How a 1600 year old sanskrit text is an authority on agriculture science

“In the beginning, when the world was first created, the soil produced practically every kind of corn, vegetable, and fruit, among other things. But as time went on, the earth lost its ability to produce. Thereafter, Brahma churned the soil and grew various kinds of seeds. These seeds naturally began producing grain, fruits, etc. however after a while, these seeds were not developing properly either. To fix this, Brahma brought agriculture into practice.” According to the Markandeya Purana, Brahma is considered the originator of agriculture. From time immemorial, agriculture has served as the primary means of sustenance for the people of India and the foundation of the Indian economy. Numerous allusions to agriculture are found across various texts beginning with the Rigveda, demonstrating its significance. Thus, it is astonishing that one can find merely three or four  treaties on it. Krishi-Parasara, assumed to be composed by Parasara, is the sole piece of literature in Sanskrit, known hitherto, that is purely devoted to agricultural science. For this reason, the work is a crucial resource for comprehending ancient Indian agrarian administration.

Brahma brought agriculture into practice

 

Krishi-Parasara is written for the benefit of farmers. It engages in discussion on all facets of agricultural practices, including weather, irrigation, management of agriculture, management of cattle, agricultural tools and implements, seed collection and preservation, plowing, harvesting and storing crops. It resembles a farmer’s almanac in that it contains astronomical and meteorological information structured in accordance with the traditional Indian seasons and months and fundamental information about the geographic and climatic circumstances that can assist farmers in organizing and managing the farming activity spread out over several months.

 

A  man plowing near Delhi, 1825.

 

Similar to many other manuscripts from ancient India, there are some issues with the text’s dating and authorship. Only Manu and Garya are referred to as authority, which reflects a period anterior to the development of Nibandha literature in the 11th century CE. Additionally, the writing style is unusual for Indian literature beyond the eighth century CE, placing the work at roughly the same time as the Dharmashastras.  Therefore, it was probably penned down earlier than the sixth century CE but definitely not later than the eleventh century CE. However, assuming the author Parasara is the same person identified by Yajnavalkya in the list of traditional Dharmasastra authors, the work could have been written between 100 and 600 CE.

 

The verses of Krishi-Parasara are mostly written in what is commonly known as the sloka meter. The text begins by alluding to the importance of farming, farmers, and food production: “rice is vitality, rice is vigor too, rice indeed is the fulfillment of all the ends of life. Gods, demons, and human beings all subsist on rice.” Parasara provides information about the Vedic Aryans and their relationship to agriculture, the significance of which is demonstrated by the priority given by the Aryans to the gods of the natural and atmospheric elements, such as rain, wind, and agriculture in general.

 

Parasara, versed in the lore of cultivation, held that agricultural practice when watched over yields gold when not supervised causes poverty.  Agricultural supervision has been underlined as essential to guaranteeing a good return in ancient India, and in this matter, no proxy is permitted. Parashar placed a strong emphasis on managing the soil, maintaining the health of the seeds, and managing the entire farm, which included managing the animals, harvesting and conserving water, and maintaining tools.

 

Rainfall

“All agriculture has rainfall at its root, life too has rainfall as its source. Therefore, at the outset, acquire knowledge of rainfall carefully.”

 

Water Carts in Sabarmati River

 

It’s intriguing to note that although other methods were utilized in ancient India for irrigation, Parasara exclusively cites rainfall. The sage advises farmers to pay attention to monthly rainfall beginning with Paush. Parashara emphasizes that in order to determine the amount of monthly precipitation, a weather observer must work every day and monitor wind direction by erecting a rod with a flag attached. According to Parashara, winds coming from the north or west bring rain, while those coming from the east or south herald its absence.

 

He also categorizes clouds into four orders based on the nature of rain that is shed by them: Avarta, Samvarta, Puskara, and Drona, which are numbered 1 to 4 respectively. The type of cloud can be determined by adding the Saka period to three and dividing by four. Avarta is confined to a particular locality, under Samvarta there is water everywhere, under Puskara water is scarce and under Drona earth has abundant water.

 

The agricultural science of carefully observing the climatic and atmospheric conditions is also laid out by Parashara. He has developed a number of hypotheses and forecasting techniques for rain. His primary method of predicting rain is based on the alignment of the Moon and Sun.

 

Sign of The Moon	Sign of the Sun	Predicted total rainfall of the year
Gemini, Aries, Taurus, or Pisces	Cancer	100 adhakas
Gemini, Aries, Taurus, or Pisces	Leo or Sagittarius	50 adhakas
Gemini, Aries, Taurus, or Pisces	Virgo or Leo	80 adhakas
Gemini, Aries, Taurus, or Pisces	Cancer, Aquarius, Scorpio, or Libra	96 adhakas

*Āḍhaka is the Sanskrit name for a weight unit corresponding to 2.56 kilograms

 

These are followed by an assortment of indications of impending rain, such as ants emerging from their burrows carrying eggs, frogs abruptly croaking, etc.

 

Cattle

 

“The bullocks of the farmer who keep the cow shed strong, clean and free of cow dung grow well even without special nourishment”

 

Parasara also provided some rules about taking care of draught animals

Cattle care is addressed methodically in the section titled “vahanavidhana.” Bulls are a crucial component of agricultural operations, thus taking excellent care of them and treating them humanely has been mandated.  According to Parasara, one should never inflict pain on animals because grains produced by exploiting draught animals cannot be used in traditions and rituals. Avoiding overworking the cattle, keeping good hygiene in the cowsheds, building cow shelters, providing the cattle with nutritious food, getting rid of the cow manure, and determining the number of bulls to be yoked to a plow are all important considerations. A cowshed gauging five steps is known to be conducive to the growth of the cows.

 

The ideal number of bulls to use is eight, while the poorest number is two. One should employ ten ploughs if they want the Goddess of Wealth’s unwavering favor. The ownership of a single plough has been strongly disapproved of. Cow Dung as a fertilizer has been extensively extolled to the point of veneration. Regarding the selection of bulls, strict restrictions have been established, some of which appear to be superstitious. Black bulls are the best, black-and-red ones tolerable, and the all-white bulls are the worst.

 

Tools

He refers to the eight components of the plough as Isa, yuga, hala-sthanu, niryola, its pasika, addacalla, saula, and paccani. The isa should be eight cubits long (18 inches), the sthanu five vitastis (span between the extended thumb and the little finger), the niryola one and a half cubits, and the yuga should reach the animal’s ears. Both the niryola’s and the addacalla’s pasika should have a length of 12 fingers. Plough constituents that are not robust or of suitable measurement will obstruct draught animals at every phase of the cultivation process.

 

Seeds and Soil

 

According to Parasara’s agricultural science, the collection of seeds and sun-drying of them should be done in the months of Magha or Phalguna. The farmer should then make seed packets and separate the chaff. Uniform seeds produce a bountiful harvest. Sowing is best in Vaisakha, average in Jyaistha, poor in Asadha, and worst in Sravana.

 

Additionally, Parasara offers recommendations on the appropriateness of the soil for cultivation during various seasons. The soil is compared to gold in Magha, silver in Phalguna, copper in Caitra. The richest product is believed to be produced during the dewy season (hemanta), whereas the beginning of the rainy season (ghanagame) results in extreme poverty.

 

Omens and Incantations

Parasara records some intriguing traditional omens, such as the loss of the cultivator’s wife if a tortoise is raised by the plough while it is in use and the landowner’s demise if the plough breaks. But a bumper sop is foretold by the bellowing of the bulls plowing, their licking of their nostrils (näsa-hidha), or their voiding of waste.

 

Harvesting of Paddy Yann Forget

Parasara mentions several incantations meant to fend off all insects and pests that injure crops, along with the assistance of Rama and Hanuman. An essential component of the cultivator’s work is nala-ropana. It entails putting the nala (reed) plant with leaves at the northeast corner of the field at the appointed time. This nala is meant to protect agricultural output from all harm. It’s interesting to note that Bengal continues to employ the tradition of erecting poles with varied designs in the fields to frighten off unruly animals and birds.

 

Finally, Parashar ends by stating that “A wise man should harvest paddy in the month of Pausa, get the corns thrashed properly and weighted with an adhaka.”

 

As YL Nene points out, Parashara’s science of agricultural practice through effective management is as relevant today as it was in ancient India. More than ever, meticulous field preparation and execution are necessary due to increasing demands. While certain sound policies have been developed, they are irrelevant without schooling. Agronomy is still lagging behind given the conditions. As long as agriculture exists, Parashara’s message will be true.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

• Shah, M. and Agrawal, D.P., Krishi-Parashara: an Early Sanskrit Text on Agriculture.
• Sādhale, N., Balkundi, H.V. and Nene, Y.L., Krishi-Parashara: agriculture by Parashara: a text on ancient Indian agriculture in Sanskrit. (No Title).
• Dwivedi, D.V., 2017. Development of Agriculture in Ancient India. International Referred Online Research Journal, 54, pp.28-39.
• Nene, Y.L., 2009. Indigenous knowledge in conservation agriculture. Plenary Session, p.21.
• Majumdar, G.p, and Banerji, SC.,1960. Krsi- Parasara. Asiatic Society, 1579.