LESLIE HAMILTON SHIRLAW 17
Sir Henry Elliot noticed two other Persian translations bearing the name
' S'áluteri ' but he suggests that these may be later recensions. In the cele-
brated Tibetan encyclopædia, the Tangyur, is a section which claims to be a
translation of S'álihotra's work. A Bengali book by Nidhiram Mukerjee called
' S'álihotra Asvacikitsa Sāra Saingraha ' (An Epitome of the Treatment of
Horses according to S'álihotra) has lately been published by the Chandi Press,
Calcutta. Mukerjee appears, however, to have derived his material not only
from the writings of S'álihotra, but from the works of Nakula, Bhoja-raja and
Jayadatta.
Other works have been attributed to S'álihotra, including ' Aśvaprasamsa ',
a short essay on horses to be found in the Government Oriental Library at
Madras (No. 13317) and ' Aśvalaksanasastram ' on the different breeds and
characteristics of horse with hints on finding out good specimens among them,
the duration of their lives, the marks on their bodies, their vital parts and for
feeding them (G.O.M.L. 13318). In 1764 A.D. (A.H. 1185), Jamaluddin
Hussain wrote a book called 'Fhankht Vaalaj Aspan' (The Science and Remedies
of Horses). In his preface, he admits that much of his work is copied from the
writings of ' Salister Aspetai ', who was the first Indian to tame horses and to
find out remedies for their diseases. This is an obvious reference to S'álihotra.
The book, however, appears to be very corrupt, superstitious and unscientific.
In 1812, King Indusena wrote a short treatise on horse medicine entitled
' Sarasamgraha ' based on S'álihotra.
Quotations from and references to S'álihotra may be found in the Agni
Purana, the Tatta Candrika, the Aśvacikitsita of Nakula, the Aśvayurveda
of Garga, in the Jikasarvasva, a commentary on the celebrated Namalmga¬
nusasana, in the Haya-Lakshana-Sara, and in Hemadri's Vratahhanda ; while
there are several in the Panchatantra, including one on the treatment of the
burns of horses with monkey fat ; and in the Linga Purana, S'álihotra is
mentioned as a disciple of Agnivesa, an additional argument for the remote
age at which he lived.
(ii) Nakula
The ' Aśvacikitsita' (Treatment of Horses), sometimes also called the
' Aśvasastra ' or ' S'álihotrasaśtra ', of Kunti Suta Nakula can scarcely be,
as is claimed, the work of the Pandava prince of that name, since it makes
mention of S'álihotra. It is probable that the name of Nakula was flatteringly
applied to some now anonymous veterinarian after the manner of those days.
The work is, however, undoubtedly genuinely ancient. It consists of only
eighteen short chapters and opens with an appeal to S'álihotra to describe the
qualities of horses fit for Indra. It continues with a description of the breeds,
colours, whorls of hair, teeth, measurements and speed of horses. It tells how
to mount and control horses in movement and describes the uses of snuff,
boluses, medicated butters and decoctions ; and ends with a section on toxi
cology and the management of stables. This work was translated into Nepalese
in 1364, and is now published in the Bibliotheca Indica. It is quoted in the
Saranghadara-paddhati. Manuscripts are also mentioned as existing in the
Bikaneer, Kashmir and Tanjore Palace Libraries, and in those of the India
Office and of the late Pandit Radhakrishna. Others are also described in the
following catalogues :—Kielhorn's List of MSS in Private Libraries in Bombay