554 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. XXlX
anoint (the body) and the decoction of Soma-valka for bathing (Pari sheka). The same should be prescribed on the tenth day, and from thence the skin becomes firm. The eleventh and twelfth day should be passed in the same way. From the thirteenth till the sixteenth day (both the days inclusive) the body should be washed with the decoction of Soma-valka. New teeth well- formed, symmetrical, strong, hard and as clear as a diamond or crystal or ruby would appear on the seven- teenth and eighteenth days. Gruels (Yavdgu) pre- pared with old S'dli-rice and milk should form his diet till the twenty-fifth day. After that period well boiled S'dli rice should be taken in the morning and evening with milk. Fixed, glossy and coral coloured finger- nails resembling the new rising sun in lusture and possessed of auspicious marks would be found to be growing after the lapse of that period and hair begin to grow, the skin would assume the soft hue of a blue lotus (Nilotpala), Atasi flower or of a ruby stone. After a month the hair should be shaved and a plaster composed of Us'ira, Chandana and black sesamum applied to the scalp, and the patient should take a milk-bath. This would lead to the growth of deep bee-black curls of hair in the course of a week. 7-B. Then the patient should be allowed to stir out from the inmost chamber only to re-enter it again after a stay of a Muhurta (forty-eight minutes) in the outer chamber. Thenceforth Vala^ taila (described before) should be used in anointing (Abhyanga) his body ; pasted barley in rubbing (Udvartana) ; tepid milk in washing (Parisheka) it ; and a decoction of Aja-karna in rubbing (Utsddana) the dirt of. Similarly well water (scented) with Us'ira should be used for the purpose of bathing (Sndna) ; Sandal pastes as unguents (Anulepana) and the expressed
Chap. XXIX. ] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 535
juice of the A'malaka should be invariably mixed with
any kind of Yusha or supa (he may take). Soup and
black sesamum seeds boiled with milk and Yashti-
madhu should be used (in the preparation of the food).
These rules of diet and conduct should be observed for
ten consecutive days. 7 C.
The patient should stay in the second (outer)
chamber for a second ten days. Then he should be
made to come out and enter the third ^outmost) chamber
(veranda) and to remain there for ten days with a quiet
control over the mind and should be allowed to take
a short exposure to the sun and wind during this
period (of ten days). He should then be made to re-
enter again the inner compartment. 7 D.
The patient should not contemplate himself in a
mirror during this time owing to his enhanced personal
beauty and renounce all passions and anger for a further
period of ten days. This rule holds good in respect of
all kinds of Soma ; but there is this distinction that the
Soma plants which are found to trail upon the ground
or grow as small shrubs or in bushes should (themselves)
be taken (instead of their expressed juice being drunk)
and a dose of these would be four Mushtis* and a
half. 7-
The expressed juice of the Ams'umdn ^Soma) should
be pressed and taken in a golden pot and that of the
Chandramdh (Soma) in a silver one. By its use a man is
sure to develop the eight godly powers t and is thus able
to imitate the god Is'^na. The expressed juice of a
Soma plant belonging to any other species should be
* A Mushti measure is equal to eight Tolas.
t The eight godly powers, according to some authorities, are : —
^f<u*i I ^t1%^t ^JTrfn: iit^tw ^^tt frar i
536 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. XXIX.
taken in a copper or an earthen pot or in a (pot pre-
pared of a) piece of red-coloured and stretched skin.
A member of any of the three twice-born castes but
none of the S'udra class is privileged to drink this
ambrosial elixir (Soma\ In the fourth month (of
taking it) and under the auspices of a full moon a
Soma-drinker should be allowed to stir out of his
chamber with the auspiciousi rites done unto him and
to resume the daily avocations of his life after he had
worshipped the Brahmanas in a holy place. 8.
Metrical Texts : —The use of the (expressed
juice of a) Soma plant, the lord of all medicinal herbs
is followed by rejuvenation of the sys'.em of its user
and enables him to witness ten thousand summers on
earth in the full enjoyment of a new (youthful) body.
Such a person bears a charmed life against fire, water,
poison and weapon and develops a muscular energy
in his limbs which would be in no way inferior to the
combined strength of a thousand excited (rutted) ele-
phants, of the Bhadrd class (which are the most fero-
cious and irresistible) in their sixtieth year. Equipped
with such an excellent physique, he can easily and
without any opposition cross the Kshiroda (ocean) and
go up to the abode of S'akra (the king of the gods) and
roam to the extreme confines of Uttara (northern) Kuru
or to any other place he likes. He is invested with
a beauty of frame which belongs to Kandarpa (the god
of love) and his complexion (lustre) vies with the
beams of the full moon. The presence of such a
beautiful man gladdens the hearts of all, and the entire
Veda with all their allied branches* of knowledge
* The allied branches of the study of the Vedas are six in num They are :— f?j=^ ^j^ ^T^TW f%^ W^^ ^?i: I
Chap. XXIX.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 537
instinctively dawn upon his consciousness. Like the
gods, he knows no failure in life and roams about in the
world in the full glory of divine majesty. 9.
Distinctive features of the Soma
Plants : — A Soma plant of whatever species is fur-
nished with fifteen leaves which wax and wane with
the waxing and the waning of the moon. Thus one
leaf grows every day in the lighted fortnight attaining
the greatest number (fifteen) in the night of the full
moon and then the leaves begin to decrease in number
dropping one by one every day till the bare stem of
the creeper is left on the night of the new moon. 10.
Their description :— The Ams'um^n species
of the Soma is characterised by a smell like that of
clarified butter and has a bulb, while the Rajata-prabha
is possessed of a bulb resembling a plantain in shape.
The Munjavdn puts forth leaves like those of a garlic
while the Chandramdh species is possessed of a golden
colour and is aquatic in its habitat. The Garuddhrita
and S^veldksha species are yellowish (Pandura) and look
like the cast-off skins of a snake and are usually
found to be pendent from the boughs of trees 11.
All other species are marked with parti-coloured circular rings. Possession of fifteen leaves of variegated colours, a bulb, a creeper-like appearance, and secretion of milky juice are the general characteristics of all the Soma plants. 12- A.
Their habitats :— The Himdlayas,"the Arvuda,
the Sahya, the Mahendra, the Malaya, the S'ri-Parvata,
the Deva-giri, the Deva-saha, the Pdripdtra, the Vindhya
mountains and lake Devasunda are the habitats of the
Soma plants. Somas, of the Chandramdh species are often
found to be floating here and there on the mighty stream
of the river Sindhu (Indus) which flows down at the foot
538 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA [Chap. XXIX.
of the five large mountains lying to the north bank
beyond the Vitasta (river). The Munjavan and the
Amsumin species may also be likewise found in the
same locality while those known as the G^yatri,
Traishtubha Pamkta, Jagata, S'amkara, and others
looking as beautiful as the moon are found to float on
the surface of the divine lake known as the little
Manasa in Kashmir. 12-B.
The Soma plants are invisible to the impious or to
the ungrateful as well to the unbeliever in the curative
virtues of medicine and to those spiteful to the
Brahmanas. 12.
Thus ends the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Chikitsita Sthdnam in the Sus'ruta Samhit^ which deals with the Prophylactic elixirs for the innate maladies.
CHAPTER XXX.
Now we shall discourse on the tonic remedies which remove mental and physical distress (Nivritta-
samtapiya-Rasayana). i.
lYIetrical Text :— Even in this world mortals
may live happily, free from disease and care like the
gods in heaven if they (mortals) can secure the after-
mentioned drugs (of all-healing potency). 2.
Persons unfit for the use of Ras£(-
yana : —The (following) seven classes of persons, viz ,
the intemperate, the lazy, the indigent, the unwise, the
immoral (Vyasani)* the sinful and the triflers of
medicine, are unfit to take these ambrosial (Rasdyana)
drugs on account of their respective ignorance, inacli-
vily, poverty, vascillation, intemperance, impiety and
inability to secure the genuine medicines. 3.
Names of all-healing drugs :— Now
we shall discourse on these drugs. They are S'veta-
kdpoti, Krishna-kdpoti, Gonasi, Vdrdhi^ Kanyd^
Chhatrd, Ati-chchatrd^ Karenu^ Ajd, Chakrakd, Aditya-
parnini, Suvarchald, Brahma- suvarchald^ S'rdvani,
Mahd'S'rdvani, Golomi, Aja-lomi and Mahd'Vegavati,
These are the nam^s of the eighteen different kinds of
drugs of mighty potency. The mode of their use, their
•^ijf^if ii a technical term and is divided into two classes, viz., ^-[4^:31 {?.^., produced by pafsion or desire) and ^'^5f (^i?., originated from anger). The first group comprises hunting, dice-playing, day-sleep, censuring, addiciion to woman, intoxication, singing, dancing, playing on musical instruments and idle wanderings. The second class comprises wickedness, violence, malice, jealousy, envy, extravagance, roughness in language and assault. See Manu, Ch. 7. 47, 48.
540 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. XXX.
therapeutical effects and the religious rites to be observed in their connection, have been described in the Sdstras and are identical with those of the Soma plants. In order to use them a man should enter the (prescribed) chamber (Ag2ira) and perform the (prescribed) Homa ceremonies. A Kudava measure of the milky juice of the secreting species of the plants should be taken once for all after entering the chamber. 4.
Three twigs or branches, however, to the length of a
span of those of the non-secreting species having roots
should be taken for a single dose. The (whole of)
S'veta-kdpoti with its leaves and roots should be used.
A quantity of the severed pieces of either of the Gonasi,
Ajagari (Suvarchala) or Krishna-kdpoti species including
their thorns, and weighing a Musti (Sanakha-mushtika;*
should be boiled with (an adequate quantity of; milk
(and water). The milk thus cooked and prepared
should be passed through a piece of cloth and taken
only once duly consecrated. The milk cooked and
prepared with one of the Chahrakd\ species also
should be taken with milk only once, whereas (that of
one of) the Brahnia-suvarchald species should be taken
for seven days in succession. 5.
Five Palas of any of the remaining species should
be boiled with an A'dhaka measure of milk and taken
down with one quarter left. This should then be strained
and the milk thus cooked should be taken in a single
* Some explain "Sanakha mustika" as what would be contained in the hollow of a palm, with the finger nails (/.^., the fingers) extended. But "Nakha" seems to refer to the thorns of the plants and "Mushti" a Pala weight (f.^., eight Tolas).
t Gayi reads ''^pr^J^M: ^^mr^" »" P'ace of "^^^j^; q^;" and explains it as a prepairation of one part of the powders of the fruit of Kanyakd and two parts of rice cooked with milk-
Chap. XXX] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 54I
dose and once only. The regimen of diet and conduct
is the same as in the case of Soma, until the patient
comes out of his prescribed chamber, with this difference
that his body should be anointed with butter (Nava-
nita). 6.
Memorable Verses :— The use of any of
the aforesaid drugs rejuvenates the system^ fills it with the strength of a lion, invests it with a beautiful shape, blesses the user with such powerful memory that he can commit to memory anything once heard, and ultimately extends his career to two thousand earthly years. Crowned with diadems of celestial beauty, de- corated, as if, with Angadas (bracelets), Kundalas (ear* rings}, crowns and heavenly wreathes (of flowers), Sandal paste and dress, the users are enabled to traverse, like the gods, the cloud-spangled high ways of heaven, unflinch- ingly in their pursuits. Persons whose systems have been fortified with these medicinal herbs (Oshadhis), like the users of Soma go not by the roads on earth but scale those inaccessible heights of heaven from whence the pendent rain-clouds look down upon the soil below and where the feathered wingers of the ethereal blue frequently soar up to. 7.
