बृहत्संहिता (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - स्थापत्य, खगोल, मौसम व जल विज्ञान)

490 बृहत्संहितायाम् [Adh. Sl. LV. 27-28. Slokas 22-26.—For making the wood-apple seeds sprout, take the roots of Sarasaparilla, Amalaka, Dhava, Vasika, the branch with leaves of Vetasa, of Suryavalli, of Syama creeper, and of Atimukta (in all eight), boil them in milk, cool it, and then soak the seeds in this liquid for a period of time required for 100 beats. Then after removing and drying them in the Sun daily for 30 days, sow them. This is the method prescribed for it. Make a pit one cubit in diameter and twice as deep, fill it with milk and water; let the pit dry, burn it, and then smear it with a compound of honey, ghee and ashes. First fill it with mud to a height of four digits, then fill it with the powder of black gram, sesamum and barley; over this put mud to the same height again, and then once again fill it with the powder of black gram, etc; add to it an infusion of fish and water and then pound all this until it becomes a thick mass. Sow the seed at a depth of four digits and sprinkle it with fish-water and fleshwater. Soon will a tendril with nice sprouts cover the pandal in an astonishing manner. शतशोऽङ्कोलसम्भूतफलकल्केन भावितम् । एतत्तैलेन वा बीजं श्लेष्मातकफलेन वा ॥२७॥ वापितं करकोन्मिश्रमृदि तत्क्षणजन्मकम् । फलभारान्विता शाखा भवतीति किमद्भुतम् ॥२८॥ Slokas 27-28.—Any seed being steeped a hundred times in a paste of Ankola fruit or in its oil, or in a paste or oil of Sleshmataka fruit, will, when planted in the earth, sprinkled with hail water sprout instantaneously, and what wonder that the branches should be loaded with fruits !