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A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c46: Part 9

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c46

Language
English

Part 9

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Medical treatises with a title containing the word pāka are either works on cookery in the service of medicine or collections of formulae for the type of pharmaceutical preparation called pāka.

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Information on the contents of a treatise is necessary in order to be able to determine to which group it belongs.

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AUṢADHAPĀKĀVALĪ.¹ BHOJANAKUTŪHALA by Raghunātha Paṇḍita.² BṚHATPĀKASAṂGRAHA by Kṛṣṇaprasādatrivedin.³ This is probably a modern work.

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BṚHATPĀKĀVALĪ, compiled by Gaṅgāprasādaśarman,⁴ son of Guru Dīnalāla Śarman of Dvivedipura, from sources not mentioned by name,⁵ is a collection of seventy-one pākas and related types of preparation.

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The statement found in the introductory verses that the essence of therapy consists of pākavidyā and rasāyana relates to the numerous pāka formulae used for rasāyana purposes.

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A pāka is defined as a variety of avaleha (linctus), the difference being that an avaleha is a soft, a pāka a solid type of preparation. The general procedures for preparing a pāka and an avaleha are described in the introductory verses. Although pākas, together with avalehas, constitute the majority of the formulae, the treatise also contains recipes for a guḍa, some khaṇḍas, a lauha, and some modakas.

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Substances frequently used as ingredients are ākalla(ka),⁶ opium,⁷ and the seeds and seed capsules of Papaver somniferum Linn.⁸ Some other noteworthy substances are cīnīkabāba,⁹ copacīnī,¹⁰ khurāsāna,¹¹ mastakī,¹² and uṭaṅgaṇa.¹³

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A number of recipes which, on account of the presence of ingredients of later origin, cannot be very old, are nevertheless attributed to ancient authorities like Ātreya (15–16: jātīpattryavaleha) and Bhāradvāja (108–109: copacīnīpāka). One formula (an avaleha called muphara: 106–107) has been borrowed from Islamic medicine; the same may apply to the sālimapāka (36).

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The Bṛhatpākāvalī dates from the beginning of the twentieth century.¹⁴

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KṢEMAKUTŪHALA by Kṣemaśarman.¹⁵ PĀKACANDRIKĀ by Aṇṇājī Ballāla Bāpaṭa Indurakara Vaidya.¹⁶

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PĀKADARPAṆA or Nalapāka,¹⁷ ascribed to king Nala,¹⁸ is a work on the culinary art, intended for the royal kitchen.

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The treatise consists of 760 verses,¹⁹ arranged in eleven chapters (prakaraṇa),²⁰ and has been composed in the form of a dialogue between king Ṛtuparṇa and king Nala.²¹ The latter, who has adopted the name of Bāhuka after his encounter with the serpent king Karkoṭaka, offers his services as an expert in cookery to king Ṛtuparṇa, who then asks him questions on the origin of his knowledge. Nala begins telling the story of his journey to Damayantī’s svayaṃvara and his meeting a group of four gods, the four guardians of the quarters of the sky, also going there. These gods promise to grant him four boons if he is willing to act as their messenger. After Nala’s acceptance and deliverance of the message to Damayantī, Indra bestowed on Nala the faculty of making himself invisible, Agni that of controlling fire, Yama the expertise in cookery, and Varuṇa the faculty of controlling the watery element.²² Having listened to Nala’s narrative, Ṛtuparṇa requests him to expound his knowledge of the culinary art (1.1–22). Nala complies and proceeds with giving detailed answers to Ṛtuparṇa’s questions.

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Chapter one, by far the longest (499 verses), deals first with some general topics: the six kinds of food,²³ the importance of food in preventing diseases, the characteristics of a good cook, the eight faults (doṣa)²⁴ to be avoided in well-prepared rice dishes (1.23–56), and the right way of preparing various rice dishes, utkṛāṇodaka (meat broth), taharī,²⁵ and rice boiled in broth (māṃsaudana); this section ends with the prevention of the production of garala²⁶ (1.57–119). The chapter proceeds with the description of various varieties of sūpa²⁷ (1.121–141), temana²⁸ and khala,²⁹ dishes made of kulittha beans, and recipes for flavoured types of navanīta (fresh butter) and ghee (1.142–199). The remaining part of the chapter is devoted to dishes prepared with vegetables or fruits (1.200–497).

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Chapter two is concerned with the regimen during the seasons (ṛtudharma) and the six parts of day and night corresponding to them. Chapters three to eleven are successively about bhakṣya (sweets), pāyasa (milk pudding) and pānaka (refreshing drinks), pānaka again, yūṣa (soups), ghṛtānna (dishes with rice and ghee as their main ingredients), lehya (soft dainties), śaityajala (cool and scented water), kṣīrapāka (boiled milk with water, sugar, fragrant flowers or fruits added to it), and dadhi (thick sour milk with flavouring and fragrant substances added).

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The recipes of the Pākadarpaṇa are modelled on a common pattern and written in a clear style. Each recipe is followed by an enumeration of the medicinal properties and actions of the dish.

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Nala is quoted by Cakrapāṇidatta,³⁰ Daḷhaṇa,³¹ Meghadeva in his commentary on the Mādhavadravyaguṇa, Niścalakara,³² Śīlaṅka,³³ Śivadāsasena,³⁴ Toḍara,³⁵ Trimalla,³⁶ and Vopadeva.³⁷ Nala is referred to in the Kāśyapīyakṛṣisūkti,³⁸ Kṣemaśarman’s Kṣematūhala,³⁹ and the anonymous Pākaśāstra. Nala was one of the sources of Basava’s Śivatattvaratnākara.

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Some noteworthy terms employed by the author of the Pākadarpaṇa are: aṭṭālaka (a refrigerating device; 1.94, 197, 209, 217; 4.29), haraṭṭaka (a grinding stone; 1.129), kalkinī (a knife; 1.219 and 287), pravaṇī (a wide-mouthed pot; 1.222, 132, 138, 147, 202), pūgapaṭṭa (1.173, 216, 226, 231, 245),⁴⁰ taharī (1.81–85), temana (1.142–150

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and 155–157),⁴¹ and utkṛāṇodaka (1.65–70).

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Interesting names of vegetables and fruits are: ākalī (1.485), alasandī (1.262),⁴² ālopā (1.484),⁴³ bāṣpa (1.341),⁴⁴ cakravarta (1.323),⁴⁵ culī (1.336), cūrṇikā (1.484), huṃkāra (1.295), kṣudradantī (1.263 and 494), kurpāṭaka (1.265), latāculī (1.338), madapītikā (1.484), mahābāṣpa (1.356), mahācullī (1.339), nameru (6.10), rājarambhā (1.211), raktabāṣpa (1.357), saikasa (1.494), sāmudraphala (6.20),⁴⁶ sāraṅga (6.22), satphalā (6.7; 10.18), śilācillī (1.340), uṇḍūka (1.377), virūpaka (1.296),⁴⁷ and viṣaghnī (1.484).⁴⁸

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No particulars are known about the actual author.

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The date of composition of the Pākadarpaṇa remains undetermined. The quotations from Nala are of no avail because they cannot be traced in the printed text.⁴⁹ The earliest author to refer to some work on cookery by Nala is Cakrapāṇidatta. Some names of plants may point to a period not earlier than about A.D. 1200.⁵⁰ Since chilli is absent from the Pākadarpaṇa, it dates probably from before the introduction of this type of pepper into India in the seventeenth century.⁵¹

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PĀKĀDHIKARAṆA.⁵² PĀKĀDHIKARAṆA.⁵³ PĀKĀDHYĀYA, anonymous.⁵⁴ PĀKĀDHYĀYA by Harṣakīrti Upādhyāya.⁵⁵ PĀKĀDISAMGRAHA.⁵⁶ PĀKAKRIYĀ.⁵⁷

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PĀKAMĀRTAṆḌA.⁵⁸ Sources quoted are: Pākasudhākara, Pākāvalī,⁵⁹ Sārasamgraha, Śārṅgadhara, Vaidyavilāsa, Vaṅgasena, Vṛnda, Yogacintāmaṇi, Yogaratna, and Yoganatnāvalī.⁶⁰

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One of the introductory verses claims that the essence of the medical art consists of pākavidyā and rasāyana.⁶¹

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PĀKANIGHAṆṬU.⁶² PĀKAPARIBHĀṢĀ.⁶³

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PĀKAPRADĪPA by Gaṇeśaśarman.⁶⁴ This work, in 535 verses, consists of a collection of eighty-six pākas and avalehas, preceded by an exposition on the preparation of a pāka and various rules connected with this subject (2–17).

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Sources are not referred to, except once (465–466: pāṭhāvaleha from the Aśvinasaṃhitā).

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Many pākas are attributed to particular authorities: the Aśvins (55–68; 214–228; 326–335; 374–382; 388–392; 424–430), Ātreya (232–239), Bhāradvāja (310–317; 352–357), Bhṛgu (165–169), Brahmā (336–344), Dhanvantari (487–499), Gahananātha (502–508), Gorakha (529–532), Mahādeva (469–482), and Śiva (33–39).

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Noteworthy items of the materia medica are: ākalla (245), ākallaka (88; 134; 217; 279; 319; 408; 420; 433), arkakarabha (24), asāla (345), cīnikabābā (88), copacīnī (220; 310; 318), jhiñjhiṇī (151), kabāba (235), kabābaka (448), kallaka (59), karabha (97), kauñca (76), khasaphala (24), khurāsāna (235), khurāsānikā (24), kuhū (25), lobāna (220), mājū (200), mājūphala (24), mastakī (97; 220), and siṇāvāsika (211).

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Information on the author is not available.

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PĀKAPRADĪPA by Ravidattavaidya. 65 Probably a modern work.

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PĀKĀRṆAVA. 66 This work 67 contains the recipes of fifty-three pākas. 68 Some of these are: āhaphenapāka, akalakarāpāka, aradūṣāpāka, bhilāvāpāka, 69 dālacīnīpāka, 70 kauchapāka, 71 kuḍāpāka, 72 rīṅgaṇīpāka, 73 sālimapāka, 74 and sopārīpāka. 75

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One of the pākas described, the godhūmapāka, is said to derive from Rudra and was also proclaimed by Svayambhū for the benefit of Pārvatī. 76 Opium (ahiphena), sarsaparilla (copacīnī), and rose water (gulābapāka) are mentioned.

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Works and authors quoted are: Ānandamalā (by Ānandabharatī), Bhāvaprakāśa, Manoramā, 77 Ṭoḍarānanda, Vaidyavallabha, 78 Vaṅgasena, and Yogacintāmaṇi. 79

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The references to the Bhāvaprakāśa and Ṭoḍara prove that the work cannot be earlier than about A.D. 1600. 80 The MS is written on paper that may be about two hundred years old. 81

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PĀKASAṂGRAHA. 82

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PĀKĀŚASTRA, anonymous. 83

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This work deals with the preparation of various dishes and gives their medicinal properties. It begins with a bhaktādiprakaraṇa; the second prakaraṇa is about phalaśākādi; the treatise ends with a bhojanaprakaraṇa. 84

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Some of the preparations described in the bhaktādiprakaraṇa are: maṇḍa, yūṣa, sūpa, pāpara, 85 pāyasa, polikā, maṇḍikā, yamalaroṭikā, pūrikā, kacavallī, vaṭaka, pakvavatī, pānaka, rāgakhaṇḍava, śikharīṇī, vāsavatī, phenikā, laḍuka, bindumodaka, dugdhakarañjikā, 86 lāpasī, 87 candrahāsī, jalebī, kasāra, 88 koharī, bahurī, and umbikā. 89

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The description of jalebī in this Pākāśastra was regarded as the earliest one known by P.K. Gode. 90

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The only authority quoted is Nala. 91

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The manuscript of this work dates from A.D. 1677/78. 92

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PĀKĀŚASTRA by Bhīmasena. 93

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Subjects dealt with are: the mode of forming clarified oil from the milk of jack fruits and from bananas; the preparation of ghee, curds and buttermilk; asclepias berry and wild palma christi shrub; the preparation of a curry from the seeds of the nimba tree that is not bitter; the preparation of pulse dishes; the use of the juices of lime and tamarind; the preparation of various cakes; the preparation of pāyasa and various pānakas. 94

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The author calls himself Pāṇḍusunu and Pavana- or Samīraṇasūnu (i.e., Bhīmasena). 95 The work, said to have been written in Virāṭanagara, 96 is called a sūpatantra. 97

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The Pāṇḍavas lived in the thirteenth year of their exile, disguised as servants, at

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the court of Virāṭa, king of the Matsyas; Bhīmasena served as the cook of the royal household. 98

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Other works attributed to Bhīmasena are the Abhidhānacandrikā, 99 Vaidyabhūṣaṇa, 100 and Vaidyabodhasaṃgraha. 101

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The Bhīmasena who wrote the Abhidhānacandrikā, Pākāśastra or Sūpaśāstra, and Vaidyabhūṣaṇā lived in the nineteenth century according to A. Rahman. 102

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PĀKĀŚASTRA by Devīsiṃha. 103

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PĀKĀŚASTRA by Jayagovinda. 104 This work, written in Hindī, deals with the preparation of various dishes for a feast and describes their physiological effects. 105

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The author enjoyed the patronage of a certain Hṛdayanarendra. 106

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PĀKĀŚASTRA by Śrīmalla. 107

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PĀKĀŚASTRA by Vindu. 108

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PĀKASUDHĀKARA. 109 Quoted in the Pākamārtaṇḍa.

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PĀKĀVALĪ. 110 Several texts of this title are known. 111

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One of these texts, edited under the title of Pākāvalī 112 and by an unknown author, is of the same type as a yogasaṃgraha, containing formulae for compound medicines against various diseases in the form of a pāka, avaleha, āsava, modaka, vaṭī, etc. Among the disorders mentioned are, for example, śleṣmapitta (36; 43), somaroga (46), and jaratpitta (36).

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Noteworthy substances prescribed in this treatise are: opium (ahiphena: 5; 16; 41; 42; phaṇiphena: 48; sarpaphena: 41), ākalkala (39), akalkara (16), ākalkara (4; 32; 45; 47), ākārakarabha (41), copacīnī (47), covacīnī (34), drekkā (25), 113 dvandvaparṇī (43), 114 dvīpottharāsnā (34: = covacīnī), gulāba (42), hemāmbhodhara (13), 115 khākhasa (28; 41), mastakī (38; 43), pārasī vacā (43), 116 uṣṭrakaṇṭaka (45), and uṣṭraphala (42).

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Two recipes for a śaṅkhadrāva are given (31–33).

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The only treatise quoted is the Rasārṇava (23).

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The above evidence indicates that this Pākāvalī is later than the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā (jaratpitta; ākārakarabha) and Bhāvamīśra (copacīnī; pārasī vacā). The presence of a recipe for the preparation of rose water (gulābapāka) and the two recipes for the preparation of a mineral acid (śaṅkhadrāva) point to a period of composition not earlier than the seventeenth century.

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PĀKĀVALĪ by Govindarāja, son of Nāganātha. 117

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PĀKĀVALĪ by Kāśīnātha. 118

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PĀKĀVALĪ by Kulāvatamsa. 119

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PĀKAVIDHI by Divākaracandra. 120

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SŪDAŚĀSTRA. 121 A work of this name on cookery is quoted or referred to by Anantakumāra, 122 Cakrapāṇidatta, 123 Hārāṇacandra, 124 Jejjata, 125 Kṣīrasvāmin, 126 Niścalakara, 127 Rāyamukuṭa, 128 Śivadāsasena, 129 Śrīdāsapaṇḍita, 130 Śrīkaṇṭhadatta, 131 and Ṭoḍara. 132 Some of these quotations may be from Nala’s *Pākadarpaṇa*. Bhavyadatta’s *Yogaratnākara* contained a *Sūdaśāstrapariccheda*. 133

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SŪPAŚĀSTRA. 134 A *Sūpaśāstra* is quoted in Vācaka Dīpacandra’s *Laṅghanapathyanyrṇaya* 135 and Vopadeva’s *Siddhamantraprakāśa*. 136

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Works on nāḍīśāstra

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ABHINAVANĀḌĪTANTRA by Viśvanāth Dvivedī. 1

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BHĀRATĪYANĀḌĪVIJÑĀNA by Prabhākaradevaśarman Caṭṭopādhyāya 2 is a modern monograph on the pulse in about 500 verses, divided into seven chapters.

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Chapters one to four deal with general aspects of the examination of the pulse and the recognition of disorders of the doṣas. Chapter five is about pulses which indicate a fatal outcome within a specified period of time and about special cases which, although seemingly grave, are prognostically favourable. Chapter six describes the pulses characteristic for a long series of diseases and chapter seven signs indicating the approach of death.

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The author does not indicate his sources, 3 but a large part of his treatise is based upon the works of Kaṇāda, Rāvaṇa and others. 4

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The colours of the vāta-, pitta- and kaphanāḍī are described as respectively dark blue (nīla), pale (pāṇḍura) and white (śveta). 5 The problem of the conflicting views on the location of the pulses of the three fingers of the examiner 6 is solved by declaring that no importance should be given to this location because the doṣas are sufficiently characterized by the movements of the pulse. 7 The list of diseases together with their pulses is longer than in the works of Kaṇāda, Rāvaṇa and Bhūdharabhaṭṭa. 8

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The author was a Principal of the Calcutta College of Āyurveda and wrote his book between the years 1930 and 1934.

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BHAVĀNINĀḌĪVIJÑĀNA. 9

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DHARMAVAIDYAKANĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Merutuṅga. 10

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NĀḌĪBHEDA. 11

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NĀḌĪCAKRA 12 is a remarkable treatise on the examination of the pulse, full of interesting details on this subject and other medical topics.

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The work 13 work consists of 292 verses, arranged in twelve chapters (paṭala). It is composed in the form of a dialogue between Śiva and Pārvatī. The maṅgala is adressed to Śiva.

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The introductory verse says that the Nāḍītantra will be expounded. The next few verses (2–6ab) relate that Pārvatī asked Śiva for instruction in the difficult art of nāḍīśāstra. Śiva replies that he will transmit to her the very subtle Nāḍīcakra.

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The exposition begins with the statement that the nāḍīs are said to be 72,000 in number ¹⁴ by the great sages; authorities and works referred to are: Bhela, the Caraka-śāstra, Suśruta, the Tantravistara, the Karṇikokta, ¹⁵ Yājñavalkya, and the Yogaratnāvalīyaka (7).

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The importance of the science of the pulse is highlighted (10–12). Three diagnostic methods are mentioned: touching (sparśana), questioning (praśna) and examining (darśana) a patient (13–14).¹⁶ Touching, i.e., feeling the pulse at the wrist (hastamūla), ankle (pādamūla), or both wrist and ankle, enables a physician to diagnose fever, disorders of the doṣas, the state of the digestive fire, ailments caused by fasting and waking at night, an intensive activity of the digestive fire (atyagni), deficiency of the semen (hīnavīryatva), disorders arising from fear (bhaya), grief (śoka) and confusion (bhrama), ailments arising from food of a particular taste, ¹⁷ painful conditions brought about by (an excess of) physical exercise and sexual activity, and disorders of digestion (ajīrṇa). Questioning reveals the presence of kukṣiśūla, udāvarta, pārśvaśūla, bhagandara, sandhivāta, haemorrhoids (arśāṃsi), the twenty urinary disorders (mūtraroga), skhaladvīrya, ¹⁸ śiroroga, poisoning (viṣaseva), antrīhṛṣṭi, ¹⁹ hastapādadāidha, ²⁰ diseases of the penis, bladder and anus, and bleeding from the female genital organs (raktasrāva bhagotthita) (19cd–22ab). Examination discloses the presence of kāsa, śvāsa, eye diseases, pīṭakāḥ, vraṇa, aṇḍavāta, śopha, pāṇḍu(roga), kāmila, pīnasa, asthibhāṅga, ūrubhaṅga, nādībheda, ²¹ galagraha, karṇārbuda, mūrchā, arśāṃsi (haemorrhoids), plīhan, ānāha, udara, sakthīśopha (swelling of the thighs or legs), galagranthi, upajihvā, masūrikā, the eighteen forms of kuṣṭha, ḍamaru, ²² and gaṇḍamālikā (22cd–25).

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Finally, the pulse at the wrist is said to reveal all diseases, in the same way as the strings of a vīṇā may produce all the rāgas (26–28ab).

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Chapter two (28cd–46) mentions a kanda (bulbous structure), located somewhat downward from the navel, and measuring four aṅgula in breadth and two aṅgula in height, ²³ as the place of origin of the 72,000 nāḍīs (28cd–32), which are divided into 30,000 male, 30,000 female, and 10,000 neuter ones, distributed, respectively, over the right, left and middle part of the body (33–34). One hundred and one among these are of more importance; thirteen is the number of the most prominent ones (35ab).

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A main group of nāḍīs is formed by the pentad consisting of Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumnā, ²⁴ located in the upper half of the body, together with Subalā and Balā, located in the lower half. Iḍā is found on the left, Piṅgalā on the right, and Suṣumnā in the middle. Iḍā is the main carrier of the doṣas in females; Piṅgalā is its counterpart in males. The Suṣumnā, the seat of Brahmā, transports vāyu, the basis of breathing (38–43ab). A human being is said to breathe 21,600 times each day and night (43cd–44ab). ²⁵

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Chapter three (47–55) describes where the main nāḍī should be examined by a physician: in males at the left, in females at the right side of the body, in cows at both sides of the nose, in horses at the ears, and in elephants at the mouth, tip of the nose, eyes, tail, and cheeks (51–52).

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Chapter four (56–65) is concerned with the way of feeling the pulse and the exact places where to put the fingers (56–59). It describes in which disorders which pulse should be taken (60–63), and which pulse should preferentially be examined in various periods of life (64–65).

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Chapter five (66–80) is about characteristics of the pulse during the three parts of day and night (66) and during the six seasons (67–69ab). Each season endows the pulse with a characteristic type of pulsation (gati), resembling the way in which a particular animal moves about. The chapter proceeds with signs of the pulse connected with the preponderant taste of the food enjoyed; ²⁶ these signs consist again of ways of pulsation resembling the gait of particular animals (69cd–72ab). A combination of the sweet and sour tastes gives rise to the same signs as those attributed to kapha, a combination of the pungent and saline tastes to the signs of pitta (72cd–73ab). ²⁷ The tastes which should predominate in the food taken in a particular season are mentioned (75–76ab), as well as the relationships between the doṣas and the seasons (76cd–79ab) and those between the doṣas and the mahābhūtas (79cd–80).

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Chapter six (81–92ab) describes the radial pulse (jīvanāḍī), the way to take it, the signs of the doṣas, signs indicating curability or incurability, and conditions in which it is either practicable or impracticable to feel the pulse.

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Chapter seven (92cd–95) instructs the physician to diagnose vāta disorders with the index, pitta disorders with the middle finger, and kapha disorders with the little finger. Patients up to the age of fifty should be examined with the fingers of the right, older patients with those of the left hand.

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Chapter eight (96–100) specifies the types of pulsation characteristic of disorders of one doṣa or two doṣas; each doṣa or combination of two doṣas presents a type of pulsation resembling the movement of a particular animal.

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Chapter nine ((101–153) describes first the pulse that is typical of involvement of all three doṣas (101–102). Subsequently, it enumerates a group of ten nāḍīs: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumnā, Gāndhārī, Hastabija, Pūṣā, Payasvinī, Alambu, Lakala, and Śaṅkhinī (103–104ab).²⁸ The six cakras are mentioned, ²⁹ their seats, and the parts of the body where the ten nāḍīs are found (104cd–108).

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The remaining part of the chapter is devoted to anatomy. All the verses on this subject have been borrowed from the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā (I.5), with the exception of 125–130, dealing with the seven layers of the skin and the diseases located in these layers.³⁰

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Chapter ten (154–182) describes the five mahābhūtas (154–158), disorders arising from deficiency of one of these (159–160), the connections between the mahābhūtas and the doṣas (161), between the mahābhūtas and the seven bodily elements (162) and the tastes (163–164), the colours of the mahābhūtas (165), the mahābhūtas preponderantly present in particular constituents of the body (166–170), the ratios of the mahābhūtas in several groups of animals (171–180), and the connections between the mahābhūtas and the seasons (181–182).

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Chapter eleven (183–273) is devoted to a classification of diseases. Almost the whole of this chapter has been taken from the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā (I.7). Exceptions are verses 184–185,³¹ 186ab, 204–207,³² and 272–273.³³

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Chapter twelve (274–292) describes that Pārvatī wonders how disorders of the doṣas, which have their seats in various parts of the body, can be diagnosed by means of the radial pulse. Being puzzled, she asks Śiva for elucidation.

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Śiva informs her of some anatomical facts. He declares that the mūlādhāracakra ³⁴ contains a vidhigranthi, which is the seat of vāta; similarly, the heart-lotus ³⁵ has a harigranthi, the seat of pitta; at the throat one finds a haragranthi, which is the seat of kapha.36

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The nāḍīs originate from the mūlakanda. Three among them, which have the nature of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, are more important, but the Suṣumnā is the foremost. This very subtle Suṣumnā runs from the seat of vāta to the seat of pitta, thence to the seat of kapha, to reach finally the Sahasrāra37 at the top of the head. From the top of the head it goes downwards, branches off, and passes through the forehead, ears, the region between the eyebrows, nostrils, throat, and shoulders, ending at the wrists, where the pulse can be examined. Other branches pass through the sides of the abdomen and the hips, ending at the ankles, where the pulsations are perceptible.

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The treatise ends with some verses explaining again that the state of the doṣas is diagnosed by help of the three fingers of the physician.

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The author is unknown. The Nāḍicakra must be later than the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā, on account of the large number of verses common to both works.38

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NĀḌĪCAKRANIDĀNA.39 NĀḌĪCAKRANIRṆAYA.40 NĀḌĪCAKRAVIDHI.41

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NĀḌĪDARPAṆA42 by Dattārāma,43 on of Śrīkṛṣṇalāla,44 is a treatise in 217 verses, arranged in three chapters (avaloka).

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Although stressing the importance of aṣṭasthānaparīkṣā (1.6) and referring to various elements of this procedure (1.11, 12, 14), the work is exclusively devoted to nāḍīparīkṣā. The author emphasizes that the examination of the pulse can be learnt by practice only, not from books (1.24). The cause of the pulsation of the arteries is said to be the contraction of the heart; the circulation of the blood is known to the author (1.31–35).

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Other subjects dealt with are: the three types of nāḍī (vāyuvahā, mūtraviḍasthirasavāhinī, āhāravāhinī; 1.37);45 the total number of nāḍīs (thirty-five millions),46 the gross nāḍīs (1,072 in number), and the twenty-four main nāḍīs (1.41–45); the places where to feel the pulse (1.46–55); suitable and prohibited times for the examination of the pulse; (2.1–3); suitable and unsuitable patients (2.6–7); the correct procedure for examining the pulse (2.8–20); the characteristics of a normal pulse (2.21); the deities presiding over the various pulses (2.22); the colours of the nāḍīs (2.23); the characteristics of the pulse in disturbances of the doṣas (2.26–59) and the author’s own opinion on this subject (2.33–46); the pulses indicating curability and incurability or approaching death (2.60–95); the articles of food to be prescribed in patients with an abnormal pulse (2.99–106); the pulse in various disorders (3.1–28); the number of pulsebeats (3.29–41).47

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Sources are not mentioned, but the major part of Kaṇāda’s Nāḍivijñāna forms part of the Nāḍidarpaṇa.

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The Nāḍidarpaṇa is quoted by Prabhakar Chatterjee in his Bhāratīyanāḍivijñāna48 and Satyadeva Vāsiṣṭha in his commentary on Rāvaṇa’s Nāḍiparīkṣā.

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Dattārāma was a resident of Mathurā.49 The references to the functions of heart

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and lungs and to the circulation of the blood enable us to assign the Nāḍidarpaṇa to the nineteenth century. Edition d has two additional chapters on pulse-examination according to Yūnānī (twenty-four verses) and western medicine (eighteen verses).

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NĀḌĪGRANTHA.50 NĀḌĪJĪVANA.51 NĀḌĪJÑĀNA attributed to Ātreya.52

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NĀḌĪJÑĀNADARPAṆA, a work on the pulse and some related subjects in 252 verses by Bhūdharabhaṭṭa.53

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The treatise covers all the subjects usual in a work on the pulse, but it deals with other diagnostic procedures as well, namely the examination of the eyes (netraparīkṣā; 222–228), tongue (jihvāparīkṣā; 229–230), nose (nāsikāparīkṣā; 231), faeces (malaparīkṣā; 232–234), urine (mūtraparīkṣā; 235–247), and menstrual discharge (ārtavaparīkṣā; 248–252).54 This explains that the Nāḍijñānadarpaṇa has more verses on general aspects of medicine than the average text on nāḍīparīkṣā and that various types of parīkṣā are referred to in its introductory part as indispensable procedures which have to precede any therapeutic action.

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The list of pulses characteristic for particular diseases (79–166) is much longer than in the monographs attributed to Kaṇāda and Rāvaṇa. The same applies to the list indicating a fatal outcome in general or death within a specified period of time (189–220).

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The author does not refer to his sources by name, but a comparison with the treatises of Kaṇāda and Rāvaṇa learns that he has incorporated at least half of Kaṇāda’s work and some verses of Rāvaṇa.

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Fourteen main nāḍīs are mentioned by name: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumnā, Sarasvatī,55 Vāruṇī,56 Pūṣā,57 Hastijihvā,58 Yaśasvinī,59 Viśvodarā,60 Kuhū,61 Śaṅkhinī,62 Payasvinī,63 Alambuṣā,64 and Gāndhārī65 (30–32).66 Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumnā are the most important among these, and Suṣumnā, located in the backbone and the head, is the foremost of the three (32–33). The frequency of the beats of the pulse in the various periods of life is described (50–53).67 The pulse should be examined at six places: the hands, the feet and the temples (55), or at eight: the hands, the feet, the sides of the throat and near the two sides of the nose (56). The pulses felt at the sides of the nose and at the throat reveal particular disorders (57 and 59). The span of life as determined by the pulse is described (174–176).

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The examination of the nose and of the menstrual discharge are rarely mentioned in other treatises.

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No particulars are known about the author and his date. He is later, in any case, than the period of composition of the treatises attributed to Kaṇāda and Rāvaṇa.

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NĀḌĪJÑĀNADĪPIKĀ.68 NĀḌĪJÑĀNAPRADĪPIKĀ.69

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NĀḌĪJÑĀNAPRAKĀŚIKĀ.70 The number of openings71 of the nāḍīs, which are connected with the hairs, and from which drops of sweat (gharmabindu) ooze out, is thirtyfive millions (3).⁷² One main nāḍī, the origin of all the others, is the pathway of vāyu, and has its root in the upper part of the body, while its branches reach downwards (4). The fourteen most important nāḍīs, which carry prāṇa, and are established in the jīvakośa, are: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumṇā, Sarasvatī, Vāruṇī, Pūṣā, Hastijihvā, Yaśasvinī, Viśvodarī, Kuhū, Śaṅkhinī, Payasvinī, Alambuṣā, and Gāndhārī (10–13). Ten among these nāḍīs convey the ten kinds of vāyu. Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumṇā course in an upward direction; Gāndhārī and Hastijihvā provide movement to arms and legs; Alambuṣā and Yaśasvinī are located in the right, Kuhū and Śaṅkhinī in the left half of the body (14–16). The locations of the terminals (dvāra) of the ten (vāyu-transporting) nāḍīs: Iḍā ends in the left nostril, Piṅgalā in the right nostril, Suṣumṇā in the opening (randhra) (at the top) of the spinal column (vaṃśa), Gāndhārī in the left eye, Hastijihvā in the right eye, Pūṣā in the right ear, Yaśasvinī in the left ear, Alambuṣā in the mouth, Kuhū in the root of the penis, and Śaṅkhinī in the crown of the skull (17–19).⁷³

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⁷² One main nāḍī, the origin of all the others, is the pathway of vāyu, and has its root in the upper part of the body, while its branches reach downwards (4). The fourteen most important nāḍīs, which carry prāṇa, and are established in the jīvakośa, are: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumṇā, Sarasvatī, Vāruṇī, Pūṣā, Hastijihvā, Yaśasvinī, Viśvodarī, Kuhū, Śaṅkhinī, Payasvinī, Alambuṣā, and Gāndhārī (10–13). Ten among these nāḍīs convey the ten kinds of vāyu. Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumṇā course in an upward direction; Gāndhārī and Hastijihvā provide movement to arms and legs; Alambuṣā and Yaśasvinī are located in the right, Kuhū and Śaṅkhinī in the left half of the body (14–16). The locations of the terminals (dvāra) of the ten (vāyu-transporting) nāḍīs: Iḍā ends in the left nostril, Piṅgalā in the right nostril, Suṣumṇā in the opening (randhra) (at the top) of the spinal column (vaṃśa), Gāndhārī in the left eye, Hastijihvā in the right eye, Pūṣā in the right ear, Yaśasvinī in the left ear, Alambuṣā in the mouth, Kuhū in the root of the penis, and Śaṅkhinī in the crown of the skull (17–19).

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⁷³ The ten kinds of vāyu are: prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, vyāna, nāga, kūrma, kṛkara, devadatta, and dhanañjaya; the first five form the more important group; prāṇa and apāna are the most important among them; prāṇa is more important than apāna (20–21); the nāḍīs in the ears perceive sounds, those in the eyes forms, those in the nose smells; the one situated in the tongue perceives tastes, those in the skin perceive sensations of touch; those in heart and mouth give rise to sound; manas, buddhi, etc., are eastablished in the heart (22–23).

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The ten kinds of vāyu are: prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, vyāna, nāga, kūrma, kṛkara, devadatta, and dhanañjaya;⁷⁴ the first five form the more important group; prāṇa and apāna are the most important among them; prāṇa is more important than apāna (20–21); the nāḍīs in the ears perceive sounds, those in the eyes forms, those in the nose smells; the one situated in the tongue perceives tastes, those in the skin perceive sensations of touch; those in heart and mouth give rise to sound; manas, buddhi, etc., are eastablished in the heart (22–23).

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⁷⁴ Gāndhārī is located behind Iḍā; it has the colour of a peacock's throat and runs from the left foot to the left eye (25). Hastijihvā lies to the front of Iḍā; it has the colour of an utpala (blue water-lily) and runs from the left part of the head to the big toe of the left foot (26). Pūṣā lies behind Piṅgalā; its colour is like that of a dark cloud; it runs from the right eye to the sole of the right foot (27). Alambuṣā lies to the front of Piṅgalā and is red in colour; it runs from the right eye to the big toe of the right foot (28). Yaśasvinī, lying in front of Piṅgalā, has the hue of a conch and runs from the right part of the head to the big toe of the right foot (29). Śaṅkhinī is located between Gāndhārī and Sarasvatī; it is golden in colour and runs from the left foot to the left ear (30). Kuhū is located between Vāruṇī and Pūṣā; it is white in colour and runs from the big toe of the right foot to the top of the head (31). The most important among these nāḍīs are Viśvodarī, Śaṅkhinī, Rāvaṇā, and Sarasvatī (32).

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Gāndhārī is located behind Iḍā; it has the colour of a peacock's throat and runs from the left foot to the left eye (25). Hastijihvā lies to the front of Iḍā; it has the colour of an utpala (blue water-lily) and runs from the left part of the head to the big toe of the left foot (26). Pūṣā lies behind Piṅgalā; its colour is like that of a dark cloud; it runs from the right eye to the sole of the right foot (27). Alambuṣā lies to the front of Piṅgalā and is red in colour; it runs from the right eye to the big toe of the right foot (28). Yaśasvinī, lying in front of Piṅgalā, has the hue of a conch and runs from the right part of the head to the big toe of the right foot (29). Śaṅkhinī is located between Gāndhārī and Sarasvatī; it is golden in colour and runs from the left foot to the left ear (30). Kuhū is located between Vāruṇī and Pūṣā; it is white in colour and runs from the big toe of the right foot to the top of the head (31). The most important among these nāḍīs are Viśvodarī, Śaṅkhinī, Rāvaṇā, and Sarasvatī (32).⁷⁵ Suṣumṇā, located in the brahmarandhra, on the road to final liberation (muktimārga), is invisible (avyakta) and associated with Viṣṇu (33). The three main nāḍīs are Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumṇā; Suṣumṇā is foremost among them (34). Iḍā runs on the left side, Piṅgalā on the right side, and Suṣumṇā in the middle; all three are pathways of vāyu (35). Iḍā has the lustre of a conch and the moon, Piṅgalā is white and red (36). Iḍā is a seat of the moon, Piṅgalā of the sun, Suṣumṇā of the wind (marut); Iḍā is a seat of rajas, Piṅgalā of tamas, Suṣumṇā of sattva; Iḍā is associated with the day (37). Iḍā has the nature of vāyu, Piṅgalā that of fire, while Suṣumṇā, lying on the pathway to the brahmadvāra (= brahmarandhra), has the nature of both (38).

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⁷⁵ Suṣumṇā, located in the brahmarandhra, on the road to final liberation (muktimārga), is invisible (avyakta) and associated with Viṣṇu (33). The three main nāḍīs are Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumṇā; Suṣumṇā is foremost among them (34). Iḍā runs on the left side, Piṅgalā on the right side, and Suṣumṇā in the middle; all three are pathways of vāyu (35). Iḍā has the lustre of a conch and the moon, Piṅgalā is white and red (36). Iḍā is a seat of the moon, Piṅgalā of the sun, Suṣumṇā of the wind (marut); Iḍā is a seat of rajas, Piṅgalā of tamas, Suṣumṇā of sattva; Iḍā is associated with the day (37). Iḍā has the nature of vāyu, Piṅgalā that of fire, while Suṣumṇā, lying on the pathway to the brahmadvāra (= brahmarandhra), has the nature of both (38).

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The heart resembles an inverted lotus bud, decorated with perforations (39). Piṅgalā has the fire maṇḍala as its dwelling place (gocara) and is called devayāna (40).⁷⁶ Iḍā has the somamaṇḍala as its dwelling place and is called pitṛyāna (41).⁷⁷ The long

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⁷⁶ The heart resembles an inverted lotus bud, decorated with perforations (39). Piṅgalā has the fire maṇḍala as its dwelling place (gocara) and is called devayāna (40).

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⁷⁷ Iḍā has the somamaṇḍala as its dwelling place and is called pitṛyāna (41).

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(series of) bone(s) in the back, extending from the anus to the head, and resembling the neck (daṇḍa) of a vīṇā, is called brahmaḍaṇḍa (42). The delicate hole at its upper end is called brahmanāḍī; the subtle Suṣumṇā lies between Iḍā and Piṅgalā (43). The jīva is established in the body, which is at some places like a cakra, or at other places like a kośa, or again like a jīvagṛha (48). The jīva roams through the body, mounted on the prāṇas; it resembles a spider in its web (49). The ten seats (āyatana) of prāṇa are: the umbilical region, ojas, the anal region, semen, the blood, the temples, the head, the kāṇḍa, and the heart (51).⁷⁸ Viśvodarī is thirty-two hasta in length; that part of it which is present in the neck measures one hasta (52). The āmāśaya is located at a distance of ten hasta from this (part of Viśvodarī) and the pacyamānāśaya at a distance of ten hasta from the āmāśaya (53). The distance between pacyamānāśaya and pakvāśaya is ten hasta again; the guhyadeśa (region of the genitals and anus) measures one hasta; its nāḍī resembles the convolutions of a conch (54).

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⁷⁸ The long (series of) bone(s) in the back, extending from the anus to the head, and resembling the neck (daṇḍa) of a vīṇā, is called brahmaḍaṇḍa (42). The delicate hole at its upper end is called brahmanāḍī; the subtle Suṣumṇā lies between Iḍā and Piṅgalā (43). The jīva is established in the body, which is at some places like a cakra, or at other places like a kośa, or again like a jīvagṛha (48). The jīva roams through the body, mounted on the prāṇas; it resembles a spider in its web (49). The ten seats (āyatana) of prāṇa are: the umbilical region, ojas, the anal region, semen, the blood, the temples, the head, the kāṇḍa, and the heart (51).

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The ingested food passes through āmāśaya, pacyamānāśaya and pakvāśaya; the (digestive) fire is located above the pakvāśaya (55). The rasa derived from the food passes through the nāḍī of the navel and goes to all parts of the body, impelled by vāyu (56). The umbilical region has the form of a tortoise (kūrma); the eight limbs of this tortoise are connected with the eight mahānāḍīs; four among these are in the region of the back, four in the region of the chest (kroḍa) (57). Two of the nāḍīs in the back and two in the chest run upwards, the other four downwards; the nāḍīs running upwards split into two branches (pallava) in the region of the throat; one of these splits again into five smaller branches (58). The branches go to the eyes, nostrils, tongue, lips and ears; one nāḍī, coming from the back, is called ākuñcanakarī (59).⁷⁹ A nāḍī, coming from the shoulder region, goes to the hand and splits into five branches; this one too is called ākuñcanakarī (60). A nāḍī running downwards from the back splits into five branches for the toes and is called prasāraṇakarī (61).⁸⁰ The ninth limb of the tortoise is called liṅganāḍī; its two branches convey urine and semen (62). The tortoise lies in a transverse position in the umbilical region, its head pointing to the left and its tail to the right; its left legs point upwards, the right legs downwards (63). Two nāḍīs are present in its head, two in its tail, and five in each of its legs (64). Its mouth parts face upwards in women, downwards in men (71). For this reason a physician should examine the pulse of the right hand in men, of the left hand in females (72).

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⁷⁹ The ingested food passes through āmāśaya, pacyamānāśaya and pakvāśaya; the (digestive) fire is located above the pakvāśaya (55). The rasa derived from the food passes through the nāḍī of the navel and goes to all parts of the body, impelled by vāyu (56). The umbilical region has the form of a tortoise (kūrma); the eight limbs of this tortoise are connected with the eight mahānāḍīs; four among these are in the region of the back, four in the region of the chest (kroḍa) (57). Two of the nāḍīs in the back and two in the chest run upwards, the other four downwards; the nāḍīs running upwards split into two branches (pallava) in the region of the throat; one of these splits again into five smaller branches (58). The branches go to the eyes, nostrils, tongue, lips and ears; one nāḍī, coming from the back, is called ākuñcanakarī (59).

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⁸⁰ A nāḍī, coming from the shoulder region, goes to the hand and splits into five branches; this one too is called ākuñcanakarī (60). A nāḍī running downwards from the back splits into five branches for the toes and is called prasāraṇakarī (61).

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NĀḌĪJÑĀNAŚIKṢĀ by Kālīprasanna Vidyāratna Bhaṭṭācārya,⁸¹ a modern work. NĀḌĪJÑĀNAŚIKṢĀ by Haralāla Gupta.⁸²

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⁸¹ NĀḌĪJÑĀNAŚIKṢĀ by Kālīprasanna Vidyāratna Bhaṭṭācārya, a modern work.

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⁸² NĀḌĪJÑĀNAŚIKṢĀ by Haralāla Gupta.

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NĀḌĪJÑĀNATARAṄGIṆĪ, a treatise on the pulse in 102 verses by Raghunāthaprasāda.⁸³

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⁸³ NĀḌĪJÑĀNATARAṄGIṆĪ, a treatise on the pulse in 102 verses by Raghunāthaprasāda.

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This work is in the form of a dialogue between a woman called Lolākṣī, daughter of a Gandharva called Pampayya who lived in Bilagrāma, and a physician who answers her questions on diagnostics by means of the pulse (5–8; 101–102).

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The usual subjects are covered. Many verses are taken from the monographs on the pulse attributed to Kaṇāda and Rāvaṇa or are very similar to verses found there, although the author does not disclose his sources except mentioning Parāśara by name The deities presiding over the pulses of vāyu, pitta and kapha are Brahmā, Śiva and Viṣṇu (10), or, according to another view, Vāyu, Sūrya and Candra (11). The difference in examining the pulse in male and female patients (the pulse of the right hand in males and that of the left in females) is mentioned and explained as due to the head of the kūrma (tortoise) 84 being directed upwards and downwards in males (16–18). 85 The pulse in diseases is hardly described (76–81), whereas the frequency of the pulse, dependent on the age of the patient, is elaborately dealt with (82–90). 86 The pulse is explained as brought about by rhythmic contractions of the heart which, with vāta as an intermediary, make the blood move through the vessels (91–92).

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Raghunāthaprasāda was the son of Sītārāma and Lakṣmī and a pupil of Śrīnivāsa. 87 Sītārāma was the eldest of the three sons of Tāpirāma, son of the physician Govardhana who descended from Bālāśarman, a brāhmaṇa of Kānyakubja lineage. 88

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The Nāḍijñānataraṅgiṇī is a modern work as appears from its description of the contraction of the heart as the origin of the pulse. 89

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NĀḌIJÑĀNAVIDHI 90 by Raghunātha Paṇḍita 91 is a short treatise in twenty-two verses on the characteristics of the pulse in excitement of each of the three doṣas, in saṃnipāta, and in a short series of disorders. The author also describes the views of Caraka on the pulse in disorders of one doṣa, two doṣas, and saṃnipāta. 92

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NĀḌIJÑĀNAVINIRṆAYA. 93 NĀḌIKARARATNADARPAṆA. 94 NĀḌĪLAKṢAṆA. 95 NĀḌĪLAKṢAṆA, ṢAḌVIDHA. 96 NĀḌĪMŪTRAMALANETRAPARĪKṢA. 97 NĀḌĪMŪTRANETRAPARĪKṢA. 98 NĀḌĪMŪTRAPARĪKṢA. 99

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NĀḌĪNAKṢATRAMĀLĀ. 100 The nāḍī 101 situated at the root of the thumb has an extension of three fingers (aṅgula) and the size of a barleycorn; it is connected with all parts of the body (1). The course of kapha in this wonderful nāḍī can be found between those of vāta and pitta (2). The course of pitta may be detected by means of the forefinger, that of kapha by means of the middle finger, and that of vāta by means of the ring finger (3). Taking the root (of the thumb) as the point of reference, the nearest pulse is that of pitta, followed by those of kapha and vāta (4). A physician should determine the nature of the vāta pulse first, subsequently that of kapha and pitta (5).

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The characteristics of the normal pulses of pitta, kapha and vāta (6–7). Characteristics of abnormal pulses of vāta, kapha and pitta (8). An abnormal condition (vakragati) of the three pulses indicates disease, a normal (sama) condition health (9). The pulse of kapha is called after Brahmā, that of pitta after Viṣṇu, that of vāta after Īśvara (= Śiva); this is the opinion of Dhanvantari (10). The characteristics of the pulse indicating a disorder of vāta and pitta (11), pitta and vāta (12), 102 kapha and pitta (13), pitta and kapha (14), kapha and vāta (15), vāta and kapha (16). The characteristics of the

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pulse in disorders caused by vāta (17), kapha (18) and pitta (19). The characteristics of a particular type of irregular pulse (20). 103 The characteristics of the pulse in a pulse indicating thirty-two disorders (doṣa) (21). 104 The characteristics of the pulse in a disorder called sūtikāvāyu (22). 105 Pulses indicating an (external) fever, internal fever, and a fever that has reached the bones (23). Characteristics of the pulse indicating a fatal outcome (24). The importance of determining the five main characteristics of the pulse (25–26). 106 Characteristics of the pulse indicating a favourable prognosis (27).

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The author of the commentary, called Nāḍīnirūpaṇa, was Kṛṣṇa Sūri, son of Gopālācāryasūri, of Sātulūri lineage. 107

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Authorities quoted in the commentary are Amara and Viśva.

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NĀḌĪNIDĀNA or Nāḍinirṇaya, a work in twenty-seven stanzas attributed to the Aśvins. 108

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NĀḌĪNIRṆAYA. 109 NĀḌĪNIRŪPAṆA. 110 NĀḌĪPARIJÑĀNA, compiled by Śrīnivāsācārya Ayyavāralu. 111 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Agniveśa. 112 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Avadhūta. 113 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ attributed to Dattātreya. 114 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Dhuṇḍhirāja. 115 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Gaṅgādhara. 116 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Govinda. 117 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Kaṇāda. 118 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Mandhara. 119 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Mārkaṇḍeya. 120 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Nañjarāja. 121 NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Pūjyapāda. 122

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NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Rāmacandra Somayājin, son of Agnicit Sūryadāsa of Naimiṣāraṇya. 123

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NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ ascribed to Rāvaṇa, 124 a treatise on the pulse in ninety-six verses.

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The maṅgala is addressed to Indirā, i.e., Lakṣmī. The second verse refers to aṣṭasthānaparīkṣā.

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The subjects dealt with are: the jīvanāḍī (i.e., the radial artery), called thus by Nandi(n), 125 located in the forearm and connected with all parts of the body; this jīvanāḍī, when examined at the base of the thumb, reveals all types of disturbances of the doṣas (3–5); the correct way of examining the pulse in men and women at the wrist and at the ankle (6–10); the three pulses of the doṣas in relation to the three fingers of the examiner, their characteristics when the doṣas are in balance and when they are excited (11–14); qualities of the pulses of the normal and the excited doṣas (15–19); the pulse in a healthy person and in incurable diseases (20–23); the pulse in various disorders (24–38); the qualities of the pulse when the doṣas are staying in their respective seats, when increased, decreased, or disturbed in various ways (39–45); the pulse in various disorders (46–67); pulses indicating incurability or death within a specified period of time (68–90); characteristics of a dying person (91–93); the number of pulsations compatible with life (94); the pulse in a fever which has reached the innermost parts of the body (95); the duty of a physician to withhold treatment from a patient after recognizing the approach of death (96).

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Rāvaṇa’s treatise on the pulse is less systematically arranged than that of Kaṇāda. It is probably quoted by Aḍhamalla and Kāśīrāma.¹²⁶ Rāvaṇa is mentioned in Kapilamiśra’s Nāḍīprabodhana.

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A modern Sanskrit commentary on the work, called Vivṛti, was written by Satyadeva Vāsiṣṭha.¹²⁷

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Authors and works quoted or referred to in this commentary are: Amara (38; 87), Añjananidāna (49; 63), Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā (26), Āyurvedaśāstra (10), Basavarājīya (5; 8; 17–18; 20; 21; 23; 29; 31–32; 74; 86; 87), Bhagavadgītā (9; 10), Bhāskara’s Siddhāntaśiromaṇi (10), Bhāvaprakāśa (46), Caraka (often), Kaṇāda (often), Liṅgapurāṇa (4), Madhukoṣa (64), Nāḍīdarpaṇa (34), Nāḍīprakāśa (83; 86), Nidāna (31; 57), Nīlakaṇṭha’s Praśnatantra (34),¹²⁸ Patañjali (34), Rasavaiśeṣika (24–25), Ṛgveda (7; 10), Śatapathabrāhmaṇa (8), Suśruta (often), Videha (64), Yajurveda (10; 92), Yāska (34), and Yogaratnākara (74; 75; 77; 84–85; 87–88).

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The two main teachers of the author were Nāthūrāmamaudgalya, son of Gokula, pupil of Gaṇanātha, and Tilakarāmaśarman, son of Sukharāma, pupil of Arjunamiśra.¹²⁹

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The following elements of Rāvaṇa’s Nāḍīparīkṣā are absent from Kaṇāda’s Nāḍīvijñāna: ¹³⁰ the term jīvanāḍī and its attribution to Nandi(n); the reference to aṣṭasthānaparīkṣā; the differences in the examination of the pulses in men and women. The series of diseases mentioned together with the characteristics of the pulse observed in them is longer than in Kaṇāda’s work.¹³¹

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Nothing is known about the real author of the text.¹³²

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The quotations from Rāvaṇa’s Nāḍīparīkṣā by Aḍhamalla, if from this text and not from a floating tradition,¹³³ suggest a date anterior to the fourteenth century.¹³⁴ The reference to aṣṭasthānaparīkṣā seems to contradict such an early date since this subject is not mentioned in medical treatises until the beginning of the sixteenth century.¹³⁵

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NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Śrīvātasya rājabhiṣak.¹³⁶ NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ compiled by Pipinavihārin Gupta.¹³⁷ NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ by Yogīśvara.¹³⁸ NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀ, anonymous.¹³⁹

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NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀDICIKITSĀKATHANA by Ratnapāṇiśarman, son of Gaṅgolī Saṃjīveśvaraśarman, patronized by Chattrasiṃha of Mithilā. This work is a treatise on the examination of the pulse and on therapy in 552 verses, arranged in five chapters (vilā-

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sa). The order of the diseases in this treatise is odd; it ends with a rasaprakaraṇakīrtana. It has been composed after A.D. 1550.¹⁴⁰

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NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀJĪNANĀḌĪ.¹⁴¹ NĀḌĪPARĪKṢĀLAKṢAṆA.¹⁴²

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NĀḌĪPRABODHA by Rāmacandra Vājapeyin,¹⁴³ son of Sūryadāsa and pupil of Śrībhāratī, a treatise in 158 verses, composed in A.D. 1446.¹⁴⁴

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NĀḌĪPRABODHAKA by Kavirāja Kṛpālamīśra or Kṛṣṇamiśra Pañcendra.¹⁴⁵ NĀḌĪPRAKARAṆA by Kaṇāda.¹⁴⁶ NĀḌĪPRAKARAṆA by Śivadāsa, in thirty-eight stanzas.¹⁴⁷ NĀḌĪPRAKARAṆA from the Vaidyabhūṣaṇa Bhīmarāva.¹⁴⁸ NĀḌĪPRAKARAṆA or Nāḍīparīkṣā, anonymous.¹⁴⁹ NĀḌĪPRAKARAṆA by Dattarāma.¹⁵⁰ NĀḌĪPRAKĀŚA from the Gautamīyatantra.¹⁵¹ NĀḌĪPRAKĀŚA by Govinda.¹⁵² NĀḌĪPRAKĀŚA by Kaṇāda.¹⁵³ NĀḌĪPRAKĀŚA, compiled by Pītāmbarasena.¹⁵⁴ NĀḌĪPRAKĀŚA by Rāmarāja,¹⁵⁵ son of Ratnadeva.¹⁵⁶

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NĀḌĪPRAKĀŚA by Śaṃkarasena¹⁵⁷ Kavirāja, a work in three¹⁵⁸ or four¹⁵⁹ chapters (uddyota), based on Kaṇāda’s Nāḍīvijñāna. It quotes a large part of Kaṇāda’s verses,¹⁶⁰ frequently in a changed order, and comments on them, thereby comparing Kaṇāda’s views with those of other authorities. Śaṃkarasena enlarges on some subjects, in particular the seasons and the causes of the doṣas. Chapter three contains sections on the examination of the menstrual discharge, semen, urine, nose, eyes, and tongue, which are subjects not dealt with in Kaṇāda’s work. Chapter three ends with the statement that the art of feeling the pulse can be learnt only by concentrating one’s mind in the same way as in yoga. Chapter four is, apart from the first few verses, omitted in edition b and replaced by an exposition on yoga and breathing. The full Sanskrit text of this chapter and its translation are found in edition c; it consists of an exposition on prognostic signs derived from characteristics of the breathing of the patient.¹⁶¹

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