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128
A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
of milk payasa or milk-rice prepared from the fresh milk was highly relished. It was largely served during the feasts. 1 Curds (dadhi) were extesnively consumed. Milk and curds are mentioned as articles which became stale very soon.2 Buttermilk, variously called as takra,udasīt or chasis in the text, was much liked, and the milk-maids can be seen selling the butter-milk frorn village to village. Fresh butter (navanita)' was taken, but clarified butter (sarpiss or ghsta®), was mostly used in preparing daily food as well as the various fine dishes like apupas, man łagas, khajjagas etc. People liked to mix clarified butter in the parched barley-meal. 10 All the five dairy products, i. e. milk, curd, butter, clarified butter and butter-milk, could be easily procured from the dohana-vādaga or dairy where the cows wure milked."I These products were stored in the khirasala. 12 In certain parts of the country milk and milk-products like the curds and rice-milk were included in the daily diet of the people, and even the Jaina monks, who were usually prohibited from accepting rich and nourishing food, were allowed to accept the same in those regions. 13 Apparently, milk and milk-products were abundantly
1. Quero TT Theat--NC. 3, p. 147. 2. etcafeafai fait to a pear-NC. 2, p. 250. 3. NC. 1, p. 92. According to Mānasollāsa (I11. 1527), takra contained
three parts of curd with one part of water. 4. NC. 1, p. 92. Udasi mentioned as udasvitsa in the Mānasollāsa (III.
1571) was a solution of curd with cqual quantity of water (vide-Om Prakash, Food and Drink in Ancient India, p. 293). Takra and udasi
have been used as synonyms in the NC. 5. NC. 1, p. 92. 6. NC, 1, p. 8. 7. NC. 2, p. 238; NC. 3, p. 135. 8. NC. 2, p. 145. 9. NC. 2, p. 238; NO. 3, p. 135. 10. HTH ETT arroqua-NC. 3, p. 436. 11. NC. 2, p. 145. 12. NC. 2, p. 456. 13. कम्हि य देसे गामे वा सो चेव दहिखीराति आहारो हवेज्ज, तत्थ विणा कारणेण आहारेज्ज
-NC. 2, p. 243.
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