Catechu

[N. Ganesan]

>>Hopefully a Sanskritist will explain Sankara's quote of this
>>lokaayatavaada metaphor. There what is catechu called? Is it khadira?

S. Vidyasankar wrote:
>Does Colebrooke give the name of the Sankaran text from which
>the quotation was taken? Since Sankara's comments about other
>schools are spread over his various commentaries, this piece of
>information will help trace the original quotation.

I have only Cowell's SDS (1894, reprinted by MLBD).
But unfortunately, he does not tell which Colebrooke book he is
quoting from.  On p. 266, Colebrooke's Essays, vol. i
is mentined, but this may be different book than what he
talks in p. 4, I would imagine. Foll. (a) or (b) may
have it (my guess).

a) Essays on history, literature and religions of ancient India
             = Miscellaneous essays. / New Delhi / 1977(1837)
             PK 103 C6 1977 V.1
             PK 103 C6 1977 V.2

b) Description of select Indian plants by Henry Thomas Colebrooke
             Colebrooke, H. T. (Henry Thomas), 1765-1837.
             Description of select Indian plants
             London : R. Taylor, 1818.
             p. 351-361, [6] leaves of plates :

If you see Maadhava's SDS, probably Sankara's statement
may be there. Since there are many acacia trees,
I have also asked Tamil professors in India what type of "vEla
maram" is the "kAcu-kaTTi maram" ('acacia catechu typica').
Lokaayata metaphors always included liquor motifs:
either fermentation process with mountain ebony (aatti)
or acacia catechu. Barks of karu-vEl tree is boiled
in moonshine production and some "vElAm-paTTai" gives
catechu.

The tamil proverb "kaNTatE kATci, koNTatE kOlam" eminently
describes lokayatika position: pratyaksha is the only pramaa.nam,
and enjoy life while it lasts.

Thanks for any help,
N. Ganesan

"
E.B. Cowell, The Sarva-Dar"sana-Sa.mgraha, MLBD, 1996,
gives in Ch. I The Chaarvaaka System.

"In this school the four elements, earth & c., are the
original principles; from these alone, when transformed
into the body, intelligence is produced, just as the
inebriating power is developed from the mixing of
certain ingredients; (1) and when these are destroyed,
intelligence at once perishes also. "

(1) KiNwa is explained as "drug or seed used to produce
fermentation in the manufacture of spirits from sugar,
bassia &c." Colebrooke quotes from "SaGkara: "The faculty
of thought results from a modification of the aggregate
elements in like manner as sugar with a ferement
and other ingredients becomes an inebrieating liquor;
and as betel, areca, lime and extract of catechu
chewed together have an exhilarating property
not found in those substances severally." "
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