Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates ‘Flora (13): Grasses’ 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 (13): Grasses
A fitting finale for the V anauṣadhi varga happens to be the grass family.
(a) Gundra (II. 4. 162; p. 122):
Darbha grass is known as gundra. Kṣīrasvāmin remarks that gundra is a popular variety of darbha grass–
gundro darbhaviśeṣe rūḍhaḥ |
yadāhuḥ—
darbhāṇāṃ sthane śaraiḥ prasaritavyam |
(b) Śara
Śara is yet another grass which can be substituted for darbha.
(c) Aromatic grass
Aromatic grass varieties are vividly described as Vīraṇaṃ, vīrataram, uśīram, abhayam, naladam, amṛṇālaṃ and jalāśaya. These occur in different parts of India, some indegenous only to northern India. Kṣīrasvāmin has pointed out that Amarasiṃha has not distinguished between uśīra, lāmajjaka and amṛṇāla since they are distinctly different species of grass and they do not warrant their placing as synonyms.
(d) Amṛṇāla
Amṛṇāla in Dvyarthakoṣa denotes lāmajjaka as well as uṣīra. Sevyā also denotes the two. This led Amara to deduce amṛṇāla and sevyā as synonyms–
?[™]rthe'mṛṇālaṃ lāmajjakamuśīraṃ ca |
tathā sevyaṃ lāmajjakamuśīraṃ ceti |
granthakṛttu sevyāmṛṇālayornaladośīraikārthatvād bhrāntaḥ |