The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c8.13

c8.13

There are several facts to confirm the authenticity of the Puranic information on this point. First of all, the Purāṇas while calculating the time between Parīkṣit and Nanda, also fix the corresponding positions of the stars (Viṣ. p. IV, XXIV, 33). Now these astronomical positions suppose an impossible movement of the Great Bear around the Pole. They are merely arbitrary conceptions and at first view they seem to compromise the value of numerical data. But one must observe nevertheless that these astronomical observations, not being in any way the results of observation, could not have been traditional. They are the result of a clumsy effort at astronomically determining a given period of time. But this period of time has every chance of having been indicated by tradition and that of the Purāṇas can easily go back to an ancient period. The Purāṇas, in the form in which we have them, are quite late but several books of this name, which were most probably utilised as models, are already mentioned in ancient literature. Moreover, even in the epoch of Candragupta, the epoch which closes the period measured by the Purāṇas, Megasthenes has observed that the Indians possessed long geneologies of royal families which contained the names of 153 kings who ruled during 6042 years. Under such conditions, if it is remembered that the succession of the Magadhan kings, as given by the Purāṇas before and after Candragupta is confirmed by other sources and appears to be exact, it will not be showing oneself as too credulous as regards the Puranic tradition if we say that they have correct ideas on the succession of anterior kings.