Sarpir-maṇḍa (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: ) was a type of
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...
, one of five stages of milk described in Hindu and Buddhist texts.
In Buddhist texts
Buddhist texts including the ''
Nirvana Sutra'' describe five stages of milk as an analogy to stages of purification of the spirit:
Milk yields curd; curd yields butter; butter yields ''sarpis''; ''sarpis'' yields ''sarpir-maṇḍa''; ''sarpir-maṇḍa'' is the best.
Sarpir-maṇḍa has been theorised to be the early form of
ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by ...
.
In East Asia
In Chinese Buddhist texts, ''sarpir-maṇḍa'' was translated to ''tíhú'' (醍醐). The entry for ''tíhú'' in ''
Compendium of Materia Medica
The ''Bencao gangmu'', known in English as the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' or ''Great Pharmacopoeia'', is an encyclopedic gathering of medicine, natural history, and Chinese herbology compiled and edited by Li Shizhen and published in th ...
'' (1578) quotes various references, the earliest of which was written in the 5th century
Liu Song dynasty
Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern dynasties (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties peri ...
.
[ :zh:s:本草綱目/菜之二#醍醐菜]
The word 醍醐 is pronounced ''daigo'' in Japan. The word has been used in
Daigo Temple
is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Its main devotion ('' honzon'') is Yakushi. ''Daigo'', literally "ghee", is used figuratively to mean " crème de la crème" and is a metaphor of the most profound part of Buddhist th ...
,
Emperor Daigo
was the 60th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial.
Gen ...
(who was named after the temple), and the word ''daigo-mi'' (醍醐味), which means a superb flavor.
According to The Japanese Dairy Association, Emperor Daigo encouraged the production of
so, daigo, and other cheese-like products during his reign in the 10th century.
See also
*
Chrism
Chrism, also called ''myrrh'', ''myron'', ''holy anointing oil'', and consecrated oil, is a consecrated oil used in the Catholic Church, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian C ...
*
Ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by ...
*
Whey
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard c ...
References
{{buddhism-stub
Dairy products
Religious food and drink
Food and drink in Hinduism
Food and drink in Buddhism