45. Studies in the History of Indian Cosmetics of a rare and Perfumery

45. Studies in the History of Indian Cosmetics of a rare and Perfumery - A critical Analysis Manuscript of Gandhavada and its Marathi Between c. A. D. 1350 and 1550 + Commentary In a paper contributed by me to the Journal of the Bombay University, 'I have given a critical analysis of a rare treatise on the science of cosmetics and perfumery represented by a single MS in the Raddi Collection of the Bhandarkar O. R. Institute, Poona. This work is called the Gandhasara by Gangadhara. In the same bundle in which I discovered the Gandhasara there is another work written in the same hand called the Gandhavada with a Marathi commentary. Folios 1 to 27 a comprise the Gandhasara, while folios 27 b to 49 comprise the Gandhavada with commentary. After the colophon of the Gandhasara the MS of the Gandhavada begins as follows:Folio 27 b - - 66 varanalinavadanamilita, jalajadanaladasahita, madamadanalagaruvihita, madhutagarakarajamrdita, karalavibodhita, nisakarasamyuta || latavasamtasevita bhujamga- vijrmbhita || || haraye namah || gamdhavadu || nakhapalava bhagapala gamdham krsnagarapalam | nakha dvipalakam caiva dvipalam jati kosakam || mamsi sailaja talisa usirasatapatrakam || 1 || campajalada lobana gamlasati pumnakam | prthakyalamitam bhagam bakam drvanapacitam || 2 || saruvacambaram caiva prthak dvadasasonakam | svagela ca lavamgam ca kostam cet sadasanakam || 3 || t New Indian Antiquary, Vol. VII, pp. 185-193. 1. For Septemter 1945 issue [ Vol. XV ( N. S. ) Part 2, pp. 44-45]. 297

trivaram vastraputam ca nakham ca ghrtapacitam | puspavasam suvasam ca ketakyadalapamcakam || 4|| || manmathodayapistakam || tika || srikhamda palem 20 | agaru palem 6 | nakha palem 2 | jayapatri palem 2 | mamsi pala 1 | sailaja pala 1 | talisapatra pala 1 | vala pala 1 | bhola sri tamka 12 | pamci tamka 12 | ambasa tamka 12 | taja tamka 12 | yela tamka 12 | lavamga tamka 6 | kosta tamka 6 | nakha tamka 6 | 1 tupem talauni tabeta hoti yetuke dalata ghalije | tenem tupem mojayije amdi kadhitam ghalije || phulamca vasu dije || uttama vasu hoya || rajya yogya deva yogya buka hoe | ati uttamu hoe || srigamdha ugaluni ghalije || ha mahasugamdha hoe || mamsi bakula sevamti lavamgamranisa prthak | astabhagam nyase canye gamthinakhasca sailajam || davana maru brahmi ca selarasa prthak catuh | karcurah campakalika prthak dvadasabhagikam || vimsati bhadramusta ca patrapumnagakosthayoh | prthabhagikam yonyam nisa jyajya palam palam || palarddha kharnava gerusca trivaram vastragalitam | nakha ghrtapacyam ca pascatsilarasastaka || puspavasam nyasedratrau rajayogyam ca pittaha | vasikarana sarvatrijanavasya manoharam || tika || mamsi palem 8 | bakula mhanata bholasariphula palem 8 | sevamti palem 8 | lavamga palem 8 | ambe haladi palem 8 | gamthivana palem 8 | marutra palem 4 | nakha palem 4 | selaja parle 4| davana palem 4 | brahmi palem 4 | selarasu palem 4 | karpura parle 12 | campekali palem 12 | bhadramusta palem 20 | patraka palem 2 | punave palem 2 | kosta palai 2 | haladi pala 1 | jaiphala pala 1 | geru pala || nakha tupem talauni ghalije || vastragalita | tini vela kije || maga selarasaci bhavana dije || phulaca vasu dije || rajavasya strivasya jana- vasya manaramja buka sarvapittahari || 2 || • Folio 31 - || atha kasturipariksa || - || kasturici karani || Folio 32 - || punarapi kasturi karani || Folio 32 b - || atha karpura karani || - - || atha avadici karani ||

Folia 33 b- " kasela tela " 299 " tailyam cambarakacari ca mahula lobana srikhamdakam | mamsi cagarakam " etc. Folio 34 a " - dusara kaca melavani " Folio 35 b - " kevade phulaca vasu dije | uttama buka hoye | " Folios 36-37 Folio 37 - Folio 38 Folio 39 Folio 40 b - Folio 41 a - Folio 41 b- Folio 42 a Folio 42 b Folio 43 a - - - - 88 " Recipes for several varieties of "sugamdha tailam " bhojaraja krta vadi " " || atha gamdharaju || " 66 88 66 " 86 || ya nava bhupalavallabhu || || ya nava rajamanoharu || " maninimanabhamjana-gamdharaju | hoye | " ya gamdharaja nava kamdarpa kollahalu || 3 || " ya gamdharaja nava kaminimohana ya nava madanakamesvara ' " ya nava janamkusa | ramapranaharu || 7 || " (" sarve janakuso nama kaminipranavallabhah " ) 66 ya nava kamdarpasekhara " ha gamdharaju indrenirmila ( " tailam devendra nirmitam " ) " Then follow some more recipes for gamdharaja, each ending with a certificate " uttama gamdharaju hoye " or " gamdharaju cokhata " Folio 45 b 88 - Folio 46 a Folio 47 - "❝ " atha dhupaci karani " rajayogya dhupa " anamgasumdara ( dhupa ) nama imdre nirmila " " ya dhupa nava kolahalu " " - 66 - - Folio 47 bFolio 48 - - - 66 88 66 66 " 66 ya nava kumaradhupu " divyavarti " ( " uttamavatiya hoti " ) ya nava sumdaravarti " ya nava bhupalavallabhavadi atha udabati " atha udamelavani ' sugamdha taila " kaca tela " " "

Folio 49 - " | iti buka gamdharaja ani teliya galiya tatha sugamdha tatha kaciya tela tatha kasturici pariksa va karani va javadici karani tatha karpurakarani tatha dhupakarani goliya tatha udabati yituka melava paripurna jala ase || || iti gamdhavada- sampurna || , " Folio 49 a- buka " buka " " " kasturikarani mrganabhikasturi bhaskara cokhata javadi buka buka " " "" "3 " " " " " " " " " atha kavetela " " " kasturikarani kacataila buka "" " " Folio 49 b - buka " " iti sugamdha- tailam sugamdha javadi javati gamdharaju gamdharaju dhupa sugamdha gamdharaju " 12 gamdharaju " " " " " dhupa udabati tatiya udabati " " " " " " " " " " " dhupu udabati suddha javadi " " " sugamdha galiya " " " " " gamdharaja | bhasa gamdhavadanukramanika " " " madanakamesvara samapta " The MS containing these two treatises viz. (1) the Gandhasara and the Gandhavada with Bhasa commentary appears to be about 200 years old, judging by the condition of the paper on which it is written and also its script. The questions about the authorship and chronology of these two treatises may now be discussed as follows :- (1) Is it possible to suppose that the treatise Gandhavada is also the work of Gangadhara, the author of the Gandhasara ?

There is no definite evidence to answer this question in the positive or negative. (2) Who is the author of the Bhasa or Marathi commentary on the Gandhavada in Sanskrit ? This question also cannot be answered definitely though it is possible to suppose that the author of the Gandhavada himself composed the Marathi commentary on his own work. (3) What is the chronology of both these works and the Bhasa commentary? All these three texts are certainly more than 200 years old. This inference based on the condition of the manuscript and its script finds corroboration from the old Marathi language of the commentary. At any rate the form of the Marathi language of the commentary will provide us some criterion to fix its chronology approximately. I note below some words and expressions from the commentary to enable scholars to fix its chronology :- - - - - - yela ( 27 ) tupem talauni ( 27 ) - ghalije, kije ( 33 ) vasu dije ( 27 ), bhavana dije, ( fol. 28), kije ( 29 ), valacije (32) raje thakuru ( 34 ) utaraliya melavije ( 34 ) - daracini (35), darucini ( 36 ) - - hoe, hoye ( 28 ) rg (30) - bhijom dije (33) - rasem vatije ( 33 ) - gamdharaja ( 43 ) - - cokhata ( 35 ) - - khobarem junem ( 38 ) - - hatem madani pani samdije ( 40 ) - - khadiraca diku (42 - - uda melavani (48) - tilela (45) tenem bhijaunu kathai ghalunu (46) cokhatu ( 46 ) vatiya hoti (47) curna karunu khalije ( 47 ) - - silarasu madhu panyem kalavije ( 47 ) Judging by the above forms of the Marathi language of the commentary I may tentatively assign this commentary to the latter half of the 15 th century or the middle of the 16 th century A.D. The Marathi commentary is useful linguistically because it gives us the vernacular equivalents for some of the Sanskrit terms

in the text of the Gandhavada. In the MS of the Gandhasara some tables of aromatic materials are recorded on some folios. I cannot say if these tables form part of the text of the Gandhasara of Ganga. dhara. I reproduce these tables below as they contain both Sanskrit and vernacular terms :-Folio 7 a - suksmaila lavamga camdana saupha motha taja kutha elavaluka jayiphala camdratvak jayapatri valaka kumkuma nagakesara puspa kamkola hirade rohisa dhaniya lavamgatvak sthulaila patraka nili corapuspi renuka padmaka Folio 9 bFolio 11 a- pamcaka kutha nali ekamgi tagara sailaja mura musta corapuspi mamsi bala usira tejavati nagakesara bola kacara latakasturi vihani karpura priyamgu saupha madana rohisa maruva patraka mamsi hirade nagakesara gadivana sthailela patraka mura kuta musta valaka sati taja ekamgi padmaka sihna saumpha renuka tagara lagasa | vicapatra usira vihana nakha elavalu campaka

Folio 11 b- priyamgu haritaki sati lavamga saupha nagakesara usira sthulaila suksmaila maricakamkola kuta jaipatri Folio 12 a - camdana jaipatri kamkola lavamgatvak jaiphale padmaka kuta sihna tarja nakha khadyasa mura imdratvak hirade ela kumkuma elavaluka lavamga nagakesara aguru gathivana bola karpura sati mamsi 303 Folio 16 a - agaru camdana devadaru surabhi sihna mamsi mura valaka kuta musta rala laksa guggulu srivarasa vala kumduru sallaki sailaja kumkuma nagakesara hirade gamthivana vaca talisa tamala sati maricakamkola jatikosa jaiphala nakha suksmaila khadasa padmaka sthulaila karkata lavamga saresa damana maruva asoka | mahasugamdha camdratvak sopha gamdhamukta priyagu lavatvaku elavaluka patraja Folio 20 b - kosta 1 mura 62 padmaka 10 sariva motha 5 hirade 50 cora 23 patraka 42 44 ekamgi vala 22 kharjurako agaru 6 lodha 18 ke . sara 47 | kacara 4 63 43 lata 51

usira 61 varnelato priyamgu 64 tagara 3 elava mamsi 21 bale 52 17 luka 44 suksmaila kamkola dhaniya saupha 26 srivasa 9 kumduru 56 gugula 15 60 29 bolu 7 salai 40 gamdhamusta jaipatri lavamga 16 catratvak rala 28 nakhi 27 nakha 10 devadaru 52 22 35 57 lamvagatvak jaiphala puspakamkola rohisa damana 55 asoki maruva 39 vaca 26 32 59 14 30 12|| bola 34 renuka 30 taja 58 suksmaila sarasi 38 laksau 37 tamalapatra surabhi 11 13 54 tejavati nali 2 mahamodha campaka 20 vyaghranakhi sekhara 8 sula 41 tvakyatri 21 61 45 49 Folio 27 a - vartih padma parvata putri devi gauri yukta sajjana rakta viddha camdra kamta bhisana kesi camda viddha prokta vallabha sakta suddha The foregoing tables with the exception of the last one are perhaps intended to help the actual manufacture of perfumes. They give at a glance the several aromatic ingredients and their suggested combinations. The elaborate table on folio 20 b specifies the proportions of these ingredients. It is for the Indian manufacturers of perfumes to understand their exact significance and compare these proportions with those now in practice. I now close this paper by noting below the names of materials mentioned in the Marathi commentary on the Gandhavada :Folio 27 srikhamda, agaru, nakha, jayapatri, mamsi, sailaja, talisapatra, vala, bhola, paci, ambaru, taja, yela, lavamga, kosta, tupa, phulamca vasu, buka, srigamdha .

Folio 28 A RARE MANUSCRIPT OF GANDHAVADA 305 bakula, sariphula, sevamti, ambehaladi, gamthivana, maruva, selaja, davana, brahmi, selarasa, karpura, campekali, bhadramusta, patraka, punave, haladi, jaiphala, geru, karpura, jatamamsi, babari, tagara, tali, chalira, davana, campa, punava, camdana, karpura, adim, gamthivana, gahula, caumpe, musta, ambara, lobana, taja, teliya, beri, babari, kasturi, javadi . " 66 9366 " Folio 29 - " puti mhanata adim ", "nata mhanata gamthivana ", gahule, bholasari, kalavala, punava, tvaca mhanata chalira, camda mhanata chada, " murtti mhanata tamka, trti mhanata yela, " kamcari, kababa, nalika, kacori, krsnagaru, palasya mhanati teliya, "" puti mhanata amdim, " tada, tagaru, bhola, lobana, devadaru, patraja, guhya, Folio 30 Folio 31 - " - 66 66 paitika mhanata agaru ", " telya, dhumra mhanata lobana ", paci, bakulapuspa, punaga, chalira, ela, kalavala, bola, camdanayeliya, tavaksi, kors, "agudhapuspa mhanata davana ", nivela, tavaksira, amdi, sevamtiphula, "ha buka simghane ' niphajavila . " nata mhanata davana, kostha, capha, kacura, bholasari, campekali, tagaru " godha mhanata gahule ", kacari, nabhikosa " " " 1. This Buka powder owes its origin to simghana, who is possibly the Yadava king Singhana ( A. D. 1210-1247). The reference to simghana is also found in the text of Gandhavada which reads yo buka simghane nipayo rajavasya karu me hugavayo . Evidently both the text of the Gandhavada and its Marathi Commentary are later than A. D. 1300 or so. " In the Rasasamketakalika of Kayastha Camunda (A.D. 1475-1509) a physician called bhairavananda is said to have administered kravyadarasa to King simhanah- " 'simhanaksonipalaya bhuribhojyapriye rasam | dattavan bhairavanando bhuyo gramastakam dadau || " ( Vide my paper on the " Dates of the Works of Kayastha Camunda," Poona Orientalist, Vol. V, pp. 6-15 ). Singhana collected many physicians round him. A bhisagagrani called madhava composed an inscription for this King Vide p. 75 of Sources of Medieval History of Deccan, Vol. I ( 1930 ) by G. H. Khare. - 8.1.L.H,20

306 Folio 32 Folio 33 Folio 34 - 11 STUDIES IN INDIAN LITERARY HISTORY mhanata kasturice kholade ", mamkerasu, ratamjana, jathipala, kamkola, pimpalimula, pithavani, poisa . " ajamutra, belacamo, kasturikosale, devadaru, copada, kumkumakesara, mahisimutra, suddhamrgi, mocarasu, gorocana, katuki, kevade katha, mocarasu, tupa, madhu, cuna sera ", lobana, rala, (" hatem ragadije " ), suddha silarasu, kamdakapura, " rajana tamdulaca bhatu radhije, "" kelipatra athuruni vari dhalije | mautem kelipatre dadapije | dabana bahuta ghalije " - udayabhaskara . " " guhya, copada, mena rathi stheta, somalu, pivala, cuna, phataki, ketaki dalem, javadi, mastaki, javadici amdim, menatela, suddhabija . 66 satapatra, jayala, karabala, javadana, gamdharaja, tilela, malatipuspa, ' kacakupiye thevije ", kacelatela, suddhataila, sumthi, guggula, dhane, jirem . Folio 35 - bholasri, tajanalika, marica, kamkola, patraja, kapura, (" cokhata buka hoye " ), daracini, chalira, kacura, campelaphula, bhadramotha, camdanasena, chali, chilarasu, javamaparame . Folio 36 - bholasari, ambehaladi, lavamgakadi . kosam, motha, kababa, bambara, guhava, tavaksira, campa, akhota, telya, bolasri, camdanapapada . Folio 37 Folio 38 - camdanathepali, lobanu, tavaksira, karambala, javadana . 6 - hirade, lakhabheta, rakali, gulu, "kambaleni galuni gheije " bhojarajakrtavadi ", navanita kholade, khobarem junem, mocarasu, sadyaghrta, madhu, cuna, kalirala ; javadisuddha, pothimsaratim . Folio 39 - " kacapatri dhamrije ", mena cokhata, junem khobarem, "srk mhanata lakha ", campekali . " " Folio 40 - " tomdi velani jhampani dije || velani sichidra || ", mohara baravi kije ", lokhamdaci adani ", " ranaseni tatha kolise bharije "; kacapatra, sadyatupa, dhupa, mlaksa mhanata silarasa ", colya mhanata lobana ", patalayamtre kadhije, " aranyatulasi mhanata babari, ' " agaru ", kusumakara . " "" ulbina mhanata 99.65 patigamdha mhanata lobanu " - vasamta 66

Folio 41 - " sisaka ", " pita mhanata agaru ", " tilaja mhanata tela ". Folio 42. - sambani, kacura, hirada, sisampa, nalikataja, khadiraca diku, mrgicarma mhanata kholade " saila, " krimija mhanata lakha ", haladi, jaimogara, telya . Folio 43 - bramhi, sakhara, baberi, devadaru copada, jayipatri, sahata, sisaikathi, kholade, bhajani, telya, lavamgakadi, padmaka, sirisa, chachira, sisama, copada, navata, menarati . Folio 44 Folio 45 - - sahata, ghiutela, hiradedali, samtrayani, chalira, sisa, harada, gomda, pula, haladi, " devadaru, sera didhu 1|| ", gulu, sakhara, kevada, campela . " camdanagabha, " nalakayamtre athava patalayamtre cadhavave, devadaru copada, jaicem phula, ghrta, bhajani, cokhata, suradi, junim, jajni, nabata, " bramhi tole 2, " nagakakidiciya rasa . " Folio 46 - " Folio 47 Folio 48 - - hema mhanata agaru ", krimijamtu mhanata lakha ", patraja, ghalira . himgula, kakha, katha, syatu, khairaca dhiku, " cane pramanem vati kije, " motha . canikastuci, dhayaphula, yelavaluka, priyamgu, jayapatri, renukem, padmaka, kakadasimgi, duralabha, kamalaphula, daphate ani kalakha, mamjitha, lodha, casanikhi kasturi, kapuravala, kesara, yeramdi magaja, dhaniye, karambalu, jira, davana, nagakesara, paci . The foregoing analysis of the Marathi commentary reveals in detail the variety of aromatic and other materials that were used in Medieval India for the manufacture of cosmetics and perfumery. Additional points furnished by this analysis are the following:- (1) Sanskrit and other terms and their equivalents are recorded as follows :- " hema mhanata aguru, " "krimijamtu mhanata lakha . " (2) Bhojaraja mentioned on folio 38 in the expression bhojarajakrtavadi " is evidently King Bhoja of Dhara (c. A.D. 1050 ). (3) Singhana referred to on folio 30 as the originator of a buka powder is possibly identical with the Yadava King simhana (A.D. 1210 - 1247 ) .

(4) It appears that glass-vessels were used in connection with the manufacture of perfumery. for glass-bottle is mentioned on folio 34. aq or a glass-vessel is referred to on folios 39 and 40. (5) A piece of woollen blanket was used as a strainer ("i leni galuni gheije - " Folio 38 ). (6) As regards the rat (Folios 40 and 45) and the - (Folio 45) referred to in the commentary please see Plate IV (21 and 22) in the Short History of Aryan Medical Science, by Thakore Saheb of Gondal, London, 1896. (7) There are references to Cinnamon as ref (Folio 35) and (Folio 36). Hobson-Jobson (by Yule and Burnell, 1903) states that Darcheenee is a Persian word meaning China-stick. It records usages of dar-chini, dated A.D. 1563 and 1621. " (8) There are references to the word "a" in the commentary (Vide Folio 38- " khobarem junem ") meaning " the dried kernel of the cocoanut which is called in English Coprah [vide Hobson-Jobson, pp. 253-254 where we get dated usages of the word like- Copra (A.D. 1563, 1578); Chopra (A.D. 1584), etc. ]. In view of the data recorded above I am inclined to fix the date of the Gandhavada and its Marathi commentary between A.D. 1350 and 1550 tentatively. This date is consistent with the reference to King Singhana (A.D. 1210-1247) and the old forms of the Marathi language, not to say the present condition of the MS and its script. I hope that the students of historical linguistics and the students of the history of Perfumery industry of medieval India will fully exploit the rich contents of these new sources for their study viz. the (1) Gandhasara of Gangadhara and the (2) Gandhavada with Marathi commentary.