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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c45.s6: The Rājavallabhanighaṇṭu

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c45.s6

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English

Contents

The Rājavallabhanighaṇṭu

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The Rājavallabhanighaṇṭu³⁰⁸ is a nighaṇṭu dealing chiefly with articles of diet and related subjects. Its contents prove that it was intended for use at a royal court.

Contents

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The 971 verses of this treatise are arranged in six chapters (pariccheda). Chapters one, called prābhātika (26 verses), and two, called paurvāhnika (151 verses), are about dinacaryā and kindred subjects. Chapter two deals, among other things, with oils (2.44–58), rubbing the feet, hands, and body with these oils (2.59–69), the qualities of water of diverse origin (2.70–121), the use of water for drinking and bathing purposes (2.122–132), articles of clothing (2.133–136), and fragrant substances employed for anointing the body (2.137–149). Chapter three, called mādhyāhna (583 verses), is about the properties of grain and pulse (3.2–42), vegetables (3.43–214), fish (3.215–267), meat (3.268–316), alcoholic and other fermented beverages (3.317–331), honey (3.332–351), milk and dairy products (3.352–410), the sugarcane and its products (3.411–430), spices, condiments, salt and caustics (3.431–465), prepared dishes (3.466–535), rules concerning the taking of food (3.536–563), and the chewing of betel (3.564–580). Chapter four, called aparāhna (29 verses), is concerned with the types of country (4.6–9), as well as with rasa and vipāka (4.10–29). Chapter five, called niśābhava (31 verses), is about subjects pertaining to the generation of offspring. Chapter six, called auṣadhāśraya (151 verses), deals with the properties of a series of drugs (6.1–111) and the regimen the seasons.³¹⁰

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Sources are not referred to by the author.³¹¹

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Rājavallabha is quoted in Baladeva Prasāda Miśra's Āyurvedacintāmaṇi, the commentary on Govindasena's Paribhāṣāpradīpa, and the Śālīgramanighaṇṭubhūṣaṇa of the Bṛhannighaṇṭuratnākara. A commentary (vivṛti) on the Rājavallabhanighaṇṭu was written by Gaṅgādhara.³¹²

Special features

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The nighaṇṭu sections in the proper sense do not enumerate synonyms. Noteworthy plants mentioned are: boravavṛhi (3.16), celāna (3.104),³¹³ cīruka (3.171), halinaka (6.42),³¹⁴ jayapāla (6.91), jhiṅgāka (3.99),³¹⁵ kacvī (3.115),³¹⁶ kaṇṭā (3.172–174),³¹⁷ kāsundi (3.436),³¹⁸ khaṇḍakarṇa (3.121),³¹⁹ mahārāṣtrī (3.72),³²⁰ mahārda (3.166),³²¹ sairipa (6.41),³²² śakrāśana (6.48),³²³ śalīñca (3.58),³²⁴ śuṣaṇī (3.72), and uḍikā (3.22–

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24).³²⁵

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Names of fishes mentioned are: ādimatsya (3.231), bhallakī (3.233), bhākuṭa (3.229), caladaṅga (2.257), campakunda (3.252), candraka (3.251), ciḍaṅga (3.247), cilacima (3.263), citraphala (3.234), daṇḍika (3.253), elaṅga (3.261), gaḍaka (3.258), gaḍiṣa (3.250), gargara (3.235), gavātī (3.264), ilīśa (3.238), kavapī (3.248), khalīśa (3.256), kṣudraśapharī (3.265), kulīśa (3.237), madgura (3.241), malaṅgī (3.255), nandāvarta (3.236), parvatī (2.259), pāṭhīna (3.230), phalī (3.246), proṣṭhī (3.240), rohita (3.228), śakalī (3.249), śakula (3.243), śilinda (3.231), śṛṅgī (3.242), trikaṇṭa (3.254), vāca (3.260), valligaḍa (3.262), vāpuṣa (3.239), varmī (3.245), and varmuṣa (3.244).

The author

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The text known as Rājavallabhanighaṇṭu is usually said³²⁶ to be the version revised by Nārāyaṇadāsa Kavirāja.³²⁷ Almost nothing is known about the original author, who is sometimes credited with two more medical works, the Rājavallabhaparyāyamālā and the Ratnamālā.³²⁸ According to some authorities³²⁹ he must have been an inhabitant of Bengal since the fishes described are well known there; according to others³³⁰ he may as well have belonged to the eastern part of Uttar Pradeś.

Date

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Nārāyaṇadāsa Kavirāja is assigned to the eighteenth century.³³¹ The date of composition of the original of the Rājavallabhanighaṇṭu, prior to its revision, is unknown.

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