Devishataka 103_76

103_76

"May he protect you" and so forth: At the beginning of the text, for the purpose of removing the three kinds of obstacles, the poet, like a statement of salutation, fittingly [wrote]:
1. It is not certain when the author of this Īśvaraśataka with commentary, the illustrious poet Avatāra, was born in Kashmir. However, the grandfather of Rājānaka Ratnakaṇṭha, the commentator on the Stutikusumāñjali, was also named Avatāra, as appears from the passage at the conclusion of the commentary on the Stutikusumāñjali: "Best of all scholars, whose wisdom surpassed [even that of the] minister Bannahā; from him was born Avatāra, as if an incarnation of scholarship..." And Ratnakaṇṭha composed the Stutikusumāñjali commentary in the Vikrama year 1738, as is clear right there; therefore, Avatāra's time was around the Christian year 1622. If he alone is the poet Avatāra, the creator of this Śataka with commentary, then the time of his existence is indeed determined. Two manuscripts of this Śataka with commentary were obtained by us. One of them was kindly sent by the scholar Professor Bhāṇḍārkar from the Government Library located in Pune. The other was sent by the scholar Dayārāma, titled Astrologer, from the city of Kashmir. In both manuscripts there is generally no difference, and both are written in Kashmir, so they appear to be identical copies. Based on this alone, this printing is undertaken. May there be auspiciousness.