Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c5.365

c5.365

There were, first of all, the teachers (ācariyas) who gave lessons in the three Vedas and other sciences (tayo vedā sippāni ca).¹¹ The Physicians (tikicchakā) carried sacks upon their backs, root-filled and fastened tight, whose stock-in-trade were healing herbs and magic spells.¹² Surgeons (vejje) there were also, who could fit a man, who might need it, with a false tip to his nose, which was cunningly painted for all the world like a real nose¹³ or who could, with a masterly skill, take out eyes from the sockets of a person.¹⁴ The vatthuvijjācariyas were men ‘who were skilled in the lore which tells what are good sites for a building.’¹⁵ The lakkhaṇapāṭhakas were those who were well-versed in aṅgavijjā or the science of prognostication from marks on the body, chiromantics, palmistry etc.;¹⁶ and there were others, the fortune-tellers—nemittā—who read future from the study of the constellations and the movements of the astral bodies.¹ Some plied their trade of doctoring for the devil-stricken people (*bhūtavejjā*)² and others, with the help of *cintāmaṇivijjā*, successfully traced out the foot-steps of the absconders.³ The *paṇḍitas* and the poets (*kabbakārā*) composed and recited their poetry (*gītam*) and were richly paid for it.⁴ The snake-charmers (*ahi-guṇṭhikā*), who were clever in catching snakes, specially with the help of a tricky monkey,⁵ earned their livelihood by exhibiting their power and command over the snakes.⁶ Similar, and equally servile, occupations were those of a mangoose-tamer (*koṇḍadamako*)⁷ and others who lived on various charms and incantations.⁸