Majhgawam Copper-plates of the Maharaja Hastin (510-511 CE)

        Reverence to (the god) Mah d va! Hail! In a century of years, increased by ninety-one; in the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings; in the prosperous augmenting Mah -Chaitra samvatsara; on the third lunar day of the dark fortnight of the month M gha,  on this (lunar day), (specified) as above by the samvatsara and month and day, 

        (Line 3.)  By the Mah r ja, the illustrious Hastin,  who is born in the family of a kingly ascetic;  who is the great-grandson of the Mah r ja D v dhya;  who is the grandson of the Mah r ja, the illustrious Prabha jana;  who is the son of the Mah r ja, the illustrious D m dara;  who is the giver of thousands of cows, and elephants, and horses, and gold, and many lands;  who is earnest in paying respect to (his) spiritual preceptor and (his) father and mother;  who is extremely devoted to the gods and Br hmans;  who has been victorious in many hundreds of battles;  (and) who causes the happiness of his own race, 

        (L. 6.)  (By him), at the agreeable request of Mah d vid va, the village named V lugarta, in accordance with the usage of the specification of (its) ancient boundaries, with the udranga and the uparikara, (and with the privilege that it is) not to be entered by the irregular or the regular troops, is granted as an agr h ra, by a copper-charter,  for the purpose of increasing the religious merit of (his) parents and of himself, and in order to erect the steps of a ladder leading to heaven, acceptable to Mah d vid va,  to these Br hmans, of the Aupamanyava g tra, students of the Chhand ga-Kauthuma (sh kh ), (viz.) Govindasv min, G mikasv min, and D vasv min,  to be enjoyed by (their) sons and sons' sons, with the exception of (the proceeds of fines imposed on) thieves.

        (L. 10.)  Therefore, even in future times, no obstacle (to the enjoyment of this grant) is to be caused by those who are born in Our family, or by my feudatories. This injunction having been given, he who behaves otherwise,  him I will consume with a great contempt, even when I have passed into another body.

        (L. 12.)  And it has been said by the venerable supreme sage, Vy sa, the arranger of the V das,  "O Yudhishthira, best of kings, carefully preserve land that has previously been given to the twice-born; (verily) the preservation (of a grant) is more meritorious than making a grant! The earth has been enjoyed by many kings, commencing with Sagara; whosoever at any time possesses the earth, to him belongs, at that time, the reward (of this grant that is now made, if he continue it)! The giver of land enjoys happiness in heaven for sixty thousand years; (but) the confiscator (of a grant), and he who assents (to an act of confiscation), shall dwell for the same number of years in hell! He becomes a worm in ordure, and is tormented together with his ancestors, who confiscates land that has been given, whether by himself or by another! Those who confiscate a previous grant, are born (again) as black serpents, inhabiting the dried-up hollows of trees, in desert places destitute of water!"

        (L. 18.)  And (this charter) has been written by the Mah s mdhivigrahika Vibhudatta, the son of the great-grandson of the Am tya Vakra; the great-grandson of the Bh gika Naradatta; the grandson of Ravidatta; (and) the son of S ryadatta. The Mah bal dhikrita N gasiriha (is) the D taka. The year 100 (and) 90 (and) 1; (the month) M gha; the day 3.

From: Fleet, John F. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum: Inscriptions of the Early Guptas. Vol. III. Calcutta: Government of India, Central Publications Branch, 1888, 108-109.