Tools & tillage: a journal on the history of the implements of cultivation and other agricultural processes (6.1988/1991)

THE PLOUGH-TYPES

203

was an inhabitant of the village of Srisukara
(the modern Soron in District of Etah in Ut-
tar Pradesh) not far from the river Ganges.
The author was greatly helped by his brah-
mana friends in the neighbouring villages. In
compiling his work he used the rich written
heritage on agriculture and related subjects in
the vast Sanskrit literature, and his own ex-
perimental knowledge. These circumstances
and the fact that his observations relate to a
specific locality raise the value of the Krsisd-
sana a great deal. He appended simple sket-
ches of the individual implements described
which help us very much to imagine the
tools. In short, Dasarathasastri is a late suc-
cessor to those learned brahmanas who played
a very important role in spreading agricul-
tural knowledge among cultivators by collec-
ting material from earlier sources and from
the living practice and codifying it in Sanskrit
and later on in the vernacular languages. They
acted as cultural missionaries, like some of
the Christian monks in the Middle Ages in
Europe.
Dasarathasastri’s great merit is his interest
in various types of ploughs and plough-like
implements.
He describes an ordinary plough widely
used in the Ganges valley. Since this tool had
been described by the sage Parasara Dasarat-
hasastri calls it “the plough by Parasara”.
Here it is necessary to put the record straight.
There are two scholars bearing that name
who described certain types of ploughs. The
first was called Krsiparasara, “Parasara the
cultivator”, and the second was a man of law.
The plough described by Krsiparasara might
have been in use in North-Eastern India
(Wojtilla 1989, 103) so it is not surprising that
Dasarathasastri did not know it. He spoke of
the type mentioned in the Brhatparasarasmrti
(cf. Wojtilla 1989, 104).
Using Dasarathasastri’s text some errors in
the Brhatparasarasmrti can be amended. (For

the latter, see Wojtilla 1986, 363-64). The very
credible description reads: I shall speak now
of the plough as it had been described by the
sage Parasara (Fig. 1 and 2).
The head should measure 48 angulas (= 96
cm or 3 feet). It contains an opening in the
middle into which the draught-pole is fixed.
16 angulas (= 32 cm) of the head should be
below and 26 angulas (= 52 cm) above from
the opening in the middle, which measures 6
angulas (= 12 cm). The width of the hole
should be made 8 angulas (= 16 cm). Here
should be made a griva “neck”, the bent part
of the head of 10 angulas (= 20 cm) and a
handle of 8 angulas (=16 cm). Then a hole
should be made for adjustment and below
that there should be 4 holes of 4 angulas (= 8
cm) each to adjust for deep or shallow
ploughing as desired. The grivd should be
beautifully made with an opening of 3 angulas
(=6 cm) with 5 angulas (=10 cm) for its upper
part siras - thus is the distinction made. The
width of that upper part siras should be as
broad as the palm of a human hand. The
width of the middle part of the grivd should
be 8 angulas (= 16 cm). Protruding from the
opening on the head there should be a sole of
38 angulas (= 76 cm) which with a sharp iron
share fixed on it should be the splitter of clay
and wood (hidden in the earth). The plough
should be made neither of s'ara (a kind of
reed) nor of any tree yielding milky juice, nor
of bilva (Aegle marmelos) nor of picumarda
(Azadirachta Indica). If the householder gets
his plough made of these trees, he cannot re-
main happy for long. The draught-pole should
measure 7 hastas (=329 cm) and should be
straight and smooth as it is held by an expert.
An opening should be made at the distance of
9 vitastis in this even wood of the pole (= 216
cm). It should not be made of plaksa (Ficus
infectoria or Ficus religiosab) or aksa (Eleocar-
pus ganitrus) trees because these are destroy-
ers of glory. If a householder gets the pole