A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c42.s16.1

v3.c42.s16.1

The Hārītasaṃhitā that is known to be from MSS and some editions is sometimes regarded as entirely different from a much earlier treatise of the same name. The later text is for that reason referred to as Pseudo-Hārītasaṃhitā and its author is called Hārīta II to distinguish him from Hārīta I or Vṛddhahārīta.⁵³⁰ The main reason for this distinction was the small number of quotations from Hārīta (and Ātreya) that can be traced in the printed versions of the Hārītasaṃhitā. The number of traceable citations is, to be sure, restricted, but proves to be larger than was formerly assumed. Consequently, the relationship between an old version and the one preserved is more complicated than presumed by those who consider Hārīta I and II to be altogether distinct.