So finally we did find Paramartha Sara – and it is not by Abhinavagupta but the Adi Shesha Version – the full story.

Guruji Prof. Navjivan Rastogi – had first brought this to my attention that he had heard a rumor that Naval Kishore Press in circa 1880s had published a Paramartha Sara with a Hindi Translation. He also apprised me that this text has two authors Adi Shesh and Abhinavagupta – the latter’s version is basically a redaction of the former to be more fine-tuned to Shaivite principals.

A suprisingly happy evidence was received in Ulrike Strike’s Empire of Books – History of Naval Kishore’s Career with the following

This above is clearly attributing this edition to be Abhinavaguptan and now we were convinced that in 1876 for the first time the obscure Kashmir Shaivism had made it to print as the upward historical limit.

Yesterday at World Book Day Ranbir Library, Jammu – the slim text was seen and I got to photograph them.

Pictures below:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.624842273007138&type=3

Soon we realized.

Naval Kishore wrongly attributes this to Shankaracharya.

This text is not by Abhinavagupta – so Ulrike Strike’s index of publication is incorrect- it is the original Paramartha Sara of Adi Shesha.

Hence, the oldest text of Kashmir Shaivism in print is till much later.

Curiously,

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.405041

the above in DLI’s characteristically pathetic scans was always there all this while.