INTRODUCTION Ixvii कान्ता चेयं गुणा चेयं प्रेण्या चेयं ममैकिका | (p. 570) Most of the commentators on Amara have systematically turned their backs on the question of supplementing his voca- bulary. But Malli. evidently acted on the principle that the usefulness of a lexicon is less impaired an abundance rather than a paucity of words. He gives 12 additional words for Indra to Amara's 35, 20 more for Lord Visņu to Amara's 30, and 21 for a coconut against the 2 mentioned by Amara. He generally starts with the characteristic expression anuktam and then a string of words follows, especially at the conclusion of each sub-section in the homonymous section. These words with little scope for any explanation are exhaustive and in many cases exhausting to the reader. Thus at the conclusion of the tanta words (vivasvat), he adds more than ten verses and at the end of the rephänta words (vāra) he has more than sixteen additional verses. But the supplementary words in all other places are informative, useful and interesting. He adds thousands of words to the original. Where the text gives sukarā for a docile cow syad acandi tu sukarā, Malli.'s supplement, sukatā tadviparyaye, mentions a vicious cow which is active with its hoofs and horns. When Amara gives suvratā sukhasamdohyā, Malli. mentions the opposite: करटा तद्विपर्यये । प्रयासेन संदोह्या गौः करटा स्यात् । (p. 596) Malli. dives into various sources of information such as the work of Dhanvantari; e.g. the herb balã, an important and well-known medicinal plant (Tamil: Tippili or Cittāmuṭṭi)¹ is mentioned by Amara, but the related names atibalā and mahabalā are supplied by Malli. (p. 278). Malli. is no purist, who rejects outright current words of Prakrit origin. But he takes care to be in approved ¹ Vaijayanti II. p. 653.
