History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c24.s3.t2.4

v1.c24.s3.t2.4

Through experience the cultivator had realised that all seeds do not germinate. According to a passage in the *Milindapañho* (IV.1.64; I,p.193), the failure of a seed to germinate is, to a great extent, due to defects. The similies based on infertile seeds imply a general awareness of the properties of a seed. The *Mahābhārata* (XII.320.33) refers to parched grains as seeds unfit to grow. The *pulākā* grains mentioned in the *Mahābhārata* (XII.181.7) are explained by Nīlakaṇṭha as those rendered incapable of growing due to the excessive underground heat. Another passage in the *Mahābhārata* mentions the fruitlessness of *saṇḍa-tilas* and *kākayavas* (II.77.13). According to Nīlakaṇṭha, *kākayavas* is a term for a seed separated from its outer skin and thus rendered unproductive.