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PLANTS IN SANSKRIT LITERATURE TRANSLATION AND ADAPTATION BY DR. JAYSUKH J. SHAH, Ph.D., F.N.A
EDITOR DR. NIRANJAN P. PATEL, Ph.D.
Sardar Patel University Vallabh Vidyanagar – 388 120 Gujarat
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MESSAGE BY VICE CHANCELLAR It is very gratifying for me to pen this message for a book “Plants in Sanskrit Literature”. It also gives credit to the Postgraduate Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages of this University to sponsor its publication by Sardar Patel University. The book represents a sincere and dedicated effort of a Professor of Botany and Head of the then Postgraduate Department of Biosciences of this University, who retired in the year 1984. Professor J.J. Shah who is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the only one till now from the University, obtained financial assistance without any pecuniary benefit to him from the History Section of the Academy to undertake this project in the year 2013. As he is settled in Vadodara he requested the Department of Botany of the M.S. University to sponsor his project for administrative facility. Professor Shah requested me to arrange for consultation on Sanskrit citations of the book for the translation of the book. The book is written by late Shri Bapalal Vaidya (Shah) ) and published in the year 1953 by B.J. Vidyabhavan, Gujarat Vidyasabha with the financial assistance of Gujarat Sahitya Academy. The book entitled “Sanskrit Sahityamon Vanaspati” contains an account of about 213 plants mentioned in our ancient Sanskrit literature like the Ramayan , the Mahabharata and works of Kalidas, Bhavabhuti , Magh, Bhartahari and many Nighantus. It contains abundant citations of Sanskrit shlokas and phrases with their Gujarati translation related to plants. It is a very important researched book for Botanists and scholars interested in our ancient cultural, religious and social ethos related with plants. Professor Shah showed great enthusiasm in translating this book of about 400 printed pages in English and the university arranged necessary academic assistance for him requesting Professor Niranjan Patel, Head of the Postgraduate Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit languages of our University. I appreciate Prof. Shah’s endeavour to make available this book in English for Scientists and other scholars of India and elsewhere. Sardar Patel University in general and Professor Niranjan Patel were very much pleased to be associated with this project of Professor Shah. This was a project he rightly thought was important not for his Department but also for the Sardar Patel University. We therefore decided to publish his manuscript and requested Professor Shah to agree the publication of his manuscript by the University. Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi permitted him to publish it. I thank Professor Shah, a retired faculty member of this University who retired 30 years ago and still actively contributing in bringing academic credit to the Sardar Patel University. Such an effort is a role model for all the academic faculty of the University. 15th March 2015
Harish Padh; Vice Chancellor; Sardar Patel University; Vallabh Vidhyanagar Gujarat
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PREFACE BY TRANSLATOR AND ADAPTOR I am overjoyed to write these few lines of my preface as I look at it as my fulfillment of a long distance dream that was pestering me till my eighties. I translated into English the Biography of a self made, no collegiate with a smattering of English learned in early high school days but a brilliant Botanist the late Jaykrishnabhai born in the year 1849 in Kutch, Gujarat. The biography was written in Gujarati in 1931 by late Bapalal G. Vaidya (Shah), an Ayurved expert and educationist, Sanskrit and Gujarati scholar and who learned plant taxonomy under Jaykrishnabhai. I used to meet him in fifties when was a lecturer in Botany in the then M. T. B. College at Surat. He was then a Principal of the new Ayurvedic College. I used to make use of his personal library freely. I had then read his book of biography of Botanist Jaykrishnabhai which I translated in English with the financial assistance of Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi and it was published by Charutar Vidyamandal, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat in the year 1999, after fifteen years of my retirement as a Professor of Botany and Head of Postgraduate Department of Biosciences, Sardar Patel University, Vallbh Vidyanagar. Bapalal had published several books on Ayurved, medicinal plants and their uses, Nighantu and health. Among them was a scholarly book of about four hundred pages entitled “Sanskrit Sahityama Vanaspati” (Plants in Sanskrit Literature) in Gujarati. The book contains abundant citations of Sanskrit Slokas and phrases from varying Sanskrit works authored by eminent poets , writers and critics related to plants. He has mentioned about 223 plants as described in various Sanskrit works and researched mentioning their scientific names. He translated in Gujarati all these Sanskrit citations with his comments in the book. It abundantly reflects his scholarship in Sanskrit, Gujarati and very good knowledge of plants. At certain places he has mentioned eminent Gujarati and English poets and plant taxonomists with the literary flavor. The book was published in the year 1953 by a well known research Institute, B. J. Vidyabhavan, Gujarat Vidyasabha, Ahmedabad with financial assistance of Gujarat Sahitya Academy, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. When I was in Surat in the 1950’s, I had read this book and was deeply impressed with its very well researched contributions in plant Science and creative Sanskrit Literature. After my retirement in 1984, I had a sincere longing to translate this book in English but hesitated with my elementary knowledge of Sanskrit and Gujarati translation of Sanskrit words. This longing went on till I was nearing my nineties. Whenever I looked at the book, my desire in jumping into this adventure prompted me to undertake this translation assignment. In the year 2012 the Indian Botanical Society held its Conference at Vadodara organized by the Department of Botany, M. S. University of Baroda Professor H. Y. Mohan Ram was also attending this session. While casually discussing mutual interest of Plant Science in India, I mentioned the importance of translating this book in English. I had absolutely forgotten this fact as it was an unintended talk between two friends whiling away sometime on mutual interest in an accidental meeting. To my surprise, I received a letter from Mr. Madhvendra Narayan, Asst. Exec., Director (History of Science), Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, stating if I am interested in translating Bapalal’s Book on plants in Sanskrit Literature. I showed my interest and applied for necessary financial grant for this project without claiming any pecuniary personal benefit. The project was sanctioned in July 2013 for a period of one and half year ending December 2014. I had great hesitation to accept this assignment. But I was interested in the contents of the book because it deals with our ancient plants mentioned in most of the important works of Oriental Literature like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kalidas, Bhavabhuti,Magh, Bhartrhari and various Nighantus. It reflects upon cultural, religious and social ethos of those times vis a vis plants. I ventured to translate in English this important researched contribution for a wider enlightened scientific world and other interested scholars.
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The project required some assistance from Sanskrit scholars, because of abundant citations in Sanskrit even though the author translated them in Gujarati with profuse use of Sanskrit words. It was difficult to get such a scholar locally knowing English, Gujarati and Sanskrit. With my own efforts I could overcome this difficulty for sometime using Sanskrit dictionaries. I started translating all Gujarati matter in English leaving blank spaces for Sanskrit Shlokas and phrases. With the help of a Sanskrit computer typist I obtained all the Sanskrit matter typed page wise and obtained the soft copy of the entire Sanskrit citations. My handwritten translated English matter was also typed. Fortunately after about six months I could obtain very good assistance from Professor Harish Padh, Vice Chancellor of Sardar Patel University who evinced great interest in my work and requested Dr. Niranjan Patel, Head of the postgraduate Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit languages, Sardar Patel University to offer whatever help I require from him. He organized a small workshop inviting Sanskrit experts to have a general review of my two hundred pages of translation and suggest some guidelines regarding coordination of Sanskrit citations of the text in my manuscript. Dr. Piyush Joshi one of the participating experts in English and Sanskrit promised me assistance regarding Sanskrit words and phrases of the text. Later on the recommendation of Dr. Niranjan Patel, I could obtain the services of Dr. Milindkumar S. Joshi with doctorate in Sanskrit. He was also proficient in computer related technology. He recast my English manuscript inserting all Sanskrit citations of the main text, with diacritical marks and transferred it with proper editing in the book form. While translating the Gujarati text of the book in English I have omitted the author’s few citations of Gujarati and English poetry and other literary paragraphs or sentences which in my opinion were not of any scientific or plant related significance. This was part of my objective of necessary adaptation of the original text. I sincerely thank: (1) Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi for financial assistance and permission to publish my manuscript in the book form. (2) Gujarat Vidyasabha, Ahmedabad for permission to translate the book into English and publish it. (3) M.S. University of Baroda and Head, Department of Botany for their sponsorship for this project. (4) Professor Harish Padh, Vice chancellor, Sardar Patel University for his support to my project and sponsoring the publication of my manuscript by the University. (5) Dr. Niranjan Patel, Head of the Postgraduate Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit languages and Dr. Piyush Joshi for very useful assistance and facilitation for my project. (6) Dr. Milindkumar Joshi for his Sanskrit and computer related expertise. (7) Typists Mrs. Sneha Shastra Bodhini and Late Mr. Sunil Tiwari. (8) My members of the family for their support and valuable computer related assistance. (9) Professor Susy Albert and Mrs. Dhara Gandhi, Department of Botany for facilitating administrative matter with The M.S. University and technical assistance.
29, Freedom Fighter Nagar, Near Samta Society, Subhanpura, Vadodara 3900023.
[email protected]
J.J. Shah
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Editorial Flora / Plants in Sanskrit literatureis a monumental work in Gujarati language by Bapalal GVaidya. ShreeVaidya was also scholar of Ayurveda. He was drawn towards Sanskrit literature and he undertook a study of trees, plants, creepers and climbers represented in it.The aforesaid book embodies the essence of his efforts. Later on a series of articles entitled Flora/plants in Kalidas’s literary textswaspublished in the well-known Journal,BuddhiPrakash. In the year 1953, the Gujarat Vidyasabhaprepared a volume of these articles which also carried in it the editorial remarks by Shri. Rasiklal C Parikh. In the year 2008 the volume was reprinted. It is said that such a text dealing with flora/plants is a unique one and other languages of India perhaps do not have such a rich text. In order to make such a scholarly text available to scholars and researchers, it was decided that an authentic translation of the text should be prepared. Prof. J J Shah (the former head, Department of Biosciences, S P University, Vallabh Vidyanagar) decided to translate the text into English. Out of his love for research and reverence for Shri. Bapalal G Vaidya, Shri. Shah saheb undertook the challenging task. Prof. Shah a renowned scholar of Botany and a man of science, is also well- versed in Sanskrit literary texts and its rich heritage. He has, therefore meticulously translated the text and it has been by and large faithful to the original one. The translated version of the text has been mainly prepared with a view to helping the scholars and researchers in the field of Botany. Prof. Shah, I think, has deliberately omitted a few ornamental and erotic passages. To my mind they do not seriously harm the overall design of the text. I extend my sense of gratitude to Hon’ble Vice chancellor Prof. Shri. Harish Padh for granting us the permission to publish the book. On behalf of the department I extend a deep sense of thankfulness to him. I also extend my sense of gratitude to Prof. ShantikumarPandya, Prof. P S Joshi, Prof. Mahesh Yagnik, Prof. R K Mandalia, Dr. Mahesh Patel and Dr. Milind Joshi. I also take an opportunity to extend my gratefulness to Principal Dr. Mohanbhai Patel (OSD) and Shri. JatinbhaiSomani (the press manager). I wish that the translated text reaches the scholars and researchers and enlightens them.
Prof.Dr. Niranjan Patel (Head, Post Graduate Department of Pali and Sanskrit, Vallabh Vidyanagar)
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PREFACE Our ancient sages have given to earth an important place among the five elements because the entire reality depends upon it . One end of that reality is the earth and the second is the man. The eternal spirit is expressed in the earth. For the mankind and all other moving and non-moving life forms it is the mother earth,1 that gives food. It is a wife of all pervading Vi¾´u. Without earth, there is no food. Without food no existence of life. All life sucks the essence of earth to live. All animals obtain this essence from the plants which obtain it from the earth and transform it to make its own which the animals take to live. The animals and the man have no ability to obtain straight from the earth to live. It is the plants that flow the life for all from the earth, that is why the plants are breasts of the mother earth and form a bridge between the earth and the man. We identify the plants as p¢dapa, Heeow: cetuew: efHeyeefle Fefle HeeoHe: the one that sucks (water) from the earth with (foot) root is a plant. O¾adhyaª is the one that is obtained after the fruits die (Amarakoºa) Dees
