Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates ‘Flora (12): Mushrooms’ of the study on the Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (in English) which represents a commentary on the Amarakosha of Amarasimha. These ancient texts belong the Kosha or “lexicography” category of Sanskrit literature which deals with the analysis and meaning of technical words from a variety of subjects, such as cosmology, anatomy, medicine, hygiene. The Amarakosa itself is one of the earliest of such text, dating from the 6th century A.D., while the Amarakoshodghatana is the earliest known commentary on that work.
Flora (12): Mushrooms
Though mushrooms fall under saperate phylum fungi, Amarasiṃha has listed it amidst grasses. Mushrooms habitat on trees, and inbetween grasses. This could be the reason for mushrooms, the lower form of plant kingdom to be listed along with grass family.
Chattrā (II. 4. 167; p. 123)–
[Fungi:]
By chattrā and atichattrā, as Kṣīrasvāmin rightly observes, the umbrella like feature of mushrooms is depicted–
chattrākārastṛṇaviśeṣaśchatrā ātikrāntaśchatrāmatichattraḥ |
Mushrooms may be edible and non-edible, the latter being very poisonous and results in the death when consumed.
Perhaps Kṣīrasvāmin refers to the nonedible variety when he describes its harmful nature and adds that the pungency kills the consumer–
pāruṣyād pālaṃ hanti |
Kṣīrasvāmin has included kavaka to denote mushroom–