[South Indian Sanskrit MS 088, Whish MS 87] Skanda-Purāṇa

Skanda-Purāṇa

Language – Sanskrit

Date – [1800?]
Palm leaf; 14 lines on average on each folio.

Manuscript consists of the Śivarahasya-Khaṇḍa from the Śaṅkarasaṃhitā of the Skanda-Purāṇa. Vol. I, containing the Sambhava-Kāṇḍa in 50 Adhyāyas (ff.1-53), the Āsura-Kāṇḍa in 15 Adhyāyas (ff.53-74), the Viramāhendra-Kāṇḍa in 7 Adhyāyas (ff.74-84b), and the Yuddha-Kāṇḍa in 35 Adhyāyas (ff.85-129b). For Vol. II see RAS Whish MS 102, South Indian Sanskrit MS 103.

Winternitz notes that there are entries by C. M. Whish dated ‘1829’ and ‘June 3rd 1831 Tellicherry’, but he thinks the MS. was probably written in 1792 (See RAS Whish MS 102, South Indian Sanskrit MS 103).

Text begins: oṃkāranilayan devaṃ gajavaktrañ caturbhujaṃ picaṇḍilam ahaṃ vande sarvavighnopaśāntaye | … purā kāñcyāñ catu[r]vaktraḥ tatāpa paraman tapaḥ | sraṣṭukāmaḥ prajās sarvāḥ kṛpayā parameśituḥ | tasmin maheśacaraṇaparicaryyāparāyaṇe | munayaḥ katicit puṇye sthitvā gārhasthya uttame | etc.

F.1b: om ity ādimahāpurāṇe śrīskānde śaṃkarasaṃhitāyāṃ śivarahasyakhaṇḍe saṃbhavakāṇḍe sūtamunisaṃvādo nāma prathamoddhyāyaḥ ||

F.53: om ity ādimahāpurāṇe śrīskānde śaṃkarasaṃhitāyāṃ śivarahasyakhaṇḍe saṃbhavakāṇḍe pañcāśoddhyāyaḥ || śivāya namaḥ || hariḥ om saṃbhavakāṇḍas samāptaḥ ||

F.74: om ity … śivarahasyakhaṇde āsurakāṇḍe pañcadaśoddhyāyaḥ || āsurakāṇḍas samāptaḥ ||

F.84b: om ity … śivarahasyakhaṇde vīramāhendrakāṇḍe saptamoddhyāyaḥ || śrīsāṃbāya parabrahmaṇe namaḥ || on tat brahmārpaṇaṃ | om śubham astu vīramāhendrakāṇḍas samāptaḥ ||

It ends (f.129b): om ity ādimahāpurāṇe śrīskānde śaṃkarasaṃhitāyāṃ śivarahasyakhaṇḍe yuddhakāṇḍe śūrapatmasaṃhāro nāma pañcatṛṃśoddhyāyaḥ || … yuddhakāṇḍas samāptaḥ || yādṛśaṃ pustakan dṛṣṭvā | etc.

South Indian Sanskrit / Whish Manuscript Collection.

See ’A catalogue of South Indian Sanskrit manuscripts (especially those of the Whish Collection) belonging to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland’ by M. Winternitz, with an appendix by F. W. Thomas (London: RAS, 1902) p.116-117. Go to http://tinyurl.com/j3tkdwj for a digital copy of this catalogue.

J. L. Whish, gift of manuscripts collected by his brother C. M. Whish, July 1836.

Text in Sanskrit; Grantha script, very small.