A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c26.s3.36

v1.c26.s3.36

P.V. Sharma³⁰³ exposed in detail his reasons for regarding the Hṛdaya as the recent treatise mentioned by I-ching. He thinks that I-ching may refer to the Saṃgraha once, namely in the passage where he says that the old translators declare that, if a disease be not cured by abstaining from food for seven days, one should then seek help from Avalokiteśvara.³⁰⁴ This interpretation becomes untenable when one considers the sentences that follow, where I-ching points to the want of knowledge concerning the science of medicine on the part of the old translators. P.V. Sharma adduces as an argument for I-ching’s acquaintance with the Hṛdaya his assertion that onions (palāṇḍu) are not eaten in India.³⁰⁵ Another piece of evidence consists, in his view, of the pills prepared from equal quantities of harītakī, dried ginger and sugar, described as being of great benefit.³⁰⁶ He refers to prescriptions found in the Hṛdaya, but these do not mention the equal quantities of all three substances.³⁰⁷ As a general point, P.V. Sharma brings forward that the Hṛdaya, being in verse, soon became popular.