A Note on the Printed Editions of the Śivapurāṇa

Presenter:

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Abstract

From the end of the 19th century, two distinct recensions of the Śivapurāṇa were published, each corresponding to a different organisation and contents of the text. Both these recensions, represented by the edition of the Gaṇapatikṛṣṇajī’s Press, Bombay, 1884, and the Veṅkaṭeśvara Press, Bombay, 1906 respectively, seem to be the result of editorial choices of the time, consisting of groupings and arrangement of textual subdivisions (saṃhitā or khaṇḍa) claiming to belong to the Śivapurāṇa in their colophons. How were the subdivisions, saṃhitā or khaṇḍa, selected? What was the purpose of these publishers? Based on a systematic examination of the Indian and European catalogues of manuscripts and the printed editions of the Śivapurāṇa, this lecture will explore the process that led to the formation of the two recensions of the text, and provide examples of the editorial interventions that took place at different textual levels (frame stories, chapter divisions, commentaries).