History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c19.59

v1.c19.59

Though the second *prakaraṇa* is entitled *gandhodakādi*, perfumed water etc., it, in fact, deals with a great variety of items of cosmetics and perfumery, such as, pañcavidha-gandhajalam, udvartanam, snānajalam, jalavāsaḥ, mṛgarājaḥ, dhupaḥ, varttiḥ, uddhūlanam, niryāsaḥ, syandaḥ, kusumadrutiḥ, gandhasankramaṇam, kṛtrimadravyāṇi, dravyamelaka prakāraḥ, and others. This is also the most important and extensive chapter insofar as it has 392 verses as compared with 91 verses in the first and 120 verses in the third chapter, and also because it deals at great length with a good number of varieties of each of the items enumerated above. For a clear understanding of the matter discussed in this chapter, the author has provided seven tabular presentations, out of the total ten, the remaining three being given in the third chapter. These tables are parts of the text, since the items mentioned in the columns and the number of combinations that could be prepared by their alternate use, are first described in the verses. For instance in verses 42-44 the author explains the manner in which a great number of combinations of incenses¹⁸ can be made: