IIIF Color HighRes
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Sino-Iranica : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
590 SING-IRANICA
herb. As it is localized in Sogdiana, it is perfectly justifiable to regard the term as Sogdian; it may be, however, that the second component did not form part of the Sogdian word, and is an addition of C`en Ts`an-k`i; it is also possible that the term applies to another species of Ocimum or to a peculiar variety of Ocimum basilicum, differentiated by cultivation. It is well known that the New-Persian word bai, ba (" scent, perfume ") enters into composition with a number of aromatics;' and Persian ndz-ba is indeed a designation of the basil, and means "having an agreeable odor." In the same manner we have Sanskrit gandhapatra ("fragrant leaf, basil ") .
From India one or more species of Ocimum (basilicum, sanctum, and gratissimum) spread into the Malayan Archipelago. The Sanskrit term surasi or surasd has been adopted by Malayan sulasi, Javanese selasih or sulasih, Sunda salasih. Javanese has likewise received tulasih or telasih from Sanskrit tulasi.2 The two surasd, the white and black varieties of the Tulsi-plant, appear in the Bower Manuscript.3 In the folk-lore of India the plant plays an extensive rôle.4 ODORIC OF PoRDENONE relates, "In this country every man hath before his house a plant of twigs as thick as a pillar would be here, and this never withers as long as it gets water." YULE' justly comments that this plant is the sacred tulasi (Ocimum sanctum) . It is widely employed in the pharmacopoeia of the Persians and Arabs.' Arabic terms are: badrûj, xauk, rixân, kebir, aqin, xamdxim.
1 HÜBSCHMANN, Armen. Gram., p. 123. Cf. also above, p. 462; and HORN, Neupers. Etymol., No. 24o.
2 Cf. H. KERN, Bijdragen tot de taal-, land- en volkenkunde, 188o, p. 564.
3 HOERNLE'S edition, p. 22. There are also the forms suravalli, surasdgrani, and suras¢graja, the two last-named relating to the white variety.
YULE, Hobson-Jobson, p. 931.
Cathay, new ed. by Cordier, Vol. II, p. 116.
6 LECLERC, Traité des simples, Vol. I, pp. 92, 367, 403, 404, 456, 474; Vol. II, PP. 100, 104, 191, 375, 39o.
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