South Asian Studies, 2014

Vol. 30, No. 2, 133141, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02666030.2014.962302

Invoking the Powers that Be: The ivadharmas Mahnti

Mantra
Peter Bisschop*

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Leiden University
The article introduces chapter 6 of the ivadharmastra which contains a lengthy mantra invoking all cosmic
powers and deities for appeasement (nti). Following a brief introduction to the ivadharma corpus of texts,
the form and characteristics of the mantra are illustrated by means of a few examples of invocations to
individual deities. The mantra includes references to various iconographical and mythological aspects of the
deities invoked that can be used fruitfully for historical research into their development. It is argued that the
invocation systematically presents all deities and powers as oriented towards iva, thus establishing the
authority of aivism. A brief discussion on the use of the mantra as attested in the ivadharma and in
inscriptions concludes the article. It is shown that the mantra was specically used for securing the wellbeing
of the kingdom ruled by a aiva king.
Keywords: ivadharma; aivism; appeasement; nti; invocation; mantra; iconography

Introduction
In a recently published article, Marko Geslani has drawn
attention to the incorporation of nti rites in the Puric
rjybhieka and, in this connection, discusses the
Mahnti mantras of the Bhatsahit (BS 47.54cd
60ab) and the Viudharmottarapura (ViDhP 2.22).1
ViDhP 2.22 contains an extensive mantra of one hundred
and eighty-ve verses in total, requesting all deities and
cosmic powers to consecrate the king. Beginning with
Brahm, Viu, and iva, the text takes us through a
host of cosmic powers, ranging from the four Pcartra
vyhas (Vsudeva, Sakaraa, Pradyumna, and
Aniruddha) to various sets of deities and sages, as well
as astrological conjunctions, abstract principles, texts,
places of pilgrimage, and rivers. The list is a veritable
encyclopedia of cosmic power. It shows similarities to a
much smaller list of sixteen verses given in the context of
the puyasnna bath of prosperity in Varhamihiras
Bhatsahit (BS 47.54cd60ab). This invocation is
uttered by the purohita at the kings puyasnna. It also
starts with Brahm, Viu, and iva, before moving on to
the Sdhyas, Maruts, and other deities. This invocation
also includes astronomical principles, such as the
Nakatras, the Muhrtas, and other units of time. The
two invocations are clearly related and form a powerful
conclusion to the consecration rite. Noteworthy in the
mantra of the Viudharmottarapura is the inclusion
of the four Pcartra vyhas, immediately after the invocation of the trinity of Brahm, Viu, and iva. This
*Email: p.c.bisschop@hum.leidenuniv.nl
2014 The British Association for South Asian Studies

feature is in line with the Pcartra background of the

Viudharmottarapura and indicates how mantras like
these could be used to express sectarian notions.2
The present paper introduces another extensive
Mahnti mantra, found in the ivadharmastra, a
text still awaiting critical edition. The ivadharmas
Mahnti mantra is a rich invocation that has much
to oer to scholars interested in the development of the
pantheon of deities and their iconographies. The
ivadharmas Mahnti mantra also yields important
evidence for the way aivism came to occupy a central
role in creating empires of faith in South Asia and
beyond. Indeed, the inuence of the ivadharma is
attested not only in India but also, for example, in
inscriptions of the Khmers in Cambodia. 3 Like BS
47.54cd60ab and ViDhP 2.22, the Mahnti mantra
in the sixth chapter of the ivadharmastra invokes an
array of divinities and cosmic powers. It illustrates how
this kind of ritual invocation was adopted in the strong
sectarian context of aivism. A study of this mantra
may thus add to our understanding how dierent
Hindu religious traditions developed their own competitive models by, on the one hand, harking back to earlier Vedic rituals, but, at the same time, developing
them in new directions.
Introduction to the ivadharmastra
The ivadharmastra is the rst in a vast corpus of texts
referred to collectively as ivadharma Rules [pertaining to

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the worship] of iva. In the manuscript traditions of Nepal,

the various texts belonging to this corpus are generally
transmitted in a single codex. A great number of copies
have survived from Nepal, quite a few of them written on
palm-leaf, but there are also manuscripts from Kashmir,
Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, testifying to the intensive
use of the ivadharma through the centuries. In total the
corpus consists of eight works: 1. ivadharmastra, 2.
ivadharmottara, 3. ivadharmasagraha, 4. ivopaniad,
5. Ummahevarasavda, 6. Uttarottaramahsavda, 7.
Vasrasagraha, and 8. Dharmaputrik. The situation is
dierent in the south, where only the rst two works appear
to have been transmitted.4 There can be little doubt that the
ivadharmastra, which heads the corpus in the manuscript traditions of Nepal, is also the oldest text of the
corpus. The earliest surviving manuscript, however, contains fragments of the second text, the ivadharmottara. It
survives in a fragmentary Nepalese palm-leaf manuscript
in the National Archives of Kathmandu (NAK 5/892;
NGMPP A 12/3). This manuscript, written in Licchavi
script, is paleographically very close to manuscript S1 of
the Skandapura (NAK 2-229; NGMPP B 11/4), which is
dated 810 CE.5
Brief summaries of the rst two works, the
ivadharmastra and the ivadharmottara, were published
by R. C. Hazra.6 Another summary of the ivadharmottara
has been published by Paolo Magnone, but, as Dominic
Goodall has shown, his conclusions about the date and
provenance of the text are way beyond the mark.7 A transcription of large parts of the corpus, some of it handwritten, was published locally in Kathmandu.8 This
publication can serve as a starting point for familiarizing
oneself with the dierent texts, but it hardly qualies as a
scholarly edition. In preparing the present article I have
made a preliminary edition of ivadharmastra 6 on the
basis of four manuscripts together with Naraharinathas
edition. I have selected the following four manuscripts:9
C:

University Library of Cambridge, Add. 1645,

palm-leaf, dated savat 259 (1139 CE).10
K1: National Archives, Kathmandu, 3/393, microlmed by the NGMPP, A1082/3, palm-leaf.
S:
Oriental Research Library, Srinagar, Acc.No. 1467,
rad paper.
T:
French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), T32, paper
transcript.11
In order to avoid conation of these manuscript traditions from dierent parts of the Indian subcontinent, at
this point I have, as a general principle, followed the
readings of K1. It is the oldest of the manuscripts
(perhaps eleventh-century?), and in general it provides
very good readings. This edition is, however, no more
than a starting point for further research; I aim to prepare a full critical edition and study of the chapter in the

near future. All quotations from chapter six of the

ivadharmastra in the present article are cited from
this draft edition.12
The ivadharmastra, along with the other texts
belonging to the ivadharma corpus, addresses the lay
community of iva worshippers. The very rst chapter
starts with a praise of iva worship and the characteristics
(lakaa) of the ivabhaktas. The ivadharmastra and
the ivadharmottara are both free from tantric inuences,
which hints at a relatively early date of composition,
although the exact date is still open to discussion.13 The
third text in the corpus, the ivadharmasagraha, by contrast, shows the inuence of tantric models, and has borrowed extensively from the Nivsamukha, the opening
work of the earliest surviving aiva tantra, the
Nivsatattvasahit.14 A diachronic study of the corpus
can yield important insights into the development of
aivism and the ways in which the aiva religion incorporated ideals reecting the concerns of the aiva laity, in
particular those of local rulers and kings.
The ivadharmastra consists of twelve chapters in
total. The teaching is spoken by Nandikevara to the
sages on mount Meru at the request of Brahms son
Sanatkumra, who asks Nandikevara about the
supreme dharma called ivadharma. According to
Nandikevara, the teaching was originally spoken by
iva himself to Prvat, Skanda (amukha),
Nandikevara, and other gods. In other words, the
ivadharma gives rules for the worship of iva that
ultimately stem from the mouth of the deity himself.
A aiva can thus be identied as someone who worships iva in accordance with the system set forth by
iva.15 In the chapters that follow, dierent ways of
worshipping iva, in particular in the form of the
liga, are discussed, including such practices as setting
up ligas, constructing temples and hermitages, making
donations, observance of fasts, and other activities to be
performed by the lay devotees of iva. There are indications that the work was conceived in a Pupata
environment, for there is a long section devoted to the
merits of bathing in ashes (chapter eleven), while making donations to Pupata-type yogins is recommended
in particular (chapter twelve). A hitherto unidentied
verse quoted by Kauinya in his commentary on the
Pupatastra can be traced in chapter eleven of the
text. The verse praises the bath in ashes:
ya snnam caren nityam gneya sayatendriya|
kulaikaviam uttrya sa gacchet parama padam||16
He who constantly bathes in ashes, with his senses
controlled, he rescues twenty-one generations and
reaches the supreme state.

The reference to rescuing twenty-one generations

expresses a lay ideal at odds with the strictly ascetic

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type of Pupatism described by Kauinya. A

Psupata background of the earliest parts of the
ivadharma corpus is indicated also by the mention of
an icon of Lakula in the second chapter of the
ivadharmottara. The image of iva to be installed is
described in the following words:17

135

sarvvayavaprena38 gtrea tanumadhyam|

ptaymtisaumyena39 snigdhavarena obhan40|| 6||
lalatilakopet41 candrarekhrdhadhri42|
citrmbaradhar43 dev sarvbharaabhit|| 7||
varastrmayarpea44 obh45 guamahspad46|
bhvanmtrasatu um dev47 varaprad48|| 8||

tatra mddruaila v sthpayed vidhivac chivam|

sarvavidyvidhtara sarvaja lakulvaram||

skd49 gatya50 rpea ntenmitatejas|51

nti karotu me prt52 bhaktn bhaktivatsal53|| 9||

vta iyapraiyai ca vykhynodyatapikam|

padmsanastha devea prasannavadana gurum||

padmargadyuti saumyo raktamlynulepana|

ablo blarpea avaktra54 ikhivhana55|| 10||

There, made of mud, wood, or stone, one should install,

according to precept, iva, the arranger of all sciences,
the omniscient one, Lakulvara, surrounded by his
pupils and pupils pupils, with his hand raised in the act
of teaching, seated on a lotus, the lord of gods, with a
pleasing face, the teacher.

prenduvadana saumyas56 triikha57 aktisayuta|

kttikomgnirudrgasamudbhta58 surrcita59|| 11||

ivadharmastra 6: The Mahnti

Amidst the descriptions of ritual and religious activities of
the ivabhaktas, the long Mahnti invocation takes up
the sixth chapter of the ivadharmastra. It is by far the
longest chapter of the text. In my draft edition it covers
two hundred and fty-six verses in total. The invocation is
introduced by Nandikevara in three verses:18
ata param ida guhya rudrodgta19 mahodayam|
mahvighnapraamana20 mahntikara21 ubham|| 1||
aklamtyuamana22 sarvavydhinivraam23|
paracakrapramathana24 sad vijayavardhanam25|| 2||
sarvadevagrahnka26 samabhaphalapradam27|
sarvantyadhikrkhya28 dharma29 vakymi
vatam30|| 3||
Next I will proclaim this supreme secret, celebrated
[earlier] by Rudra, conferring great fortune, pacifying
great obstacles, causing great comfort, auspicious,
extinguishing untimely death, warding o all diseases,
destroying the enemies armies, increasing victory at all
times, an array of all deities and seizers, granting the
desired results, the eternal law known as the rule of all
appeasement.

The text then continues with an extensive mantra that

invokes all cosmic powers for appeasement. The opening verses of the mantra, addressing respectively
Mahevara, Um, and Krttikeya, give a avour of the
style of the text:31
akrdhadharas tryako ngayajopavtaka32|
caturmukha33 caturbhu34 sitabhasmvaguhita|| 4||
varo vareyo35 varado devadevo mahevara36|
trailokyanamita37 rmn ntim u karotu me|| 5||

krttikeyo mahtej60 varadnaikatatpara61|

nti62 karotu me nitya63 bala64 saukhya ca me
sad65|| 12||
He who bears the half moon, who has three eyes, who is
invested with the sacred thread of a snake, four-faced,
four-armed, covered with white ash, the best, the
excellent, bestower of boons, god of gods, Mahevara,
worshipped by the three worlds, glorious: let him
quickly bestow comfort on me!
Slender-waisted, with a full body possessed of all limbs,
beautiful, with a glossy colour, extremely beautiful,
both golden and dark, furnished with a tilaka on her
forehead, wearing the sickle of the moon, wearing
bright cloths, the goddess, adorned with all ornaments,
with a most beautiful feminine form, handsome, great
abode of virtues, pleased simply by devotion, Um, the
goddess, bestower of boons, having arrived in person,
with a tranquil form, of immeasurable splendour: let
her bestow comfort on me, pleased, fond of the devotion of her devotees!
With a ruby-coloured lustre, gentle, having a red garland and unguent, not a child, yet with the appearance
of a child, six-faced, riding on a peacock, with a face
like the full moon, tranquil, with three tufts of hair,
furnished with a spear, sprung from the body of the
Kttiks, Agni, and Rudra, worshipped by the gods,
Krttikeya, of great splendour, solely intent on granting
boons: let him bestow constantly comfort, power, and
welfare on me, always!

Following this, the mantra moves on to other deities in

the inner circle around Mahevara: Nanda, Vinyaka,
Mahkla,
Ambik/Gaur,
Mahmahiamardin,
Bhgirii, and Caevara. This group of deities,
along with Krttikeya, is reminiscent of the circle of
eight Gaapatis found in tantric aiva literature,66 the
only one missing being Vabha. A later manuscript
tradition in fact inserts a three-verse invocation of
Vabha, perhaps with this set of eight Gaapatis in
mind.67 Each deity is described briey. These descriptions provide valuable information on the mythological
and iconographical identity of the mentioned deities and

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may help in dating the text. Thus, we nd that

Mahevara is invoked as four-faced, which is a relatively archaic feature in line with the epic tradition, and
not yet as ve-headed, which would indicate the inuence of tantric aivism.68 On the basis of the descriptions of Bhgirii and Vinyaka, however, I have
concluded that it is unlikely that this part of the text
stems from before the sixth century.69 The extent to
which this also applies to other parts of the text remains
to be investigated.
After the inner circle of aiva deities, the text moves on
to a long list of other deities, starting with Brahm and
Viu, followed by the mother goddesses. It is noteworthy
that practically all these deities receive an epithet indicating
their devotion to iva. Thus, Brahm is described as being
solely dedicated
to
contemplation
of
iva
(ivadhynaikatatpara) and steeped in the reality of iva
(ivasadbhvabhvita), while Viu is said to be endowed
with the favour of iva (ivaprasdasampanna) and
engaged in contemplation of iva (ivadhynaparyaa).
This characteristic sets it apart from the Mahnti mantras
of the Viudharmottarapura and the Bhatsahit,
where the various deities are all invoked in their own
right. In the aiva universe of the ivadharma, by contrast,
all powers that be are ultimately dependent on and devoted
to the worship of iva.
In between the two great gods Brahm and Vinu
and the eight mothers, Naraharinathas edition inserts
ve more interesting invocations, dedicated respectively to the Arhat, the Buddha, Vijay, Dharitr, and
cows. These verses do not occur in the manuscripts that
I have consulted, with the exception of the rad
manuscript, which displays signicant variants for
these verses. They reect the inclusive nature of the
text and the possibility of extending the list, aimed at
including as many powers as can be imagined, including non-aiva deities such as the Arhat and the Buddha.
As is to be expected, they are again all said to be
devoted to iva.70
Following the eight mothers (Brahm, Rudr,
Kaumr, Vaiav, Aindr, Vrh, Cmu, and
Lamboh),71 each listed and described in detail, the text
invokes various other groups of mother goddesses
(kamts and Lokamts, Rudramts and
Saumyamts) as well as the Gaas in the ten directions.
Next we are introduced to the eight regents of the quarters,
with specic reference to their magnicent cities (Indra in
Amarvat, Agni in Tejovat, Yama in Vaivasvat, Nairti
in K, Varua in uddhavat, Vyu in Gandhavat,
Kubera in Mahoday, na in Yaovat). Next the Devas
in the seven worlds (Bhrloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka,
Maharloka, Janarloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka), Devas in
inaccessible mountain caves,72 and four goddesses
(Sarasvat, r, Jay, Aparjit). Astronomical powers
are mentioned next: the nine planets (Srya, Soma,

Agraka, Budha, Bhaspati, ukra, anaicara, Rhu,

and Ketu), special nights of the lunar fortnights, Tithis,
Yogas, Nakatramts, and Ris. Then the sages, starting
with the Saptais, including also their wives and daughters; Siddhas, Vidydharas, Grahas, and Garuas; Daityas
(Namuci, akukara, Mahnda, Mahjambha,
Hayagrva, Prahlda, Traka, Agnimukha, Klanemi,
Virocana, Hirayka, Suparva, Suloma, Mucukunda,
Sukunda, Revataka), their wives, daughters, and sons;
the eight Ngarjas (named as Ananta, Vsuki, Takaka,
Karkoaka, Padma, Mahpadma, akhapla, Kulika) and
other Ngas, their wives, daughters and sons. Next come
the sacred rivers (Gag, Yamun, Narmad, Gomat,
Kver, Varu, Devik, Candrabhg, Godvar,
Saray, Gaak, Kauik, Sarasvat, Nairajan, oa,
Mandkin, Sanihit), both on earth and elsewhere,
Yakas (Mahvairavaa, Maibhadra, Suviroma,
Pacika, Vibhaka, Dhtarra, Prabhadra,
Virpka, and others), as well as their wives and daughters, mountains,73 oceans, and nally, Rkasas, Yogins/
kis, Bhtas, Pretas, Picas, and Grahas, in sum all
divine powers (devdaya sarve).
The last mentioned seven groups of beings, all of them
wild and terrifying by nature, viz. the Rkasas, Yogins,
kis, Bhtas, Pretas, Picas, and Grahas, are invoked
in a special manner. Each of these invocations introduces
them as the entourage of Bhairava. They are asked to
bestow comfort through His splendour (tejas tasya devasya). This indicates that the worship of Bhairava had
become a feature of aivism by the time of composition
of the text and that his worship was specically connected
to these groups of deities. As an example we may quote
the verses dedicated to the Rkasas:
rkas sarvata sarve rkas ghorarpia|
rkas ye74 mahvry rkas ca75 mahbal|| 216||
76

sthalasth77 rkas ye tu antarke78 ca79 rkas|

ptle bhtale80 ye ca81 nitya rudraparya82|| 217||83

bhairava yasya rpa tu84 pretabhasmvaguhitam85|

tejas tasya86 devasya nti kurvantu me sad87|| 218||
All the Rkasas everywhere, the Rkasas of terrifying
form, the very heroic Rkasas, and the very powerful
Rkasas, the Rkasas present on earth, the Rkasas
in the sky, those in the nether region and on the surface
of the earth, constantly intent upon Rudra, let them
always bestow comfort on me through the splendour of
that god who has a terrifying form and who is covered
with the ashes of the dead!

Features of the ivadharmas Mahnti

While I cannot go into detail here, I would like to draw
attention to a few signicant features of this lengthy
invocation, in particular when we compare it with the

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Mahnti mantras of the Viudharmottarapura and
the Bhatsahit. First of all, the continuous stress on
devotion to iva by all these powers stands out: thus,
even the rivers are said to delight in the worship of
ivas feet (ivapdrcane rat), the mountains are
devotees of iva (ivabhakt), and the oceans are
devoted to the worship of Rudra (rudrapjpar). In
the end, one is led to the conclusion that the powers that
be are those deities that recognize the authority of iva
and are loyal and devoted to him. There is none in a
position of power who is not dedicated to iva. In this
respect, the treatment of the individual powers in the
ntimantras of the Viudharmottarapura and the
Bhatsahit is strikingly dierent. In these texts each
deity is invoked on its own, without reference to devotion to another deity. In the ivadharma, however, we
are in an exclusively aiva universe, where all authority
ultimately rests in iva alone.
Secondly, the ivadharmas invocations are far more
detailed in providing iconographic descriptions, mythological attributes, epithets, and so on of the various deities
invoked, in contrast to the Viudharmottarapura and
the Bhatsahit, which are, in the end, no more than lists
of names joined with the imperative of the verb abhi-ic,
let them consecrate. This not only makes the
ivadharmas mantra a rich source for studying the development of the individual deities and their attributes, but it
also gives the mahnti a dierent character. The mantra
can be read like a veritable iconographical programme. It
is not just an invocation, but it is simultaneously a source
of information on the deities for those who recite it or hear
the recitation. It is a means of invoking the deities in
person, by visualizing them and making their appearance
manifest in the mind. All of this is done with emphasis on
the fact that all these deities are in fact devoted to iva.
This brings me to a third feature of the mantra,
which relates to its use. While the mantras of the
Viudharmottarapura and the Bhatsahit are
clearly meant to be recited at the royal consecration,
the ivadharmas mantra is meant to ward o dangers in
general and bring about welfare to the land and the
people. One might say that in the ivadharma it is the
pacication of the deities and their devotion to iva that
is central, instead of the abhieka of the king, as repeatedly stressed in the Viudharmottarapura and the
Bhatsahit with the refrain: ete tvm abhiicantu,
let them consecrate you. The ivadharmas refrain, by
contrast, is connected to an unspecied rst-person
subject: nti kurvantu me sad, let them always
bestow comfort on me, with variations. At the end of
the chapter it is said that the one who recites or hears
the mantra gains dierent benets depending on the
person in question: one who desires a girl obtains a
girl, one who desires victory obtains victory, one who
desires wealth obtains wealth, one who desires a son

137

obtains a son, and so on.88 This ts with the general lay

environment, the concerns of which the ivadharma
addresses. However, the mantra was also used in a
more specic, royal context. This we learn from the
second text of the ivadharma corpus, the
ivadharmottara.

The use of the ivadharmas Mahnti according to

the ivadharmottara
Chapter two of the ivadharmottara is dedicated to an
elaborate ritual complex called vidydna, gift of knowledge. This concerns rst of all the instruction of the
ivadharma by the teacher to ivas devotees, but more
importantly it refers to the ritual donation of a manuscript
to a aiva guru along with the support for its recitation.89
The chapter gives a fascinating account of how to copy a
manuscript, a sort of Sanskrit philology avant la lettre, in
which one is allowed to make corrections on the spot if
one sees t to do so, and it describes a lengthy ritual in
which the donor is a king who has the copied manuscript
paraded through the royal capital before he nally hands it
over to the aiva guru at the iva temple (iDhUt
2.5960). The scene that follows is relevant to putting
the Mahnti mantra of the ivadharmastra into context. According to the ivadharmottara:90
ntyartham ekam adhyya gobrhmaamahbhtm|
rryanagar ca vcayed vcakottama||
chandolakaatattvaja satkavir madhurasvara|
gndharvavid vidagdha ca reha pustakavcaka||
ntitoyena rjna samutthya gurus tata|
irasy abhyukayed at tatrastha ca jana tata||
To secure pacication (ntyartham) for the cows,
brahmins, the kings, and the towns in the kingdom, the
most excellent reciter should recite one chapter [from
the book]; the best reciter of books is procient with the
characteristics of metre, a true poet, has a sweet voice,
is a knower of the art of the Gandharvas and clever.
Rising up the guru should then sprinkle the king a little
with appeasement water (ntitoya) on the head and
then also the people present there.

There can be little doubt that the manuscript not mentioned further by name from which a chapter should be
read is in fact a copy of the ivadharmastra and that it
is chapter six of the ivadharmastra which should be
recited on this occasion. The ritual described does not
appear to be a rjbhieka as such, but is a more general
pacication rite meant for the entire population of the
kingdom headed by the king. Central to the ritual is a
book, a copy of the ivadharmastra, handed over to
the aiva guru. The welfare and success of the kingdom

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have come to be grounded in the kings donation of a

copy of a aiva scripture to the aiva guru.
The copying, study, and recitation of the ivadharma is
attested in several medieval inscriptions from South
Asia.91 Most revealing is a bilingual twelfth-century
Clukya inscription from Karnataka,92 which reports a
grant of land made to support, among others, the performance of the recitation of the ntyadhyya itself, the
sixth chapter of the ivadharmastra. This was not a
one-time event, for the text was to be recited from
month to month, on the two 8th and two 14th days, new
moon and full moon, and the vyatpta and sankramaa
conjunctions.93 The inscription then moves on to describe
other occasions at which the ntyadhyya was to be
recited: on the mah-parvvas, the two equinoxes and the
two solstices, on the eclipse of the sun or moon, on the full
moon days in Ashha, Krttika, Mgha, and Vaikha.94
The ntyadhyya was thus singled out as a central piece
for recitation purposes and used at various ritual times of
the year. A testimony to this use is the existence of manuscripts that only transmit this particular chapter of the
ivadharma. Thus, the online catalogue of the NGMCP
not only records a host of ivadharma manuscripts, but
also mentions a number of paper manuscripts of the
ntyadhya/ntikdhyya of the ivadharmastra
alone.95 This indicates the use and importance of the
sixth chapter also in later times.96
More research is needed to trace the place of the
ivadharmas Mahnti mantra in the history of Hindu
kingship. For this it is rst of all necessary to have access
to a reliable, critical edition of the ivadharmastra and
the various texts that follow in its wake. A simple search
for the title ivadharma in the online catalogue of the
NGMCP alone already yields fty-four hits, which can
be easily extended by other search criteria. Manuscripts of
the ivadharma also survive from South India, Bengal,
and Kashmir. The work is referred to in several inscriptions from South and Southeast Asia. Sanderson has
shown that some of the inscriptions identifying those
who are punished in the hells depicted on the gallery of
hells at Angkor Vat go back to the text of the
ivadharmottara.97 There can be little doubt that the
ivadharma corpus has played a key role in the success
of aivism through the ages. It is about time that these
texts receive the attention they deserve.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
NOTES
1.
2.

Marko Geslani, nti Rites in the Development

of the Puric Abhieka, Indo-Iranian Journal, 55
(2012), 32177.
On
the
Pcartra
identity
of
the
Viudharmottarapura, see Ronald Inden,
Imperial Puras: Kashmir as Vaiava Center of

11.
12.

the World, in Querying the Medieval: Texts and

Practices in South Asia, ed. by Ronald Inden,
Jonathan Walters, and Daud Ali (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2000), pp. 2998.
See nal note.
Cf. Florinda De Simini, Ritual Aspects of
Manuscript Transmission in Premodern India: A
Historical Study of Vidydna Through Textual
Sources. With A First Critical Edition and English
Translation of ivadharmottaras Chapter Two On
the Gift of Knowledge (unpublished doctoral thesis, Universit degli Studi di Torino, 2013), p. 159.
De Simini calls the Nepalese codices corpusorganizers.
For a description of manuscript S1 of the
Skandapura, see R. Adriaensen, H. T. Bakker,
and H. Isaacson, The Skandapura, Volume I.
Adhyyas 1 to 25 (Groningen: Egbert Forsten,
1998), p. 32.
R. C. Hazra, The iva-dharmottara, Pura, 27
(1985), 181210 [= Journal of the Ganganatha Jha
Research Institute, 13 (195253), 1950]; R. C.
Hazra, The iva-dharma, Pura, 27 (1985),
28299 [= Journal of the Ganganatha Jha Research
Institute, 13 (195253), 120].
Paolo Magnone, ivadharmottarapura: A
Survey, in Epics, Khilas, and Puras: Continuities
and Ruptures. Proceedings of the Third Dubrovnik
International Conference on the Sanskrit Epics and
Puras, September 2002, ed. by Petteri Koskikallio
(Zagreb: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts,
2005), pp. 57596; Dominic Goodall, The Throne
of Worship: An Archaeological Tell of Religious
Rivalries, Studies in History, 27 (2011), 22150
(p. 232, n. 33).
ivadharma Paupatimatam ivadharmamahstram Paupatinthadaranam, ed. by Yogin
Naraharinatha (Kathmandu: [n. pub.], 1998 (savat,
2055)).
I have used digital photographs of all four manuscripts. I am very grateful to Florinda De Simini
(University of Naples lOrientale) for providing
me with colour photographs of K1 and S. The
siglum N in the notes below refers to the readings
of Naraharinathas edition (see note 8).
Available online. <http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/
MS-ADD-01645/1> [accessed 24 August 2014].
Available
online.
<http://muktalib7.org/
IFP_ROOT/access_page.htm>
[accessed
24
August 2014].
Passages from other parts of the ivadharma corpus referred to in the present article are quoted
from the edition by Naraharinatha (see note 8),
with the exception of passages from
ivadharmottara, chapter two, which are quoted

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14.

15.

16.

17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.

from the critical edition prepared by De Simini,

Ritual Aspects.
Hazra, The iva-dharmottara, and Hazra, The
iva-dharma, has dated the ivadharmastra to
circa 200500 CE and the ivadharmottara to
700800 CE. Goodall, The Throne of Worship,
has argued that the ivadharmottara should be
dated earlier than suggested by Hazra. I have
argued that at least parts of the ivadharmastra
cannot predate the sixth century. Peter Bisschop,
Once Again on the Identity of Caevara in
Early aivism: A Rare Caevara in the British
Museum?, Indo-Iranian Journal, 53 (2010),
23349.
Anil Kumar Acharya, ivadharmasagrahasya
dydhyyatrayasya
samktmakaphasampdanam adhyayana ca (A critical edition
and study of the rst three chapters of the
ivadharmasagraha) (unpublished doctoral thesis, Pondicherry University, 2009). On the
Nivsatattvasahit, see Dominic Goodall and
Harunaga
Isaacson,
Workshop
on
the
Nivsatattvasahit: The Earliest Surviving
aiva Tantra?, Newsletter of the NGMCP, 3
(2007), 46.
Cf. Alexis Sanderson, aivism and the Tantric
Traditions, in The Worlds Religions, ed. by S.
Sutherland and others (London: Routledge and
Kegan Paul, 1988), pp. 660704 (p. 660).
Cited from the edition of Naraharinatha (see note
8), p. 146, verse 387. Kauinya ad Pupatastra
1.9 reads uddhtya instead of uttrya, and
param gatim instead of parama padam.
The reading sayatendriya is that of NAK
3/393 (K1); Naraharinatha has sa yatendriya.
ivadharmottara 2. 14647. De Simini, Ritual
Aspects.
ivadharmastra 6. 13.
rudrodgt] K1 S, rudrodgta C, rudrdgta N,
ivodga T.
praamana] C N S T, praamana K1.
mah] C K1 N T, sarva S.
aklamtyuamana] K1 N S, klamityupraamana C (unmetrical), aklamtyumathana T.
nivraam] C K1 N T, vinanam S.
paracakramathana] K1 T, paracakraprathamana C,
paracakraprathamana N, paradukhapraamanam
S.
sad vijaya] C S T, sarvavijaya K1, sarvad jaya
N. After this verse T adds two pdas reading:
stambhana parasainyasya ripusdakara sad.
grahnkam] C K1 N T, grah ca S.
samabhaphalaprada] K1 N, satabhhamassakam
C,
samabhvatasakam
S,
sarvbhvabhsakam T.

28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.

41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.

139

sarvantya] K1pc N S T, sarvaantya K1ac,

sarv nty C.
dharma] K1 N S T, dharma C.
vata] K1 N S T, tattvata C.
ivadharmastra 6. 412.
pavtaka] K1 N, pravtuka C, pavtadht S,
pavtavn T.
caturmukha] K1 N S T, caturmukha C.
caturbhu] C K1 S T, caturbhu N.
vareyo] K1 N S T, varetya C.
mahevara] K1 N S T, mahevaram C.
trailokyanamita] K1 T, trailokanamita C, trailokye namita N, trailokyanthita S.
prena] C K1 N, mukhyena S T.
ymtisaumyena] C K1 N T, ymena dehena S.
snigdhavarena obhan] C K1 N, snigdhavarena
sarvad S, ivarpea sevita T. After this S adds
two pdas reading: bhvanmtrasatu devy
umu varaprad (cf. 8cd).
lala] C K1 S T, lale N.
candrarekh] C K1 N, citralekh S,
candralekh T.
citrmbara] K1 S, cintrambara C, citrambara
N, divymbara T.
mayarpea] K1 N S, sarvarp C,
sarvanr T.
obh] K1 N T, sabhau S, saubh C.
mahspad] C K1 N S, mahspadam T.
dev] C K1 S T, devi N.
S has these two pdas after 6cd.
skd] K1 N S T, skhyd C.
gatya] C K1 N S, gamya T.
9b-10d] K1 N S T (approx.), sarvaktraikhivhana
C (sic).
prt] C K1 N T, bhakty S.
bhaktivatsal] conj., vaktivatsal K1, bhaktavatsal
N S T.
avaktra] C N S, avaktra K1, amukha T.
vhana] C K1 S T, vhana N.
saumyas] K1 N S T, saumya C.
triikha] C K1 N S, triikh T.
kttikomgni] K1 N S T, kttikomagni C; rudrga
] C K1 S T, rudra N; samudbhta C N S,
sumudbhta K1, gagodbhta T.
surrcita] K1 S T, surrccika N, surnvita C.
tej] K1 S T, tejo C N.
varadnaika] C N S T, varadneka K1; tatpara]
K1 N S T, tatparam C.
nti] K1 N S T, nti C.
me nitya] K1 N S T, satata C S.
bala] K1 N S T, bala C.
me sad] C K1 N S, sarvad T.
Mahisuramardin is usually not included among
this set. Variations in the order and form of the
names occur; essentially they appear to be ivas

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67.

Peter Bisschop
Paurika household: his wife (Um), sons
(Gajavaktra and Skanda), mount (Va), watchmen (Nandin and Mahkla), and close devotees
(Abala/Bhgin and Caa). Dominic Goodall,
gaapati, gaea, in Tntrikbhidhnakoa II,
ed. by H. Brunner, G. Oberhammer, and A.
Padoux (Wien: Verlag der sterreichischen
Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2004).
The three verses are missing in the two Nepalese
palm-leaf manuscripts (Cambridge Add. 1645,
NAK 3/393), but they occur in the Pondicherry
paper transcript (T32) and in Naraharinathas edition. The latter reads:
akhakundendutulybha kahe marakataprabha|
akaml ivgrastha svasajena vyavasthita||
caturmukha catupdas trinetra sarvadojjvala|
kitipatir vo devo dharmo dharmatamottama||
a vahati phena tasmd dharmo jagatprabhu|
vo vavara rmn karotu mama ntikam||

68.

69.
70.

Instead of these three verses, the rad manuscript (S) has four verses addressed to the Gaa
Ghakara and to Viu.
Cf. Judit Trzsk, The Heads of the Godhead.
The Number of Heads/Faces of Yogins and
Bhairavas in Early aiva Tantras, Indo-Iranian
Journal, 56 (2013), 13355.
Bisschop, Once Again, pp. 24346.
The readings are far from clear, but the verses
dedicated to the Arhat (Jina) and the Buddha
may be worth quoting (ivadharmastra 6.
3740, in Naraharinathas edition (see note 8)):
rhanta ntacetaka vivtman vivaytita| (read
-yjita?)
digvs malapaka ca saumyacittasamhita||
samvartalocana nta ivajnaikacintakah|
nti karotu me nta ivayogena bhvita||
jitendriya samdhistha ptracvarabheita|
varadbhayapi ca jnadhynarata sad||
yogadi sadyukta ivajnena bhvita|
nti karotu me deva sarvasattvahite rata||

71.

72.

73.
74.
75.

The last goddess, Lamboh, described as a corpulent (pta) goddess, only features in manuscript K1 and in Naraharinathas edition. The two
verses dedicated to her most probably represent
an early addition in the transmission of the text.
Following this, Naraharinathas edition adds four
verses mentioning creatures in the nether regions
(Mahtala, Rastala, Taltala, Sutala, Nitala,
Vitala, Tala).
Naraharinathas edition includes a list of mountain
names and adds a list of continents (dvpa).
rkas ye] K1 N S T, rkasca C.
rkas ca] C K1 N T, rkas ye S.

76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.

93.
94.
95.
96.

97.

Instead of 217ab T has: svarga jalasth ngayak

ye tu yentarike tu rkas (unmetrical).
sthalasth] K1 N S, sthalastha C.
antarke] K1 N, antarike C, ye ntarike S.
ca] C K1 S, tu N.
bhtale] K1 N, rkas C S T.
ca] C K1, om. N (unmetrical), tu S T.
rudraparya] K1 N, rudrrccane rat C,
rudrrcane rat S T.
After this N and T add two pdas reading: nti
kurvantu me nitya satata ivabhvita.
tu] K1 N S T, ca C.
guhitam] K1 N S T, guhit C.
tejas tasya] K1 N S T, tejasntasya C.
sad] K1 N S T, sad C.
ivadharmastra 6.24445.
The chapter has been critically edited and studied
by De Simini, Ritual Aspects. All references are
to her critical edition.
ivadharmottara 2.6163. De Simini, Ritual
Aspects.
Ibid., pp. 2126.
Epigraphia Carnatica VII, Inscriptions in the
Shimoga District, ed. by Benjamin Lewis Rice
(Mysore: Mysore Archaeological Survey, [n.d.]),
no. 185, translation pp. 11620, transcription pp.
20207, Kannada characters pp. 27377. The
bilingual (Sanskrit-Kannada) inscription belongs
to the Praavevara temple in Tagunda and is
dated 1158 CE.
Ibid., p. 119.
Ibid., p. 119.
<http://catalogue.ngmcp.uni-hamburg.de/wiki/>
[accessed 24 August 2014].
Examples of ntikdhyya manuscripts from the
online NGMCP catalogue that can with certainty
be identied with chapter six of the
ivadharmastra are: A 490-25, A 1112-21, A
1115-12, A 1173-10, A 1216-10(2). There are,
however, also other texts appearing under the
same name. More research is needed to look into
the relations between these texts. Another
ntikdhyya is reported in Haraprasada
Shstr, A Descriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit
Manuscripts in the Government Collection under
the Care of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Volume V:
Pura Manuscripts (Calcutta: Asiatic Society of
Bengal, 1928), no. 4082 (aka 1563, Bengali
script).
Alexis Sanderson, The aiva Religion among the
Khmers, Bulletin de lcole Franaise dExtrmeOrient, 9091 (200304), 349462 (pp. 42223).
Several other references to the ivadharma are
known from Southeast Asia. For example, from
Cambodia: K. 150, 152, Inscriptions de Prst

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Roba Roms, in Inscriptions du Cambodge, V,

ed. by G. Cds (Paris: E. de Boccard, 1953), pp.
19197 (tenth-century, cites ivadharmastra
12.105c106b, attributed to vra ivadharmma);
from Champa: C. 211, Stela from Khu Trung,
in The Inscriptions of Camp at the Museum of
Cham Sculpture in Nng, ed. by A. Griths,

141

A. Lepoutre, W.A. Southworth, and T. Phn (H

Ch Minh: VNUHCM Publishing House, 2012),
pp. 26370 (899 CE, Jayasihavarman, introduces a list of servants [sevaka] to the king who
are said to be ivadharmmaparya, the rst of
which [rkalpa] is an crya and referred to as
ivadharmmabhg).