EAP810/22/3

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: மருந்து அட்டவணைநூல் 2: பட்சணிநூல் 3: சிவ வாக்கியர் சூத்திரம்நூல் 4: அகத்தியர்- 80;

The manuscript is composed of 4 texts related to medicines. Its state is good, slightly damaged by larvae.

Text 1- The text, entitled Maruntu Aṭṭavaṇai, contains 5 palm leaves whose the three last are numbered from 1 to 3. Written in prose and verse, it describes some medicines: Muntiri paḻa curaṇam, Elāti tailam, Uḷuntu eṇṇey tailam and Tāḷicapattiri Vaṭakam, and indicates medicines to cure certain disease condition such as deafness (kātu īraiccal, mantam) and eye diseases (nayaṉa viyāti) which are explained in prose.

Text 2- The text, entitled Akattiyar Paṭcaṇi, is a rare text. It is complete, composed of 9 palm leaves written in verses 1 and a blank leaf. The first 4 verses are in aṟucīr viruttam (each line is formed of six words). The remaining verses belong to the category of yamakam, in which the three first words are common to the four lines composing each verse. This is a medicinal text whose the number of leaves does not allow for identifying the subject.

Text 3- The text, composed of palm leaves numbered from 1 to 10, is entitled Civavākkiyar Cūttiram: it is incomplete. It is written in verses and in a rhythmic form called antāti in which the last word of the previous verse is the first word of the next one. The text describes the preparation of seven types of cuṇṇam, called also vaḻalai, and the purification (cutti) of rock salt (pāṟai uppu), cinnabar (liṅkam), mercury (cūtam), mercuric chloride (vīram), borax (kāram), and camphor (cūṭaṉ). It describes also some mineral and metals, among them, borax (cīṉam), salt petre (veṭiyuppu), mercuric chloride (vīram) and silver (veḷḷi).

It presents the process of preparation of some complex medicines: Vairava centūram, Kaṇapati centūram, Turucu centūram and Nāka raca centūram; Kārīya kūṭṭu centūram; Turucu nīṟṟu; Cēnīru; Kārīya meḻuku and Nāka meḻuku; Kārīya kaṭṭu and Cīṉa kaṭṭu; and Uppu cuṇṇam.

Text 4- The text formed of palm leaves numbered from 1 to 18, is entitled Akattiyar- 80. The text, containing 80 verses, is complete. It is a rare text related to esoteric knowledge. It exposes the three catalyst salts (muppu kuru), the method to ward off curse (karma nivartti) and ward off karma (kuṉmam karma nivartti). It explains how to prepare curanam (cūraṇam ceimuṟai), a wax-like medicine (kuḻampu) to treat worms (kirumi viḻa), a decoction to stop bleeding piles (mūla ratta), as well as an amulet to protect against devil (rakṣa pantaṇam) and a medicine to make infertile women pregnant (malaṭi kaṟpam tarikka).

The text describes some diseases, namely: leprosy (kuṭṭam, kuṟai nōy), eight types of gastric ulcer (aṭṭa kuṉmam), anemia (pāṇṭu) and anemia due to pitta imbalance (pitta cōkai), jaundice (kāmālai), twenty-four types of urinary tract infections (mēkam), worms which causes infertility (malaṭṭu puḻu), and diverse types of tuberculosis (kācatiṉ vakai).

The text describes also the site of nerves and pulse (narampu, nāṭi iruppu). Lastly, it explains the glory of rituals (cātira makimai), and of the practitioner’s work (vaittiyaṉ ceyyum toḻil).

Size of the manuscript: 20.5cm x 4.0cm. The text 1 is composed of palm leaves numbered in Tamil from 1 to 3 and 2 introductive leaves; the text 2 of leaves numbered from 1 to 9 with an introductive and a blank leaves; the text 3 of leaves numbered from 1 to 10 and the text 4 of leaved numbered from 1 to 18. The manuscript is in excellent condition, very slightly damaged by leaves.