A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s32.t3: The author

A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s32.t3

Language: English

The author

v3.c43.s32.t3.1

The name of Śrīnāthapaṇḍita appears in the colophon at the end of the śalya chapter, at the end of the last chapter of the aṣṭāṅgakāṇḍa, ¹⁴⁶⁴ and at the end of the sādhāraṇakāṇḍa. ¹⁴⁶⁵

The name of his work, Parahitasamhitā, may refer to the Parahita physicians of Āndhra, though not necessarily so, as the title, which simply means ‘saṃhitā promoting the welfare of other (living beings)’, may be of the same type as, e.g., Kalyāṇakāraka.

v3.c43.s32.t3.5

Members of families of physicians distinguished by the honorific title Parahita are known from four inscriptions: (a) Parahita III of Ātreyagotra, who was the prāṇācārya of Siṅgayanāyaka of Kōrukoṇḍa; ¹⁴⁶⁶ (b) Bhāskarārya, son of Parahita, of Kāśyapagotra; ¹⁴⁶⁷ (c) Siṅganārya, of Kāśyapagotra, son of Villanārya, grandson of Bhāskarārya and great-grandson of Periyavilla Parahita; ¹⁴⁶⁸ (d) Parahita IV, son of Kālanātha Bhaṭṭa. ¹⁴⁶⁹

v3.c43.s32.t3.6

¹⁴⁶⁶ [Text of note 1466]

v3.c43.s32.t3.7

¹⁴⁶⁷ [Text of note 1467]

v3.c43.s32.t3.8

¹⁴⁶⁸ [Text of note 1468]

v3.c43.s32.t3.9

¹⁴⁶⁹ [Text of note 1469]

v3.c43.s32.t3.10

As appears from these inscriptions, there were two of these families, belonging respectively to the Ātreya- and Kāśyapagotra; the one was an older, well-established Telugu family and the other a Drāviḍa family which came from the South, learnt medicine from the already famous Āndhra family, and also adopted the title Parahita, either as a compliment to their preceptors or to gain prestige. In the inscriptions both families claim that an ancestor, Parahita I, treated a serpent that was suffering from a bone stuck in its throat, and that the success of the treatment resulted in this ancestor's being honoured with the name of sarpavyādhicikitsaka.

v3.c43.s32.t3.11

The author of the Parahitasamhitā may have been a descendant of the Parahita families or one of their pupils, though his name does not occur in the inscriptions mentioning Parahita physicians. ¹⁴⁷⁰ Arguments for the view that the title Parahita was not reserved for one or more particular families of physicians, but could be given to any physician well versed in all branches of medicine who devoted his life to the practice of his art are given by P. Hymavathi. ¹⁴⁷¹

v3.c43.s32.t3.12

¹⁴⁷⁰ [Text of note 1470]

v3.c43.s32.t3.13

¹⁴⁷¹ [Text of note 1471]