Sanskrit Manuscripts : Vasudhārādhāraṇī

Sanskrit Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> The <i>Vasudhāradhāraṇī</i>, dedicated to Vasudhārā, the <i>bodhisattva</i> of wealth, prosperity, and abundance (who has a strong following among the Newar Buddhists of the Kathmandu valley), is taught by the Buddha in Kauśāmbī to the rich merchant and layman Sucandra. He has been reduced to poverty and so requests a sermon from the Lord so that he may provide for his own family and so that all beings may become prosperous. This scripture includes a <i>dhāraṇī</i> along with enumerations of benefits and ritual instructions for use. This illuminated palm-leaf manuscript, dated 1123 CE and written under the reign of Śivadeva, is one of the earliest extant manuscripts of the <i>Vasudhāradhāraṇī</i>. According to the colophon, it was commissioned by a pious Buddhist layman, Rudākarasiṃha by name, as a meritorious gift (<i>deyadharmo 'yaṃ pravaramahāyānayāyinaḥ paramopāsakarudākarasiṃhasya</i>).</p>