A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c21.6

v1.c21.6

Agastya, or, as he is sometimes called, Agasti,⁴ is well known in Vedic literature, the epics, the Purāṇas, etc.⁵ His name is connected with medicine and a number of other sciences. Agastya’s spell is alluded to in the Atharvaveda as a means of destroying worms.⁶ The Mahābhārata⁷ refers to Agastya, who is said to live in the south, which is referred to as his region,⁸ as the one who taught archery (dhanurveda) to Agniveśa⁹ and as the patron of hunters.¹⁰ A group of Agastyas is known to the Ṛgveda. The Matsyapurāṇa lists the Agastyas as one of the seven main gotras.¹¹