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APPENDICES: PADMAVATI STOTRA, ETC.
eye-opener for it names Padmavati and Tārā as distinct Shaktis. Further carried to its logical extreme such argument would eliminate all the deities identified and one would have to come to the absurd conclusion that no deity except Tärä ever existed. The passage also shows that both Padmavati and Tārā were known before the advent of Buddhist Tantras, as Rudrayamala is known to be an earlier work. Further, Vairotyāstotra of Arya Nandila (circa 130 Vikrama era) expressly mentions Padmavati.
"जा धरणोरगदइया देवी पउमावई अ वइरुहा ।
सप्पसहस्सेहिं जुआ देवी फिर किंकरा जाया ||२||" मेरो व्यास्तोत्रम् ॥
313
Nirvanakalikā p. 37 also mentions Padmavati. The text of Uvasaggaharastotra purporting to include the Mantric gāthās belived to have been secreted away to prevent abuse thereof also mentions Padmavati in three of them as follows:
"ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं पास विसदर विज्जामंतेण शाणज्झायम्यो । धरण पउमावइदेवी ॐ ह्रीं यूँ स्वाहा ||८|| ॐ धुणामि पास ॐ ह्रीं पणमामि परमभत्तीए । अक्खर धरणिदपउमावई पयढियकिति ॥९॥ जस्स पयकमले सया वसई पोमावई धरणिंदो । तस्स नामेण सयले बिसहरविसं नासेई ||१०|| "
This will conclusively prove the ancient character of the worship of Sri Padmavati much earlier than the 7th century A. D.
APPENDIX 6
Appendix 6 contains a hymn to Sri Padmavati by Municandra alias Municandranatha who cannot be identified with any of the three famous Municandrasüris who flourished in the 12th century of Vikrama
× They are probably of later date than the original text of 5 gathās.
+ Sri Padmavati's 'parivara' can be ascertained from her Yantra, vv. 13 to 21, ch. III, Bhairava Padmava i Kalpa. It may be interesting to note that there is a marble image of Sri Padmavati in a Jain temple at Idar showing the same symbols as are described in her Dhyana in v. 12, ch. II ibid. as has been observed by Mr. Sarabhai Nawab the publisher hereof.
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