The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c7.t1.2

c7.t1.2

Udayana notices in plants the phenomena of life, death, sleep, waking, disease, drugging, transmission of specific characters by means of ova, movement towards what is favourable and away from what is unfavourable (**वृक्षादयः प्रतिनियतभोक्तृव्यधिष्ठिताः जीवनमरणस्वप्नजागरणरोगभेषजप्रयोग-बीजसजातीयानुबन्धानुकूलोपगमप्रतिकूलापगमादिभ्यः प्रसिद्धशरीरवत्** — Udayana, पृथिवीनििरूपणम्). I may add that metaphors drawn from the heliotropic movements of the *Sûryya-mukhî*-flower are among the stock-in-trade of Sanskrit poetry and belles-lettres.