Chapter 286 - Collection of medical recipes (kalpa-sāgara)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Dhanvantari said:

1. I shall describe the recipes of medicines [i.e., kalpa] that would conquer death, confer longevity and cure diseases. The three myrobalans and amṛtā together with honey and clarified butter would cure disease and would make one live for three hundred years.

2. (One who uses) one pala, half a pala or a karṣa (a measure of weight) (would enjoy) the full span (of life). One who uses the oil of bilva as sternutatory for a month (would live) for five hundred years and (would become) a poet.

3-4. (The use of) sesamum and bhallātaka would overcome disease, premature death and senility. One would overcome leprosy by (using) a decoction of five parts of powdered vākucī with the waters of khadira for six months. (Otherwise) powder of nīlakuruṇṭa may be used (for the same). One who eats khaṇḍadugdha together with milk or honey (would live for) a hundred years.

5. One who uses a pala (weight) of honey, clarified butter and dried ginger in the morning would conquer death. One who drinks milk with the powder of māṇḍaki would overcome old age and live long.

6. One who drinks milk with a karṣa of uccāṭa and honey would conquer death. One would overcome disease and death (by using) nirguṇḍī together with honey, clarified butter or milk.

7. One should drink a karṣaka of the oil of palāśa together with honey for six months. Milk may be drunk afterwards. This would make one live for five hundred or a thousand (years).

8-9a. One should drink the juice of the leaf of jyotiṣmatī and the three myrobalans together with milk. Similarly a pala (weight) of the pulverised śatāvarī together with honey and clarified butter or nirguṇḍī with honey, clarified butter and milk would overcome disease and death.

9b-10. Five parts of pulverised neem boiled with the decoction of khadira (used) with a karṣa (weight) of the juice of bhṛṅga would make one overcome disease and become immortal. One who drinks milk after taking rudantī with clarified butter and honey would conquer death.

11. One should take a karṣa (weight) of the powder of yellow myrobalan boiled with the juice of bhṛṅgarāja together with ghee (or) honey. He would live for three hundred years and conquer disease.

12-14. (One would live) for five hundred years (by using) a karṣa (weight of) vārāhikā, juice of bhṛṅga, oxide of iron, śatāvarī together with clarified butter. Powdered kārta (gold filings) and śatāvarī boiled with (the juice of) bhṛṅgarāja (used with) honey and clarified butter would make one live for three hundred years. Mango, amṛtā, trivṛt in equal proportion.. (and) sulphur purified with the juice of kumārikā (are made into pills). (One who uses) two (such) pills together with clarified butter would live for five hundred years. A pala (weight) of aśvagandhā used with oil, clarified butter and treacle would make one (live for) a hundred years.

15. Drinking a pala (weight) of pulverised punarnavā or aśoka together with honey, clarified butter and milk would remove one’s ailment.

16. One who uses the sesamum oil with honey as sternutatory will live for a hundred years (retaining) the black hue of the hair. One would live for a hundred years by drinking a karṣa (weight) of akṣa together with honey, clarified butter and milk.

17. After taking mustard with treacle, ghee and sweet things etc., one who eats rice mixed with milk would have black hair, be free from disease and live for five hundred years.

18. One who drinks a pala (weight) of pulverised kūsmāṇḍikā together with honey, clarified butter and milk and eats rice mixed with milk for a month would live for a thousand years without any disease.

19. The powder of śālūka together with the juice of bhṛṅga, honey and clarified butter would make one live for a hundred years. A karṣa (weight) of the oil of kaṭutumbī (used) as a sternutatory would make one live for two hundred years.

20. The use of the three myrobalans, long pepper and dried ginger would make one live for three hundred years. If the same is compounded with śatāvarī it would make one strong and live for one thousand years.

21-24. Pills should be made with citraka, dried ginger, viḍaṅga, iron oxide, bhṛṅgarāja, valā, the five kinds of neem, khadira, nirguṇḍī, kaṇṭakārī and vāsaka boiled with varṣābhū or its juice. This powder together with ghee or honey or treacle or water is an excellent compound. It should be consecrated with the formula “Oṃ hrūṃ sa”. It would be a recipe for reviving the dead and overcoming disease and death. The collections of recipes were made use of by the celestials, demons and sages. (I shall describe) the science of medicine relating to the elephants (that) was narrated by (sage) Pālakāpya to the king Aṅga.