Cakradatta (Cikitsasangraha) 63: Adhikāra 63

One should administer to an infant a linctus of *kuṣṭha*, *vacā*, *abhayā*, *brāhmī*, and lotus with honey and clarified butter, / which produces complexion, longevity, and lustre. // 1

In the absence of breast milk, [the child] should drink goat's milk or cow's milk possessing similar qualities. / Extinguishing a red-hot iron ball in mustard oil, / that oil taken as a drink destroys the severe *ulba* disease of children. // 2

Or the paste of the three pungents, *śivā* (harītakī), *ugrā* (vacā), and turmeric, drunk with milk, / entirely eradicates *ulba* and brings utmost brightness to the child. // 3

With a ball of clay heated by fire, moistened with milk, and warm, / one should foment the protruding navel; the oedema is thereby pacified. // 4

In suppuration of the navel, oil boiled with turmeric, *lodhra*, *priyaṅgu*, and *madhuka* / is commended for massage, or dusting with these [powders]. // 5

During a lunar eclipse, the root of *kekriśikhā* (mayūraśikhā) properly uprooted / and bound onto the hips or around the neck, / invariably destroys *ahiṇḍikā*. // 6

The flower of *saptadala* and black pepper ground together with *gorocanā*, / drunk [with water]; likewise the ingestion of burned cake made of cooked rice flour [pacifies it]. // 7

The nose of a jackal, the tongue of a crow, the navel from a boar, / bell-metal, mercury, snake-poison, and the left shin-bone of a monsoon frog — // 8

bound together in a single lump and worn around the neck, waist, etc., / pacifies *ahiṇḍikā*; massage is not very wholesome. // 9

In the *anāmaka* disease, one should consume the heart of a cricket, black pepper, and *gorocanā*, / mixed with fresh butter; it destroys that disease. // 10

On the crown of the head smeared with oil, applying the latex of *saptadala*, *arka*, and *snuhī*, / and then dusting with turmeric powder, the *anāmaka* disease is destroyed. // 11

One should have the child, smeared with butter, licked by a dog. / And anointment with the juice of leaves of *sphuṭaka* is beneficial for it. // 12

One part of oil, / two of urine and juice of bean leaves, / and four times as much cow's milk — / having added these, one should cook the oil; / constant massage with it removes the disease called *anāmaka*. // 13

Taking the floss of *arka* and sheep's wool, / placing them on a cloth smeared with the fresh juice of *keśarāja*, and making a wick smeared with oil, // 14

the child, having its pair of eyes lined with the collyrium produced from it and adorned, / destroys the difficult *anāmaka* disease and also spirits and the like. // 15

Bathing [the child] seated in the bottom of a sieve with cow's urine, / [and then] bathing with the alkaline water of a washerman in a weaver's shed [destroys it]. // 16

A cowrie procured on the *śrāvaṇa* day of slave-purchasing, filled with mercury and worn at the neck, / and sleeping on a lotus leaf, / destroys the very difficult disease called *anāmaka*. // 17

Whatever medication was previously prescribed for adults in fevers and the like, / that very same should be given to children, but its dosage should be smaller. // 18

For an infant born in the first month, one *raktikā* of medicament / should be made into an electuary with honey, milk, sugar, and clarified butter. // 19

One should increase it by one [raktikā] each [month] until one year is reached; / beyond that, the increase should be per year, up to sixteen years of age. // 20

A decoction prepared with the two turmerics, *yaṣṭyāhva*, *siṃhī*, and *śakrayava* / cures fever and diarrhoea in an infant, and overcomes its doṣas. // 21

The powder of *ghanā* (mustā), *kṛṣṇā* (pippalī), *aruṇā* (ativiṣā), and *śṛṅgī*, combined with honey, / cures fever and diarrhoea in an infant, and removes cough, dyspnoea, and vomiting. // 22

A linctus made of *dhātakī*, *bilva*, coriander, *lodhra*, *indrayava*, and *vālaka* / with honey cures fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting in children. // 23

Turmeric, *dāru*, *sarala*, *śreyasī*, the two *bṛhatī*s, / *pṛśniparṇī*, and *śatāhvā*, licked with honey and clarified butter, // 24

kindles the *grahaṇī*, destroys disorders of vāta along with jaundice, / cures fever, diarrhoea, and anaemia, and removes all forms of oedema in children. // 25

A linctus should be prepared with *miśī*, *kṛṣṇā*, antimony collyrium, parched grain, *śṛṅgī*, black pepper, and honey, / which dispels vomiting, cough, and fever in an infant. // 26

Having powdered *śṛṅgī* together with *mustā* and *ativiṣā*, / one should prepare a linctus with honey for infants / afflicted with cough, fever, and vomiting; or likewise with *ativiṣā* alone with honey. // 27

One who vomits breast-milk whenever drunk should be made to lick / the fruit juice of the two *vārtākī*s and *pañcakola* with honey and clarified butter. // 28

A linctus made of mango stone, parched grain, and rock salt with honey dispels vomiting. // 29

Powder of *pippalī* and black pepper with honey and sugar, [taken] / with juice of citron, checks hiccup and vomiting. // 31

A paste made individually of the root of *peṭī*, *pāṭhā*, rose-apple, / or the bark of the mango tree, / formed into a ball and applied to the heart, middle of the navel, palate, and so forth, / invariably checks the severe paroxysm arising from vomiting and diarrhoea. // 31

*Bilva*, flowers of *dhātakī*, / *jala* (bālaka), with *lodhra* and *gajapippalī* — / a decoction and a linctus [made of these] mixed with honey / should be employed in children suffering from diarrhoea. // 32

Water boiled with *samaṅgā*, *dhātakī*, *lodhra*, and *śārivā*, / together with honey, should be given to an infant even in intractable diarrhoea. // 33

One should have the child drink in the morning a decoction prepared with ginger, ativiṣā, musta, vālaka, and indrayava; / it destroys all forms of diarrhoea.

Thick gruel prepared with the ground paste of samaṅgā, dhātakī, lotus, vayasyā, and kacchurā / destroys all forms of diarrhoea.

Having stirred parched grain along with sugar into a decoction of bilva root, / one should have the child drink it; it cures vomiting and diarrhoea.

A paste of priyaṅgu, jujube kernel, musta, and rasāñjana, / licked with honey by a child, removes vomiting, thirst, and diarrhoea.

Mocarasa, samaṅgā, dhātakī, and lotus filaments— / thick gruel prepared with these pounded together destroys diarrhoea with blood.

An electuary compounded as a paste of oil, sugar, honey, sesame, and yaṣṭī / surely arrests the discharge of blood and dysentery in a child.

Parched grain with yaṣṭīmadhu, along with sugar and honey, / sprinkled with rice-water, quickly cures dysentery.

Or root of aṅkoṭa, or root of the banyan tree, / drunk with rice-water, cures diarrhoea / and difficult-to-treat malabsorption syndrome.

Powder of white cumin and sarja resin, / drunk mixed with water extracted from bilva leaves, / destroys colic with āma and blood; or white sarja with jaggery [does the same].

Black pepper, dry ginger, and kuṭaja, / each successively doubled in quantity, / combined with jaggery and buttermilk, quickly cures malabsorption syndrome.

Goat’s milk prepared with bilva, indrayava, ambā, moca, and musta, / drunk by a child, cures malabsorption syndrome accompanied by āma and blood within three nights.

Likewise the juice obtained from jambu bark with an equal quantity of goat's milk. / But in inflammation of the anus in children, one should perform pitta-pacifying treatment.

Rasāñjana, in particular, is beneficial for both drink and external application.

An excellent electuary made of pippalī, sugar, honey, small cardamom, and rock salt / should be administered to children in retention of urine.

Licking powder of rock salt, dry ginger, cardamom, hing, and bhārgī with clarified butter / or with water, a child overcomes tympanites and colic caused by vāta.

A child, having drunk a paste of harītakī, vacā, and kuṣṭha combined with honey / together with breast milk, is freed from falling of the palate.

In stomatitis of children, iron rust with mango kernel / and red ochre combined with honey, together with rasāñjana, is the remedy.

An application of aśvattha bark and leaves with honey is used in stomatitis; / likewise, another is made of dārvī, yaṣṭī, abhayā, and jātī leaves with honey.

Friction applied immediately with snuhī-leaf juice along with lime juice / indeed quickly destroys stomatitis in a child.

The powder of quails, partridges, and gallinules along with honey / swiftly makes children's mouths [red] like a lotus filament.

In diseases arising from dentition, one should not subject the child to excessive restraint; / those ailments subside of their own accord once the teeth have emerged.

As for one born with teeth, or whose upper teeth erupt first, / how could twice-born people bring about pacification for that child? / One should give the child away with a sacrificial fee; one should not worship this one.

One afflicted with hiccup should drink milk boiled with a decoction of the lesser five roots, / along with clarified butter, ginger, and jaggery.

A child afflicted with hiccup, having licked / powder of golden ochre with honey, quickly attains relief.

Citraka, fresh ginger, dantī, and indravāruṇī— / having powdered all these, one should drink them with lukewarm water; / it destroys dyspnoea, cough, and hiccup in children.

Powder of drākṣā, durālabhā, abhayā, and pippalī, / licked with honey and clarified butter, quickly cures dyspnoea, cough, and bronchial asthma.

With puṣkaramūla, ativiṣā, śṛṅgī, pippalī, and dhanvayāsa, / that powder licked with honey relieves the five kinds of cough in children.

Pomegranate seeds, cumin, and nāgakeśara, / powdered and licked with sugar and honey, destroys thirst.

Ash of peacock feathers, / steeped in overnight water, is to be drunk to relieve thirst; / water treated with ash of banyan wood, held in the mouth, overcomes dryness of the mouth.

External application of dārvī, musta, and red ochre ground with goat's milk / is commended; it removes eye diseases in a child.

Realgar, conch-navel, pippalī, and rasāñjana— / a wick-stick combined with honey cures all eye diseases in a child.

Alaktaka, macerated with mother's breast-milk, pungent mustard oil, and fermented gruel, / heated over the flame of an oil lamp, overcomes eye disease through fomentation.

A paste of dry ginger, bhṛṅgarāja, and turmeric, prepared by closed baking with rock salt, / is a good and beneficial eye drop in ophthalmia neonatorum and other eye diseases.

A powder collyrium made of viḍaṅga, orpiment, realgar, dārvī, lac, and kāñcanagairika / is effective in ophthalmia neonatorum and trachoma in children.

A collyrium made from the root powder of sudarśanā is beneficial in ophthalmia neonatorum.

An application of chimney soot, turmeric, kuṣṭha, vāji, and indrayava with buttermilk / quickly cures sidhma, scabies, and eczema in a child.

One should cook clarified butter with a paste of one-fourth part of aśvagandhā and ten parts of milk; / this drink provides nourishment and increases strength for children.

In cāṅgerī juice, one should cook clarified butter with an equal amount of goat's milk, / along with kapittha, three pungents, rock salt, samaṅgā, utpala, and bālaka,

Together with bilva, dhātakī, and mocarasa; this preparation removes all forms of diarrhoea / and cures intractable malabsorption syndrome, especially in children.

Śaṅkhapuṣpī, vacā, brāhmī, kuṣṭha together with triphalā, / drākṣā, sugar, dry ginger, jīvantī, cumin, balā,

Śaṭhī, durālabhā, bilva, pomegranate, surasā, sthirā, / musta, puṣkaramūla, small cardamom, and gajapippalī—

One should cook one prastha of clarified butter with one karṣa of each of these, / in a decoction of kaṇṭakārī and in four times that amount of milk.

This Kumārakalyāṇaghṛta, a jewel among remedies, bestows happiness; / it produces strength and complexion, brings good fortune, and increases nourishment, digestive fire, and vigor.

It removes seizures by all malevolent spirits, inauspiciousness, worms, and disorders of dentition; / it cures all childhood diseases, especially difficult dentition.

Vacā, kuṣṭha, brāhmī, white mustard, / śārivā, rock salt, and pippalī, with clarified butter as the eighth—

This medicated clarified butter is wholesome for the intellect and should be drunk day after day; / the child will obtain firm memory, quick grasp, and wisdom. 79

Neither piśācas, nor rakṣases, nor spirits, nor Mothers / prevail over children who drink this Aṣṭamaṅgala [Ghṛta]. 80

Oil prepared with an equal amount of lac juice, four times as much curd-whey, / along with rāsnā, sandalwood, kuṣṭha, abda, vājigandhā, and both niśās; 81

śatāhvā, dāru, yaṣṭyāhva, mūrvā, tiktā, and hareṇu, / destroys fever and evil spirits in children, and bestows strength and complexion through massage. 82

Bathing with a decoction of sahā, muṇḍitī, and udīcya removes seizures by spirits; / and anointing with saptacchada, niśā, kuṣṭha, and sandalwood [does likewise]. 83

Snake skin, garlic, mūrvā, mustard seeds, leaves of ariṣṭa, / cat feces, hair of a goat, meṣaśṛṅgī, vacā, and honey: 84

this fumigation destroys fever in an infant and dispels all seizing spirits. / Offerings (bali), pacifications, and propitiatory rites must be performed for the pacification of seizing spirits. 85

And in this regard, this wish-granting mantra should be employed at the beginning: 86

“oṃ namo bhagavate garuḍāya tryambakāya sadyastavastutaḥ svāhā . oṃ kaṃ paṃ ṭaṃ śaṃ vainateyāya namaḥ . oṃ hrīṃ hrūṃ kṣaḥ .” Taking a flower garland measuring the height of the child's body from all sides, a propitiatory offering of rice mixed with flies should be offered: “oṃkārī svarṇapakṣī vālakaṃ rakṣa rakṣa svāhā .” The offering to Garuḍa. “oṃ nārāyaṇāya namaḥ .” 87

On the first day, month, or year, the Mother named Nandanā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever arises first; it emits an inauspicious sound, makes gasping noises, and does not take the breast. I shall state the offering for her, by which well-being is achieved: having taken clay from both banks of a river, made a doll, [taking] white cooked rice, white flowers, seven white flags, seven lamps, seven svastikas, seven vaṭakas, seven deep-fried cakes (śaṣkulikā), jambulikās, seven handfuls, perfume, flowers, betel, fish, meat, liquor, and the foremost portion of cooked food, the offering should be given at midday at a crossroads in the eastern direction. Then, throwing an aśvattha leaf into a water-pot, one should bathe [the child] with pacifying water. One should fumigate the child with garlic, white mustard, meṣaśṛṅga, nimba leaves, and offerings discarded from Śiva worship. “oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya amukasya vyādhiṃ hana hana muñca muñca hrīṃ phaṭ svāhā .” Having thus given the offering for three days, on the fourth day one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then well-being is achieved. 88

On the second day, month, or year, the Mother named Sunandā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever arises first; it opens its eyes wide, agitates its limbs, does not sleep, cries out, does not take the breast, and gasping noises occur. I shall state the offering for her, by which well-being is achieved: one handful of husked rice, one earthen shallow dish of curd, jaggery, and clarified butter mixed together, perfume, betel, yellow flowers, seven yellow flags, seven lamps, ten svastikas, fish, meat, liquor, and sesame powder. The offering should be given at twilight at a crossroads in the western direction for three days; then one should bathe [the child] with pacifying water. One should administer fumigation with offerings discarded from Śiva worship, white mustard, cat hair, uśīra, bālaka, and clarified butter. “oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya amukasya vyādhiṃ hana hana muñca muñca hrīṃ phaṭ svāhā .” On the fourth day one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then well-being is achieved. 89

On the third day, month, or year, the Mother named Pūtanā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever arises first; it agitates its limbs, does not take the breast, clenches its fists, cries out, and stares upward. I shall state the offering for her, by which well-being is achieved: having taken clay from both banks of a river, made a doll, [taking] perfume, flowers, betel, red sandalwood, red flowers, seven red flags, seven lamps, seven svastikas, bird meat, liquor, and the foremost portion of cooked food, the offering must be given in the afternoon at a crossroads in the southern direction. One should fumigate [the child] for three days with offerings discarded from Śiva worship, guggulu, mustard seeds, nimba leaves, and meṣaśṛṅga. “oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya bālasya vyādhiṃ hana hana muñca muñca hrāsaya hrāsaya svāhā .” On the fourth day one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then well-being is achieved. 90

On the fourth day, month, or year, the Mother named Mukhamuṇḍikā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever arises first; it bends its neck, opens its eyes wide, does not take the breast, weeps, falls asleep, and clenches its fists. I shall state the offering for her, by which well-being is achieved: having taken clay from both banks of a river, made a doll, [taking] water-lily flowers, perfume, betel, ten flags, four lamps, thirteen svastikas, fish, meat, liquor, and the foremost portion of cooked food, one should give the offering in the afternoon at a crossroads in the northern direction. The fumigation is that of the first month. “oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya hana hana muñca muñca svāhā .” On the fourth day one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then well-being is achieved. 91

On the fifth day, month, or year, the Mother named Kaṭapūtanā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever arises first; it agitates its limbs, does not take the breast, and clenches its fists. I shall state the offering for her, by which well-being is achieved: having taken clay from a potter's wheel, fashioned a doll, [taking] perfume, betel, white cooked rice, white flowers, five flags, five lamps, and five vaṭakas, the offering must be given in the north-eastern direction. One should bathe [the child] with pacifying water, and administer fumigation with offerings discarded from Śiva worship, slough of a snake, guggulu, nimba leaves, bālaka, and clarified butter. “oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya amukasya vyādhiṃ cūrṇaya cūrṇaya hana hana svāhā .” On the fourth day one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then well-being is achieved. 92

On the sixth day, month, or year, the mātṛkā named Śakunikā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. [The child] displays aching limbs, starts up day and night, and looks upward. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: having made an effigy out of flour, one should present the offering consisting of white flowers, red flowers, yellow flowers, perfume, betel, ten lamps, ten flags, ten svastikas, ten handbreadths [of grain], ten vaṭaka cakes, jamun fruits preserved in milk, fish, meat, and liquor, in the south-eastern direction at noon outside [the settlement]. One should bathe [the child] with water for pacification. One should fumigate it with the remains of Śiva's flower-offerings, garlic, guggulu, slough of a snake, neem leaves, and clarified butter: “Oṃ, salutation to Nārāyaṇa! Crush, crush! Slay, slay! Svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then good fortune is attained. // 93

On the seventh day, month, or year, when the mātṛkā named Śuṣkarevatī seizes [the child]: as soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. [The child] twitches its limbs, clenches its fists, and cries. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: red flowers, white flowers, perfume, betel, red cooked rice, kṛśarā, thirteen svastikas, fish, meat, liquor, thirteen flags, and five lamps. In the western quarter, at the edge of the village, in the afternoon, having resorted to a tree, one should present the offering. Bathing [is done] with water for pacification. One should fumigate with guggulu, meṣaśṛṅgī, mustard, uśīra, bālaka, and clarified butter: “Oṃ, salutation to Nārāyaṇa of blazing splendour! Slay, slay! Release, release! Svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then good fortune is attained. // 94

On the eighth day, month, or year, if the mātṛkā named Aryakā seizes [the child]: as soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. A smell of a vulture and a putrid smell arise; it takes no food, and twitches its limbs. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: red and yellow flags, sandalwood, flowers, śaṣkulī pastries, parpaṭikā crisps, fish, meat, liquor, and jambuḍikā cakes; the offering should be given at daybreak in an open field. The mantra: “Oṃ, salutation to Nārāyaṇa, the deliverer of the four quarters! Slay, slay the affliction! Release, release! Oṃ hrīṃ phaṭ svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then good fortune is attained. // 95

On the ninth day, month, or year, the mātṛkā named Bhūsūtikā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. Vomiting occurs constantly, [the child] displays aching limbs, and clenches its fists. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: having taken clay from both banks of a river and made an effigy, one should wrap it in white cloth; [with] white flowers, perfume, betel, thirteen white flags, thirteen lamps, thirteen svastikas, thirteen effigies, thirteen fish effigies, fish, meat, and liquor, one should present the offering in the northern quarter at the edge of the village. Bathing [is done] with water for pacification; one should fumigate with guggulu, neem leaves, cow's horn, white mustard, and clarified butter. The mantra: “Oṃ, salutation to four-armed Nārāyaṇa! Slay, slay! Release, release! Svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then good fortune is attained. // 96

On the tenth day, month, or year, the mātṛkā named Nirṛtā seizes [the child]. As soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. [The child] twitches its limbs, cries out “āt”, weeps, and passes urine and faeces. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: having taken clay from the sea-shore and made an effigy, [with] perfume, betel, red flowers, red sandalwood, five-coloured flags, five lamps, five svastikas, five effigies, fish, meat, and liquor, one should present the offering in the north-western direction. One should fumigate with crow's dung, beef, cow's horn, garlic, cat's hair, neem leaves, and clarified butter: “Oṃ, salutation to Nārāyaṇa whose hand crushes! Release, release! Svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then the child becomes healthy. // 97

On the eleventh day, month, or year, if the mātṛkā named Pilipicchikā seizes [the child]: as soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. It takes no food, gazes upward, and experiences breaking of the limbs. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: having made an effigy out of flour, coloured red with red sandalwood, one should sprinkle its face with milk; yellow flowers, perfume, betel, seven yellow flags, seven lamps, eight vaṭaka cakes, eight śaṣkulikā pastries, eight pūrikā breads, fish, meat, and liquor: the offering is to be given in the eastern direction. Bathing [is done] with water for pacification; one should fumigate with the remains of Śiva's flower-offerings, guggulu, cow's horn, slough of a snake, and clarified butter: “Oṃ, salutation to Nārāyaṇa! Release, release! Svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then the child becomes healthy. // 98

On the twelfth day, month, or year, if the mātṛkā named Kāmukā seizes [the child]: as soon as it is seized by her, fever occurs first. Laughing, [the child] makes sounds; it threatens with its hand, grasps, paces, sighs again and again, and takes no food. I shall declare the offering for it by which good fortune is attained: having made an effigy out of condensed milk, [with] perfume, betel, white flowers, seven white flags, seven lamps, seven pūpikā cakes, and curd-rice held in the hand, one should present the all-action offering, and bathe [the child] with water for pacification. One should fumigate with the remains of Śiva's flower-offerings, guggulu, mustard, and clarified butter: “Oṃ, salutation to Nārāyaṇa! Release, release! Slay, slay! Svāhā.” On the fourth day, one should feed a brāhmaṇa; then the child becomes healthy. // 99