Dear All:
We finally completed digitizing at UPSS, Lucknow and my Staff is now in Jammu to commence work in Raghunath Temple Library which has over 4200 Manuscripts.
Our Target of Digitizng all Sharada manuscripts in UPSS is short by around 10-15 Manuscripts and one of the Intriguing entiries under Sharada merely mentioned as “Kashmirika GranthaH” I had been pursuing from Day One but it could never be traced largely because the Manuscript Curator was highly uncooperative.
Since the Original Catalgoers never identified its Title/Author I had hopes of stumbling upon something unique.
Jagadanda Jha Sahib – Librarian UPSS who very kindly introduced us to the Manuscipt Division has said that he will try to provide us with a Digital Copy over Time.
It is regrettable we have only done half of the Work we had the Potential to finish thanks in large Parts to the Curator whose busy schedule Newspaper/Tea/Chat Therapy /Aaraam Yoga on Desk permitted her the Time to open the Almirah only once a Day.
Hence, much as I wanted Peter Freund/Demian Martins/Mark Guruji’s Special Requests we could never make it ( except for 4 Entries from Mark Guruji).
All 155 Manuscripts can be seen here:
https://www.scribd.com/indicmanuscripts
Or at Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bw4MoXZjLpcMN19PLURndU5LYmM&usp=sharing
*Ever since, scribd scapped its Collection feature – I am unable to provide Selections.
The Ones we specifically did after my Last Newsletter in Diwali are here:
SharadaPostDiwali
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bw4MoXZjLpcMZU44U2p2a2JDZnc&usp=sharing
28 Manuscripts of Tantragama are in Devanagari :
57 are in Sharada
Interesting Ones amongst the Sharada Ones are:
Abhinavagupta’s Gitartha Sangraha ( Boris for You! )
10 Folios of Ishvara Pratyabhijna Karika of Abhinavagupta ( with unpublished magrginal Notes. )
Yoga Vasishtha of Valmiki ( at 684 Pages and 461 MB )
Bhairava Anukarana Tantra
Bhairava Stambha Tantra
Shiva Tantra
Bhagawat Gita
Martanda MAhatmya ( must be important for the Kashmiri Shaivites given the famous Martand Temple in Indo-Pak Border ) and Mattan a place name which is actually corruption of Martanda.
Nekshma Pratishtha
Two Panchastavis
few folios of Kularnava
Amongst the Devanagari Ones:
Hatha Pradeepika ( Jim M. for you )
some folios of Rudra Yamals ( Dr. Naithani for you ) and
Shyama Rahasya ( The Secrets of the Dark Godess )
The Printed Version of the Book available online at
Shyama Rahasya Tantram
the Introduction says something to the effect that this book is much feared by all and Practitioners scared to mention it but now my audacity and boldness I put it in front of You )
A Few in Gurumukhi which include Bhagawata Dashmam Skandha/Vedanta Prakriya Jana Bodhini/Vedanta Siddhanta Sara/Guru Mahima Prakasha.
I am still not sure if the Vedantic Titles refer to Sanskrit Originals in Gurumukhi Script or Translations. The former I am told is difficult because Gurumukhi lacks the halanta which would render the task of transliterating Skt impossible.
Some others the titles are not known, volunteers who know Gurumukhi can kindly inform me the missing titles
A interesting discovery was a hidden letter in Gurumukhi stamped 1886 with Devanagari and English also seen and the British Stamp in Urdu. Some glimpse of History through this Letter.
The Last Leg of Swami Amrit Vagbhava Books/Docs is now over.
The folowing are Letters which various devotees and acolytes had written to him over the Years
Two very interesting documents we found were Sanskrit Letters of Dina Nath Yaksha. Dina Nath yaksha as we all know had a immense Library of Rare Sharada Manuscripts in Srinagar which was unfortunately destroyed by Vandals in the Riots of the 90s.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzs7df1AKxSWYzdVT0dTYmtLRHc/view?usp=sharing
The Letter is written in a very flowing and elegant style and also talks about the Plight of the Community in those days.
Spoke to Several Heads of Museums and Repositories in J&K ( Zahid Sahib, Haroun Rashid Sahib, Shailen Kumar Sahib, Paras Mishra ji ) – there welcome and kindness were truly amazing and rare.
Haroun Rashid Sahib told me that there is a Holy Quran in Sharada !!!
They all have assured me in providing access to there repositories and I hope soon I will get to digitize there Manuscripts as well.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan Jammu Campus, 73 Sharada Manuscripts work starts today. Thanks to Devanathan Sir.
Will end this with the Great News that the heart-rending BBC and Other Media Reports of the Complete sabotage of Sri Nagar Museum and destruction of All Manuscripts is not True – Zahid Sahib the Director confirmed on Phone that the only Items damaged were the papier machete items and no Manuscript got damaged !!!!
Zahid Sahib let my Team visit you and digitize the 600 Manuscripts you mentioned before another Flood’s unforgiving assault
eGangotri Digital Preservation Trust 