Bhīṣmastavarāja

Bhīṣmastavarāja also known as Rājadharma anuśāsana parva is the1st part out of the 3, from the 12th Parva (chapter) of the epic Mahābhārata, that is Śānti Parva. There are a total of 18 Parvas in Mahābhārata. Bhīṣmastavarāja consists of about 108 Ślokas (Metered Verses) depending on the edition. . The text describes about the Rāja Dharma. The duties of a king or Leader with respect to various things. This text is also popularly recited as a prayer. This Ms. contains the following speaker titles [1] Janmejaya Uvāca and [2] Vaiśampāyana Uvāca after Śloka no.1 present in (f.1b), [3] Bhīṣma Uvāca in (f.1a) after Śloka no.12, [4] Vaiśampāyana Uvāca in (f.7b) after Śloka no.12. On (f.8a) after Śloka no. 21 there are some extra verses that are not found in the popular edition. All the verses in the text are in Anuṣṭup Chanda (meter) but Śloka no. 21 is in Rucirā Chanda. It is commonly seen in Mahākāvyas that the ending verse of a chapter is in a different meter by the author. This Ms. is written in 12 lines per folio. Cover page contains title in red. Some vertical text in Persian script is written on the cover page. The folios have a geometrical border in orange, red, and black around the text creating a frame. The script is highly decorative and calligraphic looking similar to block prints. The (Pūrna Virāma) full stop style vertical brackets are in red. Mistakes are covered with yellow or blocked out.