A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c43.s5.t2.1

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