Indian Antiquary Vol 40

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 46

40
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1911.
Early History of India, 2nd Ed., p. 20. "In- port of this, I may mention that this very tamal dependent proof of the existenceof the Skanda- leaf is prescribed as a medicine for head diseases Purina at the seventh century is afforded by a in the old medical works. Bengal manuscript of that work, written in
19 Gupta hand,' to which as early a date as the middle of the seventh century can be assigned Then as to the hukti or hubble-bubble. Here on palæographical grounds."
is a passage from the Charaka's Samhita Sutra11
sthānam, Chap, 5, which describes the preparation It is to be noticed that the particular drug men
of smoking pipe, the prototype of the modern
hukka.tioned in this passage is called tamāla (a ). This leads to a consideration of the Indian name
ऋजु विकोषाफलितं कोलास्थापप्रमाणितं । for the drug tobacco. It is well-known that the
वस्तिनेत्रसमद्रव्यम् धूमनेवं प्रशस्यते ।। Bengali term for tobacco is tāmiku (art),
T: *Y 981 which I believe is a corruption of the Sanskrit word tamrakūta. The occurrence of tbis word The pipe should consist of three straight tāmraküla (ar ) in old Sanskrit works is prov
limbs. The bottom of the first limb should ed by the following quotations and reference :--
be of the measure of the seed of a jujube. संविदा कालकूटच्च ताम्रकूटच धूस्तूरम् ।
In the construction of a smoking pipe the
use is applauded of materials employed in भहिफेनं खर्जुरसः तारिका तरिता तथा ॥
constructing enema pipes.' इत्यष्टौ सिद्धिद्रव्याणि यथा सूर्याष्टकं प्रिये ।
14 इति कुलार्णवे। Here tamrakūta is mentioned along with opiam, Finally as to the prevalence of tobacco smok. ganjā and other intoxicants and therefore must ing before the days of Portuguese expansion into mean tobacco. There are eight intoxicating the Islands of the Indian Archipelago, which are drugs mentioned in the Kulārnava-Tantra' of believed by scholars like Mr. V. A. Smith to have which tobacco is one.
received tobacco from the Portuguese at the 12
same time as India, we may quote a European The Sabdakaldaŭruma (
T YCH) refers to authority. the Vishnusiddhanta sārāvali (propregtart
Prof. Alfred Haddon, F.R.S., who in his · ht) and says
Head Hunters says" Although smoking wag यया विष्णुसिद्धान्तसारावल्यां वैयके। भय धूमपर्णी
practised in these Islands (Papua and New VETT:
Guinea) before the Whitemen came, and they कला-संवेष्टन-धूमपानात् स्याहन्तशुद्धिर्मुखरोगहानिः grew their own tobacco, they never smoked much कफनमामज्वरहानिकृष गान्धर्वविद्याप्रवणेकसेव्यम् ।
at a time. The native pipe is made of a piece
of bamboo from about a foot to between two • Tobacco serves the purpose of smoking.
and three feet in length: .,. They enjoy The smoke stick made of tobacco makes
it greatly and value tobacco very highly, they the teeth clean and cares all mouth-dis
usually sell almost anything they possess for eases, drives away cough and acute fever.
the same.' It is good for those who wish to be good singers.
GANAPATI RAY, My contention is that the Sanskrit word
Librarian, Bengal National College Library, tamrakuta (are ) and its corruption, the
Calcutta. Bengali FATE (tāmākü) are the same as the word The (tamäl) occurring in the passage NATIONAL COLLEGE, CALOUTTA, quoted above from the Skanda-Purāna. In sup- The 21st March, 1910.
"Kalanja -tāmrakuta (tobacco).