Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c8.69

c8.69

§ 14. Buddhistic Works:— The Bower MS comes from the Buddhists as is precisely shown by the several references to Bhagava, Tathāgata, Buddha etc. in the 6th and 7th parts. Traces of Buddhistic tendency are found in Vāgbhaṭa (Cf. § 6) and this explains its transplantation to Tibet; besides the whole-hearted reception of Indian medicine in Tibet (§ 16) leads to conclude the existence of a Buddhistic medicine in India. The detailed statements of the Buddhist I-tsing (671-695 A. D.) on the condition prevailing at that time of Indian medicine (medicinal herbs, the Tridosa, diagnosis, fasts etc. cf. also § 10) agree with the contents of our Caraka and Suśruta, as well as of the Bower MS; I-tsing even quotes from a sūtra on medicine¹ preached by Buddha himself. The Buddhist king Buddhadāsa of Ceylon (4th century A.D.) cured the ill, maintained physicians (cf. also § 12) whom he extended special grant, erected asylums and wrote the medical work Sāratthasaṃgaha². Caraka is said to have been the court-physician of the Buddhist king Kaniṣka (circa 100 A. D. Cf. § 9) and the well known Nāgārjuna who is placed in the same period is said to have composed, along with other medical works, an elaboration of Suśruta, since a recipe engraved on a column in Pāṭaliputra is attributed to him³. King Aśoka established hospitals for men and animals (3rd century B. C.) and the old Buddhistic medicine of Mahāvagga⁴ (4th century B. C. ?) knows the Tridosa, eye-ointment, nasal remedy, horn-scarifying, fomentations (Svedana), oils, Ghṛta, lotus-stalks, myrobalans, different kinds of salt, Asafoetida, garglings, maggots in head and even the laparotomy mentioned in the later works; it, however, knows no metallic preparation.