A catalogue of South Asian Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries

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MS. Sansk. a. 1

MSS. Sansk. a.

Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa, 17th or 18th cent.?

Contents

Summary of Contents: A palm leaf manuscript of the Rāmāyaṇa, in seven kāṇḍas, by Vālmīki, written in Telugu script.

Language(s): Sanskrit.

Rāmāyaṇa Vālmīki
Incipit: śrīrāmacaṃdrāya namaḥ ǁ śuklāṃbaradharaṃ Viṣṇuṃ śaśivarṇaṃ caturbhujaṃ prasannavadanaṃ dhyāyet sarvavighnopaśāṃtaye ǁ kalyāṇādbhutagātrāya kāmitārthapradāyine | śrīmadveṃkaṭanāthāya śrīnvāsāyamā (?) ǁ Rāmāya Rāmabhadrāya Rāmacaṃdrāyavedhase | Raghunāthāya nāthāya Sītāyāḥ pataye namaḥ ǁ kūjaṃtaṃ Rāma Rāmeti madhuraṃ madhurākṣaraṃ | āruhya kavitāśākhāṃ vaṃde Vālmikikokilaṃ | &c.
Colophon: F. 222v etad ākhyānam āyuṣyaṃ paṭhan Rāmāyaṇaṃ naraḥ | saputrapautras sagaṇāḥ pretya svarge mahīyyate ǁ Ayodhyāpi purī raṃmyā śūnyā carṣigaṇān bahūn | ṛṣabhaṃ prāpya rājānaṃ nivāsam upayāsyati ǁ etad ākhyānam āyuṣyaṃ saṣaṭkāṃḍaṃ sahottaraṃ | kartā pracetasaḥ putraḥ tad brahmānumate muniḥ ǁ ity ārṣe […] śrīmaduttarakāṃḍe śrīrāmacaṃdrasvargārṣaṇaṃ nāma ṣoḍaśottaraśatatamas sargaḥ ǁ śrīrāmacaṃdrārpaṇam astu ǁ karakṛtam aparādhaṃ kṣaṃtum arhaṃti saṃtaḥ ǁ śrīkṛṣṇārpaṇam astu ǁ

‘To the MS. belong a leaf-cutter with ivory handle, 6¾ in. long, an iron stilus pointed like a needle, 8¾ in. long, and a sheath, 6 in. long, fitted to hold the leaf-cutter and stilus: all three of beautiful antique work-manship.’

Physical Description

Form: pothī
Support: Palm-leaves, gilt edged.
Extent: ii + 1 + 225
Dimensions (binding): 53 × 7 cm.
Foliation: Telugu numerals, top-left corner, recto.
Foliation: Arabic numerals in pencil, top-right margin, recto.

Condition

Complete.

In good condition.

Hand(s)

Telugu, very small.

Binding

The palm leaf manuscript is held together by two ivory-covered wooden boards, and a green silk cord going through one of the two holes in the leaves. The ivory boards are ornamented with thirty-two neatly executed drawings, illustrating the story of the Rāmāyaṇa.

Stored in a purpose-made, textile-covered cardboard library box.

History

Origin: 17th or 18th cent.?

‘The MS. appears to be fairly old, perhaps of the 17th century.’

Provenance and Acquisition

Given in 1864 by Mrs. Edmund Ffoulkes, daughter of Sir Thomas Strange, who brought the MS. from India.

Record Sources

Description by Barbora Sojkova, based on observation of the manuscript and the following sources:
Winternitz and Keith, Catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts, no. 1166, pp. 144-145

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures contact Bodleian Admissions). Contact specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript.

Bibliography

    Printed descriptions:

    Moriz Winternitz and Arthur Berriedale Keith, Catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts in the Bodleian Library (Oxford, 1905), no. 1166, pp. 144-145

Funding of Cataloguing

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