A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c20.s3.1

v1.c20.s3.1

Dṛḍhabala²⁷⁹ is the author who completed the Carakasamhitā, as attested by himself. He states in the last chapter of the Cikitsāsthāna (Ci.30.289–290): “Since seventeen chapters, and also those of the Kalpa and Siddhi (sections), of Agniveśa’s tantra as revised by Caraka, are not available, Dṛḍhabala, the son of Kapilabala, wrote these missing portions, in order to truthfully complete this important treatise”; in the last chapter of the Siddhisthāna (Si.12.36cd–40ab) he expresses himself in the following words: “A redactor (saṃskartar) enlarges what is concisely stated and abridges prolixities, making an old treatise thus up-to-date again; in that way, this excellent treatise, full of truth, redacted by the very learned Caraka, but seen to be incomplete by one-third (tribhāgena), was fully restored, after propitiating Śaṃkara, the lord of living beings, by Dṛḍhabala, born in Pañcanadapura; he gleaned a mass of relevant information (viśeṣoñchaśiloccaya) from many books, filling with it seventeen chapters on treatment (auṣadhādhyāya), the Kalpa(sthāna) and the Siddhi(sthāna)”.