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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s28: The Kakṣapuṭa by Siddha Nāgārjuna

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s28

Language
English

The Kakṣapuṭa by Siddha Nāgārjuna

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The *Kakṣapuṭa*,⁹⁰⁷ ascribed to Siddha Nāgārjuna, is a Tantric treatise on ṣaṭkarman.⁹⁰⁸

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⁹⁰⁷ [^907]:

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⁹⁰⁸ [^908]:

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Contents⁹⁰⁹ The work consists of more than 500 verses and some prose,⁹¹⁰ arranged in twenty chapters (paṭala). The subjects are listed in chapter one: vaśya,⁹¹¹ ākarṣaṇa, stambha, moha, uccāṭa, māraṇa, vidveṣa, vyādhikaraṇa,⁹¹² paśusasyārthanāśana,⁹¹³ kautuka, indrajāla, yakṣiṇīmantrasādhana, ceṭaka,⁹¹⁴ añjana, divya, adṛśya, pādukāgati, guṭikā,⁹¹⁵ khecaratva,⁹¹⁶ mṛtasaṃjīvana,⁹¹⁷ etc. (1.11cd–13).⁹¹⁸

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⁹⁰⁹ [^909]:

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⁹¹⁰ [^910]:

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⁹¹¹ [^911]:

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⁹¹² [^912]:

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⁹¹³ [^913]:

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⁹¹⁴ [^914]:

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⁹¹⁵ [^915]:

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⁹¹⁶ [^916]:

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⁹¹⁷ [^917]:

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⁹¹⁸ [^918]:

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The titles of the chapters are: (1) mantrasādhana (111 verses); (2) sarvavaśīkaraṇa⁹¹⁹ (47 verses); (3) rājavaśīkaraṇa⁹²⁰ (25 verses); (4) strīvaśyādidrāvaṇa (73

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⁹¹⁹ [^919]:

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⁹²⁰ [^920]:

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verses); (5) pativaśya⁹²¹ (21 verses); (6) ākarṣaṇa⁹²² (13 verses); (7) gatistambhana⁹²³ (65 verses); (8) sainyastambhana⁹²⁴ (21 verses); (9) mohana and uccāṭana⁹²⁵ (30 verses); (10) māraṇa⁹²⁶ (20 verses); (11) vidveṣaṇa⁹²⁷ (61 verses); (12) kautuka⁹²⁸ (21 verses); (13) indrajālavidyāsādhana⁹²⁹ (75 verses); (14) yakṣiṇīsādhana⁹³⁰ (33 verses); (15) sarvāñjanādinidhidarśana⁹³¹ (48 verses); (16) nidhivaśīkaraṇa⁹³² (10 verses); (17) adṛśyakaraṇa⁹³³ (42 verses); (18) pādukāsādhana⁹³⁴ (15 verses); (19) kālavañcana (28 verses); (20) sarvasaṃkhyāsādhana (69 verses).⁹³⁵

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⁹²¹ [^921]:

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⁹²² [^922]:

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⁹²³ [^923]:

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⁹²⁴ [^924]:

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⁹²⁵ [^925]:

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⁹²⁶ [^926]:

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⁹²⁷ [^927]:

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⁹²⁸ [^928]:

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⁹²⁹ [^929]:

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⁹³⁰ [^930]:

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⁹³¹ [^931]:

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⁹³² [^932]:

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⁹³³ [^933]:

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⁹³⁴ [^934]:

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⁹³⁵ [^935]:

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Of some interest with regard to medicine are two parts of chapter eleven which deal with procedures bringing about disease in adversaries (among the disorders mentioned are lūtā, a type of ulcer, galatkuṣṭha, a form of leprosy, and pādasamkoca, a contracture of the feet), and one section of chapter nineteen which describes signs of impending death (mṛtyulakṣaṇajñāna).

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The author informs us in the first chapter (6–9) that his treatise is an extract from earlier works:⁹³⁶ Śāmbhava,⁹³⁷ Yāmala, Maula, Kauleya, Ḍāmaratantra,⁹³⁸ Svacchanatantra,⁹³⁹ Kākula,⁹⁴⁰ Śauca, Rājatantra,⁹⁴¹ Amṛteśvaratantra,⁹⁴² Uddīśatantra, Vātulatantra,⁹⁴³ Ucchiṣṭa,⁹⁴⁴ Siddhiśābaratantra,⁹⁴⁵ Kinkiṇī,⁹⁴⁶ Merutantra,⁹⁴⁷ Kāka-caṇḍeśvarīmatatantra,⁹⁴⁸ Śākinītantra,⁹⁴⁹ Ḍākinītantra,⁹⁵⁰ Raudra, Anugrahanigraha,⁹⁵¹ Kautuka, Śalyatantra,⁹⁵² Kriyākālagunottara, Haramekhalakagrantha, Indrajāla,⁹⁵³ Āśarvaṇa, Ātharvaṇa,⁹⁵⁴ Mahāveda,⁹⁵⁵ Cārvāka, and Gārudatantra.⁹⁵⁶

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⁹³⁶ [^936]:

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⁹³⁷ [^937]:

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⁹³⁸ [^938]:

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⁹³⁹ [^939]:

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⁹⁴⁰ [^940]:

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⁹⁴¹ [^941]:

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⁹⁴² [^942]:

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⁹⁴³ [^943]:

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⁹⁴⁴ [^944]:

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⁹⁴⁵ [^945]:

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⁹⁴⁶ [^946]:

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⁹⁴⁷ [^947]:

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⁹⁴⁸ [^948]:

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⁹⁴⁹ [^949]:

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⁹⁵⁰ [^950]:

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⁹⁵¹ [^951]:

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⁹⁵² [^952]:

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⁹⁵³ [^953]:

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⁹⁵⁴ [^954]:

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⁹⁵⁵ [^955]:

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⁹⁵⁶ [^956]:

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The Merutantra is referred to again in the body of the work (1.16; 8.9). Authorities mentioned are Bhānusuta (1.56, 57, 59) and Somadevaguru (1.55).

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P. Cordier asserted that the *Kakṣapuṭa* quotes the *Rudrayāmala*.⁹⁵⁷

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⁹⁵⁷ [^957]:

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Mantras abound in the *Kakṣapuṭa*.⁹⁵⁸

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⁹⁵⁸ [^958]:

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The *Kakṣapuṭa* is quoted by Ṭoḍara;⁹⁵⁹ it is referred to in Śrīdāsapaṇḍita’s commentary on the *Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā*.⁹⁶⁰ The *Rasendramaṅgala* mentions the *Kakṣapuṭa* and may contain verses from it. Many later works contain extracts from the *Kakṣapuṭa*.⁹⁶¹

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⁹⁵⁹ [^959]:

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⁹⁶⁰ [^960]:

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⁹⁶¹ [^961]:

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The *Kakṣapuṭa* is closely related to the *Mantrakhaṇḍa* of Nityanātha’s *Rasaratnākara*.⁹⁶²

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⁹⁶² [^962]:

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*The author and his date* The date of Siddha Nāgārjuna, whose name does not occur in the body of the work,⁹⁶³ has been discussed elsewhere.⁹⁶⁴ Since the *Kākacaṇḍeśvarīmatatantra*, one of the sources of the *Kakṣapuṭa*, refers to (Siddha) Nāgārjuna as an ancient authority, this *Kakṣapuṭa* cannot possibly have been composed by the latter. The text is later than the twelfth century, the period to which the *Kākacaṇḍeśvarīmatatantra* is usually assigned and earlier than Ṭoḍara’s *Āyurvedasaukhya*, which quotes it.⁹⁶⁵

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⁹⁶³ [^963]:

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⁹⁶⁴ [^964]:

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⁹⁶⁵ [^965]:

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