ASHVASHASTRA
- Ashvashastra
(ಅಶ್ವಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ)
- ashvashAstra
- Abhinavachandra
(aBinavacandra)
- 1400
A.D. (approximately) 1200 A.D. (B.S.Sannaiah)
- The
science of breeding and maintaining horses
- Books
on veterinary sciences are very rare in ancient Kannada. Ashvashastra by Abhinavachandra
is one such work dealing exclusively with horses. This work is also called ‘Chandramatha’
and ‘Turagagama’. The author has acknowledged his indebtedness to works on the same
topic by Sanskrit writers such as Chandrakavi, Revantha and Simhadatta.
‘Ashvashastra’ contains sixteen chapters constituting about 900 poems. Most
of them are ‘Kanda Padyas’. The book delineates the art of clinically examining
various parts of a horse’s body. Lots of information about the positive and negative
aspects of a horse’s complexion, inauspicious and auspicious marks,(Suli) and determination
of its age by looking at its teeth are dealt with in detail. Various diseases that
are specific to horses and the treatment to be meted out to them are described.
This work renders great help in determining the meaning of many technical words
dealing with horses that occur in literary texts. All in all, it is a simple and
straight forward narration of technical matters.
- Edited
by H.Shesha Iyyengar and P.Srinivasa Rao in 1950, published
by the
University
of
Madras
. The second edition was edited by G.G.Manjunathan
and published by The University of Mysore.
- References:
- G.G.
Manjunathan has prepared his edition based on five more incomplete manuscripts
- The
Science of Horses
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