A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c47.22

v3.c47.22

The Gajaśāstra opens with a maṅgalacaraṇa and a homage to Pālakāpya. Chapter one (pālākapyotpatti or pālākapyacarita; 106 verses) deals with stories about Pālakāpya.74 Chapter two (diggajatatsamṭānatadvamśīyagajalakaṣaṇakathana; 64 verses) describes the origin of elephants in general, and that of the eight elephants of the quarters of the sky (diggaja) and their females in particular;75 it also describes the characteristics of the descendants of the diggajas,76 and adds some verses on the deities presiding over the different parts of an elephant’s body. Chapter three (gajaśāpanugrahakathana; 40 verses) explains particular characteristics and behavioural patterns of elephants as resulting from curses by Dīrghatapas, Agni, Brahmā, Varuṇa and Bhrgu;77 it ends with a story telling how Brahmā bestowed his favour on the elephants. Chapter four (vanagajalakaṣaṇanirūpaṇa; 27 verses) deals with the eight major and eight minor forest regions where wild elephants are found and the characteristics of elephants roaming there.78 Chapter five (gajavayolakaṣaṇa; 99 verses) describes the stages of life of an elephant and mentions its name in each of them, from the first to the twelfth month of the first year of life, from the second to the tenth year, and from the second to the twelfth decade;79 two other series of the stages of life are quoted from other treatises;80 elephants are, according to their age, divided into the categories uttama (superior), madhyama (intermediate) and adhama (inferior); the chapter ends with verses on the stages of life quoted from the Vaiśampāyanīya.81 Chapter six (deśabhedabhinnagalakaṣaṇagajagrahaṇakathana; 36 verses) is concerned with the characteristics of elephants coming from different regions82 and with the capturing of elephants. Chapter seven (bhadramandamṛgasaṃkīrṇagajalakaṣaṇa; 74 verses) is about the bhadra, manda, mṛga, and mixed types of elephants.83 Chapter eight (brahmādyamśavarṇachāyāgandhasattvasvaralakaṣaṇa; 105 verses) treats classifications of elephants with regard to their amśa,84 colour (varṇa),85 sheen (chāyā),86 smell (gandha),87 character (sattva),88 and trumpeting (svara);89 the character types are described a second time on the basis of a work by Vyāsa.90 Chapter nine (gajagatilakaṣaṇadikathana; 52 verses) deals with a variety of subjects: the gait (gati) of elephants,91 their āvartas, major defects (mahādoṣa),92 and measurements (parimāṇa).93 Chapter ten (bāhyāli; 151 verses) is about the ways of being seated (āsana) on an elephant,94 driving elephants by means of the goad (sṛṇipraṇidhi),95 the feet (pādapraṇidhi)96 and words (vākpraṇidhi),97 the pruning of the tusks (dantaccheda),98 thrusts with tusks (dantaghāta),99 the seven beauties of must (madaśobhā),100 the seven stages of must,101 the elephant-fight (bāhyāli) and -sport (gajakrīḍanaka), and the ways of pricking with the goad (sṛṇighāta).