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Authors on Indian Veterinary Science
King Rōmapāda. Moreover, in the introductory chapter of Pālakāpya's
Hasthyāyurvēda, a conference of several sages invited by Rōmapāda is men
tioned, and among the guests which include Pālakāpya, we find he names
of such sages as Agnivēsa, Bhāradwāja, Viswāmitra, and Vasishtha whose
antiquity has been beyond all doubt settled. As already pointed out by me
elsewhere, Agnivēsa was a contemporary and co-disciple of Sālihōtra under
the same Yōgāchārya in the Neimisāranya land in the present 28th Kaliyuga
of the Vivasvatha Manvantara of Varāha Kalpa. Besides, in a manuscript copy
of Brihaj-yothishārnava, which I accidentally came across, and whose date
has not been fixed, I found a passage which, translated, shows that Pālakāpya
taught the āyurveda of elephants to the King of Angās. In addition, we
find in the Agni Purana, copious quotations from Pālakāpya's Hasthyāyurvēda.
The antiquity of Pālakāpya can again be inferred from the following note in
Afrechi's Catalogus Catalagorum, Vol. I (1890) : " Pālakāpya is quoted by
Kshēēraswāmi in Amarakōsha, Haēmādri in Vratakānda, Sārangadhara¬
paddhati (p. 90) and Mallinātha." Most important of all, Susruta, the father
of Hindu surgery, is reported in some places to have learnt his art from Dhan¬
vantari, the Vedic father of medicine, and in certain other places from Pālā
kāpya. This controversy as to whether Dhanvantari or Pālakāpya was the
real teacher of Susruta has been reconciled by some eminent scholars, by
assuming that both Dhanvantari and Pālakāpya are one and the same person.
It is not our purpose to take part in this controversy ; but it certainly goes to
show that the sage Pālakāpya also belongs to a very remote past. Further,
in an earlier part of this article, it has already been mentioned that Susruta was
the disciple of Sālihōtra. Prom this it must be conceded that both Pālakāpya
and Sālihōtra may have been comtemporaries.
Next comes the name of Rājaputra who is reported to be an author on ele¬
phantology. In chapter 24 of the Matsya Purana we find the first three
slokas, the translation of which is as follows :—
" After a year, a handsome cherub boy shining like the twelve suns,
wearing yellow raiment, and resembling the moon, was born from the womb
of Tāra. He was master of all the sciences, and the author of a treatise on
elephants. Being the son of the Moon King, he was known as Rajaputra
(King's son) and was afterwards named Budha."
Besides in Pālakāpya's book on elephantology, in the first chapter, a
conference of sages is mentioned, wherein the name of Rājaputra is referred
to as one of those invited to the conference. From the above, it is evident
that one Rājaputra or Budha was the author of a book on elephants and a
contemporary of Pālakāpya, who belongs to the early epic period. Beyond
this we are not able to say anything, as the book itself appears to have been
lost, and as no trace of any old manuscripts thereof appears to be available.
It is, however, to be hoped that a search among the manuscripts available in
Kashmir, Nepal and amongst the Jains of Gujerat may yield fruitful results.
Nakula and Sahadēva are the next authors commanding our attention.
They were the sons of Mādri, second wife of Pāndu. Nakula was taught by
Drōna, the training and management of horses, and Sahadeva, the manage
ment of cattle (vide Virāta Parva of Mahābhārata). This goes to show that
these authors flourished in the epic period of the Mahabharata. In the
Brahma Vivarta Purāna mention is made of Nakula, as being the author of a