History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c24.s4.16

v1.c24.s4.16

The element of popular superstition is clearly discernible in regard to the pests listed in the mantra. In one source27 the incantation mentions the demoness Triputi and her seven sons as being in the guise of pests like bhombha, bhombhī, pāṇḍaramukhī, gāndhī, dhūliśṛṅgī, etc. In one manuscript of the Vṛkṣāyurveda simasira, ratri, hira(?),paṇḍara, bhūdika (?), lapoka(?), dhuli, simhi, gabhandaka etc. and subhranaka (?), cakata (?), kata (?), hogs, deer, buffaloes, etc.are the harvest-destroying brood of the demon Taraka.