Some notes to the M.A. Stein collection of Skt. MSS in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, Part 1

Since an online catalogue (or even bare list) of the important Stein collection of Skt. MSS in the Bodleian Library is not available, here are a few notes on these mostly Śāradā manuscripts...


MS 21; MS Or d.1 (i); Ser. No. 174 Kapālamocanavarṇanapaṭalaḥ [attributed to the Bhṛṅgīśasaṃhitā]. Bound in red tooled leather; numbered in pencil as Codex 12(?); 9ff.; 17–18 lines per folio; 15–18 akṣaras per line; Śāradā on paper; additional astrological considerations on fol. 1v; some marginal annotations and corrections secunda manu.

Cover page fol. 1v: amāvāsyāsomavāre/ bhaume caiva caturdaśī \mg{bhaumavāre caturdaśī} śuklapakṣe śuklapakṣe saptamī ravivāre ca / sūryaparvaśatais samā ||1|| amāvāsyāya dāpārtha[m]/ somavāreṇa saṃyutā / tadā puṇyatamax kālo/ devānām api durlabhaḥ ||2||…

Incipit fol. 1r: oṃ śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ|| oṃ namaḥ śivāya saśivāya oṃ śrībhairavy uvāca || śrutaṃ bhavatprasādena/ śūrpāyaṇamanuttamamidānīṃ śrotum icchāmi dvigrāme tīrthamuttamam kapālamocanaṃ nāma/ kuṇḍaṃ pāpāpanodanam…


Explicit fol. 9v: iti kṣetraṃ mayākhyāṭaṃ puṇyaṃ pāpāpanodanam kapālamocanaṃ nāma dvigrāme puṇya uttame ityeṣa paṭalo gṛhyo mayā te vai prakāśitaḥ śrutaśca paṭhito dhyātaḥ sarvapāpāpanodanaḥ || 38 iti saṃhitāyāṃ kapālamocanaṃ nāma paṭalaḥ samāptaḥ|| ||caivaṃ 138|| ||

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MS 22; MS Or d. 1 (ii); Ser. No. 175 “Codex 12(?)” bound in red tooled leather contains two works : [1.] the Rājñyāḥ prādurbhavam, and [2.] the Kapālamocanavarṇanapaṭalaḥ attributed to the Bhṛṅgīśasaṃhitā [1.] Rājñyāḥ prādurbhavam 1 folio 14 lines; 22 akṣaras per line; Śāradā on paper.

Incipit fol. 1v: [oṃ] śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ|| || om śrībhairavī || śruto bhavatprasādena/ śivarātrimahotsavaḥ || holikāpi mahādeva / śrutā bhavadanugrahāt || rājñīrātryutsavaś cāpi || navavarṣamahotsavaḥ sṛṣṭer mahotsavaś cāpi jagatsraṣṭur mahātmanaḥ /… adhunā śrotum icchāmi rājñīḥ prādurbhavaṃ mahat || yac chrutvā mucyate jantuḥ koṭijanmabhavair aghaiḥ

[2.] Kapālamocanavarṇanapaṭalaḥ attributed to the Bhṛṅgīśasaṃhitā, 6ff.; 25–27 lines; 22 akṣaras per line.

Incipit fol. 1r: oṃ śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ|| oṃ śrībhairavī || śrutaṃ bhavatprasādena/ śūrpāyaṇam anuttamam idānīṃ śrotum icchāmi dvigrāme tīrtham uttamam kapālamocanaṃ nāma/ kuṇḍaṃ pāpāpanodanam…

Explicit fol. 6v: line11: ity eṣa paṭalo gṛhyo / mayā te vai prakāśitaḥ śrutaś ca paṭhito dhyātaḥ sarvapāpāpanodanaḥ || || iti śrībhṛṅgīśasaṃhitāyāṃ kapālamocanakṣetravarṇanaṃ nāma paṭalaḥ [samāptaḥ] ||

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MS 54; MS Or d. 1 (iii); [[Ser. No. 194]] Gayāpañcasthalīvarṇanaṃ attributed to the Bhṛṅgīśasaṃhitā “Codex 12(?)” bound in red tooled leather; 2ff.; 25–27 lines; Śāradā on paper; 22 akṣaras per line; This is a continuation of MS 22 by the same scribe in midfolio.

Incipit fol. 6v line 15:: śrībhairavī ||śrutvā śrutvā maheśāna prayāgaphalam uttamam|| kṛtārthāsmi kṛtārthāsmi…

Explicit fol. 7v: ity eṣa paṭalaḥ prokto / gayāyātraphalapradaḥ|| śrutaś ca paṭhitaś cāpi bhaktyā vai parameśvari || || iti śrībhṛṅgīśasaṃhitāyāṃ satīsaroviśeṣka**dālbhyāśramaviṣayopajñātatīrthasaṅgrahe gayāpañcasthalīvarṇanaṃ nāma pañcāsaptamaḥ paṭalah ||

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MS 186; MS Or d. 1 (iii); [[Ser. No. 315]] bound in red tooled leather [[there appears to be an additional work here not noted in the Clauson list!]]. Two works:

[1.] Rāmārādhanabharatagirivarṇanaṃ attributed to the Bhṛṅgīśasaṃhitā 14 folios; bold Devanāgarī on burnished paper; 14 lines per folio; 23 akṣaras per folio; on cover: ``Copied from \Pt Mukund Râm's MS. Oct 11, 1892 , [signed] M.A.Stein, Srinagar''.

Colophon: iti śrībhṛṅgīśasaṃhitāyāṃ gaṃgāmāhātmye rāmārādhanabharatagirivarṇanaṃ nāma pañcamaḥ paṭalaḥ 5 ☸

[2.] Haramukuṭagaṅgāmāhātmyam 15 folios; Śāradā on paper; additional sheet at end: ``Copied from \Pt Mukund Ram's MS. Oct 11, 1892 ,
[signed] M.A.Stein, Srinagar''.

Colophon: itthaṃ mukuṭagaṅgāyā māhātmyam amarottame sarvapāpaharaṃ devi tava snehāt prakāśitam idaṃ rahasyaṃ paramaṃ nākhyeyaṃ vedanindake caure hīne kucaile ca gurunindāpravarttini gaṅgābhaktivihīne ca tathaiva devani[...] Breaks off

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MS 25; Or.d.2; [[Ser. no. 182]] Kāśmīratīrthasaṅgrah; (survey of the sacred geography of Kashmir), ff. 1–1v, 1-54, 1; Devanāgarī on paper 7 lines per folio; 24 akṣaras per line; bound in red tooled leather; signed by M.A.Stein on fol. 54r: “Copied for me May 1891, from Pandit Sahib Ram's Tîrthasaṃgraha in Deccan College Library (Dr. Bühler's Collection, 1875, No. {blank space}). Compared by Pt. Sahajabhatta. Lahore: June 3, 1891. M.A.Stein” on fol.. 55v: kramarājye kulase vartuleśvaraḥ pa° 40 {vartula}; Contains marginal notes (by Stein?) identifying locales and textual sources. Prefatory fol. ii: śrīmahāpaṇḍitasāhibaRāmaviracitaḥ kaśmīratīrthasaṅgrahaḥ ||; fol. iv: “Copied from Poona MS. 1875–76 No 61 by Sant Ram, \locale{Lahore}, June 1891”.

Incipit fol. 1v: [add]

Explicit fol. 54v: vicitraracanāpūrṇaṃ jñeyaṃ kāśmīramaṇḍalam ittham uddeśatas tīrthasaṃgraho [']yaṃ vinirmitaḥ kaśmīreṣu vinodāya śrīmatāṃ buddhiśālinām lokayātrāṃ samālocya māhātmyāni ca sarvaśaḥ kṛto [']yaṃ mukhyatīrthānām uddeśena samuccayaḥ iti śrīkaśmīratīrthasaṅgrahaḥ samāptaḥ ||

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MS 29, 222, 228 Or.d.3.(i–iii) Numbering and sectioning of codex Or.d.3 makes little sense as it is, (…needs more thought). Title on spine Kāṭhakasūktāni. Contains a letter from Ludwig Schroeder dated in “Innsbruck, 2nd of Sept. 1897, Fischergasse 7,II”, identifying the sections of the Kāṭhaka: “Hochverehrter lieber Herr Kollege! Das ṛcaka, welches Sie so freundlicherweise mir nach Innsbruck [zubringen] is ein ganz vortreffliches,…”

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MS 29; Or. d.3(i) Kāṭhakasūktāni; Codex bound in suede deer-hide (?) folios numbered 138–146, then continued for 4 folios in a different hand; then 2 folios ending with: uruviṣṇor jyotir nāmatṛtīyam sthānakaṃ ||śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ|| || additional notes in two separate hands fill the remainder of the folio; one more folio in a different hand; one folio ending: iti viṣṇubhadram then continues in same hand numbered upto 44; then 19 folios without original numbering but numbered in pencil 61–78 [ending with Kāṭh. 6.1];

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MS 34; Or. d.4(ii); [[ser.no. 110]] Kādambarī of Bāṇa, ff. 112–23, 144;

Begins: vaṃśasaṃbhavo dvijo jagadgītaguṇo [']raṇīs satām [[add]]

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MS 35; Or.d.4 (i); ser.no. 109 Kādambarī of Bāṇa 23 lines, 22 akṣaras per line; ff. 82–110 (93 & 97 duplicated)

Incipit: \mg{karṇa}parṇāvataṃsa iva kapole

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MS 171a; Or.d.4(iii); [[ser.no. 112]] Kādambarīkathāsāra of Abhinanda ff. 4–20

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MS 171b; Or.d.4(iv); [[ser.no. 111]] Kādambarīkathāsaṃkṣepa of Kṣemendra (fl. ca. 1010–1070 A.D.) complete in 2 folios numbered 23 & 24; this text is an excerpt of the Bṛhatkathāmañjarī.

Incipit: oṃ namaḥ sarasvatyai || śriyaṃ vaḥ śrīkaṇṭhaḥ pradiśatu salīlābharaṇatāṃ gatas tatsaṃbhogair asitatujagair yaḥ parivṛtaḥ jatājūṭāsaktas tridaśaṭaṭinīlandhayamunā taraṅgiḥ pratyaṅgaṃ ghanarucitaṭāliṅgita iva ||

Explicit: iti śrīkṣemendraviracitax kādambarīkathāsaṃkṣepaḥ saṃ [3]0 vaivadi navasyāṃ bhaume likhitaḥ kādambarīkathāsārasaṅraho [']pi citritaḥ

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MS 64; Or.d.10; 207; Jālandharapīṭhadīpikā of Prahlādānandcāryakulāvadhūta;

Bound in red tooled leather ff. 155, complete in eleven prakāśas; ll. 12 akṣaras 13; Bold Devanāgarī 19th cent. paper, only the versos are inscribed; 23.8 × 21.7cm; inscribed area 15.8 × 12.2cm marginal folio numbering in righthand top corner of versos: jā° pra° 1–155; verses are numbered; some rubrication, corrections in red and black ink, deletions with yellow gouache; written by Kīrtinanda.

Incipit fol. 1v: oṃ śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ oṃ oṃ alikulasevitagaṃḍodiviṣaṅguṇavaṃditacaraṇasarojaḥ jayati himādritanayābhūḥ pratyūhanāśano gaṇapaḥ 1

Explicit fol. 154–155v: iti śrīparamahaṃsaparivrājakācāryyaśrīKumārānandanāthakulāvadhūtapādapūjyaśiṣyaśrīPrahlādānandcāryakulāvadhūtaviracitāyāṃ jālāndharapīṭhadīpikāyāṃ ekādaśaḥ prakāśaḥ ||11|| samāpto [']yaṃ māhātmyaḥ likhitaṃ pustakam idaṃ Kīrtinaṃdena'vaṣyinā upādhyāyaśivadattāya śrīmate gurave namaḥ || śrībhagavannārāyaṇo jayatu || hariḥ oṃ tat sat || śubham astu sarvajagatām ||

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MS 65; Or.d.11; ser. no.208; Jālandharapīṭhamāhātmya Bound in red tooled leather Ff. 208, complete; Ll. 12 Akṣaras 17–20; Bold Devanāgarī 19th cent. paper (?); 22.8 × 21cm; Written by Vāsudevapaṇḍita in Kashmir in 1789 A.D. (altered date), marginal corrections added by Pt. Nandarāma in Kashmir in 1893 A.D.; Provenance confirmed secunda manu on the cover page: saṃvat 1950 śākasaṃvat 1815 laukikasaṃvat 4969 īśāsaṃvat 1893 [=A.D.] idaṃ jālandharapīṭhamāhātmyaṃ śrīyutaḍāktar auril stain sāhibavarasyārthe lekhitaṃ śodhitaṃ ca mūlapustakapratinidhitvena na tu svamatyā * kāśmīrikena paṇḍitasahajabhaṭṭena tadāśrityena ityalam||


Incipit fol. 1r: oṃ svastiśrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ oṃ śrī gurave namaḥ oṃ alikulaśevitagaṇḍodiviṣaṅgaṇavaṃditacaraṇasarojaḥ jayati himādtitanayābhūḥ pratyūhanāśanogaṇapaḥ


Explicit fol. 209v: iti śrījālaṃdharamāhātmyam sampūrṇam samāptaḥ śubhamm astu sarvajagatām samah sarasvatyaiḥ saṃvat 18\mg{46} aśavadi pratipadyāṃ śuklapakṣe maṅgalavāre idaṃ pustakajālaṃdharamāhātmye mayā vāsudevapaṃḍitakāśmīre madhye likhitan śubham astu lekhakapāṭhayo || vaiśākhavadi daśamyāṃ somavāre idaṃ pustakajālaṃdhare māhātmye mayā nandarāmapaṇḍit<en>a kāśmīre likhitaṃ || śubham astu lekhakapāṭhayoḥ || saṃvat 1950

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MS 51; Or.d.7; 55; Khaḍgaśataka of Vināyaka Bhaṭṭa, alias Karpaṭa. Bound in red leather Ff. 49; breaks off in verse 99, ll. 10–12 akṣaras 15–17; Devanāgarī; 19th cent. paper, only the versos are inscribed; 23.7 × 16cm; Inscribed area 14.8 ⨯ 9cm: Marginal folio numbering in left top corner of rectos; Verses are numbered; Corrections in red and black ink, and with a pencil, lacuane marked by dashes; Written by the same scribe as MS 52; Clauson notes that this MS has been copied from the incomplete Jammu MS (?), cf Stein's catalogue pp. 67 and 279; Paṇḍit Śivadatta & Kâśînāth Pâṇḍurang Parab thank M.A.Stein (pg. 32 footnote 1) for making this MS available to them for their edition in Kāvyamālā Gucchaka 11, printed in by the Nirṇaya-Sâgar Press, Bombay 1895. Cf. NCC 5:171.

Incipit: fol. 1v: śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ kalpātikrūrakālabhrukuṭikuṭilatākalpakalpāgramuṣṭiḥ krudhyatkālīkaṭākṣāṃkita{\lang}su{\rang}kala… nime[ṣa]kāṃtakālī / krīḍaty asyā krameṇa krakacakṛttikṛtī kuṃtikuṃbhāgrakūṭakrodheṣūtkṛttakaṃṭhotthitarudhirakaṇakīrṇakoṇaḥ kṛpāṇaḥ ||1|| khaṃ preṃkhadbhiḥ kharāṃśoḥ prakharakharaśikhākhaṃḍayan svair mayūkhaiḥ khelāsaṃkhyeṣu khaṃjīkṛtaraṇarasikaḥ saṃmukhānāṃ khamitraṃ / khyātaḥ saukhyasya khyāniḥ khalu kamitṛjuṣāṃ khecarīṇām akharvaḥ khelaty utkhātakhaḍgapratiyuvasukhanatkāravānasya khaḍgaḥ //2//

Explicit: fol. 49v: //98// mugdhāyā yuddhabhūmāvahitanarapatīns tatkṣaṇaṃ mohayantī proddhūtāyāvinetrā muhur abhipatitāṃs tān samutkaṃpayantī / svacchāyāsaṃnipā

NB: I have just realised that the first 33 verses are each composed with a predominance of consonants in alphabetical order (excluding the nasals).

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MS 52; Or.d.8; 55a; Khaḍgaśatakaṭīkā bound in red leather ff. 101; ll. 10–12 akṣaras 15–17; Devanāgarī 19th cent. paper, only the versos are inscribed; 23.7 * 16cm; inscribed area 14.8*9cm marginal folio numbering in lower right corner of versos; sections are numbered; begins with commentary to verse 6 corrections in red and black ink, and with a pencil, lacuane marked by dashes; [[copied from the incomplete Jammu MS, cf. Stein's catalogue pp. 67 and 279]]

Incipit fol. 1v: vittaḥ chiduragaṇacaṇaḥ tena vitta iti caṇaś / chedānāṃ nāgarāṇāṃ hṛcchokakārī ||6|| jam iti / amuṣyakhaḍgaḥ iha loke jayati kiṃvidhaḥ jaitraṃ jayaśīlaṃ yat janyaṃ saṃgrāmaḥ tasya atirabhuvi jaṅghālaḥ satvara ityarthaḥ jaṅghāleti java ityamaraḥ…

Explicit fol. 101v: commenting on verse 100: … ye ahitāḥ vairiṇaḥ teṣāṃ hṛdi hṛdaye haṭhane ākṛṣṭāt kīrtilakṣmīḥ vasatu sarvadā n(t)iṣṭhatv ityarthaḥ / kiṃvidhā sve sve kāle svasvasamaye atikrāntaḥ koṣo [']pidhānaṃ bhayāt sā punaḥ svaguṇvibhavataḥ…