A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s3.t1: Contents
A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s3.t1
- Language
- English
Contents
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The work, written in āryā metre, has a total of about 1,500 verses. 311 It is arranged in seven chapters (pariccheda), in conformity with the seven hoods of the serpent Vāsuki, which form the girdle (mekhalā) of Śiva (Hara). 312 The number of verses of some chapters differs in the editions: chapter one 191 (11+19+6+155 in ed. b); chapter two 103 (edition a) or 101 (edition b); 313 chapter three 71 (both editions); chapter four 389 (edition a) or 415 (edition b); 314 chapter five 281 (edition a).
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The Haramekhala deals with a diversity of subjects. The first chapter, called koūhalāhīara (kautūhalādhikāra), 315 opens with a maṅgala addressed to Paśupati, nine verses on the author, and a verse explaining the purpose of the book. 316 A series of nineteen verses follows, introducing the subject of chapter one by giving examples. This subject consists of unusual phenomena giving rise to curiosity and wonder (kautūhala or āścarya), which are brought about by the power of gems, drugs, and mantras. A series of six verses extols the adroit person who makes a living by producing these phenomena. The remainder of chapter one describes a long series 317 of methods (prayoga) of bringing about these exciting events, which, amongst many other things, consist of recipes to make the mouth beautifully red when chewing betel (21–25), recipes for an ink by means of which one can write a book that may be read in utter darkness (34–35) or which makes letters written on the back of the hand visible on the palm (36), procedures to make madirā smell like water (45), to write letters which remain floating on water (47), to make fruits fall from trees (58–59), and produce objects invisible to the eye (60), procedures that enable a person to swim under water like a fish (100) or to walk on the surface of water (102), etc. The second chapter, called riujaṇadamana (ripujanadamana; 2.101), is, as its title
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indicates, concerned with procedures to be used against enemies. 318 Chapter three is about subjugation (vaśīkaraṇa). 319
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The fourth and longest (vipula; 4.1) chapter is the most interesting one with regard to medicine and deals with the treatment of diseases, or, to use the term employed by the author, śarīrapariamma (śarīraparikarman), i.e., body care. The order in which the diseases are mentioned is chiefly, though not consistently, based on the division of medicine into eight limbs: śālākya (2–87), kāya and śalya (88–259), bhūtavidyā (260–265), agada (267–301), kaumārabhṛtya (309–380), rasāyana (385–392), and vājīkaraṇa (393–396). A second and most unusual ordering principle in the sections on śālākya, kāya and śalya is the arrangement of the diseases from top to bottom.
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The section on śālākya begins with prescriptions which provide even a bald person with a beautifully curly crop of hair (2–10), and proceeds with formulae against diseases of the head (11–30), amongst which those turning grey hair black again have a prominent place (20–28). Thereafter the following subjects are covered: diseases of the ears (31–41), procedures which increase the size of the earlobes and also that of the penis (42–49), eye diseases (50–66), kāmālā (67–69), diseases of the nose (70–71), and diseases of the mouth (72–87). Then vyaṅga is dealt with (88–92), and prescriptions are given which make the face beautiful like the moon (93–105).
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The section on kāya and śalya is concerned with a long series of subjects: gaṇḍamālā (105–109), apabāhuka and diseases of neck and shoulders (110–111), prescriptions which make the female breasts large and firm, increase the size of the earlobes and also that of the male member again (112–119), plīhodara and udara (120–123), abscesses (124), udara (125), kṛmi (126), kuṣṭha and related disorders (127–142), prescriptions which give beauty to the female and male body and remove a bad body odour (143–149), raktapitta, kāmālā and pāṇḍuroga (150–151), pīnasa (152–153), svarabheda (154), cough (155–156), hiccup, shortness of breath and some other disorders (157–159), kṣaya (160–165), śūla (166–168), atisāra, grahaṇī and viṣūcikā (169–174), prameha (175–176), mūtraṛcchra (177), aśmarī and śarkarā (178–181), gaṇḍamālā and kuraṇḍa (182), diseases of the male organ (183–185), recipes which activate the digestive fire (199–200), vomiting (201), morbid thirst (202–203), fever (204–220), recipes which cause insomnia or cure it (221–225), ūrustambha (226–229), fractures (230), diseases of the feet (231–234), maśa (235–237), burns (238–239), śvayathu (provoked by the fruits of bhallātaka, i.e., Semecarpus anacardium Linn.f.; 240), vraṇa (241–249), naṣṭaśalya (250–251), fístulas (252–254), raktamaṇḍala (255), arbuda, granthi and gaṇḍamālā (256–259).
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The section on bhūtavidyā is about apasmāra (269), bhūtas and grahas (261–265). A prescription against cāturthaka (266) is loosely inserted. The section on agada is concerned with the poisons of many animals and some poisons of a different origin (e.g., kodrava and dhattūraka, 276; pūgaphala, 277–278). It is followed by prescriptions against pitaka (302–303), jvālāgarbha (304) and śītalikā (305–308).
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The section on kaumārabhṛtya deals with pradara (309–314), raktagulma and amenorrhoea (315–316), recipes which assure the birth of a son (317–318), promote pregnancy (319–321) or prevent it (322–324), prevent miscarriage (325–328) and bleeding during pregnancy (329); it contains a prescription against pain after an abortion (330), prescriptions assuring an easy delivery and separation of the afterbirth (331–340); it deals with yoniśūla (341–344), the promotion of milk secretion (345–346), diseases of the breasts (346–347), kikkisika, i.e., striae (349), yonivibhramśa (350–351), prescriptions which make the female organs attractive (352–353, 355–358) and devoid of hair (359–361), and the restoration of virginity after intercourse (354). It ends with verses on the protection of children against grahas (362–367), with recipes against children's diseases (368–374), and recipes which assure that children grow up happily and in good shape (375–380).
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The section on rasāyana and vājīkaraṇa covers the usual subjects. The chapter ends with the treatment of some disorders occurring in cows, buffaloes and mules (398–413), and, finally, a verse on a procedure which controls the colour of the feathers of newly hatched doves (414).
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Verses 183–206 of this chapter are absent from edition a and replaced there by a text in verse and prose called Puttalikāpañcaviṃśatikā, concerned with harming enemies by means of magical procedures against their effigy (puttalikā).
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Chapter five³²⁰ is concerned with the making of fragrant compounds and consists, according to the author himself (5.1), of an extract from various extensive works on the subject (gandhaśāstra).³²¹ It deals with³²² ambuvāsanavidhi (the preparation of perfumed water; 3–8), dantakāṣṭhavidhi (toothbrushes; 9–11), kavala (water for rinsing the mouth; 12), madhūcchiṣṭavidhi (beeswax applied to the lips; 13–14), netraparikarmāñjana (collyria; 15), mukhavāsa (perfumed water to scent the breath; 16–32), (sugandha)taila (fragrant oils; 33–58), udvartanasamvidhi (fragrant unguents used in rubbing the body; 59–61), snānakriyā (62–69) and snānapkaraṇa (70–85) (fragrant substances used during and after bathing), patavāsa (fragrant powders used for perfuming clothes, etc.; 86–87), dhūpa (88–109) and dīpavarti (110–120) (various forms of incense), sugandhasamvidhi (perfumes used as ointments; 121–158), various fragrant substances (159–192), substitutes (pratinidhi) for rare and expensive natural perfumes (kastūrikākṛti; 193–195), āsavavidhi (fragrant substances made by means of fermentation; 196–210), substitutes for rare and expensive natural perfumes: karpūrakṛti (211–213), kuṅkumakṛti (249–256), karpūratailakṛti (257–263), lavaṅgakṛti (264), elākṛti (265), and kuṣṭhakṛti (266), sahakāra preparations (267–269), and, finally, puṣpadrāṇayayukti (the extraction of essential oils from flowers, such as mallikā, campaka and ketaki; 270–272).³²³
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³²⁰ [^320]: ...
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³²¹ [^321]: ...
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³²² [^322]: ...
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³²³ [^323]: ...
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Then follows, after an introductory verse (274), a nighaṇṭu, which gives, not in verse but in simple enumerations, synonyms of Prakrit terms, together with their Sanskrit counterparts.
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Most of these words are names of plants which occur in the verses of the Haramekhala, but they are preceded by names of gods, anatomical terms and names of animals, and followed by technical terms. The chapter ends with some verses on the utility of the Haramekhala and its nighaṇṭu (275–277), its author (280), and the date of its composition (281). One of these concluding verses (278) indicates that the end of the treatise has been reached. Nevertheless a sixth and seventh chapter are known to exist. Chapter six is about arboriculture (pādapaparikarman) and food (āhāravidhi).³²⁴ Chapter seven deals with inorganic substances (minerals, salts, gems,
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³²⁴ [^324]: ...
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and metals).³²⁵
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³²⁵ [^325]: ...
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The Haramekhala is quoted by Basava in his Śivatattvaratnākara, by Kṣīrasvāmin,³²⁶ Niścalakara,³²⁷ in the Paraśurāmapratāpa, by Nityanātha in the Rasaratnākara,³²⁸ Śivadāsasena,³²⁹ Śrīkaṇṭhadatta in the Kusumāvalī,³³⁰ Śrīvallabhagaṇi in his commentary on Hemacandra's Nighaṇṭuśeṣa,³³¹ and Toḍara. It is referred to by Kokkoka in his Ratirahasya,³³² by Nityanātha³³³ and Śrīdāsapaṇḍita. Cakrapāṇidatta may have derived some formulae from it.³³⁴ The Kakṣapuṭa mentions the Haramekhala as one of its main sources.³³⁵ The Kāmaratna contains a recipe said to derive from the author of the Haramekhala.
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³²⁶ [^326]: ...
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³²⁷ [^327]: ...
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³²⁸ [^328]: ...
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³²⁹ [^329]: ...
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³³⁰ [^330]: ...
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³³¹ [^331]: ...
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³³² [^332]: ...
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³³³ [^333]: ...
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³³⁴ [^334]: ...
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³³⁵ [^335]: ...
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A Śivamekhala,³³⁶ quoted by Toḍara,³³⁷ is probably the same as the Haramekhala.
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³³⁶ [^336]: ...
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³³⁷ [^337]: ...