Vaiśākhapurāṇa(Mahatmya)

This manuscript represents a significant Odia recension of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, specifically the first book (Prathama Skandha) and first chapter, composed by the celebrated sixteenth-century poet Jagannātha Dāsa, a foundational figure in Odia Vaishnava literature. The text sample exhibits characteristic features of Gaudiya Vaishnava devotional expression, including invocatory verses to Gaṇeśa, Sarasvatī, Nārāyaṇa, and Vyāsa, followed by the distinctive dialogue structure (Śuka uvāca, Bhagavān uvāca) and the poet's signature refrain invoking Gaṇanātha and Jagannātha. The colophon indicates royal patronage under a Gajapati ruler of the Gaudeśvara lineage, with the manuscript's completion dated to the waning fortnight of Mārgasīrṣa month, while the scribe's humble admission of potential errors ('andha akṣara cihnili nāhi') offers valuable insight into early modern Odia textual production practices.