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A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.s9: Divodāsa

A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.s9

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Divodāsa

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Divodāsa, 161 king of Kāśī and an incarnation of Dhanvantari, 162 is the teacher of Suśruta and other disciples in the *Suśrutasaṃhitā*. 163

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Divodāsa is the name of several persons mentioned in Vedic and post-Vedic literature. It is not evident at first sight why a Divodāsa should be presented as an expert in the medical science, in particular as a surgical specialist; his association with medicine may have been facilitated by Divodāsa's relationship with Bharadvāja in Vedic literature 164 and by his descent from a Dhanvantari in the *Mahābhārata* and a number of Purāṇas.

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A Divodāsa appears eighteen times in the *Ṛgveda*. 165 Atithigva, a name occurring thirteen times in the *Ṛgveda*, 166 is by most scholars regarded as an epithet of Divodāsa, at least in the majority of the verses where the word is found. 167 Divodāsa is a king, often associated with other kings; Bharadvāja, repeatedly mentioned together with Divodāsa, 168 may have been his purohita. 169

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Other Vedic texts in which a Divodāsa or one of his descendants appears are: the Kāṭhakasaṃhitā (7.8), 170 Kauṣītakibrāhmaṇa (26.5), 171 Kauṣītakibrāhmaṇopaniṣad (3.1), 172 Āśvalāyanaśrautasūtra, 173 Baudhāyanaśrautasūtra, 174 and Kātyāyana’s Sarvānukramaṇī of the Ṛgveda. 175 176

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The Mahābhārata tells several stories about a Divodāsa who was the father of Pratardana: (1) Divodāsa, son of Sudeva and father of Pratardana, was installed as the king of Kāśī, and built, at the instance of Indra, a city called Vārāṇasī; he lost a battle with the Haihayas and sought refuge in the hermitage of Bharadvāja; his son, Pratardana, inflicted a defeat on the Haihayas; 177 (2) Divodāsa, great-grandson of Dhanvantari, son of Bhīmaratha and father of Pratardana, established his capital at Vārāṇasī; 178 (3) Divodāsa Bhaimaseni, king of Kāśī, was the father of Pratardana. 179

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Divodāsa is known to a number of Purāṇas, 180 where he is the grandson or great-grandson of Dhanvantari, the son of Ketumant or Bhīmaratha, and the father of Pratardana. 181

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Another Divodāsa, son of Badhyaśva, Bahvaśva(n), Bṛhadaśva, Cañcāśva, Pañcāśva, or Vindhyaśva, is referred to in the Agnipurāṇa, 182 Matsyapurāṇa, 183 Vāyupurāṇa, 184 and Viṣṇupurāṇa; 185 this Divodāsa was a Pāñcāla 186.

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Several scholars attempted to establish connections between the various Divodāsas mentioned in Vedic and post-Vedic texts without reaching an agreement. 187 Others are convinced that the Divodāsa who descended from Dhanvantari is not related to the Vedic Divodāsa. 188

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The Divodāsas discussed so far are nowhere associated with the science of medicine, but it should be remembered that the Vedic Divodāsa was Bharadvāja’s patron. It may not be accidental that the medical tradition presents Divodāsa as the teacher of Suśruta, and Bharadvāja as the one who passed the āyurveda on to Ātreya. Both Divodāsa and Bharadvāja received the science from Indra.

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The identity of the Divodāsa, king of Kāśī and regarded as an incarnation of Dhanvantari, is a problem, since none of his namesakes appearing in non-medical texts is described as a surgical specialist or a physician in general. Dalhaṇa does not identify him in his commentary (ad Su.Sū.1.3) and restricts himself to the remark that he is a royal sage (rājarṣi), 189 who has given up his rule over the country (janapada) of Vārāṇasī 190 and has withdrawn to a hermitage (āśrama). Almost the same comments are found in Cakrapāṇi’s Bhānumatī. Both commentators add some etymological explanations of the name Divodāsa. 191

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A large part of the secondary literature does not focus on the identity of Divodāsa, but on that of the Dhanvantari with whom he is identical. 192

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Divodāsa’s name is not often met with in the Suśrutasaṃhitā. All the chapters begin with the statement that a particular subject will be discussed according to the words spoken by Dhanvantari. The last chapter of the Uttaratantra, however, though beginning in the same way, presents Suśruta as putting a question to Divodāsa, who is adorned with a number of laudatory epithets: aṣṭāṅgavedavidvas, mahaujas, chinnaśāstrārthasaṃdeha, and sūkṣmāgādhāgamodadhi (U.66:3-4ab). Some more epithets are: mahātapas (U.66.5cd), nṛpaśārdūla (U.66.6ab), and saṃśayacchid (U.66.5cd). 193

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Dhanvantari, Divodāsa and Kāśirāja, three names for one and the same person in the Suśrutasaṃhitā, are regarded as three different pupils of Bhāskara in the Brahmavaivartapurāṇa, where each of them is reported to have composed a medical treatise; the titles of these works are Cikitsātattvavijñāna, Cikitsādarpaṇa and Cikitsākaumudī respectively.194 A similar view is expressed in a verse from an unknown source, which enumerates six healers (vyādhihātaka): Dhanvantari, Divodāsa, Kāsīrāja, the Aśvins, Nakula and Sahadeva.195

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Divodāsa is mentioned as a medical authority in Dhanvantari’s Saṃnipātakalikā.

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A work on dharmaśāstra, called Divodāsaprakāśa, was written by a later namesake.196

Cites (14)