A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s10: Tiṣaṭa

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s10

Language: English

v3.c43.s10.t1 Contents — 8 parts
v3.c43.s10.t2 Special features — 28 parts

Tiṣaṭa

v3.c43.s10.1

Tiṣaṭa695 was the author of the Cikitsākalikā,696 a short medical treatise,697 composed in about 400 skillful verses698 of diverse metres.699

The Cikitsākalikā can conveniently be divided into two unequal parts, the first (3–94) dealing with basic principles of medicine and general aspects of treatment, the second (99–399) being about the therapy of various diseases.

v3.c43.s10.t1.2

The work opens with two introductory verses, the first of which is in praise of Sūrya, the Aśvins, Dhanvantari, Suśruta, and Tiṣaṭa's father, while the second refers to Hārīta, Suśruta, Parāśara, Bhoja, Bhela, Bhṛgu, Agniveśa, and Caraka as sources of the Cikitsākalikā.

v3.c43.s10.t1.3

Authorities mentioned in he body of the work are: Āstika (387), the Aśvins (227; 306), Bhela (248), Bhṛguja (i.e., Śukra; 375), Caraka (41; 162; 302; 345), Janakātmaja (i.e., Videha; 347), Kāṅkāyana (147; 151), Parāśara (302), Pracetas (i.e., Varuṇa; 383), Suśruta (145),700 and Videha (230; 304). The name of Vāgbhaṭa is conspicuously absent.

v3.c43.s10.t1.4

Candraṭa's commentary on the Cikitsākalikā also discloses some sources: Caraka (161–162), Hārīta (212–215), and Kṣārapāṇi (208–211). P.V. Sharma is of the opinion that Vṛnda's Siddhayoga may also have been put to use by Tiṣaṭa.701

v3.c43.s10.t1.5

Verses 4–16 are about the components of the human body. Verses 17–40 deal with the tridoṣa doctrine and contain the famous verses, often quoted by later authors,702 on the causes of excitement of each of the three doṣas and the symptoms of this excitement. Verses 48–65 enumerate eighteen groups (gaṇa) of drugs and their actions, while 68–85 are concerned with sneha, sveda, and pañcakarman. Verses 87–94 are about general measures of treatment. Verses 95–97 give a list of diseases belonging to the division of kāyacikitsā; verse 98 lists the seven remaining aṅgas of āyurveda.

v3.c43.s10.t1.6

The remaining part of the work is devoted to therapy. It is divided into sections703 on kāyacikitsā (99–325), śālākyatantra (326–352), śalyatantra (353–364), bhūtavidyā (365–377), kaumāratantra (378–380), viṣatantra (381–389), rasāyana (390–394), and vājikaraṇatantra (395–399). Tiṣaṭa's arrangement of the diseases in the section on kāyacikitsā has no parallel in other treatises.

v3.c43.s10.t1.7

Authors and works quoting from or referring to Tiṣaṭa or his Cikitsākalikā are: Āḍhamalla,704 Anantakumāra,705 the Āyurvedābdhisāra and its commentary, Bhāvamiśra in his Bhāvaprakāśa,706 the Bhesajjamañjūsāsannaya, Candraṭa in his commentary on the Cikitsākalikā and in his Yogaratnasamuccaya, Gopāladāsa, Gulrājśarmamiśra in his Viśikhānupraveśavijñāna, Hariprapanna in his Rasayogasāgara, Hemādri,707 Karaṇdikar in his Nidānadīpikā,708 Kāśīrāma,709 Khare in his commentary on the Rasaratnasamuccaya, Niścalakara,710 Priyavrat Śarmā in his auto-commentary on the Dravyaguṇasūtra, Śivadāsasena,711 Sodhala,712 Toḍara,713 Trimalla in his Yogatarangiṇī714 and Bṛhadyogatarangiṇī,715 Vijayarakṣita in the Madhukośa,716 the Vīrasimhāvaloka,717 the Yogaratnākara,718 and Yogendranātha in the Āyurvijñānaratnākara.719 Harṣakīrti, Jayaratna, and Māgacandradeva mention the (Cikitsā)kalikā as one of their sources.

v3.c43.s10.t1.8

A valuable commentary on the Cikitsākalikā was written by Tiṣaṭa's son, Candraṭa.720

Special features

v3.c43.s10.t2.1

Tiṣaṭa gives a list of diseases to be ascribed to bad acts committed in previous lives (10–12).721 The three chief vulnerable parts (marman) are said to be the cardiac, ano-rectal and umbilical regions (25).722 The number of eighteen groups of drugs (48–65) is peculiar to Tiṣaṭa’s work. The first six of them are said to subdue vāta, pitta, kapha, vātapitta, vātakapha, and pittakapha, the eleventh group (elādi) consists of drugs against poison (viṣa), kapha, and vāta. The remaining gaṇas, apart from the fifteenth (varuṇakādi), to be prescribed against a variety of diseases, are well-known smaller groups: triphalā, trikaṭuka, pañcakola, pañcavalkala, aṣṭavarga, trisugandhin, caturjātaka, mahat- and laghupañcamūla, and finally daśamūla. The elādi- and varuṇakādigaṇas may have been borrowed from the Suśrutasaṃhitā (Sū.38.24–25 and 10–11), as well as the two pañcamūla groups and the daśamūla group (Sū.38.66–71).⁷²³ Some other gaṇas, namely triphalā, trikaṭuka, pañcakola, trijātaka and caturjātaka, may have been inspired by Vāgbhaṭa (A.h.Sū.6.159–166) according to P.V. Sharma,⁷²⁴ although this author is not referred to as a source by Tiṣaṭa⁷²⁵ and clear resemblances cannot be detected.⁷²⁶ Some recipes differ from those in earlier works⁷²⁷ or are based on a compromise after the consultation of various sources.⁷²⁸ Verses 309–325, on prakīrṇauṣadhāni, contain a list of remedies which are particularly helpful in certain disorders.⁷²⁹ ⁷³⁰

v3.c43.s10.t2.2

⁷²³ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.3

⁷²⁴ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.4

⁷²⁵ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.5

⁷²⁶ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.6

⁷²⁷ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.7

⁷²⁸ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.8

⁷²⁹ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.9

⁷³⁰ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.10

Nothing is known with certainty about Tiṣaṭa, except that he was the father of Candraṭa, who wrote a commentary on the Cikitsākalikā, and, as is evident from the first verse of the Kalikā and Candraṭa’s comment on it, that he was the son of a physician whose name is not disclosed. The colophons of a number of MSS call Tiṣaṭa the son of Vāgbhaṭa.⁷³¹ Tiṣaṭa’s name may indicate that he was born in Kaśmīr.⁷³²

v3.c43.s10.t2.11

⁷³¹ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.12

⁷³² ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.13

Candraṭa explains in his commentary that Sūrya, who is praised in the first verse of the Cikitsākalikā, was Tiṣaṭa’s family deity, which makes clear that Tiṣaṭa, just like Dalhaṇa, was a brāhmaṇa of the Saura tradition.⁷³³

v3.c43.s10.t2.14

⁷³³ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.15

G. Hāldār supposes that Tiṣaṭa was also the author of a work called Vaidyatriṃśat.⁷³⁴

v3.c43.s10.t2.16

⁷³⁴ ...

v3.c43.s10.t2.17

Date Tiṣaṭa’s sources are of no avail in establishing his date, in spite of the statement by Jolly that the occurrence of Bhoja’s name in the list of verse two may point to the eleventh century as the terminus post quem for the composition of his work.⁷³⁵ It is quite uncertain who this Bhoja was and when he lived. The colophons of the MSS that call Tiṣaṭa the son of Vāgbhaṭa are not helpful either, firstly, because these colophons may date from a later age, secondly, because the absence of the name of Tiṣaṭa’s father in the text of the Cikitsākalikā and its commentary,⁷³⁶ and, thirdly, since no information is available on the identity of this Vāgbhaṭa. P.V. Sharma’s claim that Tiṣaṭa made use of the works of Vāgbhaṭa⁷³⁷ is in need of corroboration; his view that Tiṣaṭa probably borrowed from Vṛnda’s Siddhayoga⁷³⁸ has no firm basis, since the formulae referred to are not closely similar in wording.⁷³⁹ The fact that the arrangement of the diseases in the Cikitsākalikā is free from influences from the side of Mādhava’s Rugviniścaya cannot be used as evidence for a very early date, since many works composed after the eighth century disregard Mādhava’s scheme. Nevertheless it is worthy of notice that the new diseases introduced by Mādhava and Vṛnda are absent from Tiṣaṭa’s work.⁷⁴⁰

Cites (1)

Suśrutasaṃhitā — Suśruta & Nāgārjuna (siddha/alchemist), Sanskrit

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s10: Tiṣaṭa

Contents

Tiṣaṭa

Contents

Special features

Cites (1)