The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c6.32

c6.32

Ātreya¹ as teachers of medicine, the *Caraka-saṃhitā* has once again made a *rapprochement* between these two names. Of course, here one could ask if this was not there as a souvenir of the fact that at one time a real Bharadvāja had taught Ātreya, but the personage of Bharadvāja is decidedly too mythical and it will be too daring to accord a historical status to his pupil while refusing it to him himself. Most probably the author who has created the legend of the transmission of Āyurveda, as found in the *Caraka-saṃhitā*, has found it proper to suppose that the pupil of Bharadvāja had been the same personage who had been described by tradition.²