Manuscript Identifiers

Collection:UPenn Ms. Coll. 390
Item:490
Repository:Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Institution:University of Pennsylvania
Location:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Catalog:Poleman
Item:867

Contents

Work 1 (complete)

Locus:ff. 1r–17v
Author:Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa
Title:Bhīṣmastavarāja
Incipit: f. 1v
.. janamejaya uvāca .. ..
śaratalpe śayānas tu bhāratānāṁ pitāmahaḥ
katham utsṛṣṭavān dehaṁ kaṁ cid yogam adhārayat ..1.. (Anuṣṭubh) ( MBh. 12.47.1 )
Explicit: f. 17r
stavarājaḥ samāpto yaṁ viṣṇor adbhutakarmaṇaḥ
gāṁgeyena purā gīto mahāpātakanāśanaḥ ..127.. ( MBh. 12.47.65*98, lines 3–4 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
Final rubric: f. 17rf. 17v
iti śrīmahābhārate satasahasryāṁ saṁhitāyāṁ śāṁtiparvaṇi rājadharme bhīṣmoktaṁ stavarājastotraṁ saṁpūrṇam ..
Colophon:none
Note:The concluding verse 127 on f. 17r, ‘Finished is this sin-destroying regal praise of Viṣṇu of wonderful deeds previously sung by the son of the Ganges (Bhīṣma)’, and the final rubric on f. 17v, ‘Finished is the regal hymn of praise uttered by Bhīṣma in the Rājadharma section in the Śāntiparvan in the Mahābhārata of a hundred thousand verses’, identify the text as the Bhīṣmastavarāja, which comprises the contents of Adhyāya 47 in the Rājadharma section of the Śāntiparvan of the Ṃahbharata (MBh. 12.47.1–12.47.72). Bhīṣma sings this praise of Viṣṇu just prior to abandoning his arrow-filled body. The manuscript is 75% longer than the text in the Pune critical edition. The last two verses of the text (MBh. 12.47.71–72) in the critical edition correspond with verses 119120 on f. 16r of the ms., though the latter varies considerably. While the text of the chapter in the critical edition ends there, the ms. continues with six additional verses, four of which correspond with verses in the star passages in the critical apparatus: verse 121 on f. 16r corresponds with the first two lines of star passage 98 inserted by M1.3 after MBh. 12.47.65 while the concluding verse 127 on f. 17r corresponds with lines three and four of star passage 98. Verse 122 on f. 16v corresponds with lines 5–8 of star passage 94 inserted by K4 and Dn after MBh. 12.47.60, verse 124 on f. 16v corresponds with lines 5–8 of star passage 99 inserted by D7, T, and G1.2 after MBh. 12.47.72, and verse 125 on f. 16vf. 17r corresponds with lines 1–4 of the same passage. Verses 123 (in Anuṣṭubh meter) and 126 (in Mālinī meter) are not found in the critical text or apparatus.
Language:Sanskrit in Devanāgarī script

Physical description

Form:Folia
Material:Country paper
Extent:17 folia
Dimension:9.3 x 15.4 cm (h x w)
Foliation: Foliated in the upper left and lower right margins on the verso of each folio.
   Formula:1–17
   Signatures:bhī0 sta0 appears above the folio number in the upper left margin, and śiva appears above the folio number in the lower right margin on the verso of each folio.
Collation: Single folia
Condition:Good with browned edges and broken corners.
Binding: Unbound
Seal: A circular stamp in blue ink in the middle of f. 1r and on the lower right of f. 17v reads Library University Pennsylvania. A white label on which is hand-written No. 490 appears on f. 1r.
Layout:Written in 7 lines per page.

Hands

Hand 1:Same hand as UPenn 488 and UPenn 489.
Additions:

Śrīkṛṣṇaḥ śaraṇaṁ mama . is written in pencil on the top of f. 17v.

Decoration

Color:Invocation, introduction of speakers, final rubric, and double daṇḍas are written in red. Every odd leaf is tinted a faint yellow.
Border:Two sets of vertical double red lines rule the left and right margins of the text on each page. A decorative rectangular frame in red, traced over in black on the top side, appears on f. 1r.

History

Origin: 18–
Acquisition: David Nelson (2000: 203) describes the acquisition of the Sanskrit manuscripts in the University of Pennsylvania Library as follows:

The University of Pennsylvania Library possesses a collection of almost 3,300 Indic manuscripts, the largest such collection in the Western hemisphere. While the vast majority of these manuscripts are from India, there are also a number of manuscripts from Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.

Some of the manuscripts had been acquired in chance fashion by the Library and the University Museum before 1930, but in that year, at the request of Professor W. Norman Brown (1892–1975), Provost Josiah Penniman provided a sum of money to purchase Indic manuscripts. Shortly thereafter he obtained a donation from the late Mr. John Gribbel. Substantial contributions from Dr. Charles W. Burr, the Faculty Research Fund, and the Cotton Fund soon followed. The bulk of the manuscripts are the result of purchases made using these funds in India, between 1930 and 1935, under the direction of Professor W. Norman Brown.

Subject headings

SubjectLC:Mahābhārata – Bhīṣmastavarāja.
SubjectLC:Manuscripts, Sanskrit – 19th century.
SubjectLC:Manuscripts – India – 19th century.
SubjectSL:Mahābhārata

Record history

Revised: 19 October 2011

Facsimile  (work )

Whole image     Individual pages
f. 1r     f. 1r  
f. 1v, f. 2r     f. 1v  f. 2r  
f. 2v, f. 3r     f. 2v  f. 3r  
f. 3v, f. 4r     f. 3v  f. 4r  
f. 4v, f. 5r     f. 4v  f. 5r  
f. 5v, f. 6r     f. 5v  f. 6r  
f. 6v, f. 7r     f. 6v  f. 7r  
f. 7v, f. 8r     f. 7v  f. 8r  
f. 8v, f. 9r     f. 8v  f. 9r  
f. 9v, f. 10r     f. 9v  f. 10r  
f. 10v, f. 11r     f. 10v  f. 11r  
f. 11v, f. 12r     f. 11v  f. 12r  
f. 12v, f. 13r     f. 12v  f. 13r  
f. 13v, f. 14r     f. 13v  f. 14r  
f. 14v, f. 15r     f. 14v  f. 15r  
f. 15v, f. 16r     f. 15v  f. 16r  
f. 16v, f. 17r     f. 16v  f. 17r  
f. 17v     f. 17v  


Transcription (text structure)

śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ ..

.. janamejaya uvāca .. ..
śaratalpe śayānas tu bhāratānāṁ pitāmahaḥ
katham utsṛṣṭavān dehaṁ kaṁ cid yogam adhārayat ..1.. (Anuṣṭubh) ( MBh. 12.47.1 )
vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca ..
śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājan śucir bhūtvā samāhitaḥ
bhīṣmas tu kuruśārdūla dehotsargaṁ samāśrayat 2 ( MBh. 12.47.2 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
<...>
<...>
<...> (Anuṣṭubh)
śrībhīṣma uvāca ..
ārādhayāmy ahaṁ viṣṇuṁ vācāṁ jigadiṣāmy ahaṁ
tayā vyāsasamāsīnyā prīyatāṁ puruṣottamaḥ 13 ( MBh. 12.47.10 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
<...>
<...>
iti vidyātapoyonir ayonir viṣṇur īḍitaḥ
vāgyajñenārcito devaḥ prīyatāṁ me janārddanaḥ ..11.. ( MBh. 12.47.63 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca ..
etāvad uktvā vacanaṁ bhīṣmas tadgatamānasaḥ
namaskṛtyaiva kṛṣṇāya prayāṇam akarot tadā 12 ( MBh. 12.47.64 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
<...>
<...>
te rathair gaganākāraiḥ prayātā<ḥ> puruṣarṣabhāḥ
tena ghoṣeṇa mahatā kaṁpayaṁto vasuṁdharāṁ 19 ( MBh. 12.47.71 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
tato giraḥ puruṣavarastaveritāḥ
surādibhiḥ pathi sumanāś ca suśruve
kṛtāṁjaliṁ praṇatam athāparaṁ janaṁ
sa keśavo muditamanā<ḥ> stavādṛtaḥ 20 ( MBh. 12.47.72 ) (Rucirā)
anādinidhanaṁ devam aprameyaparā kramaṁ
lokādhyakṣaṁ stuvan nityaṁ sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate 21 ( MBh. 12.47.65*98, lines 1–2 ) (Anuṣṭubh)
kṛṣṇe ratāḥ kṣṇam anusmaraṁti
rātrau ca kṛṣṇaṁ punar utthi tā ye
te bhinnadehāḥ praviśaṁti kṛṣṇaṁ
havir yathā maṁtrahu taṁ hutāṁśe 122 ( MBh. 12.47.60*94, lines 5–8 ) (Triṣṭubh)
śuklapakṣe divā bhūmau gaṁgāyāṁ cottarāyaṇe
dhanyās tāta mariṣyaṁti hṛdayasthe janārdane 23 (Anuṣṭubh)
yaṁ yoginaḥ prāṇaviyogakāle
ye tvaikacitte vini veśayaṁti
sākṣāt purastād dharim īkṣyamāṇaḥ
prāṇāṁ jahau prāptakālo hi bhīṣmaḥ ( MBh. 12.47.72*99, lines 5–8 ) (Triṣṭubh)
iti stavaṁ yaḥ paṭhati śārṅgadhanvanaḥ
śṛṇoti vā yadukulanaṁdanastavaṁ
sa cakradhṛk pratihatakilbiṣo jano
janārdanaṁ praviśati dehasaṁkṣaye 125 ( MBh. 12.47.72*99 lines 1–4 ) (Rucirā)
asiniśitasudhāraṁ yasya cakraṁ karāgre
maṇikanakavicitraṁ kuṁḍale yasya karṇe
bhramaraśatasahasraiḥ sevyate yasya mālā
hy asurakulanihantā prīyatāṁ vāsudevaḥ 26 (Mālinī)
stavarājaḥ samāpto yaṁ viṣṇor adbhutakarmaṇaḥ
gāṁgeyena purā gīto mahāpātakanāśanaḥ ..127.. ( MBh. 12.47.65*98, lines 3–4 ) (Anuṣṭubh)

iti śrīmahābhārate satasahasryāṁ saṁhitāyāṁ śāṁtiparvaṇi rājadharme bhīṣmoktaṁ stavarājastotraṁ saṁpūrṇam ..
.. śrīgaurīśaṁkarārpaṇam astu ..
.. śrīkṛṣṇārpaṇam astu ..
.. śrī .. ..