Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Studies in the Medicine of Ancient India, Part I: Osteology, or the Bones of the Human Body c7.s5.t3: § 90. The Recension of Gaṅgādhar

Studies in the Medicine of Ancient India, Part I: Osteology, or the Bones of the Human Body c7.s5.t3

Language
English

§ 90. The Recension of Gaṅgādhar

c7.s5.t3.1

Gaṅgādhar's recension of the osteological summary of Suśruta, extracted from his Berhampore edition of the Caraka Saṁhitā, p. 188, ll. 5–14, runs as follows, differences from the traditional recension being shown in italics :—

c7.s5.t3.2

Atha punaḥ Sauśrute śalya-tantre tu trīṇy=eva śatāni | teṣām=aṣṭottara-śataṁ śākhāsu | ṣaḍviṁśaty-uttara-śataṁ śroṇi-pārśva-pṛṣṭh-ākṣ-oraḥsu | grīvāyāṁ praty-ūrdhvaṁ ṣaṭṣaṣṭiḥ | evam=asthnāṁ trīṇi śatāni pūryante || Ekaikasyāṁ tu pād-āṅgulyāṁ trīṇi trīṇi, tāni pañcadaśa | tala-kūrca-gulpha-saṁśritāni sapta | pārṣṇāv=ekam | jaṅghāyāṁ dve | jānuny=ekam | ekam=ūrāv=iti saptaviṁśatir=ekasmin sakthni bhavanti | eten=etara-sakthi, bāhū ca vyākhyātau | tāny=aṣṭ-ottara-śatam=asthnām | śroṇyāṁ pañca, teṣāṁ dve nitambe, guda-bhaga-trika-saṁśritam=ekaikam | pārśve ṣaṭtriṁśat | evam=ekasmin=dvitīye 'py=evam | pṛṣṭhe triṁśat | dve akṣa-saṁjñe | saptadaś=orasi | grīvāyām=ekādaśa | kaṇṭhanādyāṁ catvāri | dve hanvoḥ | dantā dvātriṁśat | nāsāyāṁ trīṇi | dve tāluni | gaṇḍa-karṇa-śaṅkheṣv=ekaikam, tāni ṣaṭ | ṣaṭ=śirasi ||

c7.s5.t3.3

§ 91. The Systems of Suśruta in the Śārīra Padminī

c7.s5.t3.4

1. The statement of the system of Suśruta in the Śārīra Padminī, and its commentary, edited from a manuscript in the possession of Dr. P. Cordier, runs as follows: Kikasam tri-śata-saṃkhyam=ath=ādyaiś=śalya-tantra upayuktam=ih=oktam | vimśatiś=ca śatam=apy=adhi-śākham śroṇi-pārśva udar-orasi pṛṣṭhe || 70 || Sapta-yukta-daśa-śatam syāt ¹ try-uttar-opari śirodhiṣu ṣaṣṭiḥ | aṅka-saṃkalanatas=triśat=ittham pañcadh=ākṛti-bhidā punar=etat || 71 ||

c7.s5.t3.5

¹ Short by two instants.

c7.s5.t3.6

For the translation, see § 36.

c7.s5.t3.7

2. The commentary of Vaidyanātha, called Padminī Prabodha, on the above-given statement runs as follows: Śarīre 'sthnāṃ sāra-bhūtatayā tad-vivaraṇam=āha ‘kikasam’ ity=ādi | ‘kikasam’=asthi ‘tri-śata-saṃkhyam’ āhuḥ ‘śalya-tantra’ upayoga-vaśena śalya-tantra upayuktatvād=ity=arthaḥ | tad-upayuktatā tu granth-āntarāj=jñeyā | kathaṃ tri-śata-saṃkhyaṃ bhavati ity=āha ‘vimśatir’ ity-ādi | ‘adhi-śākham’ sarva-śākhāsu ‘vimśatiś=ca śatam=api’ | yathā | pratyekaṃ pād-āṅgulyāṃ trīṇi trīṇi iti pañcadaśa | 30 | tala ²-gulpha-kūrca-saṃśritāni daśa | 20 | 50 | jaṅghayor=dve | 4 | 54 | pārṣṇav=ekam | 2 | 56 | jānuny=ekam | 2 | 58 | ūrāv=ekam | 2 | 60 | sakthnoḥ ṣaṣṭiḥ | 120 ³ || ‘śroṇi-pārśva udar-orasi pṛṣṭhe sapta-yukta-daśa-śatam’ | yathā | guda-bhagayor=dve | 2 | nitambayor=dve | 2 | trika-saṃśritam=ekam | 1 | śroṇyāṃ pañca | 5 | pārśvayor=dvisaptatiḥ | 72 | 77 | pṛṣṭhe trimśat | 30 | 107 | dve akṣa-saṃsakte | 2 | 109 | aṣṭāv=urasi | 8 | 117 || evam ‘upari śirodhiṣu’ | grīvāṃ praty-ūrdhvaṃ ‘try=uttarā ṣaṣṭiḥ’ | yathā | grīvāyāṃ nava | 9 | kaṇṭhanāḍyāṃ catvāri | 4 | 13 | dve hanvoḥ | 2 | 15 | nāsāyāṃ trīṇi | 3 | 18 | ekam tāluni | 1 | 19 | gaṇḍa-karṇa-śaṅkheṣv=ekaikam | 6 | 25 | ṣaṭ śirasi | 6 | 31 | dvātrimśad=dantāḥ | 32 | 63 | ‘Ittham=aṅka-saṃkalanatas=triśatī’ | yathā | 120 | 117 | 63 | 300 ||

c7.s5.t3.8

² MS. om. tala.

c7.s5.t3.9

³ See Note below.

c7.s5.t3.10

*Note*: In the original manuscript, the clauses, which refer to the first aggregate 120, run as follows:

c7.s5.t3.11

yathā | pratyekaṃ pād-āṅgulyāṃ trīṇi trīṇi iti pañcadaśa | 30 | gulpha-kūrca-saṃśritāni daśa | 10 | 50 | jaṅghayor-dve | 2 | 52 | pārṣṇāv-ekam | 1 | 53 | jānuny-ekam | 1 | 54 | ūrāv-ekam | 55 | sakthnoḥ ṣaṣṭiḥ | 60 | 115 | guda-bhagayor-dve | 2 | 117 | nitambayor-dve | 2 | 119 | trika-saṃśritam-ekam | 1 | 120 ||

c7.s5.t3.12

Obviously this reading is quite absurd, and must be due to some ignorant copyist who failed to recognize the accidental misplacement of the three clauses: *guda-bhagayor-dve*, *nitambayor-dve*, and *trika-saṃśritam-ekam*, which should not precede, but follow the clause *śroṇi-pārśva*, &c.

c7.s5.t3.13

Translation.

c7.s5.t3.14

Because of the conciseness of the statement of the bones of the body, he makes the comment which begins with *kīkasa*, &c. ‘*Kīkasa*, or the bones of the skeleton, number three hundred’; this is said on the authority of the count in surgical text-books; for this is meant by the phrase ‘in accordance with the count in the Surgical Text-book’. But that count itself must be learned from treatises other (than the *Śārīra Padminī*). In order to explain how the number three hundred arises, he goes on to say ‘*viṃśati*, or twenty, &c.’ ‘*Adhiśākham*, or in all the limbs together,’ there are one hundred and twenty bones. As thus: in each digit of the foot there are three, making fifteen (i. e. 30 in both feet); in the sole, ankle, and cluster there are altogether ten (i. e. 20 in both feet; hence together 50). In the legs there are two (i. e. 4 in both legs; hence together 54). In the heel there is one (i. e. 2 in both heels; hence together 56). In the knee there is one (i. e. 2 in both knees; hence together 58). In the thigh there is one (i. e. 2 in both thighs; hence together 60). In either of the lower limbs there are sixty (i. e. altogether 120). ‘In the hips, sides, abdomen, breast, and back, there are one hundred and seventeen bones.’ As thus: In the anus and pubes there are two; in the hips, two; in the sacrum, one; hence in the pelvis there are together five. In the two sides there are seventy-two (i. e. together 77); in the back there are thirty (i. e. together 107); two are contained in the collar-bones (i. e. together 109); in the breast there are eight (i. e. together 117). Further, ‘above in the śirodhi, or head-holders,’ that is, from the neck upwards, there are sixty-three bones. As thus: in the neck there are nine; in the windpipe, four (i. e. together 13); in the jaws, two (i. e. together 15); in the nose, three (i. e. together 18); in the palate, one (i. e. together 19); in either cheek, ear, and temple, one (i. e. 6, or altogether 25); in the cranium, six (i. e. together 31). The teeth number thirty-two (i. e. altogether 63). By adding up all these items we obtain three hundred; as thus, 120 + 117 + 63 = 300.

Linked texts (1)