Collection of texts related to the worship of Viṣṇu
Description
This is a composite manuscript, written in Devanāgarī script
bearing the influence of the Kashmiri style, bringing together a
number of ritual texts dealing with the worship of Viṣṇu. 1.
(ff. 1_1r-1_6r) preparatory texts and rituals (without a single
name or title), starting with a likely Pāñcarātra-influenced set
of ritual practices, namely, nyāsas, and dhyānas, i.e. assignment
of deities, and syllables to various parts of the body and the
visualisation of the main deity. 2. (ff. 1_6r-1_149v)
Bhagavadgīta: the main text in this miscellaneous collection. The
Bhagavadgītā ("Song of the Lord" - Viṣṇu/ Kṛṣṇa), which
is a part of the Mahābhārata, book 6 from 18, is one of the most
copied texts in the Hindu tradition, and this part of the
Mahābhārata epic survives in a huge number of manuscripts. 3.
(ff. 2_1r-2_107v) Copies of other parts of the Mahābhārata,
Śāntiparvaṇ, which all are related to Viṣṇu. 4. (ff.
3_1r-6_31v) 2 parts of Pāñcarātrika Sanatkumārasaṃhitā,
dealing with the praise of Viṣṇu, plus mantras including (ff.
4_1r-4_21r) Pāṇḍavagītāstotra, (ff. 5_1r-5_20v)
Gopālapaṭala, (ff. 6_1r-6_23r) Gopālalaghupaddhati and other
texts. 5. (ff. 7_1r-7_37v) Parts of the tantras, a.
Saṃmohanatantra, dealing with the praise of Viṣṇu, i.e.
Gopālasahasranāmastrotra; b. Gautamītantra, the part called
Gopālastavarāja. 6. (ff. 8_1r-10_8r) Two different texts: 1.
Niṃbarkakavaca, which is a production of the Nimbarka worship
lineage of Vaiṣṇavas. 2. Part of ritual texts of Sāmaveda,
dealing with the 5 saṃskāras, plus various vedic mantras, such
as Gāyatrī, in its vaiṣṇava forms. 7. (ff. 11_1r-11_11v) Part
of the Bhaviṣyotarapurāṇa dealing with the worship of the
stones related to Viṣṇu from the Gaṇḍakī river (common
name is shaligram). The manuscript contains 3 illuminated titles
and 12 miniatures, most of which depict Kṛṣṇa. According to
the colophon (ff. 11_11v-11_12r), the text was written in Kashmir,
in a monastery called Ahalyamath, in 1833 Saṃvat, that is 1776 or
1777 CE, by a person called Gaṇeśa[bhaṭṭa?] Nandarāma. The
second part of the colophon (partially missing), however, links the
history of the manuscript to Vrindavan.
