Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study)
by A. Yamuna Devi | 2012 | 77,297 words | ISBN-13: 9788193658048
This page relates 鈥楩auna (7): Aquatic Animals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.
Fauna (7): Aquatic Animals
(a) Varieties of Fish:
Pices or the fish family comprises of both marine and fresh water varieties. Amarasi峁僪a discusses both while dealing with marine fishes he mentions the great whale which does not belong to the pices but mammalia since it possesses mammary glands. This feature is not mentioned by 础尘补谤补办辞艣补 but he observes that it eats other fishes in sea.
(i) 艢补办耻濒墨 (I. 9. 17; p. 64)鈥�
[Fish:]
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 explains that fish which has scales on its body is 艢补办补濒墨, a variant from 础尘补谤补办辞艣补's 艢补办耻濒墨. He also gives another reading of the same as 艣补濒办墨鈥�
艣akul膩ni p峁涐梗峁環e santyasya 艣akal墨 蝉补艣补濒办补 ityartha岣� | 艣补濒办墨 ca |
Some scholars have identified this variety as the flying fish. It is a marine being marked by very rapid speed. The formation of the fins help in their rapid movement.
(ii) 狈补濒补尘墨苍补 (I. 9. 18; p. 64)鈥�
[Sort of Sprat:]
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 describes the 苍补濒补尘墨苍补 as that which moves through perforations and grass. He add that it is also called 苍补岣嵞乥丑补岣�鈥�蝉耻峁谤补-t峁涐箛膩nta艣c膩r墨 苍补濒补尘墨苍补岣� na岣嵞乥ho v膩 |
(iii) Cilicima (I. 9. 18; p. 64)鈥�
Variety of fish: Cilicima is also a kind of 苍补濒补尘墨苍补.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 gives that the Vaidyas or the physicians regard this variety of fish to stimulate the three 诲辞峁蝉 and quotes 痴腻驳产丑补峁璦's 础峁ａ弓腻峁単补丑峁沝补测补 (厂奴迟谤补蝉迟丑腻苍补, IV.67b)鈥�
c墨yate m墨yate ca 肠颈濒颈肠颈尘补岣� 肠颈濒颈肠颈尘补蝉迟谤颈诲辞峁办峁沝颈迟颈 惫补颈诲测腻岣� |
(b) 碍耻濒墨谤补 (I. 9. 21; p. 65)鈥�
[Crab:]
The etymological meaning of 办耻濒墨谤补 is interesting.
碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 says that a 办耻濒墨谤补 is so called as it eats its procreator. In support of his derivation he quotes 碍补耻峁璱濒测补 (Artha 艢补蝉迟谤补, I. 17. 23) who says that princes who dethrone their fathers resemble in character the crabs which eat their procreators鈥�
kau l墨yate kulinam墨rayati v膩 janakabhak峁katv膩t yat 办补耻峁璱濒测补岣�鈥�
办补谤办补峁璦 sadharm膩峁噊 hi 谤腻箩补辫耻迟谤腻 janakabhak峁Ｄ佱弗 |
This derivation of 办耻濒墨谤补 is not given by commentators like 惭补濒濒颈苍腻迟丑补 or Li峁単ayas奴rin. The citation from 础谤迟丑补艣腻蝉迟谤补 in this regard is also exclusive to 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍
(c) 岣寀濒颈岣� (I. 9. 24; p. 65)鈥�
[A female turtle:]
This word is read as 诲耻濒颈岣� by 碍峁Ｄ玶补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 and he adds 办奴谤尘墨 in the same sense鈥�
dolayati 诲耻濒颈岣� 办奴谤尘墨 ca ||