The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c6.122

c6.122

¹ Caraka, Śār, I. 14; Suśr., V, 1, In the sperm, Caraka recognises only four of them, because he does not take into account space (Śār., II, 4); the same is the case with the embryo (Śār., II, 35). An opinion attributed specially to Bharadvāja also does not consider space (Caraka, Sūtra, XXV, 21). This does not contradict the theory of five elements as, in the passages under consideration, space can be considered as omitted simply because there was no need to mention it in the context of the particular topic under discussion. On the other hand, the allusions to general doctrines found in the Buddhist texts generally refer to four elements, the same as those of the Greeks, cf., Mahāvastu, ed. Senart, Vol. III, p. 65; P. Demiéville in Hōbōgirin, fasc. III, p. 264.