The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c6.49

c6.49

The name Nāgārjuna is that of a Buddhist savant, on whose date the traditions do not agree but who is generally made to be the contemporary of the Indo-Scythian king Kaniṣka and of a Sātavāhana king. Now Kaniṣka seems to have reigned from A.D. 144², the Sātavāhana dynasty also being concurrently in power. The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-tsang, who visited India between 629 and 645, also places Nāgārjuna under a Sātavāhana and describes him as a master in the science of preparing elixirs for long life and as a Buddhist savant. In this he was following a widespread tradition which associated the name of Nāgārjuna with Indian alchemy.³ Several texts of alchemy, many therapeutic formulas, a résumé of medicine, considerably condensed but of great authority, the *Yogaśataka*, and a text of black magic, the *Kacchapuṭa* are all ascribed to him.