A History of Sanskrit Literature c10.48

c10.48

On examining the contents of the *Atharva-veda* more in detail, we find that the hostile charms it contains are directed largely against various diseases or the demons which are supposed to cause them. There are spells to cure fever (*takman*), leprosy, jaundice, dropsy, scrofula, cough, ophthalmia, baldness, lack of vital power; fractures and wounds; the bite of snakes or injurious insects, and poison in general; mania and other ailments. These charms are accompanied by the employment of appropriate herbs. Hence the *Atharva* is the oldest literary monument of Indian medicine.