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Āryagaṇapatihṛdayanāma Dhāraṇī
eap_67601008 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
This manuscript appears to belong to a Buddhist–Tantric dhāraṇī text entitled Āryagaṇapatihṛdayanāma Dhāraṇī (“The Noble Dhāraṇī Named the Heart of Gaṇapati”). The first folio of the manuscript contains an illustration of Lord Gaṇeśa, indicating the ritual and devotional importance of the deity within the text. The work is associated with the worship of Gaṇapati (Gaṇeśa), who in Vajrayāna Buddhism is revered not only as a Hindu deity but also as a remover of obstacles, a bestower of accomplishments, and a protective tantric deity. The term hṛdaya (“heart”) suggests that the text preserves the essential mantra or core mystical teaching related to Gaṇapati, while dhāraṇī refers to a sacred mnemonic and protective formula commonly used in Buddhist tantric ritual practice. The concluding formula, “Ye dharmā hetuprabhavā…,” is the well-known Buddhist verse expressing the doctrine of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda). Its presence clearly establishes the Buddhist character of the manuscript. Such verses frequently occur at the end of Buddhist dhāraṇīs, tantric works, and ritual manuscripts.The combination of Gaṇapati worship, tantric mantra tradition, and Buddhist doctrinal formulas suggests that the manuscript belongs to a Vajrayāna or Newar Buddhist milieu, where Hindu and Buddhist ritual elements were closely integrated. Overall, the manuscript may be identified as a short Buddhist–Tantric ritual text centered on Gaṇapati worship and dhāraṇī practice. Important Note : The first page mentions “Samvat 1064” and “Kshira Swami Maharaj Palavedayakataya 1008 Ramativa Sashat.” From this, it may be inferred that the manuscript possibly indicates the time of writing and the scribe or the king who patronized it. Since the original manuscript is in the Nepal script, according to the Newari era it may correspond to 1943 CE. It is also possible that this refers to the period of the scribe.
Ārya Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā Nāma Dhāraṇī
eap_67601009 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara(Ranjana)
The Ārya Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā Nāma Dhāraṇī is an important Buddhist dhāraṇī text associated with Avalokiteśvara and the sacred six-syllabled mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum.” The manuscript reflects the religious, cultural, and manuscript traditions of Nepalese Buddhism. The references to the date, script, and royal or scribal patronage suggest its historical significance as a preserved work of Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna literature. Written in Ranjana script, the manuscript also provides valuable evidence for the study of Buddhist manuscript culture, paleography, and devotional practices in the Himalayan region. The manuscript further mentions two dhāraṇīs, namely the “Ārya Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā Nāma Dhāraṇī” and the “Ārya Jātismara Nāma Dhāraṇī,” indicating that the text may be a compilation of multiple sacred Buddhist dhāraṇī traditions preserved within a single manuscript.
Ārya Tārā Stuti
eap_67601010 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
This manuscript is a devotional Buddhist text dedicated to Ārya Tārā, one of the most revered female deities in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism. The text begins with the invocation “Oṃ Namo Śrī Ārya Tārāyai” and contains verses praising the goddess Tārā, describing her radiant form, compassionate nature, and protective power. The concluding line indicates that the work is spoken by the “Samyaksaṃbuddha” (Perfectly Enlightened Buddha) and that the hymn consists of twenty-seven verses (Saptaviṃśati). Thus, the manuscript appears to belong to the tradition of Tārā-stotra or hymns dedicated to Ārya Tārā within the Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition.
Nārāyaṇa-Mahāmāyā-Vijayavāhinī-Nāma-Dhāraṇī
eap_67601011 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
This manuscript belongs to the Buddhist Tantric Dhāraṇī tradition and is identified as the Ārya-Mahāmāyā-Vijayavāhinī Nāma Dhāraṇī or Nārāyaṇa-Mahāmāyā-Vijayavāhinī-Nāma-Dhāraṇī. It combines elements of Mahāyāna devotional literature with Vajrayāna ritual and mantra practices. The text presents the Buddha teaching a sacred dharma discourse in the presence of various celestial beings and introduces the powerful dhāraṇī of the goddess Mahāmāyā. The primary purpose of the work is the ritual use of mantra and dhāraṇī for protection, victory, removal of obstacles, and the welfare of living beings. The repeated emphasis on recitation, preservation, and propagation of the mantra indicates its importance in esoteric Buddhist religious practice. Thus, the manuscript represents an important example of Buddhist Tantric protective literature and reflects the ritualistic and mystical dimensions of the Vajrayāna tradition.
Shrī Hāratī-nāma Dhāraṇī Mantra
eap_67601012 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
The manuscript appears to be a Buddhist Tantric dhāraṇī text dedicated to Hariti (Hārītī), and its probable title is Śrī Hāritī Mantra-Dhāraṇī or Ārya-Hāratīdevī Dhāraṇī. The first folio serves as a cover page and contains only the title “Śrī Hāritī,” which supports the identification of the work. The text opens with invocations to Hārītī Devī, the Seven Perfect Buddhas, and all Tathāgatas, followed by esoteric mantra formulas associated with protection, attraction, welfare, and ritual accomplishment. The work belongs to the Mahāyāna–Vajrayāna Buddhist dhāraṇī tradition and reflects the ritualistic and magical dimensions of Buddhist Tantra.
Pañcarakṣā Sūtra
eap_67601013 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
This manuscript is a complete illustrated compilation of the Pañcarakṣā Sūtras, one of the most important collections of Buddhist protective dhāraṇī literature in the Mahāyāna–Vajrayāna tradition. The text contains five major protective dhāraṇīs dedicated to the goddesses Mahāpratisarā, Mahāsāhasrapramardanī, Mahāmāyūrī, Mahāmantrānusāriṇī, and Mahāśītavatī. Each section is marked by an illustration of the respective deity, demonstrating the ritual and devotional importance of the goddesses within Buddhist Tantric practice. The manuscript emphasizes mantra recitation, ritual protection, healing, pacification of calamities, removal of obstacles, and spiritual welfare. The presence of deity illustrations, invocatory formulas, and individual colophons for each dhāraṇī reflects the manuscript’s liturgical and ceremonial function. The concluding colophon records that the manuscript was copied in Saṃvat 989 by Vajrācārya Ratnasāgara, indicating its association with the Nepalese Vajrācārya Buddhist tradition.
Mañjuśrī Paramārthanāmasaṃgīti
eap_67601014 Language : Sanskrit&Newari Scripts : Nepālākṣara
This manuscript is a significant example of Vajrayāna Buddhist tantric literature centered on the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti, a foundational text in the Mañjuśrī wisdom tradition. The concluding verses and colophon confirm its affiliation with Mahāyoga and other tantric systems such as the Āryamāyājāla and Ṣoḍaśasāhasrikā, highlighting its doctrinal and ritual importance within esoteric Buddhism.The work emphasizes the worship and contemplation of Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva as the embodiment of supreme wisdom, whose recitation is believed to lead to realization of ultimate truth. According to the colophon, the manuscript was written in Saṃvat 985, on the eighth day (Aṣṭamī) of the bright half of the month of Caitra, a Monday. The scribe is identified as Vajrācārya Śrījñānavajra, indicating its origin within the Newar Vajrācārya Buddhist scholarly tradition of Nepal. The manuscript also includes Nepalese (Newari) scribal expressions, which are typical of such regional Buddhist manuscripts.
Cakrasaṃvarasya Mūlamantro Dhāraṇī
eap_67601015 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
The manuscript is a Vajrayāna Buddhist tantric text dedicated to Cakrasaṃvara. The opening invocation and concluding colophon indicate that it primarily deals with the mūlamantra and dhāraṇī associated with the deity. The text appears to have been intended for ritual recitation, tantric worship, meditation, and protective practices within the Cakrasaṃvara tradition. Hence, the manuscript may be identified as a Buddhist tantric ritual text connected with the mantra and dhāraṇī practices of Cakrasaṃvara.
Kāka-parīkṣā
eap_67601016 Language : Sanskrit&Newari Scripts : Nepālākṣara
The manuscript appears to be a composite astrological and omenological compendium containing materials related to Jyotiṣa, Śakuna-śāstra, and Praśna-vicāra. The opening verses emphasize the role of nāma-rāśi and janma-rāśi in determining auspicious and inauspicious outcomes in practical affairs such as marriage, travel, warfare, village matters, and royal service. The text includes sections on interrogational astrology (Caura-praśna), travel prognostication (Yātrā-vicāra), Aṣṭavarga calculations, shadow interpretation (Chāyā-vicāra), crow omens (Kāka-vicāra), jackal omens (Jambuka-vicāra), and Kāka-parīkṣā. The manuscript is likely a practical manual or collected notebook of astrological and divinatory traditions, reflecting the mixed scholarly and folk predictive culture widely preserved in Nepalese and Eastern Indian manuscript traditions. *Although the manuscript contains numerous sections devoted to various forms of vicāra (interpretative and divinatory doctrines), the Kāka-vicāra section appears to have been written by Dāka.
Bhauma-stotra
eap_67601017 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Devanāgarī
In conclusion, the Bhauma-stotra attributed to the Skanda Purana belongs to the wider Purāṇic tradition traditionally associated with Vedavyasa. The hymn is dedicated to Bhūma (Mars), the planetary deity Mars, and was likely intended for propitiation, protection, and the removal of astrological afflictions. The colophon “iti skandapurāṇo bhaumastotraṃ sampūrṇam” indicates that the text was regarded as complete and connected with the Skanda Purāṇa tradition, reflecting the close relationship between Purāṇic literature, devotional practice, and astrological belief in medieval Sanskrit manuscript culture.
Mahābhārata Gadāparva
eap_67601018 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
The manuscript begins with the invocation “Oṃ Namaḥ Śrīkṛṣṇāya” (“Salutations to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa”). The colophons indicate that the text belongs to the Mahābhārata, specifically to the Gadāparvan (Book of the Mace Battle), which forms part of the concluding portion of the epic narrating the final events of the Kurukṣetra war. The repeated colophon formulae such as: “Iti Mahābhārate Gadāparvaṇi …”, “Iti Mahābhārate Śatasāhasryāṃ Saṃhitāyāṃ Vaiyāsikyāṃ …” mark the completion of chapters and sections. The phrase “Śatasāhasryāṃ Saṃhitāyāṃ Vaiyāsikyāṃ” means “in the hundred-thousand-versed compilation composed by Vyāsa.” The manuscript contains a total of 36 chapters. Several chapter endings specifically mention: Baladeva Tīrthayātrā, Yadukula-kamala-prakāśita Baladeva Tīrthayātrā, Kumāra Abhiṣeka, and Duryodhanārubhaṅga. Thus, the manuscript represents an important portion of the Mahābhārata dealing with the final stage of the war narrative, especially the mace battle between Bhīma and Duryodhana along with the associated pilgrimage accounts of Baladeva (Balarāma). *Written in the month of Bhādrapada in the year 796 Newari Samvat by the Dwija (Brāhmaṇa) Śrī Baladeva Śarman, for the pleasure and devotion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Pāṇḍavas.” Folio number 63 is missing.
Mahābhārata Śāntiparva
eap_67601019 Language : Sanskrit Scripts : Nepālākṣara
This manuscript constitutes an important portion of the Mahābhārata, particularly the Rājadharma section of the Śāntiparvan, which is renowned for its extensive treatment of kingship, ethics, and social order. Covering chapters up to Chapter 118, the manuscript preserves a rich collection of teachings on righteous governance, royal responsibilities, punishment and justice, ritual observances, expiatory practices, and the duties associated with different stages of life. The numerous colophons reveal the thematic diversity of the text, including dialogues such as the Bṛhaspati–Indra Saṃvāda and the Aulaka–Cyavana Saṃvāda, narrative episodes like the Paraśurāma-ākhyāna, Mucukunda Upākhyāna, and Kaikaya Upākhyāna, as well as important ritual and political themes such as Yudhiṣṭhirābhiṣeka, Bhīma-yauvarājya-abhiṣeka, Śrāddha-kriyā, and Daṇḍa-prabhāva. Together, these subjects illustrate the encyclopedic nature of the Śāntiparvan and its role as a major source for ancient Indian political thought, moral philosophy, and social regulations. Folio number 6,11,14,16,22 is missing.