knowledge, the people democratic and human rights.


Yati Reachers, goes

Prajvalitam Flaming brilliantly

Ghoram Terribly frightening

Bhedako The one who destroys

Rauravam “roruwa” hell

Param After death

Divya kalpa Time scale of devas; heavenly aeons

Sahasrami Thousands

Svarge Heaven

Tisthati Stay

Palaka The one who looks after

Iti This is the end

Punyam Meritorious deed

Maya Myself

Atam Gained, attained

Atulum Incomparable

Yam This

Iha In this place

Adya Today

Caityam Ceti

Nispadya Completed, finally done

Tena That is why

Bhavasagrato Ocean of becoming

Param To the other shore

Trsna Craving

Taranga Waves

Bhrsa Violently

Cancala Moving and striking

Raudra Frightening

Nadat Fierce, roaring

Satvah Living beings

Prayantu Let them reach

Sukhina Happily

Trimala Three impurities (lobha, dosa, moha)

Prahinah Discard

Verse 1. Lost. Might have contained the names of the donor and his ancestors.

Verse 2.

As I have completed the building of the ceti in this place today, I have gained the incomparable nerit. For the meritorious deed I have done let all beings be able to discard the three impurities (lobha, dosa, moha) and cross the ocean of becoming which is roaring fiercely due to the waves of craving and striking violently, and reach the other shore (nirvana) happily.

Verse 3.
The one who destroys the ceti goes to terrible and flaming “roruwa” hell after death and the one who looks after (it) stays in heaven for thousands of heavenly aeons. This is the end.

We should note that to attain nirvana, one has to discard the three impurities (lobha, dosa, moha). This is stated in the inscription. Discarding the three impurities is nothing but purifying one’s own mind. This is the teaching of Buddha and the Buddhism at that time was based on the teachings of Buddha. (See verse 183 of the Dhamapada).

The ceti mentioned in the inscription is no longer in existence. But we still have the dedicatory inscription with us. What was the shape of the ceti? How large and how beautiful was it? We can only speculate and dream about what the answers to these questions may be.

A Ceti Dedicatory Inscription from Eighth Century Vesali Site of find
Text Box: Back

Arakan Library was founded by a group of Arakan Action Association (AAA) in exile in Thailand from Burma in 2007 doing to voice for the knowledge, the people democratic and human rights.

Text Box:

Yati Reachers, goes

Prajvalitam Flaming brilliantly

Ghoram Terribly frightening

Bhedako The one who destroys

Rauravam “roruwa” hell

Param After death

Divya kalpa Time scale of devas; heavenly aeons

Sahasrami Thousands

Svarge Heaven

Tisthati Stay

Palaka The one who looks after

Iti This is the end

The one who destroys the ceti goes to terrible and flaming “roruwa” hell after death and the one who looks after (it) stays in heaven for thousands of heavenly aeons. This is the end.

We should note that to attain nirvana, one has to discard the three impurities (lobha, dosa, moha). This is stated in the inscription. Discarding the three impurities is nothing but purifying one’s own mind. This is the teaching of Buddha and the Buddhism at that time was based on the teachings of Buddha. (See verse 183 of the Dhamapada).

The ceti mentioned in the inscription is no longer in existence. But we still have the dedicatory inscription with us. What was the shape of the ceti? How large and how beautiful was it? We can only speculate and dream about what the answers to these questions may be.

A Ceti Dedicatory Inscription from Eighth Century Vesali Site of find
Text Box: Back