A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s17.t1: Contents

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s17.t1

Language: English

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The treatise consists of two parts: a Gaṇadravyāvali (69 verses),²³⁰ preceded by an introduction (19 verses), and the Nighaṇṭu in its proper sense (about 1,550 verses).²³¹

The introductory verses open with a salutation to Dhanvantari; the author states thereupon that he is going to deal with the Sanskrit and Prakrit names of those among the endless number of vegetable and other substances which are useful in medicine. He hints at the compilatory character of his work by referring to the nighaṇṭus he consulted before composing his own treatise.²³²

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²³² [Text of the note]

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The Gaṇadravyāvali divides the medicinal substances into seven large groups (varga), subdivided into smaller units (gaṇa). The substances belonging to each of these gaṇas are enumerated, together with their actions and modes of employment.²³³ The names occurring in the lists of the Gaṇadravyāvali are mostly those of the first member of a series of synonyms of the Nighaṇṭu or consist of a commonly employed synonym. Exceptions to this rule are, for example, the two plants called puṇya (1.4)²³⁴ and suparṇī (1.5),²³⁵ sudhā (1.9),²³⁶ and gṛñjana (4.4).²³⁷ The total number of items of the Gaṇadravyāvali is said to be 373 (7.3), but the actual number of drugs described in the Nighaṇṭu is much larger.

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²³³ [Text of the note]

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²³⁴ [Text of the note]

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²³⁵ [Text of the note]

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²³⁶ [Text of the note]

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²³⁷ [Text of the note]

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One of the principles governing the composition of the Dhanvantariyanighaṇṭu is to regard particular drugs, listed in the Gaṇadravyāvali, as representatives of a group of substances and to describe the members of such a group separately in the Nighaṇṭu,²³⁸ either as a viśeṣa²³⁹ or in a different way.²⁴⁰ A related type of summarizing occurs especially in the lists of the sixth varga of the Gaṇadravyāvali: taila (6.7) refers to many kinds of oil, payas (6.7) to both milk and dadhi, etc. At the end of the sixth varga the Gaṇadravyāvali is said to have been expounded by Dhanvantari,²⁴¹ a statement that one expects to occur at the end of the seventh varga. This may imply that the seventh varga is a later addition,²⁴² the more so since the Gaṇadravyāvali omits to mention a large part of its contents.

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²³⁸ [Text of the note]

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²³⁹ [Text of the note]

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²⁴⁰ [Text of the note]

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²⁴¹ [Text of the note]

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²⁴² [Text of the note]

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The Nighaṇṭu, which deals with the synonyms of each drug and its properties and actions, follows the Gaṇadravyāvali in arranging the medicinal substances into seven large groups:²⁴³ (1) guḍūcyādivarga, drugs which eliminate one or more of the doṣas; (2) śatapuṣpādivarga, mainly consisting of spices; (3) candanādivarga, consisting of fragrant substances; (4) karavīrādivarga, containing various plants; (5) āmrādivarga, fruit-bearing trees; (6) suvarṇādivarga, describing metals, minerals, (semi)precious stones, and articles of diet; (7) miśrakādivarga, describing groups of drugs and poisonous substances.

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²⁴³ [Text of the note]

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As already said before, the number of drugs dealt with in the Nighaṇṭu is considerably larger than that mentioned in the Gaṇadravyāvali, because it distinguishes many varieties. This procedure is carried very far in some instances: vijayā (1.130–131)244 is regarded as a variety of medā, khastila (6.120)245 as a kind of grain. In rare cases it happens that the Nighaṇṭu describes a plant which is absent from the Gaṇadravyāvali and not considered to be a variety of some other plant listed in the latter.246 The Dhanvantariyanighaṇṭu ends with lists of ekārthas and anekārthas, 247 called Uttaranighaṇṭu.248

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The compilatory character of the work is confirmed by the presence of quotations.249 Sources are not mentioned by name, Nāgārjuna excepted,250 but the author may have been acquainted with the Aṣṭāṅganighaṇṭu, since verses from that work form part of the Dhanvantariyanighaṇṭu.251 The Rasaratnasamuccaya or some of its sources may also have been consulted.252

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The Dhanvantariyanighaṇṭu is a work that gained much prestige.253 A later treatise that was heavily influenced by it is the Sodhalanighaṇṭu, which repeats a large part of the Gaṇadravyāvali254 and many verses from the Nighaṇṭu.255

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Authors and works quoting from or referring to the Dhanvantariyanighaṇṭu256 are: Aruṇadatta,257 the commentary on the Āyurvedābdhisāra,258 Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita in his Tithinirṇayapradīpa,259 Bhāvamiśra in some glosses on his Bhāvaprakāśa, Candranandana,260 Cūḍāmaṇimiśra in his Rasakāmadhenu, Haridattaśāstrin in his commentary on the Rasataraṅgiṇī, Hemacandra in his auto-commentary on the Abhidhānacintāmaṇi,261 Hemādri,262 Indu in his commentary on the Aṣṭāṅgasamgraha,263 Jñānavimalagaṇi in his commentary on Maheśvara’s Śabdabhedaprakāśa,264 Kṛṣṇadatta in his commentary on Trimalla’s Śataślokī, Kṣīrasvamin in his commentary on the Amarakosa,265 Mahendra Sūri in his commentary on Hemacandra’s Anekārthasamgraha,266 Mallinātha267 in his commentary on the Amarakośa,268 Maṅkha in his Anekārthakoṣa,269 Raghunātha in his Bhojanakutūhala, the Śālīgrāmanighaṇṭubhūṣaṇa of the Brhannighaṇṭuratnākara, Priyavrat Śarmā in the auto-commentary on the Dravyaguṇasūtra, Śivadāsasena in his commentary on the Uttarasthāna of the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā,270 Śrīdāsapaṇḍita,271 Śrīvallabhagaṇi in his commentary on Hemacandra’s Nighaṇṭuśeṣa,272 the Tāmbūlamañjarī, Vardhamāna in his Gaṇaratnamahodadhi,273 and Yādavjī Trikamjī in his Rasāmṛta.

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The Dhanvantariyanighaṇṭu was one of the sources of Mahendra Sūri’s commentary on Hemacandra’s Anekārthasamgraha,274 Maṅkha’s Anekārthakoṣa,275 and Raghunāthajī’s Nighaṇṭusamgraha.