A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c17.21

v1.c17.21

Various other references to caraka(s) are known. The term is found in two sūtras of Pāṇini’s *Aṣṭādhyāyī*: 4.3.107 mentions Katha and Caraka; 5.1.11 employs the words māṇava and caraka. The names in the first sūtra are those of two schools of the Black Yajurveda. 71 The second sūtra has been interpreted in different ways. Some regard Māṇava and Caraka as the names of two Vedic schools, 72 others see in them names for students. 73 P.V. Sharma 74 offered his own explanation: the term māṇava denotes someone who indulges in magic and witchcraft, 75 an art called māṇavavidyā in the *Arthaśāstra*, 76 while the term caraka probably means a medical expert devoted to the *Atharvaveda*.