Prajñāpāramitā Ekaviṃśati-Stotra: Praise of Prajñāpāramitā in Twenty-One Lines with Newar Commentary by Niṣṭhānanda Vajrācārya. A Study and Translation

This study is an annotated edition and translation of Niṣṭhānanda Vajrācārya’s 1909 Newar commentarial translation of the Prajñāpāramitā Ekaviṃśati-Stotra, a devotional praise of the Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom) attributed to Rāhulabhadra (c. 2nd century ce), a contemporary of Nāgārjuna. The paper also features an extensive introduction which discusses the stotra by Rāhulabhadra and provides a brief introduction to the Newar language and Buddhism, a biographical introduction to Niṣṭhānanda Vajrācārya (1858–1935), a discussion of his commentarial translation into Newar, a linguistic note, and an explanation of the conventions utilised in editing and translating the text. The edition is based on two source-texts—a manuscript copy (Āśā Saphu Kuthi DP no. 4075) and Niṣṭhānanda’s second printed edition—and features a critical apparatus. For comparative purposes, a translation of the Chinese text (the earliest witness for the stotra) is also provided in an appendix. The study focuses on Niṣṭhānanda Vajrācārya, a central figure in the Newar Buddhist revival. His 1909 translation was one of the earliest movable-type Newar publications. His commentarial translation integrates doctrinal elaborations characteristic of Newar Buddhist exegesis. The study explores his interpretive strategies, particularly his emphasis on Prajñāpāramitā as a goddess, text, and devotional object. This study highlights the transmission and adaptation of Prajñāpāramitā literature in Nepal, revealing the interplay between textual traditions, religious practice, and vernacular exegesis. The Ekaviṃśati emerges as both a philosophical treatise and a lived text within Newar Buddhist communities.