Kappe Arabhatta
Kappe Arabhatta (Kannada: ಕಪ್ಪೆ ಅರಭಟ್ಟ) was a Chalukya warrior[1] of the 8th century who is known from a Kannada verse inscription, dated to c. 700 CE, and carved on a cliff overlooking the northeast end of the artificial lake in Badami, Karnataka, India.
The inscription consists of five stanzas written out in ten lines in the Kannada script.
[2] Of the remaining stanzas, all except the first are in the tripadi,[3] a Kannada verse metre.
[4] Stanza 3 (lines 5 and 6), which consists of twelve words of which nine are Sanskrit words in Kannada,[5] is well known in a condensed version,[6] and is sometimes cited as the earliest example of the tripadi metre in Kannada.
According to Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency 1884, p. 558, the Kappe Arabhatta inscription overlooks the artificial lake (on the south-east corner) of Badami town, and: Cut on the cliff, ten or twelve feet from the ground, on the north-west of the hamlet of Tattukoti, on the north-east corner of the lake, is an undated inscription of the sixth or seventh century.
The way to the cliff is on the left going up from the reservoir by the rear or east ascent to the Bavanbande-kote or north fort and about half-way up to the shrine of Tattukoti Maruti.
The meaning is not clear, but it seems a record of Kappe Arabhatta, a saint of local fame.
Below the inscription and covering a space of about 3 feet 7 inches is cut a round band with a floral device apparently a ten-leaved lotus inside it, and with what seems to be a fillet, with a ribbon crossed in a double loop, handing from it.The following is the text of the five lines written out in ten lines in the inscription.
(Sanskrit sloka:) varan-tējasvino mṛittyur na tu mānāvakhaṇḍanam- 4.
Mṛttyus tatkṣaṇikō duḥkham mānabhamgam dinēdinē || Tripadi: 5.
kaṣṭa, jana, varjita;[11] 2b kaliyugaviparita: an exceptional man in the kaliyuga.
m. Telugu: ītadu - probably i + tān - this self (speaker) or ī + tan - this of mine;[16] 6d: peran: another.
+ um (NK holladu, hole)—Tamil: pol—to agree with, negative of this is pollā.
Tamil: pollā, pollāda: bad, vicious (neg.
of pon: to shine), Malayalam: pollā - to be bad, evil; pollu - hollow, vain, useless; Telugu: pollu - useless; Tulu: polle - slander, backbiting.
s. n.; 8a: purākṛtam: the ancient karma (Fleet); the deeds done in the past.
; 9c keṭṭodē: harmful thing; 9d en what (intl pron.)
[25] 1 Kappe1a Arabhata,1b beloved of the good people1c 2 avoided by evil people,2a an exceptional man in Kaliyuga2b 5 To the good people,5a good;5b to the sweet,5c sweetness;5d | causing distress5e 6 to the kali age,6a an exceptional man in Kaliyuga,2b | Madhava (or Vishnu),6b this man6c another6d is not6e || 7 What is good7a those who do7b who7c the evil7d like that7e | strong7f 8 exception to (or opposite)2b the ancient karma8a | here8b samdhikkum8c it8d having come8e || 9 Bound9a the lion9b harmful thing9c what9d | in the same way as releasing9e (Translated in (Narasimhia 1941, p. 242), "In the same way as releasing the bound lion, saying 'What is the harm to us?'")
10 exception to or opposite2b the enemies10a | were ruined10b and10c died10d without foresight (or without doubt)10e || (Note: 10c, 10d, and 10e are translated in (Narasimhia 1941, p. 239) as "And they died undoubtedly (for want of foresight)") A condensed version of Stanza 3 seems to be well known, both in the Kannada script: Kannada: ಸಾಧುಗೆ ಸಾಧು ಮಾಧುರ್ಯಂಗೆ ಮಾಧುರ್ಯಂ ಬಾಧಿಪ್ಪ ಕಲಿಗೆ ಕಲಿಯುಗ ವಿಪರೀತನ್ ಮಾಧವನೀತಂ ಪೆರನಲ್ಲ!
and in the English poetic rendering:[6] "Kind man to the kind, Who's sweet to the sweet, Very cruel to the cruel He was not unlike Lord Vishnu in this regard"
