Mantrapāda 57 अङ्गुष्ठोर्ध्वपदाङ्घ्रिसन्धिषु तथा जानौ च गुह्यं ततो नाभौ हत्स्तनकण्ठघोणनयनश्रोत्रेषु मध्ये भ्रुवोः । शङ्खे मूर्धनि पूर्वपक्षतिथिषु प्रोक्तामृताख्या कला मूर्धाद्यं बहुले विलोममुदिता रोहावरोहक्रमात || By pressing the Amrtakalā in a snake bitten body the poison becomes ineffective and by massaging the Vişakalā the poison can be controlled from spreading to other regions. ( 40 ) Treatment of the poison of different snakes and insects forms the subject of this section. Poisons injected by a hooded serpent ; Mandoli, Rājila and other varieties of snakes, scorpion, rat, spider, mad dog, ants and other insects are defined and mode of treatment suggested. Appropriate medicines are prescribed giving details of the herbs. Mantras are also prescribed for the purpose. It is clear that the author has consulted many treatises dealing with toxicology in giving shape to the section. He has admitted his indebtedness as follows:
इत्थं विचार्य विधृतान्यति विस्तृतानि तन्त्राणि पूर्वगुरुभिर्विहितानि सम्यक् । क्ष्वेलोपशान्तिसुकृतार्थितया समासात् सन्दर्शित सकललोकहितं विधानम् ॥ (41) The section deals with Bālacikitsā, the treatment of children. Babies are troubled by different evil demons causing convulsions, fever etc. There are various authorities on the subject. But two lines of treatment are popularly known. Khadgarāvana and Nārāyaniya are the two lines adopted here. तत्र बालचिकित्साया: प्रकारा बहुधा स्मृताः ॥ तेष्वादौ मतमाश्रित्य खड्गरावणचोदितम् । नारायणीचोदितं च मार्गद्वय मिहोच्यते ॥ According to the system of Khadgarāvaņa a new born child is often affected by evil demons. For the first three days a parti- cular demon seizes the child. During the next three days it is another demon. Thus after every unit of three days upto thirty- six days demons of various nomenclature and propensity continue to trouble the child. The names of the demons that trouble the child are given as : Nandā, Sunandā, Pūtanā, Mukhamandikā,
