A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c48.s10: Date
A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c48.s10
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Date
v3.c48.s10.1
The Bhūtiprakaraṇa of the Gorakṣasaṃhitā gives the impression of being an early work on rasaśāstra: the terms dhātu and upadhātu are not yet used; zinc is not described; the essence (sattva) of rasaka (i.e., zinc), although known (6.260, 262), is not characterized as a metallic substance.
v3.c48.s10.2
The Kādiprakaraṇa of the Gorakṣasaṃhitā is related to the Kubjikāmatatantra, the oldest MS of which dates from the eleventh century.⁸⁴
v3.c48.s10.3
The Gorakṣasaṃhitā, its Bhūtiprakaraṇa included, may therefore date from about the same period, but a later date cannot be excluded with any certainty.⁸⁴
v3.c48.s10.4
The period in which Gorakṣa lived is a disputed issue;⁸⁵ dates mentioned in the literature are: middle of the ninth century,⁸⁶ ninth or tenth century,⁸⁷ between the ninth and twelfth centuries,⁸⁸ tenth century,⁸⁹ eleventh century,⁹⁰ not later than A.D. 1200, probably early in the eleventh century,⁹¹ earlier than the last quarter of the thirteenth century,⁹² thirteenth century,⁹³ and end fourteenth century.⁹⁴
v3.c48.s10.5
Kākacaṇḍeśvarīmatatantra to Rasahr̥dayatantra