The Sushruta Samhita — trans. Bhishagratna

He will scratch his head in an agonised and confused state, and will look this way and that, trying to slip away by a back or side door, thus betraying his guilty conscience by his confusion. 7.

An innocent man, unjustly arraigned before the royal tribunal might from fear or precipation, become (confused and) liable to make untrue statements (and thus be unjustly convicted). Hence the king should first of all test the sincerity and fidelity of his servants ascertaining the non-poisonous character of the boiled rice, drink, tooth-twigs, unguents, combs, cosmetics, infusions, washes, anointments (with sandal pastes, etc.), garlands (of flowers, etc.), clothes, bedding, armour, ornaments, shoes, foot cushions, the backs of horses and elephants and snuffs (Nasya), Dhuma (tobacco smoking), collyrium and such other things (reserved for the use of the king). 8-9.

Indications of poisoned food and

drink, etc. :— The indications by which the poisonous character of food, drink, etc. (to be used by a king) may be detected are described first and the medical treatment is dealt with secondly. A portion of the food prepared for the royal use should be first given to crows and flies and its poisonous character should be presumed, if they instantaneously die on partaking of the same. Poisoned food burns making loud cracks, and when cast into the fire it assumes the colour of a peacock's throat, becomes unbearable, burns in severed and disjointed flames and emits irritating fumes and it cannot be speedily extinguished. The

[Chap. I. KALPA-STHANAM. (y^f eyes of a Chakora bird are instantaneously affected by looking at such poisoned food and a Jivajivaka dies under a similar condition. The note of the cuckoo becomes hoarse and a Krauncha (heron) becomes excited. A peacock moves about and becomes sprightly, and a Suka and a Sdrikd scream (in fear). A swan cackles violently and a Bhringarjija (of the swallow class) raises its inarticutate voice. A Prishata (a species of spotted deer) sheds tears and a monkey passes stools. Hence these birds and animals should be kept in the royal palace for show and entertainment as Veil as for the protection of the sovereign master. lO.

A Prishata (a species of spotted deer) sheds tears and a monkey passes stools. Hence these birds and animals should be kept in the royal palace for show and entertainment as Veil as for the protection of the sovereign master. lO.

The vapours arising from poisoned food when served for use give rise to a pain in the cardiac region and produce headache and restlessness of the eyes. As an antidote, a preparation of Kushtha, Rdmatha (asafcetida), Nalada and honey mixed together should be used as an Anjana (along the eye-lids) and a medical compound of the same drugs should be snuffed into the nostrils. A plaster composed of S'irisha, turmeric, and sandal pasted together or simply a sandal paste should be used over the region of the heart in such cases ii.

A poison affecting the palms of the hands, produces a burning sensation in them and leads to the falling off of the finger-nails. The remedy in such cases consists in applying a plaster of S'yantd*, Indra, Gopa soma and Utpala pasted together. 12.

Poisoned food partaken of through ignorance orp. 678 folly, produces a stone-like swelling and numbness of the tongue, a loss of the faculty of taste and a pricking burning pain in that organ attended with copious mucous salivation. The measures and remedies already laid down in connection with the treatment of cases of poisonous vapours as well as those to be hereinafter described in connection with the use of a poisoned tooth twig should be adopted. 13.

* Some explain "S'yamd" as "S'yimd-lata*; others explain it as

**Priyangu". Dallana explains "Indra" to mean "Indra-Varuni", "Gopa" to mean "Sdriva" and "Soma" to mean "Guduchi". Others, however, take "Indra-Gopa" as one word and explain it to mean a kind of insect known by that name, and they take "Sopja" to mean *'Soma-lata" in the ordinary sense of the word.

Food mixed with poison, when it reaches the Amasaya (stomach), gives rise to epileptic fits, vomiting, dysenteric stools (Atis^ra), distention of the abdomen, a burning sensation, shivering and a derangement of the sense-organs. Under such circumstances an emetic consisting of Madana, Aldvu, Vimbi and Kos'dtaki pasted together and administered through the medium of milk, curd and Udasvit (Takra) or with rice-washings should be understood as the proper remedy. 14.

Under such circumstances an emetic consisting of Madana, Aldvu, Vimbi and Kos'dtaki pasted together and administered through the medium of milk, curd and Udasvit (Takra) or with rice-washings should be understood as the proper remedy. 14.

Food mixed with poison, if it reaches the Pakvd- ^aya (intestines), gives rise to a burning sensation (in the body), epileptic fits, dysenteric stools (Atisdra), derangements of the organs of sense-perception, rumbling sounds in the abdomen and emaciation, and makes the complexion (of the sufferer) yellow. In such a case a purgative composed of clarified butter and Nilini fruits should be the first remedy. As an alternative, remedies to be described lateron (in the next chapter) in connection with the effects of Dushi-Visha (slow chemical poison) should be adopted and used, saturated with milk-curd (Dadhi) or honey. 15,

All liquid substances such as wine, milk, water, etc., if anywise poisoned, are found to be marked with variegated stripes on their* surface and become coveredp. 679 over with froth and bubbles. Shadows are not reflected in such (poisoned) liquids and if they ever are, they look doubled, net-like (porous) thin and distorted. 16.

* The colours of the different poisoned articles vary in each case and this is elaborately deswribed by Vagbhata in his Samhitd,

Preparations of potherbs, soups, boiled rice and cooked meat are instantaneously decomposed, and become putrid, tasteless and omit little odour when in contact with poison. All kinds of food become tasteless, smellless and colourless when in contact with poison. Ripe fruit, under such conditions, is speedily decomposed and the unripe ones are found to get prematurely ripe. 17 — 18.

If the tooth-twig be anyway charged with poison its brush-like end is withered and shattered and if used gives rise to a swelling of the lips and the tongue and about the gums. In such a case, the swollen part should be first rubb ed (with any leaf of rough fibre) and then gently rubbed with a plaster composed of Dhdtaki flowers, Pathyd, stones of Jatnbuline (black-berry) and honey pasted together. As an alternative, the pait should be gently rubbed and dusted over with a plaster of powdered Amkotha roots or Sapt a-chchada bark or seeds of S'irisha, pasted together with honey. The same remedies should be applied in the cases of affections due to the use of a poisoned tongue-cleanser or a poisoned gargle (Kavala). 12 — 20.