The Ratnākara-panca-viṃśatikā is a rather popular hymn in Sanskrit, in 25 stanzas. It is often sung and is available in recorded form, known mostly in the modern Indian form of its title as Ratnākara-pacīsī. Ratnākara is the name of the man generally believed to have written this devotional song, although the date of its composition is unknown.
This is a rather late instance of a manuscript, since it was copied in 1876 (1913 of the Vikrama era). A Jain lay woman copied it for a nun called Candana-śrīji. In the colophon, the name of the copyist is also given. This shows the different actors involved in the manuscript production.
Although the present manuscript is not extraordinary, its format is interesting. The copyist seems to have laid it out to be as clear and pedagogical as possible. The lines are well spaced, with the Sanskrit text in larger script. The Gujarati commentary is clearly separated from it, and arranged in compartments below and above. Written in red ink and clearly marked, the numbers of the verses are easy to spot.
