A History of Indian Medical Literature v2.c29.5

v2.c29.5

ad A.s.Sū.1.2. See also: P.V. Sharma (1985e): 4–5. Kaviratna was of the opinion that the words athātaḥ indicate that this treatise follows a previous one on a cognate subject; see also his remark on the word bhagavant, which is used to refer to Ātreya. See on other uses of the word atha: J.E.M. Houben (1995): 214, 367, 383. 3 The origin of several Indian sciences is ascribed to the gods, in particular to Brahmā; the Chāndogyopaniṣad (8.15) tells that Brahmā passed the supreme knowledge on to Prajāpati, who passed it on to Manu, who, in his turn, transmitted it to mankind (see J. Filliozat, 1975: 2–3). Stories about the way a particular body of knowledge was passed on through a line of authorities to an assembly of sages, distressed about the evils of the present age, are common in the Purāṇas (see H.H. Wilson, 1984: I, 92). 4 Prajāpati is taught by Brahmā and is, in his turn, the teacher of Indra in the Chāndogyopaniṣad (8.7–12 and 8.15). 5 Indra is rather rarely a teaching god, but a grammar is attributed to him; Vedic literature knows about many connections between Indra and the Aśvins; on several occasions, Indra is indebted to the Aśvins for their medical expertise (see J. Filliozat, 1975: 2–3). 6 See on the individual sages: authorities mentioned in the Carakasamhitā. 7 Many names are used to designate this god: Balahantar (killer of Bala), Śacīpati (husband of Śacī), Sahasrākṣa, Śakra, Śatakratu (1.18cd–23). See on Śakra: J. Gonda (1959a): 64–66; see on Śatakratu: J. Gonda (1959a): 36–42. 8 Health (ārogya) is said to be the very foundation (mūla) for the attainment of the four human aims, consisting of dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa (1.15cd). A. Wezler (1984) notes that ārogya literally means the state of “being again free from disease”; see on the implications of this interpretation his discussion of the connections between medicine and Yoga; see also W. Halbfass (1991): 249–250. See on the type of words to which ārogya belongs: J. Gonda (1959): 95–117. 9 Another version of the narrative about the sages’ reception of the āyurveda from Indra is found in chapter one of the Cikitsāsthāna. P.V. Sharma (1970a: 15) regards the story about the transmission of āyurveda in Ca.Sū.1 as a contribution of Caraka (on account of later elements it it, e.g., 1.36–40), while he attributes the version of Ca.Ci.1 to Agniveśa. 10 Compare also the version in the Vāgbhaṭamaṇḍana. 11 This was already noticed by H.H. Wilson (1832). See on the traditions regarding the transmission of the āyurveda: ABI 457–463; AVI 1–5; J. Filliozat (1975): 2–13; V. Śukla and R. Tripāṭhī (1982): 8–14; Sūramcandra (1978): I, 134–140; Vṛddhatrayī 3–9. 12 See Lobsang Rabgay (1981): 3–5; P. Tsering (1980): 109. 13 Some later texts (Bhāvaprakāśa, Bṛhannighaṇṭuratnākara), modelling their story upon that of the Carakasamhitā, present a closely related list of sages. 14 See Pālakāpya’s Hastyāyurveda and Nīlakaṇṭha’s Mātaṅgalīlā. 15 See on councils (samiti, pariṣad, etc.) of sages: S.Ch. Vidyabhusana (1971): 22–23. 16 Nāṭyaśāstra 1.26–42. Compare Vṛddhatrayī 156. 17 E.g., Udyogaparvan 26 (ed. Poona). 18 See Vettam Mani 651–652. 19 Bhāgavatapurāṇa X.84 (J.M. Sanyal’s transl. II, 329). 20 See on this term in general: J. Gonda (1963b): 40–42; Hopkins 176–177; S. Lévi (1898): 143–151; A.A. Macdonell and A.B. Keith (1967); J. Panda (1984): 2–3; V.G. Rahurkar (1964): XIII–XX. 21 Yāyāvara is often interpreted as ‘having no fixed abode’, ‘vagrant’, and śālina as ‘having a settled home’, ‘domestic’, but H.-P. Schmidt (1968: 635) argues, on the basis of the Baudhāyanadharmaśāstra (3.1.1–4), that both groups are householders (gṛhastha); a śālīna attends only to his own ritual duties, while a yāyāvara moves about frequently (in performing sacrifices for others). See also: H.W. Bodewitz (1973): 333–334; L.P. van den Bosch (1978): 66–67; J.C. Heesterman (1982).