The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c8.s1.34

c8.s1.34

The mantra does not belong to Vedic poetry; it is in Sanskrit verse of the most common type. But by the purpose behind it, it constitutes the survival of the spirit of Vedic therapeutics. But this is only an indirect survival because formulae of this type have been perpetuated in those of later Hindu religion, particularly in the abundant literature of the kavacas, the “armour”, which have been extremely popular right up to now and which itself prolongs the Vedic prayers only because of the general purpose which inspires it. It is, undoubtedly, rather by the pressure of beliefs current in non-medical circles than by a direct souvenir of the religious therapeutics of the Veda that this mantra has been introduced in the Āyurveda. There also it constitutes an exceptional case. As a general rule, the therapeutics of the Āyurveda does not comprise the use of any invocation.⁴ Holy prescriptions are found there, but they do not habitually constitute a part of medicine properly so called. They concern, for example, the ritual of birth, occasionally mentioned with reference to birth, but, evidently, they do not constitute an integral part of the obstetrical teaching.¹ At the most, one may find cases where the use of certain plants in therapeutics does not seem to be justified by their real properties and seems to be a survival of their utilisation in Vedic magic.²