________________ INTRODUCTION A well known verse declares that a physician without the know. ledge of nighantu, a scholar without the knowledge of vakarana (Grammar) and a soldier without weapons-all these three are being laughed at in the world'. From this we gather that the knowledge of nighantu is indispensable for a physician. But what is nighantu ? What is the meaning of the term nighantu ? From what root is the word nighantu derived ? While pondering over these questions we are reminded of a statement occurring in the Nirukta of Yaska. The statement is : 'why is nighantu so called ? It is so called because it is nigama ?' (nighantavah kasmat nigama ime bhavanti). That is, the term nighantu is based on the term nigama. The etymology of the term nigama is : nigudham artham gamayanti jnapayanti iti nigamah (That which brings out the extremely concealed or secret meaning of words is called nigama). Yaska wrote the Nirukta to point out the concealed or secret meaings of the Vedas. The etymological meaning of the term nirukta is : nigudhah arthah ucyante anena prakarena tan niruktam. (That which brings out the secret meanings in this manner is called Nirukta). Thus the words nigama and nirukta are synonymous. Sayana, the commentator of the Vedas has explained the term nirukta as follows: That which gives all the pos. sible meanings of each and every word is called nirukta. (ekaikasya padasya sambhavita artha yatra nihsesena ucyante tan niruktam). Vaska quotes Aupamanyu (the son of Upamanyu) while explaining the term nighantu. According to Aupamanyu the term nigantavah (leading to the secret meanings) has been transformed into 'nighantavah'. That is 'nighantavah' is simply a different form of 'nigantavah'. (te nigantava eva santo nigamanan nighantavah ucyanta ity au pamanyavah). Yaska's quotation of Aupamanyu proves that before Yaska there flourished some Aupamanyu who has written Nirukta. But no Nirukta other than that of Yaska is extant. Nigama, nirukta and nighantu are synonyms. Both the Nirukta and the Nighantu are the sciences that acquaint us with the secret meaning-the Nirukta throws light on the secret meanings of the Vedas while the Nighantu throws light on the secret meaning of the terms denoting different things of the vegetable kingdom. 1. nighanfuna vina vaidyo vidvan vyakaranam vina / Zyudham ca vind yoddha trayo hasasya bhajanam // Introduction to the Rajanighantu.
