Pañcarakṣāsūtra

This is a Buddhist tantra text containing mantras dedicated to five Buddhist deities. The original text dedicates mantras in five sections, one for each deity. The manuscript begins with Āryamahāpratisarāmahāvidyāmahārājñārakṣāvidhānakalpāvidyādhara (f.1b–29b); Āryamahāsāhasrapramarddanīnāma-mahāyānasūtra (f.29b–60a); Āryamahāmāyūrīvidyārājñāsarvārthasādhanī (f.60a–105b); Āryamahāśītavatīnāmamahāvidyāmahānusaṃsārakṣāsūtra (f.105b–108a); Āryamahārakṣāmahāmantrānusāraṇīnāmamahāyānasūtrarakṣākalpa (f.108a–112b). The colophon of the manuscript provides details of the donor’s family, the purpose of the donation, the name of the scribe, and the date of the manuscript’s completion. It appears that the manuscript was created during the reign of King Jayanarendra Malladeva of Nepal. In the colophon, the scribe states that the manuscript was produced and donated during the time of Jayanarendra Malladeva, who is identified with the Malla king Amara Malla (1530–1560). The colophon also mentions that the donor resided at Pārāvata Mahāvihāra, Kantipura, Nepal. The donor was Śākyabhikṣu Amṛtasiṃha, together with his wife Rathanalakṣmī, his son Śākyabhikṣu Jayacandra, his daughter-in-law Vijayalakṣmī, and his grandson Śākyabhikṣu Jayatasiṃha. The donation was made for good health, economic prosperity, and a place in heaven in the afterlife. The manuscript was copied in Kathmandu, and the scribe was a resident of Sikamaguḍi-Tanuvara-Mahāvihāra