The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c7.t2: Sexuality

c7.t2.1

Very vague ideas were entertained as to the sexual characters of plants. The pollen is called *Rajas*, *puṣpa*, *prasuna*—names which are also applied to the female menstruum—and Amara expressly states that for females and flowers these elements (and the terms signifying them) are the same (स्त्रीणां सुमनसां पुष्पं प्रसूनं समम्—Amara, *Vanauṣadhivarga*). Charaka (*Dridhavala*), indeed, distinguishes between the male and the female *vatsa* (or *kutaja*), considering the variety that bears white flowers and large fruits as male (बृहत्फलश्वेतपुष्पः पुमान्, Holarrhena antidysenterica), and that which bears red or yellow flowers and small fruits as female (श्यावारुणपुष्पो स्त्री—असितकूटज, Wrightia tinctoria; Charaka, *Kalpasthâna*, Chap. V.; but this is hopelessly wrong. Even these vague ideas were afterwards completely lost, and the *Râjanighantu* tells us of a grotesque division of plants into male, female, and hermaphrodite, based on the slender or stout, the soft or hard, the long or short, the simple or mixed character of the stems and flowers! (*Râjanighantu*, अनूपादि प्रथमो वर्गः स्त्रीपुंनपुंसकत्वेन त्रैविध्यं स्थावरेष्वपि, etc.).