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414
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAN
- Milk: -The Milk (khira=kşīra 3.46: 26.1 or dugdha 115.8) of cows and buffaloes is said to be very nutritive article of food. Payasa ( 115.8 rice gruel), Dadhi (115.8. curd). Sappi=Sarpis ( 14.85 clarified butter) and Ghaa (3.158 Ghsta=ghee) were the different preparations of milk.
Sugar:-The sugar and jaggery are called Sayara or Sakkara (Sarkarā) and Gula (115.8,9) respectively. Modaka (115.9) and Ladduga (84.4) are the sweets. Manda (Māņda 84.4) seems to be the rice-g ruel or a sort of pastry or baked flour. Madhu (honey 3.158;14.85) is also referred to. The use of sugarcane-juice (Ikkhurasa=Ikşurasa 3.111;41. 31) was very common.
Fruits :-The use of fruits was very common specially with those who lived in forest (33.10). At times leaves were also used for food (pattaphalahariņi 63 45;65.40). Recluses depended on fruits and roots (phalamulai kayā hāro 8.155). The following fruits have been mentioned: mango (42.7), pomegranate (42.6), rose-apple (20.39), wood-apple (42.6), and grapes (53.79). Relishing rice-gruel prepared with the chips of orange, bread-fruit, terminatia catappa, bannana, datefruits and coconut (41.9) hase also been referred to.
The betel leaves were chewed fondly by the people (46, 72; 70. 50; 80.30),
Kitchen, Cook and Food preparations : -Well-to-do and noble families engaged cooks for the management of their kitchen (Sūvayāra=Sūpakāra 113. 7). Süvayāravai denotes that under him many assistants worked 22. 73). These food specialists prepared testeful, fragrant and relishing plates (miusurahisaukaliyam 77. 33). It is further said that the preparations were pleasant and agreeable to the five senses and the mind (pañcanham irdiyatthāņam itțarn suham maņojjam 77. 33). Thus it reveals that the food was made as pleasant as possible so that it provided wholesome satisfaction to the mind and body. Even the water used for drinking was saturated with fragrance (surabhigandhajala 115. 11). There are categorical references to various kinds of food preparations (nāņāviha bhattar 77. 32; bhoyaņāṁ bahuviyappam 69. 15). Thus the PCV refers to 108 kinds of preparations of eatables (atthasayakhajjayajuttam 69.16), 64 varieties of dainties (causațțhivañjanaviyappan 99.16) and 16 kinds of rice preparations (solasa oyana bheyam 69. 16).
1. See Tiloyapannatti, 4 347 also.
