Jain Journal 2014 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 69

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JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XLIX, NO. 1-IV JULY 2014-JUNE 2015
South), sudra (Black - West). It further classifies them based only on colours such as black, yellow, copper coloured or white. An interesting feature is that it alludes to a classification of clouds based on tastes of rain poured by the cloud.
sugandhagandha ye meghaḥ susvarāḥ svādusamsthitaḥ\ madhurodakaśca ye meghaḥ jalaya jaladāstathā ||
'Clouds having smell of (Kastūri / Kesara) flowers making sweet and peaceful (thundering) sounds, whose rain tastes sweet create good rains'.
It has rich information on various shapes of clouds not found in any other texts. These shapes of clouds are used to predict victory or defeat or death to a king. Clouds shaped in form of flag, banner, bell, arch associate victory to a king if moving before his march route [VI. 11], those in shapes of buffalo, pig, donkey, meat eating birds like vulture, Crow, hawk and wild animals like lion cause king's defeat or death if moving in opposite direction of king's march [VI.13]. Clouds in shape of chariot, weapons, horse, elephant, sword indicate victory if moving forward. Clouds shaped like bow, armour, young elephant, horse tail indicate war and so also those clouds that strike each other [VI. 15-16]. Similar shapes of clouds associated with a king's march are also given further in the text [VIII. 10-12] and [VII. 23-24]. Clouds shaped like a lion, cat, meat-eating birds, cheetah and so on causes heavy rain that is blood red in color [VIII. 16-17]. Prognostications from clouds of various shapes and in different directions as specified beginning from Jyestha Šukla Pañcami to Pūrṇima and from Aṣāḍha Kṛṣṇa Pratipad to Amavasya are given in the Bhadrabahu Samhita. The pregnancy of clouds is dealt in detail in the text [XII] and gives a conception of 196 days [XII.4] in accordance with the Bhagavati Sūtra and Bṛhatsamhita. The Bhadrabahu Samhita also gives the prognostication of clouds according to seasons.
Acarya Jinasena in his Kavya named 'Pārśvābhyudaya '16 modelled after Kālidāsa's Meghaduta and dated to 7th c.A.D. has