A conversation with a friend brought my mind back to the Mānasollāsa, the encyclopedia of the great Cālukya emperor Someśvara-deva. Below is the maṅgalācaraṇam of that work. The last verse is where the author announces himself. There are the following caveats: 1) The text as I have it is unclear in parts and this seems to arise both from the printing and the underlying manuscripts that were used. In the unclear parts I have taken the readings most obvious to me. 2) The translation appended to verses is approximate and the reader should look at the original.
abhīṣṭa-phaladaṃ siddhi-siddhamantraṃ gaṇeśvaram ।
karṇa-tālāniloddhūta-vighna-tūla-lavaṃ numaḥ॥
We salute the Gaṇeśvara, the giver of desired fruits and the success-granting mantra, who blows away the cotton-tangles of obstacles with the draft from the beating of his ears.
saṃvit-sakhī jayaty ekā kā ‘pi śuddhā sarasvatī ।
yayā svataḥ prabuddhānāṃ prakāśo’tiprakāśyate ॥
The friend of consciousness conquers, who else is that one but the pure Sarasvatī, by whose self the luster of the enlightened ones is caused to exceedingly shine forth.
vande bhava-latā-bījaṃ liṅgarūpaṃ maheśvaram।
so ‘vyaktam api suvyaktaṃ yasyāntaḥ sacarācaram ॥
I salute Maheśvara, the seed of the creeper of existence, in the form of a liṅga, he who is unmanifest and also well-manifest and the [cause of] the end of [that manifestation] with all living and non-living bodies.
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare rakṣa māṃ vibho māṃ ramāramaṇa mā vibhuṃ kuru ।
te hare narahare namo’stu me dehi deva padam acyutācyutam ॥
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Hari! protect me!
Me O mighty one! O delighter of Ramā make me powerful.
O Man-lion! Hari! my obeisance is for you, O god Acyuta!
confer on me the state from which one never falls.
naumi veda-dhvani-varaṃ devaṃ dhatte sadaiva hi ।
nābhi-padmodare viṣṇoḥ kvaṇad-bhramara-vibhramam ॥
I salute the god of the excellent chants of the Veda.
Indeed, I always place myself in
the humming of the buzzing bees,
in the womb of Viṣṇu’s navel-lotus.
taṃ namas kurmahe śakraṃ devānām api daivatam ।
yo locana-sahasreṇa viśvakāryāṇi paśyati ॥
I make my obeisance to him, Śakra who is the god of the very gods,
who with his thousand eyes beholds all the happenings of the universe.
yaḥ santataṃ tat tamaḥ paṭalaṃ vidīrya sāvitrikaṃ karaśatair vahati prkāśam ।
taṃ viśva-rakṣaṇa-paṭuṃ paramekam ādyam ādityam adbhuta-vilāsavidhiṃ namāmi॥
Continually rending that screen of darkness,
the impeller, who with his hundred rays bears light,
I salute him, the foremost one, skilled in protecting the world,
the primal Āditya manifesting in a marvelous manner.
sthāṇur yasyecchayā jātaḥ śarīrārdha-bhṛta-priyaḥ ।
arikta-śaktaye tasmai namaḥ kusuma-dhanvane ॥
By whose wish Sthāṇu came to share half his body with his wife,
Obeisance is for him of no mean power, the wielder of the flowery bow.
cālukya-vaṃśa-tilakaḥ śrī-someśvara-bhūpatiḥ ।
kurute mānasollāsaṃ śāstraṃ viśvopakārakam ॥
The forehead-mark of the Cālukya-s, the king śrī Someshvara, has composed the encyclopedia Mānasollāsa for the benefit of the world.
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 