inquiry into Haramekhalaa

[Janet Glausch]

Dear members of the list, 

 

I would appreciate any information and references to Maadhuka's Haramekhalaa (HM) going beyond the entries in the >History of Indian Medical Literature< by J.G. Meulenbeld. The HM is a medical book written most probably in the 11th century A.D. in Prakrit language with Sanskrit chaaya and (anonymous) commentary. It has been translated into Newari language, the oldest of these manuscripts (the oldest Newari-manuscript found till now at all) dates from 1374 A.D. 

 

There are two editions of the Prakrit-Sanskrit version of the work known to me (both incomplete for the complete text consists of  7 paricchedas:)

 

  a. The Haramekhalaa of Maahuka with commentary, ed. by Saamashiva Shaastrii, part 1 (pariccheda 2-4) and 2 (pariccheda 5), Trivandrum Sanskrit Series CXXIV and CXXXVI, 1936 and 1938.

 

  b. Haramekhalaa satiika, Maadhukadhiirasahaayapanditaviracitaa, Bhattaraaii ityupaahva Krshnaprasaadasharmanaa sampaaditaa, purvakhandah (pariccheda 1-4) and madhyamakhandah (pariccheda 5), puratattvaprakaashanamaalaa 64, 66 pushpam, Kathmandu 1972/73, 1973/74.

 

A part of pariccheda 4 has been translated by B. Rama Rao in BIIHM 1, 1971.

 

J.G. Meulenbeld discusses the HM's contents, the author, the date etc. and gives references to the secondary literature (mainly on dating, identification of occuring plants, references to similar methods of preparing fragrant substances, references to Kurukullâ and Mûladeva.) 

  

My questions to you are these:

 

1. Do you know anybody already working on an edition (in extracts or - less probably - complete) or in another way about the text concerned?

 

2. Are the last 2 paricchedas of the HM edited too? Or are there other editions than the both mentioned existing?

 

3. Where else except in the texts mentioned in J.G. Meulenbeld's >History<, i.e. Shivatattvaratnaakara, Cikitsaasamgraha, Kakshapu*ta, Kaamaratna, Ratirahasya, Amarakosha, Ratnaprabhaa, Rasaratnaakara, Parashuraamaprataapa, Dravyagunasamgraha, Shriidaasapandita (:?), Kusumaavalii, Shriivallabhagani's commentary to Hemacandra's Nigha*n*tushesha, *To*dara is the HM mentioned? - It seems to be quoted also in the less reviewed shatkarma-texts as in the Kau*tilyatantra (still unpublished) I worked about in my MA thesis (here it proves to be the most frequently quoted source.)

 

 

Many thanks, Yours sincerely


Janet Glausch

 

------------------------------------------------------------

Janet Glausch, M.A.  University of Leipzig  Institute of Indology and Central Asian Sciences  Schillerstr. 6  04109 Leipzig (Germany)

privat: Hermann-Sander-Str. 16  04316 Leipzig-Mölkau (Germany)  Tel: (+49) 0341 6511934

Fax: (+49) 01212 5 23598514  email: jglausch at web.de