A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.4

v1.c23.4

Dhanvantari complies and relates that Svayambhū (= Brahmā), even before creating mankind, composed the āyurveda, which forms one of the upāṅgas of the *Atharvaveda*,⁵ in one hundred thousand verses, arranged in thousand chapters; in consideration of the short life span and restricted intelligence of men, he recast it into the following eight divisions: śalya, śālākya, kāyacikitsā, bhūtavidyā, kaumārabhṛtya, agadatantra, rasāyanatantra, and vājīkaraṇatantra (1.5–8).⁶