An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita, Vol. III: Uttara-tantra — trans. Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna (1916)

(Rasdnjana, or according to some Camphor), and Sauvira should be soaked in Rasa (meat-juice) * and then pasted together. It should then be soaked again in the bile of a tortoise or of a Rohita fish and dried and reduced to powder. The present compound is called the Churn a-anjana (powdered Collyrium) and may be used beneficially for the pacification of Pitta (in cases of Pitta-vidagdha-Drishti). Kds'mari flowers, Yashti-madhu , Ddrviy Rodhra and Rasdnjana, should be pounded together and mixed with honey. Used as an Anjana it is always efficacious in the affections of the eye. 6-8.

Treatment of nocturnal blindness :

— The application of a medicinal Varti (stick) composed of Sauvirdnjana , Saindhava , Pippali and Renukd pasted together with the urine of a she-goat would prove highly beneficial in cases of nocturnal blindness. Similarly the application of a medicinal Varti (stick) composed of Kaldnu-Sdrivd, Pippali , S'unthi \ Yashti-madhu , TâHs'a-patra, the two kinds of Haridrd , and Musta , pasted with the Rasa of cow-dung f and dried in the shade, proves beneficial in such cases. Manah - sild, Haritaki , Trikatu , Bald , Kdlânu-sarivd and (S'amudra-) Phena pasted together with the milk of a shc-goat and similarly prepared in the shape of a Varti is also recommended. 9-1 1.

Rasa-Kriya'njana S— The urine, bile and dung of a cow J together with wine, should be boiled (in the manner of Rasa-kriydnjana preparation) in the

* Rasa may also, from the context, mean the watery secretions of cow*dung.

t Dallana’s reading is evidently which he explains as meaning the juice or serum of the liver of a goat, See* t The text has I The term which literally means a cow, hete stands for any female quadruped, such as a she-goat, etc.

Chap. XVII. ] UTTARA-TANTRAM. 69

expressed juice of Dhdtri , or in the Rasa (serum) of the liver of an animal (e.g. a goat), or in the decoction of Tripkald . It is called the Kshudrafnjana, and should be applied to the affected organ in the manner of an Anjana (collyrium). An Anjana consisting of cow’s urine, clarified butter, Samudra-phena , Pippali^ Katphala , Saindhava and honey mixed together should be first kept inside a hollow bamboo and subsequently applied (in night-blindness) as a collyrium. The Medas (fat) and liver of a goat, together with a quantity of clarified butter skimmed out of the milk of a she-goat, mixed with Pippali and Saindhava should be boiled and cooked with the (expressed) juice of Amalaka (in the manner of Rasa-kriy 4 preparations). It should then be mixed with honey and kept in a closed vessel made of Khadira (Catechu) wood. The use of this (compound), known as the Kshudrânjana, as an Anjana (collyrium) would be attended with good results. Harenu , Pippali-szzfe (without pericarps), Eld and the liver (of a goat, etc.) should be pasted with the Rasa of cow-dung. Used as an Anjana, it would prove efficacious in a case of Kapha-affected vision (Slcshma-VidagdhaDrishti). 12-14.

The liver of a Godha(a kind of wild lizard) should be partially opened and stuffed with Pippali and roasted in fire (having been coated with clay ). The use of the compound * for only once f as an Anjana (with honey)

* According to Dallana the Pippali bo roasted should be used with honey as an Anjana.

t Both Vrinda and Chakradatta read in place of and the commentators of both of them say that the sentence means — the liver should be taken internally and the Pippali should be used as an Anjana. The commentator of Vrinda further says that the practice is to use both of them together as an Anjana.

;o THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITX. [ Chap. XVII.

would be found to be higlily beneficial in cases of night-blindness. Similarly a single application of an Anjana made of a goat’s liver stuffed with Pippali * and roasted in fire as in the preceding case would speedily and certainly cure an attack of night-blindness. As an alternative, both the spleen and the liver (of a goat or of a lizard) would be cut into pieces, mixed with oil and clarified butter, and roasted on a spit. Used internally or used as an Anjana with mustard oil, it would speedily cure an attack of night-blindness. 15-17.

An Anjana or a pill composed of Nadija (Saindhava), S'inibi (D. R. — Samkha — conch-shell), Kataka , Anjana (Rasânjana), Manah-sild , the two kinds of Nisd , pasted together with the juice of the liver f (of a cow) and mixed with red-sandal paste is recommended in a case of day-blindness. 18.

Treatment of palliative types

Bleeding by opening the (local) veins should be resorted to in the six kinds of ocular affections in which the palliative treatment is all that is open to us. The patient should be as well kept constantly purged with draughts of matured clarified butter duly cooked with the admixture of suitable purgative drugs. In a V£taja

* Both Vagbhata and Dallana plainly say that the roasted Pippali only should be used with honey as an Anjana in cases of night-blindness.

t There is a confusion in the reading of this couplet. In place of i*e. pasted with the juice of the liver (of a cow or any other animal), Chakradatta reads “jpjt 33^’* i.c. to say— the liver of a cow (and of no other animal) should be taken. Vrinda, however, reads and his commentator accepts the reading (the liver