A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c42.s8.11

v3.c42.s8.11

The attribution of some gruels to Bhela in the Bower MS indicates that he was regarded as a medical authority in early times, as is also apparent from the references to him as one of the six pupils of Punarvasu Ātreya who wrote their own textbooks on internal medicine (kāyacikitsā). 290 The Bhelasaṃhitā itself shows unequivocally that Bhela belongs to the tradition connected with Ātreya and his special branch of medicine. A close study of the text of Bhela's treatise, as known to us, betrays, however, that it repeatedly departs from the tradition embodied in the Carakasaṃhitā 291 and even presents a not inconsiderable number of affinities with the teachings of the school of Dhanvantari, illustrated by the Suśrutasaṃhitā. 292 A smaller number of details show similarities with the Kāśyapasaṃhitā. 293