“Ksitipecaharanapithe Sthapito Vamapadah” of Skandagupta’s Bhitari Pillar Inscription

Dasharatha Sharma reinterprets a debated line from Skandagupta’s Bhitari pillar inscription. In Fleet’s reading, the verse narrates that Skandagupta, after defeating the Pushyamitras, “put his left foot on a footstool which was the king of that tribe”,. Later scholars proposed altering the wording: S. Divekar suggested reading yudhyāmītrams ca (“having subdued his enemies”) instead of Puśyamitram ca, which generalises the foes, while S.V. Sohoni proposed reading rāṣṭramitrāmś ca, interpreting the verse as a reference to the four constituents of the state (army, treasury, territory and allies). Sharma argues that these reinterpretations are unnecessary. He notes that inscriptions often mention mobilised treasury and army without listing all four state constituents, so the absence of “territory” and “allies” does not warrant Sohoni’s reading. Moreover, grammatical possibilities notwithstanding, common usage points to a clear idiom: placing one’s foot on someone’s head signifies total subjugation. To support this he cites passages from the Mahābhārata: Drupada fears that if Draupadī’s husband were of low caste it would be as if a mud‑smeared foot were placed on his head; Bhīṣma, when his proposal to honour Kṛṣṇa is opposed, declares he will put his foot on the heads of the dissenting kings. Such expressions show that putting the foot on a defeated foe’s head symbolises victory and humiliation, not a literal footstool. Sharma concludes that the Bhitari verse simply means Skandagupta placed his left foot on the heads of vanquished enemies and thus used them as his footstool. The note cautions against over‑ingenious readings and affirms the traditional interpretation based on idiomatic usage and epic parallels.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.