________________
VE N
..
..
.
.
-
A reader would normally take shvet and krishna kapotika to mean white and black female pigeon. But in vaidyak (medicine) literature they carry other meanings. Kalpadrum Kosh mentions that the smaller and reddish variety is called shvet kapotika. This plant has two leaves, bulbous root, slightly red with black and yellow hues, one foot high, with a shape similar to a cows nostrils and of the size of the hood of snake, salty, hairy, soft and sweet like sugar-cane. (Kalpadrum Kosh, p. 578)
Krishna kapotika is also of a similar shape and taste. It is like a black snake and its bulbous root is of the shape of a wild boar. It has one leaf, black as a heap of soot and is a potent aphrodisiac. Its leaf sprouts from a stalk at the centre of the bulb. These two kapotikas are of deep blue colour like pea-cock feather, with twelve leaves spread like a hood, destroyer of demons, grown out of a bulbous root and panacea for old age and death.
Thus we see that words like mansa, matsya and others normally used for animals and birds have been used for plants not only in Jain Agams but also in medicinal literature. Therefore, the words mansa and matsya appearing in this aphorism mean plants and not meat or fish. This affirms that it is wrong to call Jain ascetics as nonvegetarians. (Hindi Tika, p. 921-929)
It appears that the interpretations of authors of Tika (Shilanka) and Churni (Jinadas) were limited only to exceptional situations. But Acharya Haribhadra, while interpreting these words mentions—as the context here is plants some people interpret these words as specific fruits. (Dashvaikalik Haribhadria Commentary, p. 176)
अग्राह्य लवण-परिभोग-परिष्ठापन की विधि
७३. से भिक्खू वा २ जाव सिया से परो अभिहटु अंतो पडिग्गहए बिलं वा लोणं वा उब्भियं वा लोणं, परियाभाएत्ता णीहटु दलएज्जा। तहप्पगारं पडिग्गहगं । परहत्थंसि वा परपायंसि वा अफासुयं अणेसणिज्जं जाव णो पडिगाहेज्जा।
TARİH ET (NTT)
( 288 )
Acharanga Sutra (Part 2)
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
