Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

[Gangadhara takes the first line to mean plasters made of each of the six drugs. From the grammatical construction, however, of the line, it seems that two plasters are indicated, viz.y one made of the first three, and the other of the second three.}

* The construction of this verse is rather terse- — T.

+ Gangadhara reads ‘samQritSh’ for ‘saghritah’ of the Calcutta edition. — T.

+■ ‘Gaura’ is another name of- ‘Haridra’ or Curcuma longa. ‘Aranala’ is a variety of ‘Kanji.’— T.

LESSON XXII.]

CHAR A KA-SA MBIT A.

p. 1619

The touch of the bosoms, or palms, or bodies, laved with dew, or cold water or sandal paste, of beautiful and beloved women, wearing silken cloths or cloths drenched in cool water, is beneficial in thirst. 37 The contact of cool caves, forests, rivers, lakes, lotuses, breezes, lunar rays, and dew, and of spots, containing beautiful pieces of water, as also the recollection of these, and conversations bearing upon them, are alleviative of thirst.* 38

Food and drink alleviative of wind, as also food and drink that are mild, light and cooling, are alleviatives of thirst born of wind.

Milk taken after drinking those ghees which have been laid down as alleviative of waste and cough is alleviative of wind-born thirst. 39 In thirst born of wind and bile (excited together), milk or ghee boiled with the group of drugs called ‘Jivaniya’, is beneficial.

In thirst born of bile, the decoction of grapes, sandal wood, date fruit, the roots of Ushira (Andropogon muricatus ), mixed with honey and ghee , (is beneficial). 4°

The decoction, cooled, of red ‘(^alP rice, date fruit, Parushaka (fruits of ' Grewia Asiatica ), Utpala ( Nymphcea stellata ), DrSksha (grapes), liquorice, and burnt clods of earth, (strained through a piece of clean cloth), alleviates bile-born thirst. 4*

[This verse is omitted in Gangadhafa’s edition. It occurs in the Calcutta and the Bombay editions.]

(The decoction of the following, pounded together, viz.,) a ‘prastha* of red ‘£sli’ rice, Lodhra ( Symplocos racemosa), Madhuka (liquorice), Anjana {Berberis Asiatica ), and Utpala ( Nymphcea stellated, boiled in an earthen vessel, and mixed with clods of earth, honey, and J ala (otherwise called Hrivera, i e., Pavonia odorata ), should be given as a drink.f 42

* As regards the second line, the reading of the Calcutta and the Bombay editions is adopted. Gangadhara’s reading is different. — T.

•f- ‘Kshunnah’ implies, as Gangadhara explains, ‘kuttitah’, that is, cut into small pieces and pounded in a mortar. The articles named in the first line are pounded and then boiled. The decoction, thus obtained, is kept in an earthen vessel. The articles mentioned in the second line are then thrown into the decoction. When the silt falls down into the bottom, the pure liquid is transferred carefully into another vessel.

It is difficult to understand what is meant by ‘Anjana’ in the first line. Probably it is;

‘Rasanjana’ or the juice of Berberis Asiatica. Ordinarily it means collyrium.

‘Jala’ In the second line implies ‘Bala’ or Pavonia odorata. — T.

p. 1620

CHI KITS A S THANA .

[trishna.

The leaves of Bata {Ficus Indica ), of Matulunga {Citrus Medica, variety, acida ) and of Vetasa {Calamus Rotang ), the roots of Kuja {Poa Cynosuroides), and those of Kaga {Saccharum spontaneum ), and the thing called Yashthi (liquorice) :

Boil these in a sufficient measure of water.

Then throw into the water red-hot black earth, or red-hot black sand, or red-hot pieces of an earthen jar (or other kind of vessel). Have it cooled and give the pure transparent water to drink when the sediments have fallen down. This preparation, or, the decoction of Amritavalli (otherwise called Guduchi, i. e., Tinospora cordifolid) into which has been thrown slightly heated gravels, alleviates thirst (born of excited bile). 43-44

[The second line of verse 44 indicates a preparation that is al¬ together different from the preparation indicated in 43 and the first line of 44. The fact is, black earthen clods, or black sand, grains, or broken pieces of an earthen jar or vessel, are each directed to be made red-hot by burning them in fire. While red-hot, any of these should be thrown into the decoction previously obtained. In this way, three preparations may be obtained, any one of which may be given to drink, when cooled, after the silt has been deposited at the bottom.]

The cold infusion of milk-yielding trees and plants (such as Ficus Indica and the rest), or, the cold infusion of the soup of drugs called Madhura (such as Kakoli and the rest), or, the cold infusion of cooling articles (such as the fruits of Phyllanthus Emblica and the rest), into each of which has been thrown burnt clods of earth, and each of which is mixed with sugar and honey, is capable of alleviating thirst born of bile. 45

The decoction of Vyosha (the three acrids, vis., dry ginger, the fruits of Piper longum, and black pepper), Vacha {Acorus Calamus'), Bhallataka (the seeds of Semecarpus Anacardium), and bitters (such as Agathotes Cherayta and the rest), is alleviative of thirst born of undigested food (in the stomach).