Vanaspati: Plants and Plant-Life as in Indian Treatises and Traditions c6.t4: 1. General Maxims governing the Conduct of the Cultivators
Vanaspati: Plants and Plant-Life as in Indian Treatises and Traditions c6.t4
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1. General Maxims governing the Conduct of the Cultivators
c6.t4.1
“The master who gets the soil cultivated either by himself or in co-operation with others reaps the full harvest, and next the man who gets the same done by others, himself standing with umbrella spread over his head (i.e., without taking part himself), and the man who sits at home and takes care of his soils thence (i.e., who takes only a theoretical care of his soil) is fated to a life of penury."
c6.t4.2
"The cultivation should be conducted in co-operation of the father with the son, and failing that of a brother with a brother."
c6.t4.3
The whole drift is that the cultivation should be done by men themselves directly interested in the prosperity of the harvest.
c6.t4.4
2. Predictions as to the Influence of Timely and Untimely Showers upon the Crops.
c6.t4.5
"If it rains in the month of Agrahāyan the very king is driven to begging; and if in Pous the husks are sold in their weight in gold; and if in the month of Māgh, the country might be regarded as blessed and the sovereign might be congratulated thereon; and if in Fālgoon, Chinā and Kāon (grains) will grow very plentifully."
c6.t4.6
"The year in which it rains cats and dogs on the ninth day of the full moon in the month of Āshār, the crane will walk over the very bottom of the sea (i.e., absolute drought will visit the land); O! Father-in-law, you need not bother yourself about the further calculation in this matter. If it drizzles on that day it will be followed by a heavy shower of rain throughout the whole year to the extent of making the fish inhabit the tops of mountains (i.e., whole country will be over-flooded). If it rains now and then throughout the year the very earth will not be able to bear the weight of the harvest. If the sky remains clear at the setting of the Sun the farmer will have to sell his bullocks in the market, i.e., the corns will not grow at all.”
c6.t4.7
“Drought in Jaisṭha and shower in Āshāṛ lead to the growth of corn too plentiful for the earth to bear.”
c6.t4.8
“If wind blows from the north-east at the beginning of the year it is sure to have a good shower according to Khanā.”
c6.t4.9
“Khanā says this to the cultivator that if fieecy cloud be followed by wind in the full moon in the month of Kārtik the winter crops will grow too plentiful for the earth and if there be both cloud and rain at night it is altogether useless to go to the field, i.e., the crops will not grow.”