Shinkot Steatite Casket Inscriptions

INDO-GREEK Inscriptions

Inscription no: 11.
Shinkot Steatite Casket Inscriptions of the time of Menander (158 to 138 BC.) and of vijayamitra
Regnal year 5.
Provenance: Shinkot, Bajaur Tribal territory in south-eastern
Afghanistan. about 32 kms of the Panjkora, Swat confluence
Script: Kharoshthi
Language: Prakrit. North-Western variety
Reference: N.G. Majumdar, Ep Ind XX 7 D.C Sircar ibid XXVI pp. 318 ff Age of imperial unity Pp 114-15 sel.inscI pp102-106 Sten Know N.I.A Jan 1940 pp 639-48 Note on Bajaur inscription of Manendra pp 52 FF M V D Mohan North West India pp 217-18

Footnote 1.

1. On the basis of palaeography majumdar has assigned the Group I records in the second century B.C and
Vijayamitra of Group II was probably the son or grand son of Viyakamitra, a feudatory of Manendra and was probably identical with the prince named on certain Indo Scythic coins
SEE Majumdar Ep.ind XXIV p 2 and Sten konow N.I.A 1939-40 p 641.
His son Aparchariaia Indravarman issued certain coins. (Num chron 1944 pp 99 FF) The latter’s son Apavarman was a strategos, first under the saka king Azes and later under the Parthian king Condophares CF his coin legends LMC sec II nos 310-318 and Sec III Nos 35-37.
Greek rule seems to have weekend at the time of Vijayamitra, who omits the mention of his overlord.
2. In the Buddhavamsa (P.T.S.) p68 V.8 the bowl relic Patra of the Buddha is supported to have been deposited at vajira, which may be identical with Bajaur.
Vajravati.mentioned in the Boddhistavadana kalplata (BC Law Geogr Essays 1937, I, p 40) may have been its capital.

Group – I
A.

On the rim of the lid
…….मिनद्रस महरजत कटिअस दिवस
प्र (ण )- (स ) मे (द्र)……..
A1
In the centre of lid

[ प्रति + ] [ठवि] त ( i *)
A2
Inner face of the lid
[भगवतो * ] शकमनिस प्रण- समेद शिरिर * 1 (1*) 3

B
Inside of casket
वियक मित्रस अचप्रजस 

1 From the plates in Ep Ind XXIV between pp. 6 & 7 and Sal.Inss. I, Plates.
2 The third figure is in inscribed below the line. In brahmi Inscription this number would be indicated as 10 and 4
Brahmi in inscriptions this number

3 According to Sten Konow Menander himself installed the relic, and got sections A, A1 and A2 recorded
and about a century later viyakamitra the same as Vijayamitra restored the relic. प्राण – समेत implies
the Buddhist belief that the Buddha ‘s relics were endowed with life and could perform miracles.

Group II
C.
(Centre of the lid)
1. विजय [ मित्रे ] ग
2. ते प्रतिथविदे (1) 

D.
Inside the casket1

1. इमे शरिर पलुगमभुद्रओ न सकरे अत्रित स शरिअत्रि कल्द्रे नो 

2. तस ये पत्रे अपेमुअ वषये पंचमये वेख मसस दिवस पंच वि श्रेय 
3 विजय मित्रेन’ अप्रचरजेन भग्रवतु शकिमुणिस समत बुधस शारिर 

1. Identified with the father of Apracharaja Indravarman, whose coin legends are .. विजय मित्र- पुत्रस इत्र वमेस अप्रचरजस 
See L M.C Sec II p and plate XVII and
Nun Chron 1944 Pp-94-104

2.  Sten Konow: इमे शरिर पलुग भुत ठन सकरे अति: तस शरिअति कल्दे नो शध्रो न पिंतो वकेयि पिति 

This relic, its place having been damaged, to be repaired.
Its periodical offering is being discontinued, not does anybody let the Pitras get Sraddha, nott
Pind odaka
3 Majumdar: न
On the back of the casket
विश्पिलेन अकतेन नवित्रे
संस्कृत छाया
Gr I A1 संवत्सरे मीनेन्द्रत्य महाराजस्य कात्तिकस्य मासस्य दिवसे प्राण-समेतं शरीरं
भगवतः शाक्यमुने: प्रतिष्ठा पितम् ।
A 2 भगवत: शाक्य सुने : प्राण-समेतं शरीरं ।
B वीर्यकमित्रस्य अप्रत्यग्राजस्य ( अविरो घिराजस्य : यद्वा अजात-पात्रो: राझ बद्रा सामन्त महाराजस्व यद्रा- अपत्व राजस्व
Gr II C
विजय मित्रेण ······पात्रं प्रतिष्ठापितम् । D. इदं शरीर प्ररुग्ण भूतकं भग्न सत् न सत्कारै: आदृतम् । तत् शीर्येते कालत:, [अत्र कः अपि] न श्रदः ( श्रद्धावान् ) न [च] पिण्डोटकानि पितॄन् ग्राह्यति । तस्य एतत् पात्रं अपोन्मुच्य वर्षके पञ्चमके वैशाखस्य मासस्य दिवसे पंच विशके इह [पुन: प्रतिष्ठापितं विजय मित्रेण अप्रत्यग्राजेन, भगवत: शाक्यमुने: सम्व-सम्बुद्धस्य [नवं] शरीरं [व अस्मिन् पात्रे प्रतिष्ठा पितम्) । E विश्विलेन आज्ञाकृता (आज्ञा कारिणा) लिखितम् ।।

 

Sten Konow अणंकयेन
According to him the phrase
is equivalent to Greek Anankaois,
which was used in the sense of a ruler’s advisors, court and friends and became Something like an
honor (cf J.R.A.S 1939, p.265, D.C Sircar
Sel Insq I p 105 n rejects both the reading as well as the intarpretation
2 Exact connotation is not clear. Also interpreted as
“king without rival and “king of the west (a-prächya)
etc
Sanskrit pratyanch means equal to, “A match for”
The phrase accordingly mean
An unequalled king or A king without a match”

 

English Translation

In the year ——-, of the Great king Menander, on the fourteenth, 14th day of (the month) of Karttika, the body relic endowed with life (of Lord sakyamuni) was consecrated. The corporal relics of the Lord Sakeyamuni of Viyakamitra, the apratyagrája (the king without enemies} Vijayamitra established (or consecrated this) — bowl. This relic having been disturbed (or damaged} has not been honoured

with homages. It is decaying because of (the passage) of time/
Nobody is respectful or offers alms and water to the manes.
The body relic of Lord Sakyamuni, the one, who is truly enlightened, that which is its it’s receptacle, — has been consecrated after raising removal from the original site by Vijayamitra, king, without opponents, on the twenty fifth day of the month of vaisakha in the fifth, 5th year. Written (engraved} by obedient Visvila.

हिन्दी अनुवाद
Gr. I. महाराज मीनेन्द्र के [राज्य] संवत्सर…में कार्त्तिक मास के चौदहवें दिन भगवान् शाक्यमुनि के प्राण समेत देवावशेष देहावशेष प्रतिष्ठित किये गए । भगवान् शाक्यमुनि के जीवन्त देहावशेष अप्रत्यग्राज ( = प्रतिपक्ष-हीन राजा अथवा उपराजा) वीर्यकमित्र के स्वत्व है।
Gr. II विजय मित्र ने ( अस्थि-) पात्र प्रतिष्ठित किया। यह देहावशेष क्षतिग्रस्त हो गये थे और (यथोचित) सत्कारों [पूजा ] से सम्मानित नहीं हो रहे थे । काल-वश ये जीर्ण-शीर्ण हो रहे थे, न कोई श्रद्धालु था, न पितरों को पिण्ड और जल दान कर रहा था ।
सम्वक संबुद्ध शाक्यमुनि के देहावशेष – ( अर्थात् ) उस का यह पात्र मूल स्थान से उखाइ तथा स्थानान्तरित करके अप्रत्यग्राज विजय मित्र ने वर्ष पांच के वैशाख मास के पच्चीसवें दिन इस स्थान पर प्रतिष्ठित कर दिये । आज्ञाकारी विशिवत ने लिखा ( = उत्कीर्ण किया ) |