Literary tobacciana 4

Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of the consumption of tobacco in any form, but the documentation of a lesser-known sub-genre of Indic literature.

One of the words commonly used to denote tobacco in Sanskrit literature is tamAkhu (तमाखु), as I have noted in some of my earlier posts in this series (see this, this, and this); it is also the standard Nepali-language equivalent of "tobacco". Moreover, this word creates interesting opportunities for punning in Sanskrit since it readily breaks down, following the rules of sandhi, into tam (तम्), "him", and Akhu (आखु), "rat / mouse". The following are two simple examples of such wordplay, each using a type of phonetic embellishment (शब्दालङ्कार) called yamaka (यमक), "a pair of identical entities", in which two or more homophonous strings of syllables with different meanings, sometimes spanning multiple words each, occur in close proximity (within the same verse, usually). Moreover, both these pieces are strongly anti-tobacco – a welcome deviation from the laudatory attitude reflected in the verses that I have shared thus far.

(1) This quote simultaneously condemns the consumption of tobacco and glorifies Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity with a mouse as his mount. 

Devanagari text:

तमाखुपत्रं राजेन्द्र भज माज्ञानदायकम्|
तमाखुपत्रं राजेन्द्र भज माज्ञानदायकम्||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

tamAkhupatraM rAjendra bhaja mAjJAnadAyakam| 

tamAkhupatraM rAjendra bhaja mAjJAnadAyakam||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: 

1. (राजेन्द्र! तम् माज्ञानदायकम् आखुपत्रम् भज!) O Great King! Worship that mouse-riding (Ganesha) who is the giver of wealth and knowledge.

2. (राजेन्द्र! अज्ञानदायकम् तमाखुपत्रम् मा भज!) O Great King! Do not succumb to tobacco leaves which bring about ignorance (or poor judgment).

Notes: mA (मा) is one of the appellations of Lakshmi (लक्ष्मी), the goddess of wealth, grace, and fortune, and, like all other names of the goddess, can refer (figuratively) to prosperity or beauty; hence I have translated this word simply as "wealth" above.

Source:  1899 edition of Udbhata Chandrika Volume II Part 3 Appendix Verse 5; Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara Chapter on Tobacco (तमाखुः) Verse 1.

(2) This snippet draws parallels between human addiction to tobacco and the unnecessary but compulsive hunting of small animals (mainly rodents) by domestic cats.

Devanagari text:

दारिद्र्यशीलोऽपि नरस्तमाखुं नैव मुञ्चति|
निवारितोऽपि मार्जारस्तमाखुं नैव मुञ्चति||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

dAridyazIlo(a)pi narastamAkhuM naiva muJcati| 

nivArito(a)pi mArjArastamAkhuM naiva muJcati||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: In spite of suffering from poverty, a man (who has developed an addiction) refuses to give up tobacco, just as a cat refuses to let go of the mouse, even when driven away.

Source:  1899 edition of Udbhata Chandrika Volume II Part 3 Appendix Verse 8; Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara Chapter on Tobacco (तमाखुः) Verse 2.