Kingdom and qualifications of a king: Rājyaprāptikāraṇa The
Rajyapraptikarana sub-book describes the qualifications of a king and ministers, their duties and moral characteristics that enable the king to rule a stable, prosperous kingdom. The chapter asserts that the king should be truthful, avoid anger, be virtuous and lead by example. In the fourth chapter, it explains the
tax collected at port of entry on goods that arrive at the border. The second sub-book includes chapters on
veterinary care of animals such as horses and elephants who served the army. Many veterinary ailments are described, ranging from fever to injury to stomach upsets, and the proper nourishment, care of the animals as well as formulations of medicines are outlined in the verses of chapter 2.6, for example. Among meat dishes, the text does not include the meat of cow, horse, elephant, parrot, peacock or eggs. It describes cuisines based on pork, venison, goat meat, and fish among others. The text asserts that fresh water is
Amrita (nectar) of cuisine, and
Visha (poison) otherwise. Someshvara III recommends fresh water from rains (autumn), springs (summer), rivers and lakes (winter) for daily use, after it has been filtered with a clean cloth. The text recommends boiling the water before use and using the water so in a day. For drinking, if boiling is not possible, the text recommends alternate purification method based on
Triphala, and then adding a piece of mango,
patala or
champaka flower or powder of camphor for flavor and delight. The text mentions fresh coconut water and a drink called
panakam. The art of preparing wine is described in
Manasollasa from grape and sugarcane, with unusual sources being based on brewing of
Talimadya (palm),
Narikelasava (coconut) and
Khajurasava (date). It includes recipes for the king's favorite
sweets. In addition to milk based sweets it includes recipes for fried sweets like
golamu (a doughnut made with wheat flour), a rice flour based sweet similar to the modern
pantua and
ledikeni, and
gharika (fried cakes made of
black gram flour).
Joy and delight: Pramoda kāraṇa The fourth sub-book of
Manasollasa deals with entertainment such as music, dance, songs and competitive sports. The text covers dance and music in exclusive chapters, dedicating far more verses to these two topics than first two sub-books combined. This may reflect the importance of performance arts in 12th-century India, since Someshvara III's son and successor to the throne king Jagadekamalla II also wrote a famed treatise
Sangita-chudamani, literally "crown jewel of music". The text describes types of songs and music, instruments and dances along with occasions of their performance. The
Tripadi, states the text in chapter 4.16, was performed during harvesting and husking season, the
Shatpadi was performed by folk story tellers, the
Dhavala sung at marriages, while festivals such as
Holi were celebrated with
Mangala and
Caccari genre of songs and music. The
Charya, asserts the text, were songs of meditation. The text claims
Gana (गान) to be a form of "popular music" and that
Geet that is neither fast nor slow, but contains both high and low notes, where the words and musical meter are equally important to be preferred by spiritual teachers. Rhetoric is discussed in chapter 4.17 of
Manasollasa. The text dedicates over 450 verses in chapter 4.18 to dance and describes types of dance forms, musical instruments that go with dance performances, and the occasions when dances were celebrated. The text discusses six types of performers, their characteristics and their roles —
Nata (actor),
Nartaka (dancer),
Nartaki (danseuse),
Vaitalika (bard),
Charana (wandering performer) and
Kollatika (acrobat). Their body movements (6
Anga, 8
Upanga and 6
Pratyanga) are explained with their significance. This discussion is similar to that found in
Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit text composed around 1st-century BCE. The text thereafter presents the 21
Sthanas and 26
Charis of the dance tradition. The discussion on dance movements is compiled by six categories — mimetic (
natya), delicate (
lasya), vigorous (
tandava), acrobatic (
visama), ludicrous (
vikata) and graceful (
laghu). The fourth sub-book also describes sports, such as fishing, horse racing, elephant racing as well as archery, wrestling and athletics. The text describes some unique team sports, such as a form of Indian
polo involving two teams of eight members each.
Games, arts and leisure: Krīḍā viṁśati The last sub-book of the text discusses recreation through horticulture and the art of creating gardens, painting, perfumery, architecture and the training and breeding of horses, elephants, lavakki (a type of
quail), and other wildlife. A chapter is devoted to the royal sport of hunting deer or other wild game. It deals with 35 ways of game hunting of deer, in addition to hunting with dogs,
falconry and fishing. The
garden design, asserts the text, should include rocks and raised mounds of summits, manicured with plants and trees of diverse varieties, artificial ponds and flowing brooks. The text includes a recipe for making various types of paints, as well as crayons for drawing, and then recommends the steps in making a drawing. The 12th-century text describes jewelry and make up of women including those applied to their eyelids, lashes, cheeks and forearms, mentioning styles and colors of
Tilak on their foreheads. In jewelry, those for hair and earrings are notable. == Legacy ==