Catechu

N. Ganesan naga_ganesan at HOTMAIL.COM
Fri Jan 5 22:01:36 UTC 2001


Dear Sanskritists,

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." Colebroke 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." "

Even though Cowell does not specify the book/article by
H. T. Colebrooke, he refers to Colebrooke's Essays at
a different place in the SDS. In A. C. Burnell's
vaMza brAhmaNa also, Colebrooke's Essays is cited.
It looks Colebrooke's Essays was popular in the late
19th century and, this is where possibly the "SaGkaran
remark on Lokayatas be located?

Can an Indologist give the "SaGkara quotation that
Colebrooke cites, please?
a) Miscellaneous essays, by H. T. Colebrooke,
   London, Trübner & Co., 1873.
   3 v. front.

b) Essays on the religion and philosophy of the Hindus,
    Colebrooke, H. T. (Henry Thomas), 1765-1837.
    London and Edinburgh, Williams and Norgate; [etc., etc.] 1858.


Many thanks,
N. Ganesan

Note: Maadhava AchArya, SDS, Ch. I, p. 10,
"Thus it has been said-

The fire is hot, the water cold, refreshing  cool the breeze of morn;
By whom came this variety? from their own nature it was born."

What is the original shlokam translated here?

Let me cite the corresponding lines from
JayamkoNTAr's kArANai vizupparaiyan2 maTal:

"kAtaR kalavik kan2iyiruppak kAykavarntu
  cEtap paTumcitaTTut tiNNarkAL! mun2n2Irkku

  nAtamum, nANmalarkku nARRamum, veNmatikkuc
  cItamum uNTAkac ceytArAr? ..."


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