The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c8.127

c8.127

¹ *ksetriyaḥ parakṣetre cikitsyaḥ*, V-2-92. ² Ed., Kielhorn, Vol. II, p. 390. ³ *...kṣetriyo vyādhiḥ kṣetriyam kuṣṭham|parakṣetram janmāntaraśarīram| tatra cikitsyaḥ kṣetriyaḥ|asādhyo 'pratyākhyeyo vyādhir ucyate| nāmṛtasya nivartana ityarthah|athavā kṣetriyam viṣam|yat parakṣetre paraśarīre saṃkramayya cikitsyate|athavā kṣetriyāni tṛṇāni|yāni sasyārthe kṣetre jātāni|cikitsyāni nāśayitavyāni|athavā kṣetriyaḥ paradārikaḥ|paradārāḥ parakṣetram|tatra cikitsyaḥ nigrahitavyaḥ|sarvam caitat pramāṇam||* ⁴ Bohtlingk, whose interpretation has been deemed as authoritative, has translated the sūtra of Pāṇini as follows: "*ksetriya* bedeutet "erst in einem andern Korper zu heilen" d.i. "in diesem Leben "unheilbar". This interpretation, though grammatically impeccable, is logically contestable. If *ksetriya* is incurable in the present life, it cannot be said that it will be curable in another because that life, when it occurs, will be, in its turn, a present life. It is true that one can suppose that Pāṇini did not see this difficulty. But another interpretation is possible. If it is found that the disease ceases only on death, it is perfectly natural to say it should be treated *for* another body, so that it does not accompany in transmigration.