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Candranandana (circa 8th cent. A.D.), the author of the present work was a Kashmirian scholar.  The present work is based upon Sman dpyad yan lag brgyad pa’i snin po’i grel pa las sman gyi min gi rnam grans (Skt.: Vaidya – Astanga  - hrdaya – vrttau – Bhesaja – nama – paryaya) by Candranandana.  The exact title of this work appears to be Sman gyi min gi rnam grans (Skt.: Bhesajanama – paryaya).  Keeping in view the phonetics of the title, it is abbreviated as MGND in the present work.  

In the 15th chapter of the Sutra section of Astanga hrdaya, 33 groups (ganas) of drugs which are used in the recipes for elimination therapies, etc, are described.  A detailed discussion on the identity of these groups is available in the introduction to the Madanadi- nighantu.  In addition to these groups, properties of ingredients of food and drinks are described in the 5th and 6th Chapters of the Sutra section of Astanga hrdaya.  Basic material for the Tibetan work (MGND) is culled from all these three chapters in the Sutra section of the Astanga hrdaya.

Three editions of Tanjur have been consulted for the preparation of this work.  The Narthang edition is taken as the base.  Variant readings in the Derge edition (shown in the brackets as (D) and Peking edition (shown in the brackets as (P) are given in indented form.  Forcibly and artificially coining and providing Sanskrit equivalents of the Tibetanised synonyms have been scrupulously avoided.