In the ancient wisdom of the scriptures, the care and healing of noble animals such as horses and elephants, as well as the well-being of women, are described with great reverence and detail. The teachings begin with guidance for the protection of horses: it is prescribed that sesame, vacha, and hing be tied around their necks, for these are believed to safeguard the animals from harm. Two kinds of wounds are recognized—those arising from external causes, and those resulting from internal imbalances within the body. Wounds born of the wind element are slow to heal, while those stemming from phlegm mend quickly. Wounds caused by bile are marked by a burning sensation in the throat and a dull, blood-related pain. When wounds are inflicted by external sources, such as weapons, they must be cleansed diligently, using castor root, citraka, and universal medicines applied twice daily. For the cleansing and healing of these wounds, garlic and rock salt—either alone or fermented in buttermilk—are employed, as well as sesame cake blended with curd and rock salt, and cakes made with neem leaves. A potent powder is prepared from patola, neem leaves, vacha, citraka, pippali, and ginger. When this mixture is administered, it destroys worms, phlegm, and sluggish wind within the horse. Additionally, neem leaves, patola, triphala, and khadira are boiled together, and the decoction is given to horses suffering from flowing blood for three days, bringing relief from horse-leprosy. For wounds and leprosy, mustard oil is especially beneficial, and decoctions of garlic and similar herbs provide further relief. In cases requiring nasal treatment, the juice of mātuluṅga or māṃsī, combined with other winds, is promptly administered. The dosage begins with two palas on the first day, increasing by one pala each day, until it reaches eighteen palas on the final day. In milder cases, eight palas are used; in moderate cases, fourteen; this treatment should not be given during autumn or summer. For disorders of wind, oil is mixed with sugar, clarified butter, and milk; for phlegm, pungent oils with spices are used; for bile, water infused with triphala is prescribed. Certain dietary practices are advised: horses that consume rice, shashtika, and milk are considered inferior and best avoided, while those resembling ripe jambū fruit or golden in color are deemed suitable. At half a prahara, guggul is given to the harnessed horse, and rice pudding with milk is provided quickly to ensure the horse’s steadiness. In cases of wind disorders, milk and rice are fed; for bile disorders, meat juice, honey, mudga, and clarified butter are administered. For phlegm, mudga and kulattha, or bitter and pungent foods, are recommended. In instances of deafness or diseases caused by all three humors, guggul is the remedy. For all diseases, a regimen is followed: on the first day, a pala of dūrvā grass is given; on the next, a karṣa; and on the following day, five palas. The highest dose for eating and drinking is eighty palas, sixty for the moderate, and forty for the lowest. For wounds, leprosy, and lameness, dūrvā is given with a decoction of triphalā; for weak digestion and swelling, it is administered with cow’s urine. In cases of vāta, pitta, wounds, and disease, cow’s milk mixed with ghee is beneficial; for emaciated horses, food mixed with meat restores strength. Five palas of well-pounded guḍūcī, mixed with ghee, are given in the morning during autumn and summer, for this medicine destroys disease, nourishes the body, and increases vigor. This may be administered with milk or alone. The same principles apply to śatāvarī and aśvagandhā, adjusting the dose according to the horse’s condition. When, without apparent cause, all animals appear the same and suddenly die, it is recognized as an epidemic affliction. To pacify such an epidemic, protective rites are performed—homa, feeding of brāhmaṇas, and offerings of oblations—accompanied by the use of harītakī and similar preparations. Harītakī, combined with cow’s urine, oil, and salt, is given in increasing amounts up to a hundred palas, with the best doses being one hundred, eighty, or sixty. The science of elephant medicine is then declared. All preparations beneficial for horses are also valuable for elephants, but the dose is four times as much, and with these, elephant diseases are cured. To pacify epidemic diseases in elephants, one must worship the gods and brāhmaṇas with jewels and offer a tawny cow. After fasting, a garland is tied between the elephant’s tusks, and physicians, reciting mantras, bestow the desired objects. Through hymns to the Sun, Śiva, Durgā, Śrī, and Viṣṇu, the elephant is protected. Oblations are offered to the spirits, and the elephant is bathed with four pitchers of water. Food consecrated with mantras is given, and the elephant is sprinkled with ashes for protection from spirits—an auspicious and pure practice. Medicinal preparations for elephants include triphalā, pañcakola, daśamūla, viḍaṅga, śatāvarī, guḍūcī, nimb, vāsaka, and kiṃśuka. For the destruction of elephant diseases, a dry and astringent preparation is beneficial, as stated in both Āyurvedas. Turning then to the well-being of women, Hari instructs that the fresh root of punarnavā or apāmārga, placed in the yoni, relieves the pain of women and eases labor pains in young women. If earth, ash gourd root, or rice flour is consumed with milk for seven days, it greatly increases milk production. A poultice made from the roots of rudra, indra, and varuṇī, prepared with ghee, is applied to relieve pain in the breasts. When this remedy is taken, it destroys pain in the womb, and when applied with kāravella root, it expels retained substances. When the womb begins to discharge, no further treatment is needed. The roots of nīlī and paṭola, mixed with clarified butter and sesame oil, are made into a paste and applied to remove burning and pain. The root of pāṭhā, ground with rice water and drunk, cures evil diseases and leprosy. Finally, water mixed with honey, when drunk, brings benefit to those afflicted within. Thus, the scriptures lovingly describe the means to heal and protect horses, elephants, and women, blending the wisdom of medicine with the sanctity of ritual, and the compassion of the wise for all beings.