The Compendium of Caraka 1.10.5

1.10.5

maitreya&! mithyā cintyata ityātreyaḥ; kiṃ kāraṇaṃ, ye hyāturāḥ ṣoḍaśaguṇasamuditenānena bheṣajenopapadyamānā mriyanta ityuktaṃ tadanupapannaṃ, na hi bheṣajasādhyānāṃ vyādhīnāṃ bheṣajamakāraṇaṃ bhavati; ye punarāturāḥ kevalādbheṣajādṛte samuttiṣṭhante, na teṣāṃ saṃpūrṇabheṣajopapādanāya &samutthānaviśeṣo &nāsti; yathā hi patitaṃ puruṣaṃ samarathamutthānāyotthāpayan puruṣo balamasyopādadhyāt, sa kṣiprataramaparikliṣṭa evottiṣṭhet, tadvat saṃpūrṇabheṣajopalambhādāturāḥ; ye cāturāḥ kevalādbheṣajādapi mriyante, na ca sarva eva te bheṣajopapannāḥ samutthiṣṭheran, nahi sarve vyādhayo bhavantyupāyasādhyāḥ, na copāyasādhyānāṃ vyādhīnāmanupāyena siddhirasti, na cāsādhyānāṃ vyādhīnāṃ &bheṣajasamudāyo 'ayamasti, na hyalaṃ jñānavān bhiṣaṅmumūrṣumāturamutthāpayituṃ; parīkṣyakāriṇo hi kuśalā bhavanti, yathā hi yogajño 'abhyāsanitya iṣvāso dhanurādāyeṣumasyannātiviprakṛṣṭe mahati kāye nāparādhavān bhavati, saṃpādayati ceṣṭakāryaṃ, tathā bhiṣak svaguṇasaṃpanna upakaraṇavān vīkṣya karmārabhamāṇaḥ sādhyarogamanaparādhaḥ saṃpādayatyevāturamārogyeṇa; tasmānna bheṣajamabheṣajenāviśiṣṭaṃ bhavati //

"Maitreya! You think erroneously," said Ātreya. "For what reason? What you said—that patients provided with this medicine endowed with the sixteen qualities die—is unsound. For medicine is never non-causal in diseases that are curable by medicine. Moreover, as for those patients who recover purely without medicine, it is not the case that there would be no specific difference in their recovery were they provided with complete medicine. For just as a man who helps a fallen man to stand up—a man who is capable of rising—would impart strength to him, so that he rises more quickly and without distress, in the same way patients [recover] from obtaining complete medicine. And as for those patients who die even with medicine alone, not all who are provided with medicine would recover. For not all diseases are curable by therapeutic means, nor is there success for diseases curable by therapeutic means without therapeutic means; nor is this collection of medicine meant for incurable diseases. For a wise physician is not able to raise up a patient who is about to die. Skilled ones act after careful examination. For just as an archer who knows the technique, devoted to continuous practice, having taken his bow and discharging an arrow, does not miss when aiming at a large body that is not excessively distant, and accomplishes his intended objective; so a physician endowed with his proper qualities, equipped with requisites, undertaking action after careful observation, without error, certainly provides health to a curable patient. Therefore, medicine is not undifferentiated from non-medicine.