Susruta Samhita - Mandhata Global

Chap. XXIX.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 537
instinctively dawn upon his consciousness. Like the
gods, he knows no failure in life and roams about in the
world in the full glory of divine majesty. 9.
Distinctive features of the Soma
Plants!—A Soma plant of whatever species is fur-
nished with fifteen leaves which wax and wane with
the waxing and the waning of the moon. Thus one
leaf grows every day in the lighted fortnight attaining
the greatest number (fifteen) in the night of the full
moon and then the leaves begin to decrease in number
dropping one by one every day till the bare stem of
the creeper is left on the night of the new moon. 10.
Their description :—The Ams'uman species
of the Soma is characterised by a smell like that of
clarified butter and has a bulb, while the Rajata-prabha
is possessed of a bulb resembling a plantain in shape.
The Munjavan puts forth leaves like those of a garlic
while the Chandramah species is possessed of a golden
colour and is aquatic in its habitat. The Garudahrita
and S vetcLksha species are yellowish (Pandura) and look
like the cast-off skins of a snake and are usually
found to be pendent from the boughs of trees 11.
All other species are marked with parti-coloured
circular rings. Possession of fifteen leaves of variegated
colours, a bulb, a creeper-like appearance, and secretion
of milky juice are the general characteristics of all the
Soma plants. 12- A,
Their habitats : —The Himdlayas,'the Arvuda,
the Sahya, the Mahendra, the Malaya, the S'ri-Parvata,
the Deva-giri, the Deva-saha, the Paripatra, the Vindhya
mountains and lake Devasunda are the habitats of the
Soma plants. Somas, of the Chandramdh species are often
found to be floating here and there on the mighty stream
of the river Sindhu (Indus) which flows down at the foot
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