1. Night-born art thou, O herb, O dark, black, [and] dusky one; O colorer (rajanī), do thou color this leprous spot and what is pale (palitá).
According to the comm., the herb addressed is the haridrā (Curcuma longa). R. writes: "The rajanī is known to the lexicographers, and has later as principal name parpaṭī [an Oldenlandia dyeing red, OB.], Madana 46. 47, Dhanvantari (ms.) i. 27. In Bhāvapr. i. 194 (where, according to my old and good ms., rañjanī is to be read instead of -nā), it is noted that this remedy is fragrant, and comes out of the north. It has a dark aspect. The species not to be determined, because the later identifications are entirely untrustworthy." ⌊See Dhanvantari, Ānanda-āçrama ed., p. 17.⌋ The causative stem rajaya (the meter calls for rāj-) is found only here.
2. The leprous spot, what is pale, do thou cause to disappear from hence, the speckled; let thine own color enter thee; make white things (çuklá) fly away.
TB. has na (naḥ?) for tvāa and açnntām for viçatām in c, and in d çvetā́ni for çuklāni. The comm. gives pṛ´thak for pṛ´ṣat in b, and has the usual support of a small minority of SPP's mss.
3. Dusky is thy hiding-place, dusky thy station (āsthā́na); dusky art thou, O herb; make the speckled disappear from hence.
TB. has the easier reading niláyanam in a. The comm. again gives pṛthak in d; he holds that the plant here addressed is the indigo (nīlī).
4. Of the bone-born leprous spot, and of the body-born that is in the skin, of that made by the spoiler (dū́ṣi)—by incantation have I made the white (çvetá) mark disappear.
Ppp. has in c dhūṣya; TB. reads instead kṛtyáyā; the comm. explains dūṣi as çatrūtpāditā kṛtyā. Ppp. has at the end anenaçam.
24. Against leprosy.
[Brahman.—āsurīvanaspatidevatyam. ānuṣṭubham: 2. niçrtpathyāpan̄kti.]
Found in Pāipp. i., but not in connection with the preceding hymn. For the use of 23 and 24 together by Kāuç., see under hymn 23.
Translated: Weber, iv. 417; Ludwig, p. 509; Grill, 19, 77; Griffith, i. 28; Bloomfield, 16, 268.
1. The eagle (suparṇá) was born first; of it thou wast the gall; then the Asura-woman, conquered by fight (yúdh), took shape as forest-trees.
Ppp. reads at the end vanaspatiḥ, which is more in accordance with the usual construction of rūpaṁ kṛ (mid.) and the like. Ppp. has also jighāṅsitā for yudhā jitā in c. R. suggests the emendation: tad āsurī (instr.) jighatsitaṁ rū-, 'that, attempted to be eaten by the Āsurī, took on vegetable form': i.e. became a healing plant. The comm. still regards the indigo as addressed. He coolly explains jitā by its opposite, jitavatī. All our mss. have in d the absurd accent cákre (emended in the edition to cakre); SPP. reports the same only of two pada-mss.
2. The Asura-woman first made this remedy for leprous spot, this
