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Vanaspati: Plants and Plant-Life as in Indian Treatises and Traditions c5.s2: Section II. Germination

Vanaspati: Plants and Plant-Life as in Indian Treatises and Traditions c5.s2

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Section II. Germination

c5.s2.2

The process of germination is technically called *ankuródbheda*, a term which means sprouting, *i.e.*, the awakening of life latent in the seed under certain given conditions. And the conditions are—supply of air, water and warmth. We read in the Suśruta¹:

c5.s2.3

¹ Suśruta, Śārīrasthāna. ii, 33.

c5.s2.4

ऋतु क्षेत्राम्बुबीजानां सामग्रादङ्कुरो यथा—

c5.s2.5

"Just as the proper season (*ritu*), good soil (*kshetra*), water (*ambu*), and vigorous seeds (*vīja*), together with proper care, help the germination of strong and undiseased sprouts..."²

c5.s2.6

² Vol. II, p. 129, English Translation by Kunjalal Visagratna, 1911.

c5.s2.7

Again in Guṇaratna's Commentary on the Ṣaḍdarśana-samuchchaya:

c5.s2.8

वटपिप्पलनिम्बादीनां प्रावृड्जलधरनिनादशिशिरायु-संस्पर्शादङ्कुरोद्भेदः ॥

c5.s2.9

"The seeds of *Vata* (Ficus Indica), *Pippala* (Ficus Religiosa), *Nimva* (Melia azadirachta) and the rest, sprout during the rainy season under the influence of dew and air (when sown).”¹

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¹ Guṇaratna’s Commentary, Śloka 49, p 157. Ṣaḍdarśana-samuchaya, Bibliotheca Indica, new series 1151, 1907.

c5.s2.11

The following aphorisms of Khanā also contain the following direction of aerating the soil for different plants :

c5.s2.12

“For the successful cultivation of cotton one has to plough the land 16 times, for radish 8 times, for paddy 4 times and for betel nil.”²

c5.s2.13

² ষোল চাষে তুলা, তার অর্দ্ধেক মুলা। তার অর্দ্ধেক ধান, বিনা চাষে পান॥

c5.s2.14

The soundness of the directions becomes at once manifest when one takes into consideration that cotton plant has an elaborate root-system, radish is a herb, paddy is a surface feeder, and betel is a climber that produces numerous adventitious aerial roots.

c5.s2.15

From the above we see that the factors of air, water and warmth (proper season) are regarded as necessary for successful germination of seeds.

c5.s2.16

The seedling is called *ankura*, *avinavodvid*, which etymologically means that the plant becomes visible for the first time by it. Scientifically this term is more accurate than its English synonym “seedling”.

c5.s2.17

Although the ancients laid down the conditions of germination arrived at by practical experience, they have not, so far as our knowledge goes, cared to state the stages of germination as is done in the modern treatises on the subject. Yet the Sanskrit word *uttānapāda* taken from the vegetable world is significant. During germination it is the Radicle (*mūla, pāda*), the primary root, that comes out first, even in whatever position the seed is placed. The words *uttānapāda*, *ūrdhvamūla* mean “the root foremost.” Thus it is not inconceivable that they did not fail to notice the first stage in germination.

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