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Lot Essay
This manuscript is a collection of tantric dharanis and yantras, probably produced over a number of years between the 18th and 19th centuries, forming a practical village priest's manual of magical procedures to avert evil influences.
The manuscript contains texts extracted from the classic Newar astrological text, the Graha Santi Vidhi, which details how to avoid the malefic influences of demons (graha) which attack children at certain stages of their life. The stages are computed by days, months, and years (there are some computational tables in the text). Thus one demon will be particularly dangerous during the second day, second month, or second year of life. The title may be translated as "Procedure to Appease Those who Seize", and this indicates that the object is to propitiate the demons rather than to exorcise them. For a detailed study of the texts see Ian Alsop's description of some leaves in the Zimmerman Collection, Art of the Himalayas, 1991, pp. 43-44 and 193.
The manuscript contains texts extracted from the classic Newar astrological text, the Graha Santi Vidhi, which details how to avoid the malefic influences of demons (graha) which attack children at certain stages of their life. The stages are computed by days, months, and years (there are some computational tables in the text). Thus one demon will be particularly dangerous during the second day, second month, or second year of life. The title may be translated as "Procedure to Appease Those who Seize", and this indicates that the object is to propitiate the demons rather than to exorcise them. For a detailed study of the texts see Ian Alsop's description of some leaves in the Zimmerman Collection, Art of the Himalayas, 1991, pp. 43-44 and 193.