वृक्षायुर्वेद (सुरपाल - प्राचीन भारतीय पादप-विज्ञान, कृषि एवं वृक्ष-चिकित्सा सटीक)

inexhaustive and unsystematic with the symptoms
and remedies mixed-up. It is only in
Vrikshayurveda of Surapala that we find a more
satisfactory application and a systematic exposition
of the "Tridhatu" theory as applied to the plants.
• The topic of groundwater receives an exhaustive
treatment in Brhatsamhita and both Vrikshayurveda
and Upavanavinoda have borrowed verses from it
or made use of the contents in their respective texts.
However, being primarily concerned with plants,
Surapala finds it sufficient to expound the topic in
seventeen verses only.
• From the title one would expect a very exhaustive
description of laying out pleasure gardens in
Upavanavinoda. But it has treated the subject
almost in the same number of verses as in
Vrikshayurveda.
• Vrikshayurveda surpasses the other two texts very
widely in describing horticultural wonders.
• The topics are scattered in four chapters in
Brhatsamhita without any attempt on the part of
the compiler to correlate them. Thus,
"Granthopanayana" (Chapter 1) contains general
introduction to all the subjects including
Vrikshayurveda.
• "Kusumalata" (Chapter 29) in Brhatsamhita deals
with implications of natural vegetation (it is not very
clear why the chapter is named "Kusumalata").
Both Upavanavinoda and Vrikshayurveda deal
with this topic briefly towards the end.
• "Vastuvidya" (Chapter 53) in Brhatsamhita deals
with the science of constructing a house in 125
verses out of which about four or five deal with the
trees to be planted around the house. Both
Upavanavinoda and Vrikshayurveda deal with it
fairly exhaustively in the beginning of the texts.
• "Udakargala" (Chapter 54) in Brhatsamhita deals
very exhaustively with the subject of groundwater
resources in as many as 125 verses, while the other
two texts treat the subject briefly.
• "Vrikshayurveda" (Chapter 55) in Brhatsamhita
deals briefly with planting, soil, nourishment,
diseases and ailments, treatment, and a few
horticultural wonders in 31 verses. Both the other
texts discuss these topics in detail.
If in the above light we address ourselves to the earlier
questions which necessitated this comparison we can
answer them as below:
• The resemblance between Upavanavinoda and
Vrikshayurveda may be explained by either
proposing a theory that both have made use of texts
of their predecessors or by revising our opinion
regarding Surapala's date. Unless we ascribe to him
an earlier date and make him Sarngadhara's
predecessor so as to enable the latter to take extracts
from Vrikshayurveda for his compilation, we cannot
satisfactorily explain how the two works contain
more than seventy to eighty identical verses, and
perhaps an equal number of those which are
worded differently but have identical content.
• The science of Vrikshayurveda must have texts
dealing more exhaustively with plant diseases and
they must also have a more detailed treatment of
the "Tridhatu" theory as made applicable to the
plants. Topics such as plant morphology and plant
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