O N T H E M E A N I N G O F SKR.

( P R A ) B H I N N i f f i J A N A by CLAUS VOGEL Marburg

1. Among the many stereotyped similes occurring in Sanskrit literature, ornate and otherwise, those formed with (pra)bhinnd~jana require some elucidative comment inasmuch as neither the object nor the point of comparison are entirely clear in this case. The object of comparison, to begin with, is interpreted by modern scholars to mean "(oil-)mixed collyrium''l and "pounded antimony", 2 with either (pra)bhinna or a~jana being given a special signification. While (pra)bhinna in the sense of "mixed" is borne out by lexical and literary evidence, 8 a~jana in the sense of"antimony" is more than doubtful. The identification goes back to indigenous authorities who equate a~jana to sauvira; 4 but sauffra, though generally understood to be "antimony" (that is stibnite or trisulphide of antimony [Sb~S3], in which form the metal is found native), is in all probability - - as recent analyses have confirmed 5 - - nothing but galena or sulphide of lead [PbS]. 6 So instead of "pounded antimony" one should rather say "pounded galena". 2. For determining the point of comparison, on the other hand, it will be necessary first to present the apposite material as far as recorded in the dictionaries. (1) R. VI, 4 5 . 1 0 Thus the dictionaries of Apte, B6htlingk-Roth, Cappeller, Macdonell, MonierWilliams, and Stchoupak-Nitti-Renou (s. vv.). 2 Monier-Williams, Dict., p. 757. Hem., An., ii, 273 (N sa.mgata); Med. xx, 14 (~ samgata). - - Kum. iii, 61 (~ miAra Mall.); ~ak. ii, 4 (N migra R~gh.); Kir. xvi, 3 (N sa.mvalita Mall.); ~ig. iv, 26 (Nmi~ra Mall.) and xx, 56 (~ sa.mvalita Mall.). In Ragh. iii, 32, bhinna means, not "combined" (as B6htlingk-Roth have it), but "destroyed" (nirasta Mall.). Hem., An., iii, 347; Med. xx, 26. 5 Patel, Mineralien, p. 25 sq. Dutt, Materia, p. 74; Rgy, History, p. 175.

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tata.h paryantaraktdk.so bhinndgjanacayopa.ham/ Rtivan. ir bhrdtarau vdkyam antardhdnagato 'brav?t //

Then, his eyes red at the palpebral margins 7 (and his self) similar to a quantity of bhinna~jana, R~tva.na's son, being (still) invisible, addressed the two brothers (R~tma and Lak.sma.na). (2) R. VI, 4 5 . 1 4 -

bhinndgjanacaya~ydmo visphdrya vipulam, dhanu.h / bhf~ya eva dardm ghordn visasarja mahdmrdhe //
D a r k like a quantity of bhinnagjana, (Ravan. a's son), having bent his huge bow, let even more copiously fly formidable arrows in the great fight. (3)

Hariv. 3801 s q . taj jalam, vajrani.spe.sair vimu~cati nabhogatai.h / bahubhih kdmagair meghai.h Sakro bh.rtyair ivegvarah. // kvacid durdinasamkdgaih, kvacic chinnabhrasam, nibhai.h / kvacid bhinnd~jandkarai.h kvacic ch?karavar.sibhi.h //

As a master through his servants, so does gakra then by strokes of his thunderbolt send water through the many clouds found in the sky (and) moving about at will: sometimes looking like bad weather, s sometimes being like broken clouds, sometimes resembling bhinnagjana, sometimes raining in a drizzle. (4)

Hariv. 6453 tatah, kumbhe mahdsarpam, bhinnd~janacayopamam / ghoram d~vi.sam, k.r.sn,am. K.rs.n.a.hprdk.sepayat tadd //

In this vessel K.r.sn. a then ordered a big snake 9 to be put, (one that was) similar to a quantity of bhinnakjana, terrible, furnished with fang-poison, (and) black. (5)

Sugr. IV, 30.13 sq. kr.sn,asarpasvarftpe.na vdrdM kandasam, bhavd // ekapattrd mahdv~ryd bhinndtgjanasamaprabhd /

Springing from a bulb in the form of a black snake, 1~ the v~r~li plant n (is) one-leaved, very efficacious, (and) of equal splendour as bhinna~jana.

B.rS., XXXII, 20 sq. pau.s.ndpydrdra~le.sdmfddhirbudhnyavarun, adevdni / 7 Or, exceedingly red; but see R. iii, 47.5: kruddhasya hariparyante rakte netre babhftvatuO "the eyes of the wrathful (Rfiva.na), whose palpebral margins were reddish
(6) Vat., brown, turned red". 8 That is materially, forming a continuous sheet. Apparently Coluber naga, the black variety of Cobra de capello. ~0 Again Coluber naga. ~ According to Bhishagratna (Sugr., iii, app., p. 80) Randia dumetorum LAMK.; more probably the same as var~hikanda or Tacca aspera ROXB.

ON Tim ~rANI~qG or SKR. (pra)bhinndgjana

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mag.dalam etad vdrun,am asydpi bhavanti rftpd.ni // Mlotpa[dlibhinndgjanatvi.so rnadhurardvin, o bahuldl.~ / ta.didudbhdsitadehd dhdrd~kuravar.sin, o jalad6t.z //
Pau.s.na [Revati], Apya [~rva.sa.cth~t], Arctra, A~le.sfi, Mala, Ahirbudhnyadeva [Uttarabhadrapada], Varun.adeva [gatabhi~aj]: this (is) the western division (of the lunar mansions); its signs, however, are thick clouds having the colour of blue nymphaeas, black bees, and bhinn6~jana, rumbling sweetly, their body illuminated by lightnings, (and) raining hailstones.

(7) R. tus. I, 1 1 mrgd.hpraca.n.ddtapatdpitd bh.rdam.

t.r.sd mahatyd pari~u.skatdlava.h / van6ntare toyam iti pradhdvitd nirTk.sya bhinndgjanasam, nibham, nabha.h //
The antelopes, vehemently pained by the terrible heat (and) their palate parched by great thirst, having looked at the sky, (which was) like bhinnagjana, ran into another wood (thinking) "water!" (8) R.tus. II, 2 -

nitdntan?lotpalapattrakdntibhi.h kvaeit prabhinnd~janardgisam, nibhai.h / kvacit sagarbhapramaddstanaprabhaih samaeita.m vyoma ghanai.h samantata.h //
With clouds (now) having the loveliness of the petals of exceedingly blue nymphaeas, then being like a pile ofprabhinn6gjana, (and) then (again) having the splendour of the breasts of pregnant women, the sky (is) covered all round. (9) R.tus. III, 5 -

bhinnd~janapracayakdnti nabho manoj~am. bandMtkapu.sparacitdrun, atd ca bhf~mi.h / vapra~ ca cdrukamaldv.rtabhftmibhdgd.h protkan, t.hayanti na mano bhuvi kasya yfma.h //
The heartsome sky whose loveliness is like (that of) a mass of bhinnf~jana, the ground whose redness is due to bandhfika flowers, TM and mounds surrounding portions of ground studded with pretty nelumbos: the heart of which youth on earth do they not fill with hankering? (10) Megh. 5 9 -

utpa~ydrni tvayi tat.agate snigdhabhinnd~jandbhe sadya.hk.rttadviradada~anacchedagaurasya tasya /

1~ Pentapetes phoenicea L.

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dobhfim adre.h stimitanayanaprek.san. ~ydm. bhavitdm am. sanyaste sati halabh.rto mecake vasas?va //
When you, resembling oily bhinna~jana, have gone to its slope, I foresee the imminent beauty, to be viewed with steady eyes, of this mountain [Kailasa], (which is) white like the recently cut piece of an elephant's tusk, just as (that) of the plough-bearer [Balarama] when the dark garment has been thrown over his shoulder. (11) Sid. x n , 68 -

yasyd mah~n~latatdr iva drutd.h praydnti p~tvd himapin. .dapdn..durd.h / kdl~r apas tdbhir ivdnura~jitdh. k.san,ena bhinnd~janavar.natdm, ghand.h //
Clouds white as snow-heaps, after drinking her [i.e. the Yamun~t's] water, (which is) black like melted sapphire slopes, as if dyed by it, in a moment take on the colour of bhinn6~jana. (12) NdrPa~car. IV, 6.8 a b -

prabhinnd~janakdlind~jalakelikalotsukam /
(I praise K.r.sn.a, la who is) fond of sporting in the water of the (River) K~lindi, 1. (which is) like prabhinn6~jana. The above quotations, taken together, yield the following result: (pra)bhinn~jana is possessed of a dark hue (2) f o r m e d by a blending of white and black (11) and similar to the colour or splendour of a black bee (6), a blue n y m p h a e a (6, 8), and the breasts of pregnant w o m e n (8); it is illustrative of a furiously angry look (1, 2), a black cobra (4), a vfirfihi plant (5), a rain- or thunder-cloud (3, 8, 10, 6), the late-summer or earlya u t u m n sky (7, 9), and the water of the River Y a m u n ~ (12). I f we try to find a c o m m o n d e n o m i n a t o r for all this, a bright 15 gray colour of various shades appears to be the only possibility. 3. The question remains whether our inference is in keeping with the facts. N o w mixed collyrium is described by Mallin~ttha as " l a m p b l a c k rubbed with oi1" (snehamrditakajjala, Sid. XII, 68) 16 and would fulfil

~8 vande Krs..nam,v. 1 cd.

14 I.e. Yamun~. ~ As it is well known that the ancient texts do not always properly distinguish between colour and splendour (the words used being mostly ambiguous), no undue emphasis should be placed on this particular aspect. ~n Cf. Venkayya in Hultzsch, ~ig., p. 129: "a~janar~ is made from the soot deposited at the bottom (outside) of a clean copper vessel by a castor-oil lamp. One or two drops of castor-oil are then mixed with the soot which is made into a paste and used". On the preparation of special erogenous and medicinal collyria see Schmidt, Beitriige, p. 666 sqq., and Sugr. vi, 18.85-106.

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175

not only the requirement of bright gray colour but - - allowing for a fluctuant ratio of components - - also that of various shades, while pounded galena - - like pounded stibnite - - is always lead gray in colour x7 and has lost its metallic brilliance in the process of pulverization. Hence it seems more appropriate to translate "mixed collyrium" than "pounded galena". 4. So much on the basic meaning of (pra)bhinnd~jana. In all those cases, however, in which it serves to characterize a rainy cloud or sky, the word is susceptible of a second interpretation that has so far escaped the eyes of most scholars. It is a favourite practice of Indian poets to liken clouds to elephants, and especially rainy clouds to ruttish elephants; a fine example. clothed in the garb of a metaphor, is Sid. XVII, 69:

any~monnatayo ' timdtrap.rthava.h p.rthvidharadribh.rtas tanvanta.h kanakdvalfbhir upamdm, sauddrnan?ddmabhi.h / var.santa.h Aamam dnayann upalasaeeh.rhgdralekhdyudhd.h kdle Ka'liyakdyakdlavapu.sa.h palm.sEre gajdmbhomuea.h //
Being of indefectible height (as well as) immeasurably broad (and hence) having the beauty of mountains; bearing a likeness to golden chains with their lightning-streaks; sporting bright ornament-rainbows; (and) their bulk dark as K~liya's body: the elephant-clouds, bestowing rain [discharging ichor], brought the dust to settle in time. N o w (pra)bhinna, literally "split", is often used (both with and without a governing noun) to signify a ruttish elephant, 18 the idea being that ichor flows from his fissured temples - - whence he may be called (pra)bhinnakarat.a~9; and a~jana, as masculine, is the name of the guardian elephant of the west or south-west quarter, ~~ from which the rain comes. Considering the propensity of Indian poets to double entendres, this is hardly coincidental. We therefore suggest with Bohlen "~that in certain similes, in

17 Encyclopaedia Britannica, ix (1962), p. 973, and xxi (1962), p. 406 A. 18 Ak. ii, 8.2.4; Abhidhdnac. 1220; Abhidhdnar. ii, 65. - - MBh. i, 178.2; i, 180.13; i, 213.47; iii, 252.5; iv, 18.21; xiii, 14.51; xiii, 102.6; R. ii, 493*; vi, 28.8; Kum. v, 80; Tantrakhy. i, 72 (~ Pa~edkhy. i, 231). 1~ MBh. i, 202.20; iii, 262.37; xii, 117.23; R. ii, 642*; vi, 18.3 (this last reference is to Gorresio's edition, the verse being missing in the corresponding chapter [vi, 43] of the vulgate). ~o Ak. i, 1.2.5; Abhidhdnac. 170; Hem., An., iii, 347; Med. xx, 27; Hdr. 148. - - MBh. vi, 60.51; R. i, 6.22. 21 8tus. i, ll: "coelum elephantiforme conglomeratum" (for bhinnaOjanasaznnibha.m nabha.h); ii, 2: "nubibus ... aliquando prurienfis elephanti formae similibus" (for kvacit prabhinnd~janardgisa.mnibhai.h ... ghanaib); iii, 5: "furibtmdorum elephantorum abundantia splendens coelum" (for bhinndgjanapracayakdnti nabha.h).

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which a rainy cloud is the subject of comparison, (pra)bhinndgjana has the connotation "ruttish elephant of the west".

BIBLIOGRAPHY Dutt, Udoy Chand, The Materia medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit medical works ..., with a glossary of Indian plants by George King and the author (Calcutta, Thacker [etc.], 1877). Patel, Bhulabhai, Mineralien und Chemikalien der indischen Pharmazie (= Ver6ffentlichungen aus dem Pharmaziegeschichtlichen Seminar der Teehnisehen Hochschule Braunschweig, Bd 6) (Braunschweig, 1963, Chemoprint in Giel3en). R~y, Priyadaranjan, History of chemistry in ancient and medieval India. Incorporating the History of lndian Chemistry by Prafulla Chandra Rfzy (Calcutta, Indian

Chemical Society, 1956). Schmidt, Richard, Beitriige zur indischen Eratik. Das Liebesleben des Sanskritvolkes, nach d. Quellen dargest ..... 3. Aufl. (Berlin, Barsdorf, 1922).

ABBREVIATIONS Hemacandra's Abhidh~nacintamani (B6htlingk-Rieu, St. Petersburg, 1847). Abhidhanar. Hal~yudha's Abhidhanaratnamald (Aufrecht, London, 1861). Amarakos.a (Loiseleur Deslongchamps, Paris, 1839-1840). Ak. Har. Puru.sottamadeva's Hardvali (Durgaprasad-Parab-Sivadatta, Bombay, 1889). Hariv. Hariva.mda (Siromani-Ramagovinda-Panchanan, Calcutta, 1839). Hemacandra's Anek8rthasa.mgraha (Zachariae0 Wien, 1893). Hem., An. Bhfiravi's Kiratdrjuniya (Acharya, Bombay, 141954). Kir. K~lid~tsa's Kumarasa.mbhava (Acharya, Bombay, 1~1955). Kum. Mall. Mallinatha. Mahabharata, books 1-12 and 14-18 (Sukthankar-Belvalkar-Valdya, MBh. Poona, 1933 IT.), book 13 (Kinjawadekar, Poona, 1933). Med. Medinikos.a (Hoshing, Benares, 1940). K~lid~tsa's Meghad5ta (Acharya, Bombay, 161953). Megh. NarPaKear. Ndradapa~cardtra (Banerjea, Calcutta, 1865). P~r.nabhadra's Pa~cakhydnaka (Hertel, Cambridge, Mass., 1908). Pa~cakhy. Vfilmiki's Ramaya.na, books 1-4 (Baroda, 1960ff.), books 5-7 (Parab, R. Bombay, 21902; once Gorresio, Parigi, 1843-1850). K~lid~sa's Raghuva.m~a (Acharya, Bombay, n1948). Ragh. R~tgh. R~ghavabhat.~a. Pseudo-K~tlid~tsa's R.tusa.mhdra (Bohlen, Lipsiae, 1840; Acharya, l~tus. Bombay, 81952). K~id~sa's Abhijganaddkuntala (Kale, Bombay, 1898). Sak. M~gha's Sigupdlavadha, Sanskrit (Durgaprasad, Bombay, 1~1957) and ~i~. German (Hultzsch, Leipzig, 1926). Su~rutasa.mhitd, Sanskrit (Acharya, Bombay, ~1938) and English Sugr. (Bhishagratna, Calcutta, 1907-1916). Tantrakhy. Tantrdkhyayika (Hertel, Cambridge, Mass., 1915). Var., B rS. Var~hamihira's Brhatsa.mhita (Kern, Calcutta, 1865).
Abhidh~nac.