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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s29: The Yogaratnamālā by Nāgārjuna

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s29

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Contents

The Yogaratnamālā by Nāgārjuna

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The *Yogaratnamālā*966 or *Āścaryaratnamālā*,⁹⁶⁷ ascribed to Nāgārjuna,⁹⁶⁸ is of some medical interest, though it is chiefly a Tantric text dealing with magic.

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⁹⁶⁶ [^966]:

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⁹⁶⁷ [^967]:

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⁹⁶⁸ [^968]:

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The treatise consists of 140 polished verses⁹⁷⁰ in āryā metre⁹⁷¹ about a large number of subjects⁹⁷² belonging to what is called ṣaṭkarman in Tantrism. Most of the stanzas describe procedures enabling one to achieve extraordinary aims, but the healing of bodily disorders also forms an integral part of the work.

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⁹⁷⁰ The treatise consists of 140 polished verses

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⁹⁷¹ in āryā metre

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⁹⁷² about a large number of subjects

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Some of the topics are: vaśya (subjugation; 3–6); vidveṣaṇa (sowing dissension; 7–10); uccāṭana (eradication; 11–14); puruṣāntardhāna (rendering oneself invisible; 25–30); kautūhala (the production of unusual phenomena; 31–38); agnistambha (the quenching of fire; 39–42); śastrastambha (making weapons harmless; 55–58); akālagrahana (causing solar and lunar eclipses; 63–67); mṛtasamjīvana (making dead animals alive again; 135), etc. Subjects pertaining more or less to medicine are: lomaśātana (the removal of hair; 51–54); viṣapahāra (counteracting poisons; 73–76); viṣamajvarāpahāra (counteracting irregular fever; 77–78); vandhyāputrajanana (making a barren woman give birth to a son; 85–86); vandhyākaraṇa (producing sterility in a woman; 89–92); liṅgavṛddhi (increasing the size of the male organ; 93–96); śukrastambha (delaying ejaculation; 97–100); yoniśūlakaraṇa (causing pain in the female organs; 101); kuṣṭhakaraṇa (causing kuṣṭha to appear; 102);⁹⁷³ garbhastambha (preventing delivery in a pregnant woman; 106); vṛścikaviṣapahāra (counteracting the effects of a scorpion-bite; 108–111); bhagasamkocana (healing wounds of the female organs; 121); bhagodhāṭana (making the vagina accessible or inaccessible to the male; 122); bhagapravāha (causing bleeding from the female organs; 123). Some of the recipes bear names, e.g., kalpalalanā (26) and reṇurāja (121).

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⁹⁷³ kuṣṭhakaraṇa (causing kuṣṭha to appear; 102);

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At the end of the work the author, who calls himself Nāgārjuna,⁹⁷⁴ declares that he composed it from what he heard from his guru and learnt from other śāstras. He adds that he tested all the recipes and found them effective.⁹⁷⁵

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⁹⁷⁴ who calls himself Nāgārjuna,

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⁹⁷⁵ that he tested all the recipes and found them effective.

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*Special features* Noteworthy names of medicinal plants are: āhaka (62),⁹⁷⁶ mātulānī (69),⁹⁷⁷ śaśānka (23),⁹⁷⁸ śaśīya (39),⁹⁷⁹ stabdhā (34),⁹⁸⁰ and śūla (96).⁹⁸¹

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⁹⁷⁶ āhaka (62),

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⁹⁷⁷ mātulānī (69),

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⁹⁷⁸ śaśānka (23),

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⁹⁷⁹ śaśīya (39),

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⁹⁸⁰ stabdhā (34),

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⁹⁸¹ and śūla (96).

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*The author and his date* The name of the author's guru, Bhāskara, may be hidden in a pun in the first verse, where he is compared to the sun (bhāskara). P.V. Sharma, who accepts this interpretation,⁹⁸² regards him as identical with the Bhāskara who was the father and teacher of Soḍhala⁹⁸³ and also the teacher of Keśava, which makes the Nāgārjuna who wrote the work a contemporary of these two (twelfth to thirteenth centuries)⁹⁸⁴ and distinct from Siddha Nāgārjuna.⁹⁸⁵ Since Guṇākara wrote his commentary on the *Yogaratnamālā* in 1239/40, the work is earlier than that date.

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⁹⁸² P.V. Sharma, who accepts this interpretation,

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⁹⁸³ father and teacher of Soḍhala

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⁹⁸⁴ (twelfth to thirteenth centuries)

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⁹⁸⁵ and distinct from Siddha Nāgārjuna.

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*Commentary* A commentary (vivṛti)⁹⁸⁶ on Nāgārjuna's *Yogaratnamālā* was written by Guṇākara,⁹⁸⁷ a Śvetāmbara monk, who made use of more elaborate works of predecessors, as indicated by himself.⁹⁸⁸ The commentary was composed in 1239/40.⁹⁸⁹ The only sources referred to are a *Kośa* (ad 12), a *Dravyaguṇa* (ad 44), and a *Paryāya* (ad 35).

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⁹⁶⁹ Contents

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⁹⁸⁶ A commentary (vivṛti)

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⁹⁸⁷ was written by Guṇākara,

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⁹⁸⁸ as indicated by himself.

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⁹⁸⁹ The commentary was composed in 1239/40.

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Local names of medicinal plants found in it are: bariārā (ad 85; = balā), bhelā (ad 63; = bhallāṭakabīja), boḍatharī (ad 111; = stabdha), boḍī kahlārī (ad 34; = stabdhā = śrāvaṇikā = muṇḍī), gojibhī (ad 78; = nāginī = govatsā),⁹⁹⁰ iṅguvā (ad 26; = iṅguḍī),⁹⁹¹ jeṭhīmadhu (ad 85; = madhuyaṣṭi), kakahī (ad 59; = hrībīja = bālakabīja),⁹⁹² kākahī (ad 85; = atibalā),⁹⁹³ karihārī (ad 12 and 23; = halinī = lāṅgalī),⁹⁹⁴ thohari (ad 76 and 100; = vajrī = snuhī).⁹⁹⁵ Other words of local origin are: suramā and rasavatā (ad 23 and 29; = sroto'ñjana), aṇasalā, the word for bhūnāga (an earthworm) in Saurāṣṭra, and kecuvā, the word used for that animal in Kānyakubja. As most of these words are said to be current in Gujarāt, the commentator may have resided in that region for a long time.⁹⁹⁶

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⁹⁹⁰ gojibhī (ad 78; = nāginī = govatsā),

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⁹⁹¹ iṅguvā (ad 26; = iṅguḍī),

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⁹⁹² kakahī (ad 59; = hrībīja = bālakabīja),

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⁹⁹³ kākahī (ad 85; = atibalā),

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⁹⁹⁴ karihārī (ad 12 and 23; = halinī = lāṅgalī),

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⁹⁹⁵ thohari (ad 76 and 100; = vajrī = snuhī).

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⁹⁹⁶ As most of these words are said to be current in Gujarāt, the commentator may have resided in that region for a long time.

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A Guṇākara is quoted by Gopāladāsa,⁹⁹⁷ Nāganātha,⁹⁹⁸ Niścalakara,⁹⁹⁹ Vācaspati,¹⁰⁰⁰ and Vijayarakṣita.¹⁰⁰¹ The quotations by Niścalakara and Vijayarakṣita cannot be traced in the commentary on the *Yogaratnamālā* and may derive from a commentary on the *Carakasaṃhitā*¹⁰⁰² by a Guṇākara who evidently was a different person, since he lived a long time before his namesake.¹⁰⁰³

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⁹⁹⁷ A Guṇākara is quoted by Gopāladāsa,

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⁹⁹⁸ Nāganātha,

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⁹⁹⁹ Niścalakara,

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¹⁰⁰⁰ Vācaspati,

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¹⁰⁰¹ and Vijayarakṣita.

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¹⁰⁰² The quotations by Niścalakara and Vijayarakṣita cannot be traced in the commentary on the Yogaratnamālā and may derive from a commentary on the Carakasaṃhitā

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¹⁰⁰³ by a Guṇākara who evidently was a different person, since he lived a long time before his namesake.

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*The Śīsurakṣaratna by Pṛthvīmalla*

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The *Śīsurakṣaratna*,¹⁰⁰⁴ also called *Bālacikitsā*,¹⁰⁰⁵ is a work by Pṛthvīmalla, the elder brother of Māndhātṛ and son of Madanapāla.

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¹⁰⁰⁴ The Śīsurakṣaratna,

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¹⁰⁰⁵ also called Bālacikitsā,

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*Contents* The *Śīsurakṣaratna* is a treatise on kaumārabhṛtya in three chapters (prakāśa): (1) garbhiṇīgarbharakṣānirūpaṇa, on prenatal care, especially on rituals to be observed during each month of pregnancy; (2) bālarakṣānirūpaṇa, chiefly on bālagrahas and the contrivances for averting their attacks; (3) vaidyakoktauṣadhādinirūpaṇa, on children's diseases and their treatment.

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Sources, mentioned in the introduction, are the *Prayogasāra*¹⁰⁰⁶ and Suśruta. The *Bhaviṣyottara* is referred to at the beginning of chapter one. Chapter two indicates that the author borrowed from the *Kriyākālaguṇottara*, *Nārāyaṇīya* and *Prayogasāra*. Chapter three contains the *Śītalāṣṭaka* from the *Skandapurāṇa*.

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¹⁰⁰⁶ Sources, mentioned in the introduction, are the Prayogasāra

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Pṛthvīmalla and his work are quoted in the *Paraśurāmapratāpa*, a work belonging to the sixteenth century.¹⁰⁰⁷

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¹⁰⁰⁷ Pṛthvīmalla and his work are quoted in the Paraśurāmapratāpa, a work belonging to the sixteenth century.

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*Special features* The order of the diseases in chapter three is not in conformity with the *Mādhavanidāna*; moreover, antravṛddhi, kuraṇḍa and vradhma are regarded as three separate nosological entities.¹⁰⁰⁸

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¹⁰⁰⁸ The order of the diseases in chapter three is not in conformity with the Mādhavanidāna; moreover, antravṛddhi, kuraṇḍa and vradhma are regarded as three separate nosological entities.

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*The author and his date* The genealogy of Pṛthvīmalla is recorded in the introductory verses.¹⁰⁰⁹

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¹⁰⁰⁹ The genealogy of Pṛthvīmalla is recorded in the introductory verses.

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Pṛthvīmalla's father, Madanapāla, wrote his *Madanavinoda* in 1375, which implies that the *Śīsurakṣaratna* can be assigned to the beginning of the fifteenth century.¹⁰¹⁰

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¹⁰¹⁰ Pṛthvīmalla's father, Madanapāla, wrote his Madanavinoda in 1375, which implies that the Śīsurakṣaratna can be assigned to the beginning of the fifteenth century.

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Puruṣottama

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Puruṣottama, son of Mādhava, grandson of Cakradatta, great-grandson of Śrīkaṇthadatta, wrote a *Dravyaguṇa*.

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Puruṣottama states that his great-grandfather was the author of the second part of the *Madhukośa* and of the *Vyākhyākusumavalī*, which establishes that he lived about A.D. 1200. ¹⁰¹¹

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¹⁰¹¹ ...

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Raṇakakesarin

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Raṇakakesarin was the author of a *Rugnadīpikā* or *Yogadīpikā*. ¹⁰¹²

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¹⁰¹² ...

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The *Ratnakutūhala*

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The anonymous *Ratnakutūhala* was composed in 1442. ¹⁰¹³

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¹⁰¹³ ...

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Śārṅgadhara

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The *Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā* by Śārṅgadhara ¹⁰¹⁴ has an important place in Sanskrit medical literature of the mediaeval period and became a popular work, which can be inferred from its inclusion in the minor triad of authoritative works called *Laghutrayī*. ¹⁰¹⁵ The changes in the theory and practice of Indian medicine since the days of the early saṃhitās are faithfully reflected in it, especially the increasing influence of alchemy, while moreover the examination of the pulse is described for the first time in this treatise.

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¹⁰¹⁴ ...

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Contents

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The work consists of 2,421 verses arranged in three sections (khaṇḍa) and thirty-two chapters, though the author himself states ¹⁰¹⁶ that it contains 2,600 verses in thirty-two chapters. The first section (*pūrvakhaṇḍa*) has 453 verses in seven chapters, the second (*madhyamakhaṇḍa*) 1,284 1/2 verses in twelve, and the third (*uttarakhaṇḍa*) 683 1/2 verses in thirteen chapters. Part of the colophons, especially those of Kāśīrāma’s commentary, also use the terms *sūtrasthāna*, ¹⁰¹⁷ *śārīrasthāna* ¹⁰¹⁸ and *cikitsāsthāna*, ¹⁰¹⁹ in agreement with the work being a saṃhitā. ¹⁰²⁰ A short table of contents is found in the first chapter. ¹⁰²¹

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I. Pūrvakhaṇḍa. (1) The *paribhāṣā* chapter deals with some basic concepts (3–5), the contents of the work (7–13ab), weights and measures (14cd–44ab), basic rules regarding the preparation of medicines, the time of collection of fresh drugs and the parts of the plants to be used (44cd–62ab). ¹⁰²² (2) The *bhaiṣajyākhyānaka* chapter describes the five times of the day at which medicines should be taken (1–12), the concepts of rasa, guṇa, vīrya, vipāka and prabhāva (13–24ab), the relations between the doṣas and the seasons (24cd–30ab), and various causes of disequilibrium of the doṣas (30cd–36ab). (3) The *nāḍīparīkṣāvidhi* chapter is about the examination of the pulse (1–9ab) and on prognostic signs (9cd–26). ¹⁰²³ (4) The *dīpanāpācana* chapter contains definitions of a series of terms designating drug actions. ¹⁰²⁴ (5) The *kalādīkākhyāna* chap-

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ter is about anatomy; ¹⁰²⁵ it describes a series of bodily structures, beginning with the seven kalās (1–7ab), and proceeds with the seven receptacles (*āśaya*; 7cd–10), seven dhātus (11–12), malas (13–15), upadhātus (16–18), seven layers of the skin (19–22), doṣas (23–36ab), snāyus and related structures (36cd–38ab), śirās (38cd–39ab), peśīs (39cd–40ab), randhras (40cd–42), phupphusa and other viscera (43–45ab), the male genitals and the heart (45cd–47ab), and some more general subjects like respiration (48cd–50ab), āyus (50cd–51), etc. The chapter ends with verses on the evolution of the universe (*sṛṣṭikrama*) according to Sāmkhya views (55–73). (6) The *āhārādigati* chapter is concerned with physiology (1–14ab), rules for the administration of medicines to children and related matter (14cd–20), the constitutions (21–24ab), and finally the characteristics of nidrā, mūrcchā, bhrānti, tandrā, glāni, ālasya, jṛmbhā, kṣuta and udgāra (24cd–29ab). (7) The *rogagaṇana* chapter enumerates the diseases recognized by Śārṅgadhara and their several types (1–204).

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¹⁰²⁵ ...

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II. The Madhyamakhaṇḍa deals with the various pharmaceutical preparations and contains a great number of formulae. (1) The *svarasādikalpanā* chapter defines a svarasa, describes the way it should be prepared, and gives many examples (2–20). It proceeds in the same way with the variety of svarasa prepared by means of puṭapāka (21–43ab). ¹⁰²⁶ (2) The first part of this *kvāthādikalpanā* chapter (1–149) is on kvāthas; ¹⁰²⁷ it also enumerates the drugs belonging to two gaṇas, namely the *vīratarvādigaṇa* (102cd–104ab) and the *varuṇādigaṇa* (128–129). The second part deals with the preparations called pramathyā (150–151), yavāgū (152–153), yūṣa (154–156), pāna (157–158), uṣṇodaka (159–160), kṣīrapāka (161–164ab), anaprakriyā (164cd–166ab), vilepī (166cd–167ab), peyā and yūṣa (167cd–169ab), and maṇḍa (169cd–175ab). (3) The *phaṇtādikalpanā* chapter describes the preparations called phaṇta (1–8) and mantha (9–13ab). (4) The *himakalpanā* chapter is about himas (1–9ab). (5) The *kalkakalpanā* chapter is concerned with kalkas (1–29ab). (6) The *cūrṇakalpanā* chapter (1–65ab) deals mainly with cūrṇas, ¹⁰²⁸ but has also verses on anupāna (4–5), on some groups of drugs (16cd–19ab: *jīvanīyagaṇa*; 19cd–20: *aṣṭakavarga*) and on kṣāra (24–25). (7) The *guṭikākalpanā* chapter describes guṭikās, modakas and vaṭakas, which are closely related types of preparation (1–105). ¹⁰²⁹ (8) The *avalehakalpanā* chapter is about avalehas (1–89ab).

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¹⁰³⁰ (9) The *ghṛtātailakalpanā* chapter is concerned with snehapāka (1–19ab), various types of medicated ghees (19cd–92) and oils (93–210), and also has some verses on madhusukta (178cd–180). (10) The *saṃdhānakalpanā* chapter is about preparations made by way of fermentation (saṃdhāna), i.e., the types called āsava and ariṣṭa ¹⁰³¹ (2–3), sīdhu, etc. (4), surā, etc. (5–6), vāruṇī (7ab), śukta (7cd–10), tuṣāmbu, sauvīra, kānjīka and saṇḍākī (11–12). A number of āsavas (13–38) ¹⁰³² and ariṣṭas (39–92) are described. (11) The *dhātuśodhanamarāṇa* chapter describes the purification (śodhana) and killing (māraṇa) of metals and a number of other inorganic substances. After enumerating the seven metals (dhātu) distinguished by Śārṅgadhara, namely gold, silver, brass (āra), copper, lead (nāga), tin (vaṇga) and iron (tīkṣṇa), and describing their purification (1–4), the killing of each of these metals is dealt with (5–53ab). This is followed by a section on the seven upadhātus, which are mineral substances consisting of (53cd–54ab) mākṣika (pyrites), tutthaka (sulphate of copper), abhra (mica), nīlānjana (stibnite or antimonite, Sb2S3), śilā (= manaḥśilā, i.e., realgar, As2S2), ālaka (= haritāla, i.e., orpiment, As2S3) and rasaka (calamine, i.e., an ore of zinc).

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Procedures leading to the purification and killing of these substances are described (54cd–76ab), followed by the procedure aiming at the release of the essence of the metals (and upadhātus), the so-called sattvanirgama (76cd–78). The third part of this chapter is concerned with the purification and killing of some (semi)precious stones (79–92ab). It ends with the purification of bitumen (śilājatu; 92cd–99ab), the preparation of rust of iron (maṇḍūra; 99cd–101ab) and finally caustics (kṣāra; 101cd–104). (12) The rasakalpanā chapter mainly deals with mercurial preparations. It opens with a verse in praise of mercury (1), mentions its synonyms (2) and enumerates nine metals (3–4ab), i.e., the seven metals mentioned in chapter eleven, together with bell-metal (kāṃsyaka) and magnetic oxide of iron (kāntaloha). This is followed by the purification of mercury (4cd–13ab), sulphur (gandhaka; 13cd–15ab) and cinnabar (darada; 15cd–16ab), and the extraction of mercury from the last substance of these three (16cd–17). The nine poisons and seven secondary poisons are enumerated (18–20ab), and the so-called mukhakaraṇa of mercury is dealt with, which consists of procedures rendering it capable of ‘eating’ other substances (20cd–24); after this mukhakaraṇa it is called chinnapakṣa, which means that it is now regarded as a bird whose wings have been clipped.

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The chapter goes on with the description of gandhakajārana, i.e., the digestion of sulphur by mercury (25–29ab) and various procedures for the killing of mercury (29cd–41). The remaining part of the chapter consists of recipes for a number of rasaushadhas against various diseases (42–289). ¹⁰³³ It ends with some verses on the purification of jaipāla (290) and poisons (291–294), which may be later additions because the commentators are silent on them.

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¹⁰³³ text of the note

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III. The Uttarakhaṇḍa is about pañcakarman (chapters 1–8) ¹⁰³⁴ and allied subjects (chapters 9–13). Its thirteen chapters deal with: (1) sneha (1–34ab); (2) sveda (1–35), said to be of four types: tāpa-, ūṣma-, upanāha-, and dravasveda; (3) vamana (1–33); (4) virecana (1–48ab); ¹⁰³⁵ (5) basti, especially the type called anuvāsana (1–51); (6) nirūha (1–34); (7) uttarabasti (1–16ab); (8) nasya and śirovirecana (1–63); (9) dhūmapāna (1–25); (10) gaṇḍūṣa and kavala (1–21ab); (11) lepa and some other subjects; this is a long chapter of 152 verses containing many prescriptions, among which are recipes for increasing the size of the penis (liṅgavṛddhi), tightening the vagina (yoniśaṃkoca); śirobasti and karṇapūraṇa are also dealt with in this chapter; (12) śoṇitasrāva, i.e., bloodletting (1–45); (13) netrakarman, i.e., the application of medicinal preparations to the eyes; this long chapter of 128 verses is concerned with seven main types of preparation applied to the eyes: seka (2–12ab), āścyotana (12cd–21ab), piṇḍī (21cd–30ab), biḍāla (30cd–37), tarpaṇa (38–52ab), puṭapāka (52cd–61), and añjana (62–74); it also contains recipes for vartis (75–87ab), and ends with those for rasakriyās and some añjanas (87cd–124). ¹⁰³⁶

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¹⁰³⁴ text of the note

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Authors and works quoting from or referring to Śārṅgadhara or his saṃhitā are: Aghoranātha’s commentary on his Bhiṣaksarvasva, the Amṛtasāgara and Jñārasarāma’s version of this work, the Ārogyāmṛtabindu, Āśubodha Senagupta’s commentary on Govindasena’s Paribhāṣāpradīpa, Āśubodha and Nityabodha Senagupta’s com-

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mentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, the Āyurvedīya Khanijavijñāna, Basava’s Śivatattvaratnākara, Bhāvamiśra, the Bheṣajasamhitā, Bhoja’s Yuktikalpataru, the Bṛhannighaṇṭuratnākara, Devaśimha Viṭṭhal’s Bṛhadasavāriṣṭasaṃgraha, the Dhātumāraṇa, ¹⁰³⁷ Dharmadatta’s Tridoṣasaṃgraha, Gaṇanāthasena’s commentary on his Siddhāntanidāna, Gaṇeśadaivajña’s commentary on the Muhūrtatattva, ¹⁰³⁸ Govindasena’s Paribhāṣāpradīpa, Gulrājsarmamiśra’s Viśikhānupraveśavijñāna and commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, Haridattaśāstrin’s commentary on the Rasataraṅgiṇī, Hariprapanna’s Rasayogasāgara, Hariśaraṇānanda’s Kūpīpakvarasanirmāṇavijñāna, Mādhava’s Āyurvedaprakāśa, Mahimasamudra’s Vaidyakacintāmaṇi, Meghamuni’s Meghavinoda, ¹⁰³⁹ Nidhi’s Yogasamuccaya, the Pākamārtaṇḍa, ¹⁰⁴⁰ the Pāradasamhitā, the Paraśurāmapratāpa, ¹⁰⁴¹ Rājeśvaradatta Miśra’s Svasthavṛttasamuccaya, Rāma’s Saṃkarākhya, Rāmacandra’s Rāmavinoda, the Rasatattvavivecana, the Rasāyanasaṃgraha, ¹⁰⁴² the Rasoddhāratantra, Hanumatprasāda Śarman’s commentary on the Siddhabhaiṣajyamaṇiṣūṣā, Priyavrat Śarmā’s auto-commentary on the Āyurvedadaṛśana, Śivamiśra’s Vaidyasāstraśivānubhava, Somadevaśarman’s commentary on the Āyurvedaprakāśa, Ṭoḍara’s Āyurvedasaukhya, ¹⁰⁴³ Trimalla’s Yogatarangiṇī ¹⁰⁴⁴ and Bṛhadyogatarangiṇī, ¹⁰⁴⁵ the Uttaṅkadarpaṇa, ¹⁰⁴⁶ an anonymous Vaidyakasamgraha, Vaidyarāja’s Sukhabodha, the Yogaratnākara, ¹⁰⁴⁷ and Yogendranātha’s Āyurvijñānaratnākara. The Śārṅgadharasamhitā was one of the sources of Āryadāsa Kumārasimha’s Kvāthamaniṃālā and of the Ma’din al-Shifā’.

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Large stretches of the Śārṅgadharasamhitā were incorporated in Bhāvamiśra’s Bhāvaprakāśa, ¹⁰⁴⁹ Vedakavi made use of it in the composition of his Jīvānanda. Many verses from Śārṅgadharasamhitā I.5 and 7 form part of the Nāḍicakra. The unknown author of the interpolated portions of Niścalakara’s Ratnaprabhā reproduces parts of the Śārṅgadharasamhitā and Aḍhamalla’s commentary. ¹⁰⁵⁰

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Śārṅgadhara was also known to Rāma, who quotes him in his Tilakā on the Rāmāyaṇa. ¹⁰⁵¹

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Rāmacandra’s Vaidyavinoda, written in Hindī verse in 1669/70, is an adaptation of the Śārṅgadharasamhitā. ¹⁰⁵²

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*Special features* ¹⁰⁵³ The series of the seasons consists of grīṣma, prāvṛṣ, varṣāḥ, śarad, hemanta, vasanta; they are associated with the signs of the zodiac (rāśi): grīṣma with Meṣa (Aries) and Vṛṣa (Taurus), prāvṛṣ with Mithuna (Gemini) and Karka (Cancer), varṣāḥ with Siṃha (Leo) and Kanyā (Virgo), śarad with Tulā (Libra) and Vṛścika (Scorpio), hemanta with Dhanus (Sagittarius) and Grāha (Capricornus), vasanta with Kumbha (Aquarius) and Mina (Pisces) (2.25cd–26). Medicinal substances are said to possess only five main qualities (guṇa), namely guru, snigdha, tīkṣṇa, rūkṣa and laghu, corresponding with the five mahābhūtas; all the other qualities are included in these five (I.2.16–17ab). ¹⁰⁵⁴ Two types of vīrya are distinguished, uṣṇa and śīta; the other types are included in these two (I.2.17cd–18). ¹⁰⁵⁵

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The Śārṅgadharasamhitā is the earliest Sanskrit medical text that summarily describes feeling the pulse for diagnostic and prognostic purposes (I.3.1–9ab). 1058 The types of pulse found in disturbances of the doṣas are characterized by comparing them with the way of moving of certain animals. Some signs of prognostic significance are enumerated and the types of pulse occurring in a number of diseased conditions, as contrasted with those in health, are also described. 1057

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Pulse-examination had no place in Indian medicine in early periods, as is evident from the texts and attested by an important witness like I-ching, 1058 but is rarely omitted from medical treatises which are later than Śārṅgadhara. 1059 Investigations on the origin of the āyurvedic pulse-lore are wanting, though it has been suggested 1060 that it derives from Muslim medicine. Influences from Southern India should, however, not be neglected, because Siddha medicine has a highly developed and almost purely Tamil terminology for a large number of pulses. 1061

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Inauspicious and auspicious dreams are also dealt with in chapter three (I.3.14cd–26).

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The actions of drugs defined in chapter four, and illustrated with examples, are: dīpana, pācana, śamana, anulomana, sraṃsana, bhedana, recana, vamana, śodhana, chedana, lekhana, grāhin, stambhana, rasāyana, vājīkaraṇa, śukrala, śukrapravartaka and -janaka, sūkṣma, vyavāyin, vikāśin, madakārin, praṇahara, pramāthin, and abhisyandin.

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The chapter on anatomy (I.5) presents a number of noteworthy features. The organ, usually designated as kloman and regarded as the seat of thirst, is called tila 1062 by Śārṅgadhara (I.5.8 and 45) and said to be located on the left side of the abdomen, above the seat of the digestive fire, though it is described as being present on the right side under the liver in earlier texts. 1063 Among the seven receptacles (āśaya) the chest (uras) is designated as the receptacle of living blood (jīvarakta; I.5.9), which is new. Vāta is said to be predominantly associated with rajas (I.5.26), pitta with sattva (I.5.29), kapha with tamas (I.5.33cd–34ab). The transformation of rasa into blood is said to take place in the liver (I.5.31); elsewhere (I.6.9), Śārṅgadhara asserts that this process occurs in the heart. 1064 A tenth orifice (randhra) of the body has been added to the traditional number of nine; it was interpreted as the hidden brahmarandhra on the top of the head by Āḍhamalla (ad I.5.41). The process of respiration has been described for the first time by Śārṅgadhara: “The prāṇavāyu, located in the umbilical region, touches the interior of the heart-lotus and then leaves (the body) by way of the throat, in order to drink the amṛta of Viṣṇu’s place (i.e., the atmosphere). After drinking the nectar (pīyūṣa) of the atmosphere, it returns quickly, satisfying the whole body and nourishing the abdominal fire” (I.5.48cd–50ab). 1065

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The verses on Sāṃkhya mention the five tanmātras (I.5.61cd–65ab).

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Blood is described as present in the whole body and as the main support of life (I.6.10cd). Its qualities are snigdha, guru, cala and svādu; when vidagdha, it is like pitta (I.6.11ab). 1066

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Śārṅgadhara’s nosography (I.7) differs from the systems found in the Mādhavanidāna and Vāgbhaṭa’s works. As shown by the following survey, it has many features of its own, although the influences of Vāgbhaṭa and Mādhava are clearly perceptible.

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Śārṅgadhara enumerates twenty-five varieties of fever, whereas Mādhava distinguishes eight of them. This number of twenty-five is obtained by counting separately the five irregular fevers (viṣamajvara), which Mādhava considers to be included in saṃnipātajvara, and by subdividing Mādhava’s āgantujvara into thirteen varieties. The latter group consists of (a) fevers caused by abhicāra, grahāveśa and śāpa, (b) four traumatic (ghātaja) fevers, brought about by śrama, cheda, kṣata, and dāha, (c) six abhiṣaṅga fevers, arising from kāma, bhīti, śuc, roṣa, viṣa, and auṣadhagandha. The majority of these varieties are also found in the Mādhavanidāna, but the four members of the ghātaja group are absent there. A closely related classification of the āgantujvaras occurs, however, in Vāgbhaṭa’s works, which were obviously Śārṅgadhara’s source of inspiration. The fevers called caturthakaviparyaya, vātabalāsaka and pralepaka, instead of the six of Mādhava, are not mentioned. Seven types of diarrhoea (atisāra) are listed, instead of the six of Mādhava; a variety caused by fear (bhaya), also recognized as a separate entity in the Carakasaṃhitā and in Vāgbhaṭa’s works, has been added. A fifth type of grahaṇī, brought about by āma, is added to the four doṣaja types of Mādhava; according to the commentator Āḍhamalla, it is caused by āmavāta, while Kāśirāma mentions āma. This suggests that it may be identical with saṃgrahagrahaṇī, described in some supplementary verses of the Mādhavanidāna. 1067 Ajīrṇa is divided into four varieties, whereas Mādhava mentions that some authorities recognize six types; Śārṅgadhara’s fourth type, called viṣājīrṇa, unknown under that name in earlier treatises, may be closely related to the rasaśeṣa form of ajīrṇa, recognized by Mādhava in agreement with the Suśrutasaṃhitā. Three doṣaja types of alasa are said to exist, which are unknown in the classical saṃhitās and the Mādhavanidāna, where this disorder is regarded as one single entity. Daṇḍakālasaka is said to be related to vilambikā, although being a separate entity; this disorder, mentioned in the classical saṃhitās, is not described in the Mādhavanidāna. 1068 The classification of haemorrhoids (arśāṃsi) differs slightly from that of Suśruta and Mādhava, but agrees with that of Vāgbhaṭa. The group of twenty kinds of parasites (kṛmi) 1069 is expanded by the addition of snāyuka (dracontiasis), described for the first time in Vṛnda’s Siddhayoga, and by the description of worms living in ulcers. Kṣaya (i.e., rājayakṣman) is divided into five types, according to whether it is caused by one of the three doṣas, by all three together, or by uraḥkṣata; the last type of this series is absent from Vāgbhaṭa’s works; uraḥkṣata is a separate disorder in the Mādhavanidāna; it is not described as such by Śārṅgadhara. Six causes of śoṣa are listed instead of the seven of the Suśrutasaṃhitā and the Mādhavanidāna; śoṣa brought about by uraḥkṣata is absent. The group of digestive fire (agnivikāra) has been increased by the addition of bhasmaka, not yet mentioned in the Bṛhattrayī and the Mādhavanidāna. 1070 Seven types of vomiting (chardi) are mentioned, whereas Caraka, Suśruta, Vāgbhaṭa and Mādhava refer to only five types; Śārṅgadhara’s sixth (caused by ghṛṇā, disgust) and seventh types (caused by pregnancy) are, however, included in the fifth one (the āgantu type) of the other treatises.

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Thirst (tṛṣṇā) is of six types, as distinct from the five of Caraka and the seven of Suśruta and Mādhava, but in general agreement with Vāgbhaṭa. The varieties of mūrcchā are the same as those distinguished by Caraka and Vāgbhaṭa, whereas Suśruta and Mādhava prefer a different classification. Śārṅgadhara follows Mādhava in mentioning bhrama, nidrā, tandrā and saṃnyāsa after mūrcchā; he deviates from Mādhava by including glāni in this group of related disorders, as does Suśruta. Seven types of mada are enumerated, the same as those of Caraka and Vāgbhaṭa; mada is not a separate disease in the Mādhavanidāna, where it is referred to in the chapters on madātyaya and unmāda. Twenty varieties of bhūtonmāda are distinguished¹⁰⁷¹ versus seven in the Carakasaṃhitā, nine in the Suśrutasaṃhitā and Mādhavanidāna, and eighteen in Vāgbhaṭa’s works; Śārṅgadhara’s classification is related to that of Vāgbhaṭa. Four types of āmavāta are recognized; the dvandvavie varieties of Mādhava are omitted. Eight types of pariṇāmaśūla are enumerated, in contrast with the seven of the Mādhavanidāna; Śārṅgadhara adds an eighth type, called jaratpittabhavaśūla.¹⁰⁷² The two varieties of ānāha are the same as those of Suśruta and Mādhava, but the one originating from the āmāśaya is called pratyānāha, a term that may occur here for the first time. A disease recognized by Śārṅgadhara, but rarely occurring in earlier texts and absent from the Mādhavanidāna, is urograha.¹⁰⁷³ Eight varieties of gulma are enumerated, in agreement with Vāgbhaṭa, whereas Mādhava has only five of them. The disease called somaroga, appearing for the first time in Vaṅgasena’s Cikitsāsārasaṃgraha, is accepted by Śārṅgadhara; it is said to be of one type; the variety called mūtrātīsāra is absent.¹⁰⁷⁴ A new nosological entity, distinct from vṛddhi and its varieties, may be aṇḍavṛddhi, a disorder usually known as kuraṇḍa in later treatises.¹⁰⁷⁵

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Apacī is not mentioned, probably because it was regarded as a variety of gaṇḍamālā, or even identical with it, as in Vāgbhaṭa’s works.¹⁰⁷⁶ The disease commonly known as gaḷagaṇḍa, but called gaṇḍalājī by Śārṅgadhara, is said to be of one type, whereas Suśruta and Mādhava distinguish three varieties. Four types of granthi are added to the five of Suśruta and Mādhava, namely those originating from blood, muscular tissue, bony tissue, and ulcers; the same extra varieties, with the exception of that originating from bony tissue, are also described by Vāgbhaṭa. The eight types of sadyovraṇa agree with those of Vāgbhaṭa. Two types of śoṣṭhabheda are mentioned, chinnāntra and niḥsṛtāntra.¹⁰⁷⁷ Bone fractures are divided into eight varieties in a manner that differs from that of Suśruta and Mādhava. Four types of burns are mentioned; Suśruta describes the same four types, which are absent from the Mādhavanidāna. Eight forms of bhagaṇḍara are distinguished: rju, parikṣepin and arśoja are added to the five of Suśruta, just as in Vāgbhaṭa’s works.

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The group of śūkadoṣas, which consists of eighteen varieties in the Suśrutasaṃhitā and Mādhavanidāna, has been expanded with six disorders: liṅgārśas, nivṛtta, avapāṭikā, niruddhaprakāśa, and parivartikā; this arrangement resembles that of Vāgbhaṭa, who adds nivṛtta, avapāṭikā and niruddhamanī. Mādhava describes liṅgārśas in the chapter on upadaṃśa, but avapāṭikā, niruddhaprakāśa (the same as niruddhaprakāśa and niruddhamanī) and parivartikā in the chapter on kṣudrarogas.

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Śārṅgadhara’s enumeration of sixty kṣudrarogas differs from the arrangement found in other treatises. Additions, in comparison with the Mādhavanidāna, are: kotha,¹⁰⁷⁸ rājikā,¹⁰⁷⁹ and rakasā;¹⁰⁸⁰ these disorders are also regarded as kṣudrarogas by Vāgbhaṭa. Mādhava’s eight types of visphoṭa and fourteen varieties of masūrikā, described in separate chapters of his Nidāna, form part of Śārṅgadhara’s kṣudrarogas, in agreement with Vāgbhaṭa again. Eleven kṣudrarogas from Mādhava’s list, which comprises a total of forty-two, are absent from Śārṅgadhara’s series, namely ajaga-

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llikā, arūṃṣikā, avapāṭikā, dāruṇaka, indralupta, niruddhaprakāśa, nyaccha, pādadārī, palita, and parivartikā. Some of these disorders are classified differently, for example among the śūkadoṣas, bālarogas and kapālarogas. Mādhava’s śūkaradaṃṣṭraka, a kṣudraroga not described in earlier works, has been accepted by Śārṅgadhara.¹⁰⁸¹ One variety of visarpa, the one caused by agnidāha, has been added to the eight of Mādhava. The disease called śleṣmapitta, described in a verse probably added later to Mādhava’s chapter on amlapitta, is not mentioned.

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Śārṅgadhara lists eighty types of vātaroga, forty of pittaroga, and twenty of kapharoga, related to those mentioned in the Carakasaṃhitā,¹⁰⁸² but without being identical.¹⁰⁸³ A list of ten raktarogas, completely different from that found in the Carakasaṃhitā,¹⁰⁸⁴ forms also part of Śārṅgadhara’s nosological system; these ten diseases caused by blood are: gaurava (a feeling of heaviness), raktamaṇḍalatā (the appearance of round, red patches on the skin), raktanetratva (red eyes), raktamūtratā (red-coloured urine), raktaniṣṭhīvana (spitting of blood), raktapiḍakādarśana (the appearance of red boils), auṣṇya (a feeling of heat), pīḍā (pain), and pāka (inflammation or suppuration).

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The diseases of mouth and throat (mukharoga) are seventy-four in number and arranged in the same manner as in Vāgbhaṭa’s works, with one particularity, namely the omission of gaṇḍalājī, mentioned separately by Śārṅgadhara. The diseases of the ears (karṇaroga) comprise thirty disorders, the same twenty-five as distinguished by Vāgbhaṭa, and five extra ones, located at the base of the ear (karṇamūla). These five, arising from vāta, pitta, kapha, saṃnipāta and rakta, are not included in the group of karṇarogas in earlier works. Śārṅgadhara’s ten diseases of the head (śīroroga) are the same as those of Vāgbhaṭa. He also follows Vāgbhaṭa in enumerating nine diseases of the scalp (kapālaroga): upaśīrṣaka, arūṃṣikā, vidradhi, dāruṇa, piḍikā, arbuda, indralupta, khalati, and palita. Mādhava regards six among these as belonging to the kṣudrarogas, does not describe upaśīrṣaka, and considers indralupta and khalati to be synonyms. The eye diseases (netraroga) are the same again as those recognized by Vāgbhaṭa; their number is ninety-four.

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The five puṃstvarogas (sexual perversions) and eight śukradoṣas have been borrowed from the Suśrutasaṃhitā. The women’s diseases (strīroga) consist of eight ārtavadoṣas, borrowed from Suśruta, and the usual four varieties of pradara. The twenty yonirogas of Śārṅgadhara are composed of a mixture of the disorders of this name recognized by his predecessors. The group of eight garbharogas differs from similar groups in earlier treatises and consists of upaviṣṭakagarbha, nāgodara, makkalla, mūdhagarbha, viṣkambha, gūḍhagarbhaka, jarāyudoṣa, and garbhapāta; two disorders described by Mādhava, yonisaṃvaraṇa and saṅga, are absent. The three strīdoṣas, caused by circumstances which make women suffer mentally, an forming an interesting group, consisting of afflictions induced by an awkward (adakṣa) husband, a female rival (sapatnī), and fate (e.g., widowhood).¹⁰⁸⁵

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The group of children’s diseases (bālaroga) comprises twenty-two disorders, a larger number than found elsewhere; new members of this group are guḍapāka (inflammation of the anal region)¹⁰⁸⁶ and śayyāmūtra (enuresis nocturna).¹⁰⁸⁷ Four types of bālagraha were added by Śārṅgadhara to the usual number of eight, namely Skanda, 1088 Viśākha, 1089 Pitṛgraha and Śuṣkarevatī; the name of the demon (graha), usually called Skandāpasmāra, is Svagraha in the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā. 1090

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A new group of disorders is formed by the forty-two diseases of the feet (pādaroga), the members of which are not enumerated separately, having already been mentioned under various headings; vātarakta, ślīpada and some kṣudrarogas belong to this group, according to the commentator Aḍhamalla. Śārṅgadhara distinguishes moreover fifteen complications (upadrava) of pañcakarman, and eighteen brought about by the injudicious application of sneha, sveda, dhūma, gaṇḍūṣa, añjana, and tarpaṇa. Four kinds of upadrava are caused by heat, cold, śalya, and caustics (kṣāra). 1091 Śārṅgadhara also mentions disorders originating in the three types of poison, the seven metals (dhātu), seven upadhātus, and seven upaviṣas; this list is completed by disorders brought about by poisonous substances in polluted water and on weapons besmeared with a poison. Itching caused by kapikacchū, 1092 polluted water and sūraṇa 1093 is also referred to, as well as swelling caused by bhallāta. 1094 The last disorder mentioned is mada, which consists of four varieties, effected respectively by pūga, 1095 bhaṅgā, 1096 akṣa 1097 and kodrava, 1098 along with other ones induced by the ingestion of various noxious vegetable substances.

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The particularities of Śārṅgadhara’s nosological system show that his arrangement of the diseases owes much to Mādhava, but that he chose Vāgbhaṭa as his main guide with respect to the subdivision of nosological entities. Neither Mādhava nor Vāgbhaṭa were followed blindly. Minor deviations from Mādhava’s order are rather common, 1099 as are subdivisions which disagree with those of Vāgbhaṭa. Noteworthy features of Śārṅgadhara’s nosology consist of additions and omissions when compared with the schemes of Caraka, Suśruta, Vāgbhaṭa and Mādhava. Additions are snāyuka, bhasmaka, two types of bhūtonmāda, jaratpittabhavaśūla, urogara, somaroga, aṇḍavṛddhi, visarpa caused by agnidāha, the five varieties of karṇamūlaroga, the three types of strīdoṣa, śayyāmūtra, and four types of bālagraha.

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Śārṅgadhara’s arrangement of the diseases was rarely adopted by later authors, but did not fall into complete oblivion, since its influence is detectable in Vedakavi’s Jīvānanda.

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Other special features of the Śārṅgadhara-saṃhitā are the following. Two gaṇas, the members of which are enumerated by Śārṅgadhara, namely the vīratarvādigana (II.2.102cd–104ab) and varuṇādigana (II.2.128–129), are modifications of gaṇas of the same name found in Suśruta (Sū.38.10 and 12). Drugs having an effect on male sexual functioning are classified in seven groups: vājīkaraṇa, śukrala, śukrapravartaka and -janaka, śukrapravartana, śukrarecana, śukrastambhaka, and śukraśoṣaṇa (I.4. 14cd–18ab).

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New drugs introduced by Śārṅgadhara are: elīya (II.12.56); 1100 kuṭhāra (II.11.45), also called kuṭhāracchinnā (II.11.47; 12.279); 1101 jvālāmukhī (II.11.14; 12.42, 57, 87); 1102 pātālagarudī (II.11.44); 1103 rudantī (I.4.14); 1104 sthūlababūlikā (II.1.12). 1105 Vegetable substances that have been incorporated in the āyurvedic pharmacopoeia are already prescribed, such as ākarakarabha (II.6.162; 12.56), also called ākallaka (II.10.23), and opium (ahiphena; I.4.20; II.6.163; 12.20 and 230). Preparations from poisonous plants like dhāttūra (II.12.135 and 191; III.11.130; = dhūrta:

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II.12.114; = unmatta: II.12.196), vatsanābha (II.12.117), and viṣamuṣṭi (II.12.196) are not uncommon. Cannabis (bhaṅgā, vijayā) rather often occurs in prescriptions (I.4.20; 7.203; II.6.72; 12.256). 1106 Some new uses of single and compound drugs are mentioned by Śārṅgadhara. 1107 A therapeutic technique, already described in the Carakasaṃhitā (Ci.23.66) and consisting of the rubbing of drugs into an artificial wound on the head, has been adopted and developed by Śārṅgadhara; he employs this type of treatment in cases of saṃnipāta and snake-bite (II.12.121–127ab), as well as in several vāta diseases (III.11.101cd–102).

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The purification and killing of metals, minerals and gems, as well as the processing of mercury for internal use, is elaborately described by Śārṅgadhara, whose saṃhitā is the earliest medical treatise presenting a detailed account of these techniques. Metallic and mercurial preparations figure more prominently in Śārṅgadhara’s work than in those preceding it. The number of metals (dhātu) was increased to seven by Śārṅgadhara (II.11.1) in order to make them agree with the seven tissues of the body (also called dhātu), though, in addition, a number of nine metals, becoming current later and brought into relation with the nine planets, 1108 is already met with in his saṃhitā (II.12.3–4ab). The traditions connected with the Siddhas were known to Śārṅgadhara (II.12.158).

The author

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No particulars on the author of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā are known, apart from his name, mentioned in one of the introductory verses (I.1.2) and at the end of the work (III.13.127). The colophons usually call him the son of Dāmodara. The maṅgalācaraṇa and some other verses 1109 show him to be a Śaiva.

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It has frequently been assumed, 1110 on insufficient grounds, 1111 that the authors of Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā and Śārṅgadharapaddhati 1112 are one and the same person. 1113 This identity has rightly been disputed by P.V. Sharma 1114 and Atrideva, 1115 who both stressed that the two works are very dissimilar and that the elaborate genealogy of the author, found in the Paddhati, 1116 is absent from the saṃhitā.

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Moreover, the author of the Paddhati nowhere refers to himself as a medical expert, nor displays his knowledge of medicine. 1117

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Atrideva adduced some examples of subjects, dealt with in the Paddhati, which are not treated in the saṃhitā, but might well have been there if both works had been written by one author, such as the tempering of steel and a recipe for turning grey hair black again. These arguments, taken together, certainly justify the view that Paddhati and saṃhitā were written by two different authors.

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This conclusion is sometimes thought to be confirmed by two chronological considerations, 1118 namely the supposed existence of a commentary on the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā by Vopadeva, who lived in the second half of the thirteenth century, and a quotation from the saṃhitā by Hemādri, who was a junior contemporary and a friend of Vopadeva. Since the Śārṅgadharapaddhati has been compiled in A.D. 1363, 1119 its author lived considerably later than the Śārṅgadhara who wrote the saṃhitā, if credit is given to the considerations just mentioned. As I shall point out in the section on the date of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā, the commentary of Vopadeva and Hemādri's quotation can be left out of consideration in this context, which does not affect the conclusion that saṃhitā and Paddhati were composed by two different authors, but has its consequences for the chronological production of the saṃhitā.

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P.V. Sharma suggested ¹¹²⁰ that the author of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā might be the same as Śārṅgadeva, who wrote the Saṃgītaratnākara ¹¹²¹ and Adhyātmaviveka, ¹¹²² and who held an important office at the court of Siṃhaṇa ¹¹²³ (A.D. 1210–1247), ¹¹²⁴ one of the kings of Yādavagiri. The major obstacle to this hypothesis consists of Śārṅgadeva's genealogy, because it is stated in his Saṃgītaratnākara ¹¹²⁵ that he was a son of Soḍhala and grandson of Bhāskara, whereas the author of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā is said to be a son of Dāmodara. P.V. Sharma solves this problem by supposing that the authors of saṃhitā and Paddhati were already regarded as identical in early times, as a result of which the author of the saṃhitā is presented as a son of Dāmodara in the colophons of a number of MSS. Arguments favouring the identity of Śārṅgadeva and the author of the saṃhitā are, in P.V. Sharma's opinion, firstly Śārṅgadeva's expert knowledge of medicine, ¹¹²⁶ displayed, especially in the field of anatomy, in his Saṃgītaratnākara and Adhyātmaviveka, and, secondly, that the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā shows the influence of the Gadanigraha of Soḍhala, Śārṅgadeva's father. Almost needless to say, this hypothesis is very weak, because there was no reason at all to confuse the authors of saṃhitā and Paddhati, while, moreover, the attribution of the Gadanigraha to the Soḍhala who was Śārṅgadeva's father is completely arbitrary, though not impossible with regard to chronology. P.V. Sharma, who expresses some doubt as to the correctness of his hypothesis, concludes that Śārṅgadeva was either the same as the author of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā or a different person living in the same age. ¹¹²⁷

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¹¹²⁰ P.V. Sharma, *Introduction* to his edition of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā, p. 15.

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¹¹²¹ Edited by S. Subrahmanya Sastri, Madras 1943–1959.

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¹¹²² Edited by P.V. Sharma, Varanasi 1963.

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¹¹²³ Also called Siṃhaṇa-deva.

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¹¹²⁴ Cf. *Introduction* to the Saṃgītaratnākara, Vol. I, p. 25.

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¹¹²⁵ *Saṃgītaratnākara* 1.1.1–2.

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¹¹²⁶ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 16.

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¹¹²⁷ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 17.

Date

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The terminus post quem of Śārṅgadhara can be inferred from information contained in the commentaries on his saṃhitā by Āḍhamalla and Kāśīrāma. The former has recorded that Śārṅgadhara consulted a commentary on Vṛnda's Siddhayoga, ¹¹²⁸ while the latter has mentioned that Śārṅgadhara was acquainted with Tiṣaṭa's work. ¹¹²⁹ Kāśīrāma's commentary contains two remarks ¹¹³⁰ which imply that Śārṅgadhara made use of Vāṅgasena's work, one of these ¹¹³¹ pointing to his posteriority to Trivikrama, who evidently commented upon Vāṅgasena's treatise, and finally a remark ¹¹³² suggesting that Vopadeva preceded Śārṅgadhara.

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¹¹²⁸ *Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā* 1.1.1 (p. 1).

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¹¹²⁹ *Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā* 1.1.1 (p. 2).

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¹¹³⁰ *Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā* 1.1.1 (p. 2) and 1.1.2 (p. 3).

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¹¹³¹ *Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā* 1.1.2 (p. 3).

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¹¹³² *Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā* 1.1.1 (p. 2).

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These data, if reliable, lead to the conclusion that Śārṅgadhara cannot have lived earlier than about 1300, which conflicts with P.V. Sharma's ¹¹³³ and Atrideva's ¹¹³⁴ claims that he is quoted by Hemādri. ¹¹³⁵ The latter's so-called quotation from Śārṅgadhara can, however, be disregarded as a clue to his date, because no source is mentioned by Hemādri and, moreover, only the first of the two verses quoted is found in the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā.

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¹¹³³ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 18.

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¹¹³⁴ Atrideva, *Introduction* to his edition of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā, p. 12.

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¹¹³⁵ *Caturvargacintāmaṇi* 1, p. 336.

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The often repeated ¹¹³⁶ claim that Śārṅgadhara must be earlier than Vopadeva, because the latter wrote a commentary on the former's saṃhitā is not valid since such a commentary has never been written. The error derives from Weber's Catalogue of Berlin MSS, where MS Nr. 937 is described as containing the Dīpikā, called Gūḍhārthadīpikā, composed by Vopadeva, son of Keśava, on the pūrvakhaṇḍa of

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¹¹³⁶ E.g. by Jolly, *Indian Medicine*, p. 12.

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the Śārṅgadharapaddhati. ¹¹³⁷ As those parts of the text which were printed in the catalogue verbally agree with Kāśīrāma's commentary, called Gūḍhārthadīpikā, the MS evidently contains the first part of that work.

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¹¹³⁷ Weber, *Die Handschriften-Verzeichnisse der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin*, Vol. 5, p. 306.

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Indications with regard to Śārṅgadhara's terminus ante quem are provided by the authors and works referring to or quoting him. The earliest of these are the Paraśurāmapratāpa, dating from the first half of the sixteenth century, ¹¹³⁸ and Gaṇeśadaivajña's commentary, composed in 1528. ¹¹³⁹

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¹¹³⁸ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 19.

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¹¹³⁹ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 19.

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The evidence collected shows that the author of the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā lived later than Trivikrama (of unknown date), who wrote a commentary on Vāṅgasena's treatise (A.D. 1050–1100), or even later than Vopadeva (second half of the thirteenth century), if Kāśīrāma's remarks are trustworthy and correctly interpreted, and before the author of the Paraśurāmapratāpa and Gaṇeśadaivajña. So he should be placed in the period 1100–1500 or 1300–1500. Śārṅgadhara may have borrowed the definitions of a series of technical terms from Vāṅgasena, ¹¹⁴⁰ which would corroborate his posteriority to the latter. P.V. Sharma's assertion ¹¹⁴¹ that Śārṅgadhara used Soḍhala's Gadanigraha as a model for his work, which would prove that Śārṅgadhara is later than Soḍhala, is not convincing, because the order of the pharmaceutical preparations in the two works differs considerably, while, moreover, identical prescriptions seem to be absent, though a restricted number of recipes from the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā also occur in Vāṅgasena's treatise and the Cakradatta. ¹¹⁴² The much more developed stage of rasaśāstra in Śārṅgadhara's work, compared with Vāṅgasena's treatise and the Cakradatta, as well as the changes in the pharmacopoeia, are indicative of a considerable interval of time between the latter two works and the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā.

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¹¹⁴⁰ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 20.

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¹¹⁴¹ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 20.

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¹¹⁴² P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 21.

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Though the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā has usually been placed in the thirteenth century, ¹¹⁴³ it might well be preferable to assign it to the fourteenth century, which would agree with the data provided by Kāśīrāma's commentary. ¹¹⁴⁴

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¹¹⁴³ E.g. by Jolly, *op. cit.*, p. 12.

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¹¹⁴⁴ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 22.

Commentaries

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Three commentaries are known: ¹¹⁴⁵ (1) the Pradīpikā by Āḍhamalla; ¹¹⁴⁶ (2) the Gūḍhārthadīpikā by Kāśīrāma; (3) the Āyurvedadīpikā or Gūḍhārthadīpikā by Rudrabhaṭṭa.

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¹¹⁴⁵ P.V. Sharma, *op. cit.*, p. 23.

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¹¹⁴⁶ Edited by P.V. Sharma, Varanasi 1963.

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(1) Āḍhamalla's commentary, called Pradīpikā in its introductory verses and Śārṅgadharadīpikā in the colophons, is the oldest one. In the introduction the author traces his descent in saying that he is of Śrīvāstavya lineage, ¹¹⁴⁷ that his grandfather was called Cakrapāṇi ¹¹⁴⁸ and his father Bhāvasimha. ¹¹⁴⁹ He adds that both were physicians and that Bhāvasimha, who was an expert in Suśruta, earned great fame and was honoured by the king. Āḍhamalla lived in Hastīkāntapurī, ¹¹⁵⁰ situated on the banks of the Carmaṇvatī, ¹¹⁵¹ during the reign of Jaitrasimha. ¹¹⁵² The introductory verses also indicate that Āḍhamalla, who refers to himself as knowing only a restricted number of treatises (nibandha), based his commentary on the words of his teacher. ¹¹⁵³ Āḍhamalla's devotion to Kṛṣṇa can be inferred from the concluding verses. One of these concluding verses presents a lacuna, which is especially unfortunate because it may either refer to another work by the same author, a pañjikā in 11,000 verses, or contain information on the date of completion of Āḍhamalla’s commentary.

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¹¹⁴⁷ *Pradīpikā* 1.1.3.

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¹¹⁴⁸ *Pradīpikā* 1.1.4.

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¹¹⁴⁹ *Pradīpikā* 1.1.4.

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