— CATALOGUE OF SANSKRIT MANUSCRIPTS A. BEAHMANICAL LITEEATUEE. I. VEDIC MANUSCRIPTS. A.—Ria-VEDA. Aslitaka 1 ends : — 3^f(T ^pjft «inT: TWTw: ii ^^ ii ^^ ib^b ^r fnjrt 1. Add. 5351.—Foil. 385 (original numbering by separate ashtakas) ; European book form; Similar inscriptions, with dates within the folio, same year, V.S. 1838 (A.D. 1781), occur at 15 J in. by 7 in.; 12 lines ; Devanagari, dated V.S. 18S8 (A.D. 1781). the ends of some other ashtakas. [Col. Polieb.'] In the eighth ashtaka the numbering of DR.RUPNATHJI(the DR.RUPAKVargas differs NATHfrom ) that of the editions (and from most of the MSS.), owing to the RiGVEDA. Samhitdpatha. In the first volume (Add. 5346) is bound a long letter (dated 20th May, 1789) from Poller to Sir Joseph Banks, of the Museum, in which he points out that See the editions of Max Miiller, Aufrecht, a Trustee fruitless efforts had been made to obtain copies of the and Rajfirama Bodase (Bombay, 1890). " . Vcdas on the Coast of Coromandol . in several part.s . of Bengal, and at Bennares." " My researches," he con- 1 The present collection of MSS. (in 11 volumes, Add. tinues, "at Awd, Lacknow, Agra and Delhy were perfectly 5346—56), probably the first collection of Vedic works useless." Subsequently, hearing that copies could be had ever made by a European, was formed apparently about from Brahmans at Jeypore with the authorization of the 1783, in Rajputana, by Lieut. -Col. A. L. H. Poller, an Raja (Pratapa-simha), he made an ajjplication to that officer of Swiss extraction, who served the East India sovereign, which was granted, and "in the course of a Company between 1759 and 1789. Further details of j'ear, paying the Brahman transcribers at a certain rate per Poller's life (1741 —95) are given in Hoefer's Biographie every hundred Ashtolc [a confusion of the words ashfaha Unicerselle. and anushluhh ?] or Stanza," he " obtained the books." B — — — SANSKRIT MANUSCRIPTS. insertion of several of the doubtfully au- 14 stanzas as printed in the edition of Rajfi- thentic hymns called hhilas? rama {' Parisishtdni,' pp. 28, 29). After Thus the khila no. 22 in the (second) some namashdras the MS. concludes : edition of Miiller (vf%v^) occurs in its usual ^fir fluiv^ »T (sic) ^i?>?t svqm wmr: ii place in the ashtaka, after adhyaya 3. The first varga of adhyaya 4 accordingly bears the number instead of 29. Similarly, hhilas 30, 2. 25 (verses 1 — 13 only) and 27 are inserted at their regular places (occurring on fol. 371 Add. 26,400.—Foil. 236 (1—64, 65 missing, in this MS.). 66—93, 52—99, 1—94) ; 7 lines ; 3^ in. by Owing to these additions the total number 9 in.; excellent Nagari of 18th century. of Vargas reaches as against 49 of the 56, [William Eeskine.] editions. The actual text of the Samhitd ends at fol. 383i, 1. 7 (o^^T^TOfw). RiGVEDA. Samhitdjydtha. Then follows immediately the stanza ir^- Ashtakas 3, 4 (fragment), 5. viJJ . ^3"!$, printed as stanza 5 of khila 32 by M. Miiller (ed. 2, vol. iv., p. 541), after The fourth Ashtaka is incomplete, wanting which : ^^nf »^ ii wq »i^ifli«j: ii The hymn the first 51 leaves, a little more than the fq^Tim^*, better known in connection with first half. It begins in adhyaya 5, varga 1 the Sdma-veda (see nos. 27, 29), occurs as (=Mandala vi. 2. 3). Vargas 61—63 of the present text. It is preceded by the hymn Mi)Mi<o in the text of 3. Showing the MSS. to a certain "Raja Anundoram, a learned Brahman then at Lacknow," Polier got the MSS. Add. 26,445a.—Foil. 1—3 ; 12 lines; 14 in. arranged and numbered, promising in return that " they by 6 in.; Nagari of 19th century. should not be bound in any kind of leather, but in silk or velvet." The green silk binding remains, though for — some volumes renovation has been necessary. Com- Fragments of Rigveda. Samhitdpdtha, with menting on the alleged difficulties of intercourse with Sdyana^s commentary. " learned natives, Polier adds : I have always found those Samhita text, unaccented. The fragments who were really men of science and knowledge very ready are M. r. 130. 7-9 and 11. 18. 3-8. to impart . what they knew to whoever would . listen to them with a view of information,DR.RUPNATHJI(and not merely DR.RUPAKfor NATH ) the purpose of turning into ridicule whatever was not perfectly consonant to our European ideas, tenets, and 4. even prejudices, some of wh'='' I much fear are thought by the Indians to be full as deserving of ridicule as any they have." The letter concludes with a request that Or. 4481,—Foil. 511; 6— 12 lines; average •Sir Joseph should deposit the MSS. in the Museum, size of leaves about 10 in. by 4 in. ; written addiilg in a postscript the further request that "in on coarse paper at dates (see below) ranging depositing the Baids in the .British Museum it may be from A.D. 1495 to 1736. Accents marked specified particularly " that either Sir Wm. Jones or in red. Mr. (afterwards Sir Chas.) Wilkins " should at any time be allowed to have one of the volumes . to take home with them . on givinjj security," &c. No minute of the Trustees was passed regarding this request. RiQVEDA. PadapalJia. ' These are apparently not inserted in the earlier ash- other of this text taka.°, e.g. ash^ka 5, which in some MSS. contains them Like many MSS. the (see Miiller, od. 2, vol. iv., p. 529). present MS. is really a collection of separate — — — —— VEDIC MANUSCKIPTS. copies of the ashtakas, of varying date and writing. - - ^"^ ^ ^ni {kona ?) ^ttttt gTrft Jnw viftff ti^^ 11 Asht. 1 is complete all but the last leaf, ' Scribes verses ' follow. which, however, contained only the last five Two leaves (originally numbered 15 and 48 words (arijah ... sydma) of the text. respectively) are wanting. Asht. 2 is practically complete. The last Asht. 8. The first leaf is much mutilated five verses are written on the back of the at edges, and is written in a hand somewhat last leaf in a more recent hand. This has similar to that of the foregoing ashtaka. It been pasted over with a fresh piece of paper, contains vargas 1, 2, and part of 3. on which has been re-written the remainder The rest of the MS. contains Asht. viii. of the text, in a more recent hand. A date, iii. 1—V. 25. 6, vii. 1, viii. 36. 2 (=:M. x. 86. 1— perhaps Samvat 1603, has been added, but 104. 6, 120. 1—178. 2). it has been retouched. The date, however, Three or four leaves in the middle and at of the MS. itself is visible under the covering the end are accordingly missing. leaf, and reads ^^ <^Mb^ >r^5i^ ^ ii Asht. 3 and Asht. 4, adhy. 1 and 2 are wanting. 5. 3 foil. 1 Asht. 4, adhy. —8 are numbered Add. 26,391—26,393. Four vol.; about 8 in. 67, and dated [Vikr.] Samvat 1792 Krodhana, by 4 in.; 8 or 9 lines ; written by two diffe- i.e. A.D. 1735. Scribe, Kasinatha Bhata. rent hands, circa Saka 1696—1738 (A.D. Accented in red. Asht. 5 is dated [V.]S. 1645 Hemalamba, 1774—1816). [William Erskine.] i.e. A.D. 1588. A scribe's name (Haribhatta) is added, in ink, however, slightly fresher. Asht. 6 is written mainly in an archaic and regular hand ; in the last five leaves, how- RigVEDA. Padapdtha. Asht, 1, 3, 5 8. ever, another writing is found, and the date — [V. ?] Satnvat 1687 is added in a third hand- Add. 26,391.—Asht. 1, fF. 120; Asht. 3, writing. ff. 118 ; written by Pandurahga Jo^i Nagam- Towards the end of the ashtaka several vakara,Saka 1735, 1734 [elapsed] (A.D. 1813, leaves are missing, viz. those originally 1812). numbered 82—89, 91—93. DR.RUPNATHJI(On the other DR.RUPAK NATH ) Colophon of the first Ashtaka : hand, at the end of the ashtaka will be found two leaves giving a passage near the end (Asht. vi. viii. 28. i—32. s = M. ix. 40. i— 42. 5), in a handwriting resembling that of ^raf»i w ^HTw: II the following ashtaka. Colophon of the third Ashtaka : Asht. 7 wants vargas 1, 2 of adhy. i., and begins in the third verse of varga 3 ( = Mand. IX. 46. 3). The writing is not very neat or fc^HMii II regular, though it bears an earlier date than Add. 26,392.—Asht. 5, ff. 100; in the the rest of the MS. handwriting of Vinayaka Ka^alikara(w. infra). Colophon : Asht. 6, ff. 101—265 ; written by Pandu- ranga Jo^i [Nagamvakara] in Saka [elapsed] 1736, bhuvanama-sarnvatsare (A.D. 1814). B 2 — ——— ; — SANSKRIT MANUSCRIPTS. (see specification of leaves Add. 26,393.—Asht. 7, ff. 168; written siderable gaps by Paiiduraiiga Jo5i [Nagamvakara] in Saka above), as far as A. i. vi. 22 (=M. 1. 91. 20). 1738,* yuva-ndma-samvatsare (A.D. 1815). Aslit. 8, ff. 106; written by Vinayaka Ka^alikara in Saka 1696 (A.D. 1773). 8. Colophon : Add. 26,398a. — Foil. 35 (7—10, 15—44); 15Hnes; 10 in. by 4^ in.; Nagari; dated Sam- vat 1543 (A.D. 1486)^; accented (svaritas, however, not indicated). 6, [William Erskine.] Add. 26,394.—Foil. 62; 10 lines; 11 in. by 4 in. ; clear Nagari, accented ; written in Saka 1704 (A.D. 1782).