Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates 鈥楨conomics (5): Means of Transportation鈥� of the study on the Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (in English) which represents a commentary on the Amarakosha of Amarasimha. These ancient texts belong the Kosha or 鈥渓exicography鈥� category of Sanskrit literature which deals with the analysis and meaning of technical words from a variety of subjects, such as cosmology, anatomy, medicine, hygiene. The Amarakosa itself is one of the earliest of such text, dating from the 6th century A.D., while the Amarakoshodghatana is the earliest known commentary on that work.
Economics (5): Means of Transportation
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 mentions various vehicles in the 碍峁迟谤颈测补 varga (II. 8. 52-60):
(a) 艢补迟腻峁単补鈥�
[War charriot:]
syandana and ratha are its other synonyms mentioned by 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 mentions that it is also called 蝉腻尘辫补谤腻测颈办补鈥�
测腻迟测补苍别苍补 测腻苍补峁� s膩峁僷ar膩yik膩khyam |
(b) 笔耻峁补谤补迟丑补鈥�
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 mentions it to be any chariot other than the war-chariot. 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 reads the word as 笔耻峁补谤补迟丑补 and explains that it is the chariot used in auspicious occasions and festivities鈥�
辫耻峁别 y膩trotsav膩dau ma峁単alyo 谤补迟丑补岣� pu峁a谤补迟丑补岣� |
(c) 碍补谤峁嚹玶补迟丑补鈥�
[Covered car:]
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 mentions 辫谤补惫补丑补峁嘺 and 岣峚测补苍补 as synonyms.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains 办补谤峁嚹玶补迟丑补 as a long carriage, palanquin carried on the shoulders of men鈥�
kar峁噄峁 skandhe峁 谤补迟丑补岣� kar峁嚹玸tha岣� d墨rgho lak峁膩t pu峁僺ka峁僤hohyam膩no 谤补迟丑补岣� |
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 also adds that 岣峚测补苍补 was the vehicle, flying in air like birds, also called 惫颈尘腻苍补鈥�
岣峚yante vih膩yas膩 y膩nt墨va 膩nena vim膩n膩khyam |
This reference to the flying vehicle by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 confirms the fact that he was well acquainted with such details like his contemporary Bhoja.
驰补辫测补测腻苍补尘 (II. 8. 54; p. 186)
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 mentions 艣颈产颈办腻 as its synonym.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains it as a vehicle of handicapped and also that 骋补耻岣峚 calls it a Yuga鈥�
测腻辫测补蝉测腻艣补办迟补蝉测补 测腻苍补峁� yug膩khy膩峁� y膩namiti 驳补耻岣峚岣� |
Other vehicles mentioned in 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 are 艣补办补峁璦鈥搇oad carriages, 驳补苍迟谤墨鈥搇颈迟迟别谤, 诲辞濒腻鈥搒wing like transportation, dvaipa鈥揷arriage covered with tiger skin, 辫腻峁囜笉耻办补尘产补濒墨鈥揷ar covered with white woollen cloth and 谤补迟丑测腻鈥揳 multitude of cars. Mention of bullocks and camels in this varga suggests that they were also used for transportation.
In the V膩rivarga 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 lists the synonyms of water vehicles such as鈥�苍补耻岣�鈥�boat and 耻岣岛辫补鈥搑aft or float. Their various parts are also enumerated as follows:
(d) 膧迟补谤补 (I. 9. 11; p. 63)鈥�
[Freight or fare:]
础尘补谤补办辞艣补 gives 腻迟补谤补 and 罢补谤补辫补峁噛补尘 to denote fare or freight.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 observes that some call 腻迟补谤补 as 腻惫腻辫补鈥�
腻迟补谤补ntyanena 腻迟补谤补岣� 腻惫腻辫补 ityeke |
(e) 碍奴辫补办补 (I. 9. 12; p. 63):
A mast or crew is denoted by the words 办奴辫补办补 or 驳耻峁嘺惫峁沰峁办补.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 says that 驳耻峁嘺惫峁沰峁 is the mast or a post to which a ship or boat is fastened with a rope. He also gives the opinion of a few that it is the crew鈥�
驳耻峁嘺惫峁沰峁 yatra nau rajjv膩 badhyate pote dhvajapa峁乨y膩dh膩ra ityeke | k奴pe 膩dh膩ragarte k膩yati 办奴辫补办补岣� |
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 gives the view of 骋补耻岣峚 who opines that 办奴辫补办补 is a tree in the river鈥�gau岣峚stu jal膩ntastar奴峁僰奴pak膩n膩ha ||
(f) 狈补耻办腻诲补峁囜笉补 (I. 9. 13; p. 63)鈥�
[Oar:]
The 苍补耻办腻诲补峁囜笉补 is also called 办峁辫补峁嚹�. 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 notes that 办峁辫补峁嚹� is the 补辫补产谤补丑峁兣沘 of 办峁辫补峁嚹� and that according to 鲍辫腻诲丑测腻测补 it is 办峁辫补.
k峁pyatyanay膩 办峁辫补峁嚹�, k峁pa峁噛apabhra峁兣沘岣� | k峁petyup膩dhy膩ya岣� || kvacit p膩nap膩tra峁� tu poto'bdhibhave tri峁 samudriya峁� s膩mudriko manu峁obdhi箩腻迟腻dau 苍补耻岣� samudrik膩 || (箩腻迟腻 samudrik膩 ca 苍补耻岣�)
Some of the other parts mentioned in 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 are 办补谤峁嘺诲丑腻谤补鈥揷补辫迟补颈苍, 苍颈测腻尘补办腻岣�鈥揷谤别飞, aritram鈥搈补蝉迟, 补产丑谤颈岣�鈥搒craper or shovel and 蝉别办补辫腻迟谤补尘鈥揵耻肠办别迟.
From the above study it is evident that air vehicles were developed in the time of 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍, which probably were not used during the time of 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 That water transport was also put to good use can be inferred from the terms like 腻迟补谤补 and others.