पुष्पचिन्तामणिः (Puṣpacintāmaṇi)

81 folios, 75 × 275 mm, Nepalese yellow paper, 5 lines per folio, titlepage in ornate Rañjā characters the remainder in Nevār-lipi, in Sanskrit with a Nevārī gloss, undated. (Seen with Sam Fogg Rare Books and Manuscripts, London, present location unkown. View all of the scanned images here.

The Puṣpacintāmaṇi (‘the wishgranting-gem of flower[-offering]s’) is a compendium in four chapters called “illuminations” (prakāsa-) dealing exclusively with the ritual employment of flowers. This covers: the correct methods of using flowers in offerings (dāna-, arcana-), which types of flowers to offer to which deities, the correct time (seasonal, astrological), proscribed, malefic flowers (niṣiddhāni), the rewards to be expected (phala-), and special desiderative rites (kāmya-, e.g. long life, birth of a son, royal favour etc.).

The first chapter (sāmānyaprakāśa-), (ff. 1--31v) deals with the role of flowers in exoteric religion. The scriptures from which material is quoted are predominantly the Śivarahasya, the Śivadharmasaṃgraha, and the Śivapurāṇa; all works prescribing the observances of lay Śaiva devotees.

The second chapter (ff.31--50v) gives details of the flowers leading to the world of Viṣṇu, the world of the Sun-god (fol.43r), and the Planetary deities (Grahas). It quotes from the Viṣṇupurāṇa, the Narasiṃhapurāṇa, the Gautamīya, the Vāmanapurāṇa, the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa for Sūrya and Graha worship, and the (to me unknown Puṣpamālā). These are again exoteric works teaching religious observances for lay Vaiṣṇava devotees.

The short, third chapter (ff. 50v--59r), is dedicated to Goddesses (Durgā, Mahālakṣmī etc.). It cites the Devīpurāṇa, the Mahākālasaṃhitā, the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa, the Kālikāpurāṇa, and the Matsyasūkta (for Mahālakṣmī fol. 58v).

Finally, the fourth chapter (ff. 59r--81; it begins: atha bhagavatyā siṃhāsanavidyāyāḥ mantroktapuṣpavidhānaṃ likhyate) deals with esoteric deities. Ff. 60v- explain the role of flowers in the Western Transmission (paścimāmnāya) of Kaulism. One of the major scriptures of the school is quoted, the Manthānabhairavatantra. Ff. 63v- then deals with the Northern Transmisson (uttarāmnāya), quoting the syncretic Mahākālasaṃhitā. The remainder deals with obligatory and special observances (quoting the Hāhārāvatantra, the cult of the Goddess Dakṣiṇakālī (quoting the Kālītantra and the Śaktiyāmala on fol. 72r), the Goddess Nīlasarasvatī (quoting the Nīlatantra), with citations from the Triśaktiratna, the Vāmakeśvaratantra, and the Jñānārṇava.

The sources quoted by the anonymous author betray this as a compendium made in Nepal itself, possibly even in Bhaktapur?

Begins:

oṃ namaḥ śrīgaṇeśāya

kāmadaṃ kāmadaṃ natvā nītvā matimatā matam
puṣpacintāmaṇiṃ kurve vāñcchitārthaniketanam
tatrādau sāmānyataḥ puṣpamāhatmyaṃ likhyate/

tad uktaṃ śivarahasye//

puṣpair d[e]vāḥ prasīdanti puṣpair devāś ca saṃsthitāḥ
kiñcāpi bahunoktena puṣpasyotimatandrikāṃ
paraṃ jyoti puṣpagataṃ puṣpaṃ naiva prasīdati
trivargasādhanaṃ puṣpaṃ puṣṭiśrīsvargamokṣadaṃ
puṣpamūle vased brahmā puṣpamadhye ca keśavaḥ
puṣpāgre ca mahādevaḥ sarve devāḥ (em. sardhādavāḥ MS) sthitā daśe

Update: Jan. 17th, Just found this: KRAUSE, A, 2005, Untersuchungen zur Verwendung von Blüten bei der pūjā: das dritte Kapitel des Puṣpacintāmaṇi. Universität Leipzig. Fakultät für Geschichte, Kunst und Orientwissenschaften. Institut für Indologie. Leipzig 2005. (unpublished MA thesis) [Uses the following MS of the NGMPP: A 335/4, A 452/36, A 452/37, A 452/39, A 516/5, A 516/6, A 516/7, A 516/8, A 944/11, A 1270/3, E 402/10, E 683/21, E 1005/6, E 1795/9, E 2024/5, E 2057/12, E 2098/28, E 2265/5, E 3136/34, G 92/14, G 227/9, T 8/7]