Hathibada Ghosundi inscriptions
The Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions, sometimes referred simply as the Ghosundi Inscription or the Hathibada Inscription, are the oldest Sanskrit inscriptions in the Brahmi script, and dated to the 2nd-1st century BCE. The Hathibada inscription were found near Nagari village, about north of Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India, while the Ghosundi inscription was found in the village of Ghosundi, about southwest of Chittorgarh.
Description
Dated to the 2nd or 1st-century BCE, the Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions are among the oldest known Sanskrit inscriptions in Brahmi script from an early Jain tradition of ancient India.The HGI were found as incomplete fragments in three different locations. One fragment was discovered inside an ancient water well in Ghosundi, another at the boundary wall between Ghosundi and Bassi, and the third on a stone slab in the inner wall of Hathibada. They may have been displaced during the Mughal emperor Akbar's siege of Chittorgarh. He camped at Nagari and built some facilities by breaking and reusing old structures, a legacy that gave the location its name "Hathi-bada" or "elephant stable". The fragment discovered in the Hathibada wall has the same style, Brahmi script and partly same text as the Ghosundi fragment, thereby suggesting a link. The three fragments are often studied together.
Religious significance
The Hathibada-Ghosundi inscription, traditionally interpreted by some as a Vaishnavite record due to the mention of Saṁkarṣaṇan and Vāsudeva, is now understood to reflect Jain religious traditions. The inscription begins with "jinā bhagavabhyāṁ", indicating that the primary dedication is to the Tirthankara, central figures in Jainism.The references to Saṁkarṣaṇan and Vāsudeva do not imply Vaishnav worship; in early Jain inscriptions, these figures often appear as heroic or protective personalities acknowledged alongside the Jinas rather than as supreme deities.In Jainism, Vasudevas are nine heroic, half-wheel-turning, and powerful figures who appear in every half-cycle of time. They are considered Śalākā-Puruṣas and are known for defending dharma, with Shri Krishna the recognized as the most prominent, being the 8th Vasudeva. This explains why early Jain inscriptions, such as Hathibada-Ghosundi, mention Saṁkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva alongside the Jinas without implying Vaishnav worship.
Inscriptions
The inscriptions are incomplete, though an attempt at restoration has been based on Sanskrit prosody rules. The fragments read:
Fragment A
1.....??? ?????? ????????????? ?..
2.....???? ??????? ??????? ????????????
3.....???? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??????
1..... tēna Gājāyanēna Prāśarlputrāṇa Sa-
2..... i bhagavabhyāṁ Saṁkarshaṇa-Vsudēvābhyā
3......bhyāṁ pūjāśilā-prākārō Nārāyaṇa-vāṭkā.
Fragment B
1.....????? ????????? ????????...
2.... ??????????????
1..... Sarvatātēna Asamēdha....
2.....sarvēśvarābh.
Fragment C
1....????? ?????? ????????????? ????????? ???????? ????
2....? ???????????? ??????????? ?????????????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??????
1....vat jyanna Prtṇa tēna Aś-
2....-Vsudēvābhā anihatā savvabh p- l-pāārō Nāryaṇa-vāṭ.
Restoration
Bhandarkar proposed that the three fragments suggest what the complete reading of fragment A might have been. His proposal was:
Fragment A
1. 'tena Gajayanena Parasariputrena Sa-
2. 'jina bhagavabhyaih Samkarshana-Vasudevabhyam
3. bhyam pujasila-prakaro Narayana-vatika.
– D. R. Bhandarkar
Translations
By that Gajayana, the son of a mother from the Parasara lineage, the stone enclosure called the Narayana-vatika was erected for the worship of the Jinas, together with Saṁkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva, who are here honored as heroic or protective figures.By Sarvatata, who performed the Asvamedha, and dedicated it to the lords, in this context understood as the Jinas and the heroic figures Saṁkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva..
By Sarvatata, of the Gajayana line and son of a mother from the Parasara gotra, who performed the Asvamedha, the stone enclosure called the Narayana-vatika was dedicated to the Jinas, together with Saṁkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva as heroic figures, and to all the lords.
Benjamín Preciado-Solís – an Indologist, translates it as: