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94 LOKESII CHANDRA

ca rana -yuga-nidheya-śrimatTrh sura -laksmirh tribhuvana-hila-dśtuh Tryambakasy &śrayadhvam //2//

Casparis (2.275) translatcs it:

“Takcth lhou refuge with the Heroic LaksmI, whose beauty is equal

to thc garlands of.......... (?) brilliant with fully open red lotuses, who grants

the wishes of him whose appearance is (marked) by the domination of the moon of the ascetics subducd by Yama, and who bears Majesty necessariły hidden in the juneture of her legs, - (the Heroic LaksmI) of the Three -

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Eyed (Siva), who grants wclfare to the three worlds.”

It should be translated :

“Take refuge in the splcndour (laksmf) of the valiant (sura), which is

radiant like thc pcncil (mała) of rays (ariiśu for tantra) shining forth from

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blossomcd lotuses (i.e._f lotus -fcet of Siva)_f which are the givers of all wishes embodied as sovcreignty emerging from the Moon (on the head of) the Yati

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(ascctic yogin of Siva) who is sclf-controllcd (yata) by yamas (and niyamas of yoga) and luli of majesty stemming from thc pair of fcet of Tryambaka (= Siva) who grants wclfare to thc three worlds." Royal power and splendour emanates from thc radiancc of thc fcet of Siva, which have to be and are invokcd by the King. The intcrprclations of Casparis havc to be reviewed in the tradition of Sanskrit k$vyas, of which they are an integral part. The translation of carana-yuga-vidhcya-śrimatFrh (not nidheya) as 'hidden in the juneture of her legs* was unccrtain to Casparis (p.275 n. 137). Later he conjcctures in notę 140 “probably an Um5-Maheśvara-murti of the Slittgana type”. It simply mcans that thc glory can be oblained by appropriate devotion (vidhcya cf. vidhi) to thc pair of fcet of Lord Siva. We have undertaken this ralhcr long detour to show that the readings of the inscriptions, their translations and interpretation necd re-consideration.

An important step in thc endcavour to ensure stabilisalion of the State, was the construction of a vast complcx of Sivalaya in the holy mountain of Ratubaka. As alrcady shown above, the co-operation of BAlaputra was fortheoming and the model was Sriparvata hallowcd by both Buddhist and Saiva slructures. A conllict siluation is not warranted by epigraphical evidence.

. THE SOMA-KULA

The Śailcndra-vaihśa and the Soma-kula were contemporary dynasties,

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wilh malrunoniiil allianccs. The Sailcndras co-opcratcd wilh them in the construction of Saiva foundations. The Soma-kula commences with Sanna or Sannlha, the father of Safljaya. SannSha means ‘armour mai), a coat of mail' and it is like the name Varman which has the same meaning. The finał ha of Sannaha has coalcsccd in pronuncialion and the name has also been spelt SannS.