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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c44.s45: Raghunātha

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c44.s45

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English

Raghunātha

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Raghunātha was the author of the *Bhojanakutūhala*, 162 a large work in verse, interspersed with glosses and explanatory prose passages, on dietetics and related subjects. It consists of three sections (pariccheda), the first of which has been edited. 163

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Contents

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Section one, called dravyaguṇaguṇakathana, deals with grain and pulse (2–25), prepared dishes (siddhānna; 25–58), vegetables, fruits, and condiments (58–121), sugar (122), refreshing drinks (pānaka; 122–123), kāñjika (123–124), milk and other dairy products (125–151), oils (151–155), products of the sugarcane (155–165), honey (165–167), alcoholic beverages (168–169), meat and fish (169–176), water (176–195), poisoned food (196–197), articles of food that should not be taken together (viruddhadravya; 197–199), healthy and harmful foods (pathyāpathya; 199–212), articles of food that should not be mixed together (samyogaviruddha; 212–214), vessels for food (214–215), and miscellaneous subjects (bhojanavidhi, tāmbūlavidhi, ointments for the body, clothing; 215–230). The vernacular names of plants, dishes, etc., are added to the Sanskrit text; 164 many countries are mentioned in the glosses, 165 as well as the names of many rivers in the text (180–183). 166

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Sources referred to in section one are: Abhidhāna (22; 27; 68; 74), Bhāvaprakāśa (2; 8; 58), Bhoja (55; 145), Caraka (62), Dhanvantarinighaṇṭu (76), 167 Haimana (30; 51; 162), 168 Hṛdayadīpa (29; 52; 57), Janārdanamahodaya (58), 169 Keyadeva (58; 161; 162), Kriyāsāra (28), 170 Nighaṇṭurāja (1), Pārijāta (14; 16; 31), 172 Prayogapārijāta (7; 74), 173 Rājanighaṇṭu (3; 4; 5; 7; 155), 174 Suṣeṇa (7; 21; 32; 44; 142; 143; 146; 156; 175; 228), Suśruta (55; 163), Vāgbhaṭa (many times), Viṣṇupurāṇa (226), and Vṛddhasuśruta (186).

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Section two treats of ritually unclean articles of food, the Vaiśvadeva offering, and the feeding of guests. Section three, called vibhāvarīvilāsa, is concerned with furniture and similar accessories, the physical and spiritual effects produced by different items of that description, and with a number of miscellaneous subjects. 175

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Section two quotes many works on dharmaśāstra, a number of purāṇas, and various other treatises; some of the authorities quoted are: Aṅgiras, 176 Aparārka, 177 Āpastamba, 178 Āśvalāyana, Āśvamedhika, 179 Baudhāyana, 180 Bhāvaprakāśa, Bhaviṣya, Bhaviṣyapurāṇa, Bhṛgu, Brāhma, Brahmapurāṇa, Bṛhadyama, 181 Bṛhaspati, 182 Candrikā, Caturviṃśatimata, 183 Devala, 184 Dharmasāra, 185 Dharmasārasudhanidhi, 186 Gārgya, 187 Gautama, 188 Gobhila, Hārīta, 189 Hemādri, Kaśyapa, 190 Kātyāyana, 191 Kūrmapurāṇa, Madanaratna, 192 Mādhava, Mādhavīya Vyāsa, 193 Manu, Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, Mitākṣarā, Paithinasi, 194 Pārāśara, 195 Pārijāta, 196 Pracetas, 197 Prayogapārijāta, Pulastya, 198 Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, 199 Saṃgraha, 200 Saṃvarta, 201 Śaṅkhalikhita, 202 Śātātapa, 203 Ṣaṭtriṃśamata, 204 Śaunaka, Skānda, Smṛtiratnāvali, 205 Smṛtisaṃgraha, 206 Smṛtyarthasāra, 207 Śūlapāṇi, 208 Suśruta, Taittirīyakaśruti, Uśanas, 209 Vasiṣṭha, 210 Vijñāneśvara, Viṣṇu, Viṣṇupurāṇa, Vṛddhātreya, Vṛddhayājñavalkya, Vyāsa, 211 Yājñavalkya, 212 Yama, 213 and Yogīśvara.

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Section three quotes Āśvalāyana, Baudhāyana, Bhṛgu, Brahmapurāṇa, Bṛhaspati, Candrikā, Caraka, Devala, Devarāta, 214 Dharmasāra, 215 Gāruḍa, Gautama, Harīścandra, Harivaṃśa, Kārikābhāṣya, Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Kāśyapa, (Vaidya) Kātyāyana, Mādhavīya, 216 Manu, Mārkaṇḍeya, Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, Nārada, 217 Nārāyaṇadāsanibandha, 218 Nṛsiṃha, Pañcasāyaka, Pārāśara, Paraśurāmapratāpa, Pārijāta, Pracetas, Prayogapārijāta, Ratirahasya, Ratnamālā, Sahyādrikhaṇḍa, 223 Saṃgraha, Sāmudratilaka, 220 Śaṅkha, Śaṅkhalikhita, Śātātapa, Śaunaka, Śivarahasya, 221 Skandha, Smṛtiratnāvalī, Śrīpati, 222 Strīlakṣaṇa, Suśruta, Svapnādhyāya, 223 Vāgbhaṭa, Vasiṣṭha, Vijñāneśvarīya, Viṣṇu, Vṛddhapārāśara, Vyāsa, Yājñavalkya, Yama, and Yogayājñavalkya. 224

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The Bhojanakutūhala is quoted in Dattarāma's Caryācandrodaya and the Bṛhannighaṇṭuratnākara. A Kutūhala is quoted in Ananta's Pratāpakalpadruma.

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Special features Four kinds of yāvanāla are described (9); four kinds of kaṅgu (19); cīnāka is differ-

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ent from kaṅgu (19); numerous prepared dishes (siddhānna) are described (25–58); ten types of vegetables (58) 225 instead of the more usual six; a śvetasūraṇaka (61); several types of ālu: mukhālu, piṇḍālu, raktapiṇḍāluka, kāsālu, phoḍālu, pāṇiyālu, nīlālu (62); three kinds of cillī (66); two types of jharasī (68); a dvīpāntaracakramarda (72); two types of golomikā (73); two types of agastya (74) instead of the six of the Rājanighaṇṭu; three types of kośātaki: kośātaki, rājakośātaki, śirākośātaki (80–81); three types of vṛntāka: vṛntāka, nīlavṛntāka, 226 śvetavṛntāka (87); phāmpaṭa (99); 227 sītāphala (103); 228 vātakumbha (105); 229 kāsārākhyaphala (114); 230 substances that can or cannot be mixed with milk (134–135); substances which can alleviate particular types of ajīrṇa (203–211).

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The author Raghunātha 231 was the son of Gaṇeśabhaṭṭa, grandson of Raghunātha, and great-grandson of Hariharabhaṭṭa. Raghunātha belonged to the Vasiṣṭha gotra and to the Karhāḍe brāhmaṇas 232 among the Mahrāṭṭas. His family surname was Navahasta and his family deity Viṣṇu. His guru was Anantadeva, son of Āpadeva, grandson of Anantadeva, who lived between 1625 and 1675, was a descendant of the Mahrāṭṭa saint Ekanātha. 233 He was a versatile scholar and prolific writer. 234 Anantadeva's father, Āpadeva, was the author of the Mīmāṃsānyāyaprakāśa. 235

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Raghunātha was intimately associated with the Mahrāṭṭa saint Rāmadāsa (A.D. 1608–1681), 236 the preceptor of Śivājī. 237 He was for a long time (about 1648–1683) in charge of the temple of Raghupati, the headquarters of Rāmadāsa at Chaphal in the Sātārā district, lying on the Man, a tributary of the river Kṛṣṇā. After Śivājī's death (1680) he seems to have settled in Tanjore, where a Mahrāṭṭa kingdom had been established about 1678 by Ekoji Bhosala, 238 the step-brother of Śivājī. Raghunātha speaks of Dīpāmbikā, also called Dīpābāī, Ekoji's queen, as his patroness.

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Apart from the Bhojanakutūhala, Raghunātha wrote the following works in Sanskrit: Cāturmāsyaprayoga, 239 Dharmāmṛtamahodadhi, 240 Janārdanamahodaya, 241 Kāśīmīmāṃsā, 242 Prāyaścittakutūhala, 243 Prayogaratnabhūṣā, 244 and Sāhityakutūhala. In Marāṭhī he wrote: Govardhanoddhāraṇa, Narakavarṇana, and Strīdharma. 245

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Date The literary activity of Raghunātha may be assigned to the period 1675–1712. A MS of the Prayogaratnabhūṣā was completed in 1678 and a MS of the Bhojanakutūhala dates from about 1681/82. The Dharmāmṛtamahodadhi was completed in 1701 and the Narakavarṇana between 1701 and 1712. 246

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Raghunātha Paṇḍita Raghunātha Paṇḍita was the author of (1) Cikitsāmañjarī, 247 (2) Nāḍījñānavidhi, 247 and (3) Vaidyavilāsa.

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(1) The Cikitsāmañjarī 248 is a therapeutic treatise in 428 skillful verses, 249 arranged in seven chapters (kusuma). The order of the diseases agrees in large measure with the Mādhavanidāna. The author added verses on emetics (6.93–95) and purgatives (6.96–601), aphrodisiacs (vājīkaraṇa and kāmoddīpana; 6.102–108), rasāyana (7.1–70), and anupāna (7.71–73). The materia medica is of an āyurvedic type, except for the thirty-two rasayogas described in the section on rasāyana of chapter seven.

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Authorities referred to are Ātreya (1.2),²⁵⁰ Caraka (7.1),²⁵¹ Suśruta (1.2), and Vāgbhaṭa (1.2). Raghunātha’s Cikitsāmañjarī shows clearly traces of the influence of Lolimbarāja’s Vaidyajīvana.²⁵² The author frequently refers to himself,²⁵³ often in a self-eulogistic way.²⁵⁴

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Some diseases or groups of diseases are not separately dealt with: svarabheda, mūrcchā, pānātyaya, dāha, unmāda, apasmāra, vātavyādhi, bhagna, nāḍīvraṇa, upadaṃśa, śūkadoṣa, masūrikā, and kṣudraroga. A children’s disease added is phullikā (6.84) or utphullikā (6.80). The substantive vāri is used in the sense of vāri (water).²⁵⁵ Some noteworthy drugs prescribed are akalla (6.18), hīrākaśī (6.31),²⁵⁶ kabāba (6.4), kokamba (6.41),²⁵⁷ mārkaṇḍī (1.62; 6.96),²⁵⁸ māyāphala²⁵⁹ (6.31), śīrṣataila²⁶⁰ (5.38, 39, 48, 49), and vāvidanga (3.4).²⁶¹

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Two rasas (śvāsakuṭhāra, 7.30–32; vaṅgeśvara, 7.37–39) are said to have been used by the author himself.

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(3) The Vaidyavilāsa²⁶² is a therapeutic treatise in verses²⁶³ of various metres,²⁶⁴ arranged in ten chapters (taraṅga). The first seven chapters repeat almost verbatim the contents of the Cikitsāmañjarī, with numerous additions, a few omissions, and occasionally a different order. Chapter eight deals with the purification (śodhana) and killing (māraṇa) of the metals and with other subjects belonging to rasaśāstra. Zinc (yaśada) is absent among the metals and replaced by ārakūṭa (a kind of brass). A disease, called strīprameha, probably identical with somaroga, is mentioned. Chapter nine describes the thirty-two rasas of chapter seven of the Cikitsāmañjarī, plus seventeen additional ones. Chapter ten is concerned with the examination of the pulse and of the urine, as well as with the messenger sent to the physician, the characteristics of a good physician, the examination of the patient, and, finally, weights and measures. The eulogistic epithets conferred on the author himself, which are frequent in the Cikitsāmañjarī, are absent from the Vaidyavilāsa.²⁶⁵ The contents of the Vaidyavilāsa prove that it is an expanded and improved version of the Cikitsāmañjarī.²⁶⁶

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The Vaidyavilāsa is quoted in Jñārasarāmaśarman’s Anupānadarpaṇa, the Pākamārtaṇḍa, Rasāyanasaṃgraha, Rasayogasāgara, and Yogaratnākara.

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The author and his date Apart from the three medical works, Raghunātha Paṇḍita wrote a work on poetics, the Kavikaustubha,²⁶⁷ and two treatises on metrics, the Chandoratnāvalī²⁶⁸ and Vṛttasiddhāntamañjarī.²⁶⁹ He also composed four poems in Marāṭhī, the Damayantīsvayaṃvara,²⁷⁰ Gajendramokṣa,²⁷¹ and Rāmadāśavarpaṇa,²⁷² as well as a metrical Marāṭhī version of Jagaṇṇāthapaṇḍita’s Gaṅgālaharī.²⁷³

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Raghunātha,²⁷⁴ who hailed from a family surnamed Manohara,²⁷⁵ was the son of Bhīkambhaṭṭa and grandson of Kṛṣṇapaṇḍita.²⁷⁶ His place of residence was Campā²⁷⁷

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or Campāvatī.²⁷⁸ The author adds the following geographical details on the location of this town: “There is a fort (sthāna) named Kollāgiri; on its east lies the town Campāvatī, next to it is the family goddess Mahālakṣmī”.²⁷⁹ Campā(vatī) has been identified as Caul in the Alibag Talook of the Kolaba district of Mahārāṣṭra,²⁸⁰ which is situated about a mile or two east of the famous fortress of Koralai (Kollāgiri) and has on its eastern border a hillock with a temple dedicated to Mahālakṣmī. Some branches of the Manohara family still live at Caul and worship Mahālakṣmī as their family goddess.²⁸¹

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The identity of Raghunātha Paṇḍita with one of several persons called thus has long been a vexed problem and several theories have been developed, which are elaborately discussed by S.L. Katre.²⁸² Raghunātha’s life history has been sketched by the latter. He was born about 1640 and spent his early years in Caul. Probably he went to Benares in order to complete his studies. After returning to Caul for some time, he left that city to seek his fortune elsewhere. He may have met Śivājī in the course of his wanderings and settled finally at the court of Ekojī (1676–1683) in Tanjore about 1675. In Tanjore he came in close contact with distinguished visitors, like saint Rāmadāsa and the Marāṭhī poet Ānandatanaya.²⁸³ Most of his works, with the exception of the Gaṅgālaharīṭīkā, probably composed during his stay at Benares, date from the period 1675–1711. The three medical treatises are from the year 1697²⁸⁴ and belong therefore to the period of Ekojī’s successor, Śāhajī II (1683–1711). Raghunātha probably died at Tanjore about 1720 or somewhat later.

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