Aspects of Nature in Amarakosodghatana of Ksirasvamin

Amarakosodghatana (hereafter AKU) by Ksirasvamin of 11 C.A.D. is the earliest fully extant commentary on the Amarakosa AK. The text is lucid and simple. It quotes more than hundred authorities.

Though there are more than eighty commentaries on Amarakosa, the Amarakosodghatana being the earliest available complete commentary, has gained wide popularity. The study of the commentary reveals the lingual changes that have taken place over the period of years between the author of the text (6° cent. A.D.) and the commentator (11° cent. A.D.). Apart from this, the commentary also reflects the social, political, economic, literary and religious conditions of the time. Such information available in the commentary helps in understanding the history and culture of our country during the period of the author.

The study of AK with the Amarakosodghatana has revealed many aspects of Nature in detail. Compared with other mentioned commentaries, the Udghatana has elaborate commentary on the Vanausadhivarga. The explanations and etymological derivations of Ksirasvamin are very interesting and important to a Botanist. Hence in the present book, the special features of flora and fauna of India of the middle ages and the important comments or derivations made by Ksirasvamin in AKU'on all aspects of Nature are culled out.

Dr. V. Yamuna Devi has won Gold Medal and a II Rank holder in M. A. sanskrit (Sahitya) from Bangalore University. She holds M. Phil and Ph. D Degrees from the University of Madras being a research Scholar at The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute. Vyakarana is her field of interest.

She has five years of teaching experience at the Stella Maris College, Chennai. Since 2014 she is Associate Professor at The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute. She has presented papers in National and International Conferences and has contributed research articles to International Journals. She has assisted in publications of The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute and The Sanskrit Academy, Chennai.

Astadhyayi jaganmata Amarakoso jagatpita - according to this famous adage one desirous of mastering Sanskrit should learn both Astadhyayi and Amarakosa. There are number of kosas available; but Amarakosa has a special place among poets and scholars as is evident from the large number of commentaries it has attracted.

"India as known to Panini" by V. S. Agrawala and "India in the Time of Patanjali" by B. N. Puri have paved way to anew stream of Research. Scholars have attempted similar studies in the kosa literature too. Dr. Mahesh Raj Pant a pioneer in this field has published a detailed study on the commentary of Jatartijpa on Amarakosa, Jatartipa’s commentary, though earliest, is available only in fragments.

Inspired by the above works a similar study was taken up for my Doctoral thesis. The study of Amarakosodghatana, a commentary on Amarakosa, by Ksirasvamin (ed. by Dr. Hardutt Sharma and

Dr. N. G. Sardesai, Oriental Book Agency, Poona, 1941), has thrown much light not only on linguistic - socio- political and cultural aspects of the then India but also on the different aspects of Nature. The Socio-cultural study is brought out as a separate book and hence the present book deals only with the aspects of Nature.

The present book is a part of my Ph.D. thesis submitted to the University of Madras, through the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute.

I acknowledge with gratitude the valuable guidance extended to by my Research Supervisor Dr. V. Kameswari, Director, K.S.R Institute in the preparation of this thesis.

I would also like to thank Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi of Bangalore, for reading the text with me.

I wish to record my thanks to

Dr. K. S. Balasubramanian and Dr. T. V. Vasudeva, Deputy Directors of the K. S. R. Institute for reading the text with me and also for their help and advice in the development of the thesis. I also thank

Ms. V. Premalatha for her valuable guidance in the botanical and fauna aspects of the text.

I am thankful to all the staff of the K.S.R.I. Library and the authorities of the Adyar Library and Research Centre for allowing me to use their library.

I thank the Syndicate of the University of Madras for having permitted me to publish the thesis.

I express my sincere thanks to the authorities of the Karnataka Historical Research Society for publishing my thesis as a part of the Centenary Celebrations of their Society.

**Contents and Sample Pages**