Matangalila and Hastyayurveda (study)
by Chandrima Das | 2021 | 98,676 words
This page relates ‘Elephants as chronogram’ of the study on the Matangalina and Hastyayurveda in the light of available epigraphic data on elephants in ancient India. Both the Matanga-Lila (by Nilakantha) and and the Hasti-Ayurveda (by Palakapya) represent technical Sanskrit works deal with the treatment of elephants. This thesis deals with their natural abode, capturing techniques, myths and metaphors, and other text related to elephants reflected from a historical and chronological cultural framework.
Elephants as chronogram
It is interesting to note that epigraphs generally followed to express the dates, word numerals although there are a few exceptions especially in late records with the principle of:
“aṅkanāṃvāmato gatiḥ”,
“The movement of the numerals from right to left”.
Piṅgala, Varāhamihira and later authors use such words with numerical meanings as grouped in Devandva compounds[1]. An elephant confused with “a snack” (ahi, nāga, gaja, dantin, diggaja, hastin, mātaṅga, kuñjara, dvipa etc.) is counted in the sense to express number “eight” (8). Among several refernces mention may be made of the Bitragunta grant of Saṃgam II (of Vijayanagara dynasty at the Kāvāli taluk in Nellor district), which is in the Śaka year and measured by the elephants (nāga: 8), the mountains (śaila: 7), and the suns (12), in figures–1278 (V.20, ll. 76-77)[2], -in the cyclic year Durmukha[3].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
EI, Vol.III, p. 27. Before c. CE 1387.
[3]:
Ibid., p. 33.