The Colas c19.110

c19.110

81. In the Tirumagaḷ maruviya form of Rājēndra's *praśastis*, the clause that occurs is: '*Tan munnōn śēnai pinnaduvāga munnedir śenṟu* \* \* \* *Iraṭṭapāḍi-yeḻarai-yilakkamun-goṇḍu*', often contracted into '*pinnadu vāga Iraṭṭapāḍi*.' This is rendered by Hultzsch generally into 'while the army of his elder brother was at his back.' In the light of other records (esp. 87 of 1895) which clearly state that Rājādhirāja began the fight and Rājēndra entered it after he died, we must, it seems amend Hultzsch's translation and say—'while the army of his elder brother began to retire' a translation which is also required by the phrase employed in the fuller of the two forms quoted above, viz '*munnedir-śenṟu*', 'going to the front in opposition', as also by the reading '*munnēr śēnai pinnaduvāga*,' 'when the advancing army began to retreat' found in some records (*SII.* ii p. 305, F and G) and amended by Hultzsch into '*munnōn śēnai*.' It is perhaps hardly conceivable, according to Indian notions of precedence, that while the elder brother was present in person on the battle-field, the younger took the lead; but this consideration need not be pressed as the cumulative force of all the inscriptions taken together is, doubtless, very clear. I may also observe that some records omit the word '*tan*' in '*tan munnōn*' e.g., *SII.* iii 55; on this account, it should not be assumed, as Hultzsch seems to do, that the phrase '*Tirumaruviya śengōl vēndan*' refers to the elder brother, (*SII.* iii p. 112—English translation).