Kashmir Series and Texts
Kashmir Series and Texts comprises more than One Hundred volumes, published from 1911-1960s by the Research Department of Jammu and Kashmir State. Initially all Sanskrit Texts from Ancient Kashmir Shaivism Philosophy were published by Maharaja Pratap Singh( Jammu and Kashmir state) later texts of other Indian Philosophies were also added in this collection of Texts . This practice continued after independence of India in 1947 also for some years .later in 1960s this was discontinued .
This project was initial sponsored of His Highness Mahārāja Pratap Singh, and was continued by his nephew, Mahārāja Hari Singh Bahadur from 1926-1947. The initial impetus to collect rare manuscripts was started by His Highness Mahārāja Ranbir Singh (1830-1885). Fluent in both Sanskrit and Persian language, he had a great love for philosophy, and organized pundits and scribes to translate and transliterate various religious texts.
This work was continued during the ruling of Ranbir Singh’s son and successor, Mahārāja Pratap Singh (1848-1925), who like his father, exhibited great respect for all spiritual endeavors. Pratap Singh built numerous temples, refurbished those which stood dilapidated, and showed deep affection for saints and scholars of all traditions.
On a small stretch of land adjacent to his palace he organized the construction of a kutiya (cottage) where he accommodated a renown saint of the Kula System of Kashmir Shaivism, Swami Mana Kāk.
The Mahārāja often paid his respects to the mysterious saint, and on the Swami’s passing from this world, that same respect was transferred to the saint’s chief disciple, Swami Rām. It so happened that Swami Rām was the family priest of one Kashmiri Pandit, Narayan Das Raina, who happened to be the father of Swami Lakshmanjoo. Pt Narayan Das ( father of Swami Lakshmanjoo) was very industrious, and apart from being one of the first Kashmiri Pandits to learn the English language, he also organized the construction of the first Houseboats for accommodating travelers to Kashmir.
He had a close relationship with the Mahārāja, and was often called upon to render his services in numerous of ways.1 History records that this was a time of spiritual renaissance in Kashmir, but it is little known that it was Swami Rām who requested the Mahārāja to gather all of the important manuscripts of Shaiva Philosophy, that had been scattered here and there during the 500 years of Moghal Rule (1320-1850). Mahārāja acceded to the Swami Ram’s request and thus was initiated the Kashmir Series of Text and Studies.
In 1906 ,Pt. Narayan Das and his wife, Arnimal, approached Swami Rām with the humble request that he bless them with a son. Swami Rām handed Arnimal five almonds and said, “Take these, and not only will you have a son, but he will be a great saint in the tradition of Kashmir’s Trika Shaivism. Ten months later, on the 9th of May 1907, Swami Lakshmanjoo was born.
Swami Rām’s far-sighted vision for the continuation of the Shaiva tradition became apparent in the young boy’s behavior. As Swamiji grew from childhood to adolescence he exhibited clear signs of one who was destined for the Spiritual Path. Needless to say, by the time Swamiji was eighteen (1925), and ready to begin his formal study of the ancient teachings of Trika Shaivism, almost all of the major texts were available through the KSTS. Had this not been the case, it would have been an immense task to single handedly collect all of the important Shaiva manuscripts for one’s personal study.
Mahāraja’s research program also procured a number of competent scholars, one of which Swamiji chose ( Pt Maheshwar Nath Razdan ) for his formal tuition in Sanskrit and Shaiva philosophy.
Kashmir Series and Texts is 1st Printed available Sanskrit text of all Major texts of Kashmir Shaiva Philosophy.