A History of Indian Medical Literature v2.c36.119

v2.c36.119

a (semi-)precious stone called masāragalla (the corresponding passage of the Carakasaṃ- hitā has sasāragandha), obviously unknown to Indu, who simply explains it as a kind of gem (maṇiviśeṣa). The masāragalla is known from the Milindapañha (*2.19.8), where I.B. Horner (1963: I, 166) interprets it as cat's eye in his translation, from the Aṅguttaranikāya (*2.19.8), where the word is also rendered as cat's eye in the translation of *E.M. Hare, and from the Abhidhānappadīpikā (*2.6.46; see E. Burnouf, 1973: 319–320). A precious substance called musāragalva is found in an incomplete Sanskrit version of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, translated into French by E. Burnouf (1973: 319–320); see also M.Th. de Mallmann (1967: 29), who translates the term by amethyst(?). The same term also occurs in the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra, where E. Lamotte (1966: I, 599) renders it by oeil-de chat (cat's eye) (compare M.-Th. de Mallmann, 1967: 29). A stone called masāra or musāra is also known (see S. Lévi, 1905: 258). See on the various names: E. Burnouf (1973): 319–320. Compare the Pali dictionaries. See on masāragalla: M. Winder (1987).