EAP810/23/54

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: பூரண சூத்திரம் - வைத்தியம்- 50 (மூலம்)நூல் 2: சத்ரு மித்ரு சூத்திரம்- 16நூல் 3: அகத்தியர் சூத்திரம்- 600 க்கு 60நூல் 4: அகத்தியர் சூத்திரம்- 60நூல் 5: சத்தலோக மாரணம் செந்தூரம்- 100;

The manuscript is composed of 5 texts written in verses which are incomplete. The manuscript is in good condition; a few palm leaves are slightly affected by fungus or larvae or have been slightly bitten by rodents.

Text 1- The text, composed of 4 leaves numbered 21, 25, 26, 27, is a part of the Pūraṇa Cūttiram Vaittiyam- 50 written by Akattiyar. These leaves describe formulations of a decoction, Arukkiṉ vēr kaṣāyam, an electuary, Pūraṇa lēkiyam, and two complex medicines based on metals, Aci cuṇṇam and Veḷḷai pāṣāṇa kaṭṭu. They provide some information on esoteric subjects: salts of masculine predominance (civaṉuppu), combination of three salts (muppu) and wisdom (ñāṉam).

The author of these leaves claims that the text Pūraṇa Cūttiram Vaittiyam- 50 is a brief of the hundred thousand he has composed.

Text 2- The text is a part of Catru Mitru Cūttiram- 16, a text written by Koṅkaṇar. It is formed by only a leaf numbered 28 which describes how two minerals/metals act together: alum is an antagonist to sal ammoniac (kārattāl sāram cākum), sulphur is an agonist to yellow arsenic (kentiyāl tāḷakam cākum), rock salt is an antagonist to sea salt and vice versa (intālē uppum cākum, uppālē intum cākum), copper sulphate and mercury neutralise (cākum) each other (turiciṉāl cūtakam/cūtattāl turucu), alum and camphor neutralise each other (cīṉattāl cūṭāṉ/cūṭaṉilē cīṉam), and calomel neutralises borax (pūrattāl kāram cākum).

Text 3- The text, entitled Akattiyar Cūttiram- 600kku 60, contains 7 leaves numbered between 29 and 36; leaf 30 is missing. It describes diseases: 80 types of diseases due to vāta imbalance among them pakka vātam (hemiplegia), naṭukku vātam, muṭakku vātam, acanta vātam and mukattu vātam, 40 types of diseases due to pitta imbalance, 96 types of diseases caused by kapa imbalance, 21 types of urinary tract infections (mēkam), leprosy (peruviyāti), leucoderma (veḷḷai), ring worm (tēmal), itchy scabies (coṟi ciraṅku), carbuncle (pakka vippuruti), itching (ūṟal), jaundice (kāmālai), colic pain (cūlai), wounds (puṇkaḷ), a skin disease (kuṣṭam) and ascitis (peruvayiṟu).

Text 4- The text, entitled Akattiyar Cūttiram- 60, is composed of 8 palm leaves numbered between 37 and 46 (leaves 44 and 45 are missing), on which formulations of complex medicines are exposed:

Medicated oil: Liṅka tailam

Calcined white medicine prepared from metals and minerals: Nāka paṟpam; Veṭiuppu cuṇṇam and Kariyuppu cuṇṇam

Calcined red medicine prepared from metals and minerals: Māltēvi cekappu and Kaṇṭar cikappu

Pungent watery product: ceyanīr

Mercurial pills: Kantaka kaḷaṅku, Turucu kaḷaṅku and Kuru kaḷaṅku

Stone-like medicine: Pāṣāṇa kaṭṭu.

The text describes also the process to purify copper (cempu cutti) and to purify it by using iron, the skill (vittai) in alchemy to use cinnabar (liṅka), zinc (nāka) and lead (kārīya), and the appropriate method that a guru has to use to instruct his disciple (cīṭaṇukku aṟivu pōtittal).

Text 5- The text, entitled Cattalōka Māraṇam Centūram- 100, is formed by 6 leaves numbered between 48 and 62; leaves 52-57 and 60-61 are missing.

The text describes the process to purify gold (poṉ), silver (veḷḷi), iron (irumpu), copper (cempu), zinc (nākam), lead (kārīyam), tin (vaṅkam), brass (pittaḷai) and that to prepare medicines with these metals such as Veḷḷīya paṟpam, Kānta paṟpam and Pittaḷai paṟpam; Corṇa taṅka centūram, Veṅkala centūram, Arappoṭi centūram, Kānta centūram, Nāka centūram, Mēka nārāyaṇa centūram, Veḷḷīya centūram and Kārīya centūram; and Pūpati. It indicates the use of diverse herbal juices, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, urine as well as a pungent watery product (ceyanīr) in the process of calcination and of preparation of medicinal products.

Size of the manuscript: 32,0cm x 3,8cm. The palm leaves of the text 1 are numbered 21 and 25-27; of the text 2, 28; of the text 3, 29, 31-36; of the text 4, 37-43 and 46; and of the text 5, 48-51 and 58-59. There are two blank leaves at the beginning and the end of the manuscript. The manuscript is in good condition; a few palm leaves are slightly affected by fungus or larvae or have been slightly bitten by rodents.