Chapter 289 - The treatment of the diseases of the horses (aśvacikitsā)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

[Full title: The characteristics of the horses (aśvalakṣaṇa) and the treatment of the diseases of the horses (aśvacikitsā)]

Śālihotra said:

1-5. O Suśruta! I shall describe the characteristics of the horses [i.e., aśva-lakṣaṇa—aśvānāṃ lakṣaṇaṃ] and the treatment of the diseases [i.e., aśva-cikitsā]. A horse with lesser number of teeth, one devoid of teeth, one that is having dreadful appearance, one that has a black palate and black tongue, one that is born as a twin, one that has no testicle, one that has a cleft-hoof, one that has a horn, one that is tricoloured, one that has the colour of a tiger, one that has the colour of an ass, one that has the colour of ash, one that is not having a good colour, one that has a hump, one that has white patches (on the skin), one that is (often) ridden by the crows, the voice of which resembles that of an ass, one whose eyes resemble those of a monkey, one that has black manes, one whose anus is black, one whose nostrils have a black hue and are pointed, one that has the colour of a tittiri (bird), one that has unequal legs having white patches on the foot, one that is devoid of fixed rings and has rings indicating inauspiciousness, should be avoided.

6. The pairs of curls of hair on the skull, uparandhra (flanks), head, chest, forehead and neck of a horse are (deemed to be auspicious.

7. The curls of hair at the corner of the mouth, forehead, the root of the ear, the throat, root of the forelegs, neck. are auspicious. (The curls of hair) at other (places) are inauspicious.

8. The horses which resemble the colour of a parrot, indragopa (a kind of insect), moon and a crow and those which have a golden colour and are glossy are always commendable.

9. One should dismiss all the hopes of conquest where the horses of the kings have long necks, broad eye-corners and auspicious short ears.

10. A horse or an elephant which is guarded confers good and confers misery otherwise. Those horses are excellent and are gandharvas which increase the fortune and progeny.

11a. A horse is offered as an oblation in the aśvamedha (a horse-sacrifice) on account of its purity.

11b-13a. A morsel composed of vṛṣa, neem, bṛhatī, guḍūcī, mākṣikā, siṃhā and gandhakarī anointed on the head (of a horse) or asafoetida, root of puṣkara, nāgara with sour vetasa, long pepper and saindhava (a kind of rock salt) with hot water would remove the pain (in the stomach).

13b-14a. A decoction of dried ginger, ativiṣā, mustā, ananta and bilva leaves would remove all kinds of dysentery if given as a drink.

14b-15a. A horse would become free from fatigue by drinking a potion composed of goat’s milk, pariyaṅgu and sāriva (?) with profuse (quantity of) sugar.

15b-16a. Oily emetic is to be given for the horse in a droṇikā (an oval basin of wood). It should penetrate the sinews of the viscera. It would make it feel comfortable.

16b-17a. A ball of pomegranate, the three myrobalans, dried ginger, pepper and long pepper with equal proportion of molasses should be given to the horses. It would cure the harassing cough.

17b-18a. The juice of vṛṣa together with priyaṅgu, lodhra and honey should be given to a horse for drinking. Or the five kola etc.^[1] (should be given) with milk. It would cure the cough.

18b-19a. It is beneficial to give emetics at first in all the kinds of diarrhoea. Then anointing with oil, rubbing with fragrant unguents, besmearing medicated oil, giving sternutatory and besmearing with unguents should be done in order.

19b. The process of treatment for horses afflicted by fever is with water only.

20. Anointing with the roots of lodhra and karañja, mātuluṅga, agni, dried ginger, kuṣṭha, asafoetida, vaśā and rāsnā would cure swelling.

21-22. A horse which drinks mañjiṣṭhā, madhuka, grapes, bṛhatī, red sandal, the seeds and roots of wild cucumber, śṛṅgāṭaka and kaśeruka boiled with goat’s milk and then cooled together with sugar and abstains from food would become free from passing of blood in the urine.

23. Anointment with kaṭutaila of the affected parts (of a horse) is commended in the case of swelling in the wrist, cheek or throat or stiff-neck.

24-25a. (A horse) that is affected by stiff-throat would have probably swelling in the region of the throat. A sternutatory with mustard, vahni, rock-salt, juice of holy basil, black pepper and asafoetida (is given).

25b-26a. Besmearing a paste of two varieties of turmeric, jyotiṣmatī, pāṭhā, black pepper, kuṣṭha, vacā and honey mixed with molasses and (cow’s) urine is beneficial in paralysis of the tongue.

26b-27a. Paste made with sesamum, yaṣṭi, turmeric, neem leaves mixed with honey and clarified butter is a remedy for ulcers.

27b-28a. The horses which limp on account of whipping and feel extreme pain should be fomented with oil. It would remove the pain quickly.

28b-29a. The same procedure as in the case of ulcers (is to be followed) in the case of a hurt or deranged state of the humours or one caused by whipping. A decoction of the barks of aśvattha, udumbara, plakṣa, madhūka and vaṭa with profuse quantity of water in comfortable heat would cure the ulcers.

29b-31. Oil prepared with a decoction of śatāhvā, dried ginger, rāsnā, mañjiṣṭhā, kuṣṭha rock-salt, devadāru, vacā, two varieties of turmeric and red sandal mixed with guḍūcī and milk is used for smearing, as emetic and sternutatory and as unguents in all cases when there is oozing of blood at the eyecorners (of a horse) suffering from eye-disease caused by leeches.

32-33. Decoction of the barks of khadira, udumbara and aśvattha mixed with equal parts of emblic myrobalan, durālabhā, tiktā, priyaṅgu, saffron and guḍūcī is beneficial in case of a limping one (horse), a wound of the tendon, or of an ear or a dry tumour.

34a. In the case of a fast developing derangement of a humour, it is desired that it is broken at once.

34b-35a. Rubbing with cowdung, mañjikā, kuṣṭha, turmeric, sesamum and mustard ground with cow’s urine would remedy itching.

35b-36a. A decoction of the above mixed with honey and cooled should be given through the nostrils together with sugar and aśvakarṇa. It would remedy the haemoptysis.

36b-37a. Salt should be given to the horses on every seventh day. The liquor vāruṇī should be given to them as an additional drink after they had eaten as above.

37b-38a. (A decoction) with jīvanīya, madhura, mṛdvikā, sugar, long pepper and padmaka should be given as a substitute drink in the autumn.

38b-39a. (A decoction made) with viḍaṅgā, long pepper, coriander, śatāhvā, lodhrā, rock-salt and citraka (should be given) to horses as a substitute drink on the advent of winter.

39b-40a. A substitute drink in the spring would be with the herbs lodhrā, priyaṅgu, mustā long pepper and dried ginger mixed with honey. This would remedy (the deranged) phlegm.

40b-41a. Wine together with the potent herbs priyaṅgu, long pepper, lodhrā and yaṣṭi together with molasses should be given as the substitute drink in summer.

41b-42a. A substitute drink on the advent of the rainy season would be (decoction made of) stick of lodhrā, salt, long pepper and dried ginger mixed with oil.

42b-44. The horses should be given ghee to remedy the (deranged) bile in the summer, increase of the blood in the autumn and loosening of the feces in the rainy season. The horses which have excess of phlegm and wind should be given oil to drink. Any evil consequence of the abuse of oil (should be remedied) by making them dry (to remove fat). Food consisting of barley with butter-milk for three days would make them shed (excess fat).

45. Clarified butter in the autumn and summer, oil in the cold and spring (seasons) and through the syringe in the advanced winter is desired to be the restraining (remedy).

46. Food that is heavy and that would increase the phelgm, exercise, bathing, hot (sun) and wind are prohibited for a horse which has been given oil to drink.

47. Horses should be bathed and made to drink only once on the advent of the rains. On an extremely stormy day drinking only once is commended.

48. When heat and cold are blended in a season, (horses) should be made to drink twice and bathe once. In the summer they should be bathed and led to drink thrice and should be allowed to plunge (into the water) for a long time.

49-50. Four āḍhakas (a measure) of barley without the husk should be given (to the horses). They may also be given bengal gram, vrīhi (a kind of paddy) and green gram. In a whole day and night (a horse may be fed) ten and a half tulās (weight) of barley and eight tulās of dried (grains) or four (parts) of vyoṣa^[2] (dried ginger).

51-52. Dūrvā (a kind of grass) would remedy (the deranged) bile, barley (would remedy) the cough, mustard, the congestion of phlegm and arjuna (would set right) breathing. So also māna (?) (would rectify) loss of strength. The horse that takes a meal of dūrvā (grass) would not be affected by diseases due to (deranged) wind, bile, phlegm or their combined action.

53-54. Vicious horses should be tied with two ropes on each side to posts behind them at a distance of a dhanus (four cubits). They may stay in places (stables) where (hay) has been strewn and the ground has been fumigated. Barley should be placed therein. The place should be well-lit and protected well. Animals such as the goats and monkeys as well as cocks should be kept in the stables of horses.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The five spices such as the long pepper, etc.

[2]:

The reading vapuṣmataḥ [vapuṣmata?] in the veṅk. edn. does not fit in.