A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s5.t2: Special features
A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s5.t2
- Language
- English
Special features
v3.c43.s5.t2.1
The author does not blindly follow established traditions, but works out his own position with regard to basic āyurvedic concepts. Rather often he quotes a series of conflicting views on a particular subject, which are repudiated before he begins bringing forward his own opinion.⁴¹⁹ A noteworthy trend is the repeatedly expressed rejection of a hierarchical ordering of concepts like agni, bala, and sātmya (1.94), dravya, rasa, guṇa, vīrya and vipāka (1.164), though this type of order is a characteristic of the early saṃhitās. This trend is coupled to an insistence on medical experience as the decisive factor on which to base an appraisal of the relative importance of all these concepts.⁴²⁰
v3.c43.s5.t2.2
Interesting features are also the mention of two series of seven prakṛtis (1.31),⁴²¹ the enumeration of only ten guṇas (3.111),⁴²² and the recognition of a large number of vīryas (4.1 and 27).⁴²³ Remarkable is the absence of a discussion on prabhāva, which is an important notion in the *Carakasaṃhitā* and other texts. Anupānas are of six types, dependent on their action: āhārasātma, āhāravīyaghna, āhāraṇulomana, āhāraiviparīta, āhāraśodhana, and āhāraprajaraṇīya.⁴²⁴ The pramāṇas (means of acquiring valid knowledge) recognized are pratyakṣa, anumāna, upamāna, āgama, arthāpatti, and sambhava (4.70).⁴²⁵
Cites (1)
- Rasavaiśeṣikasūtra — Bhadanta Nāgārjuna, Sanskrit