- Charaka Samhita
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The Caraka Saṃhitā Sutra (Devanagari:चरक संहिता) is an early Ayurvedic text on internal medicine. It is believed to be the oldest of the three ancient treatises of Ayurveda. It is central to the modern-day practice of Ayurvedic medicine;[dubious ] and, along with the Sushruta Samhita it is identified as an important source of medical and life understanding and practice in antiquity.[1]
Contents
Origins
Practices
The work as extant dates to the Maurya period (3rd to 2nd century BCE). The text, written in Sanskrit , is the work of several authors and may represent the work of a school of thought.
Sanskrit caraka is a term for a wandering religious student or ascetic. According to legend, the serpent-king Shesha, who was the recipient of Ayurveda, once visited the earth and finding it full of sickness he became moved with pity and determined to become incarnate as the son of a Muni for alleviating disease; he was called Caraka because he had visited the earth as a kind of spy or cara; he then composed a new book on medicine , based on older works of Agniveśa and Atreya pupils (Agniveśakr̥te tantre Charaka pratisaṃskr̥te).[2]
Contents
The extant text has aṣṭanga sthāna (eight sections), totaling 120 chapters. These 8 sections are Sūtra sthāna (30 chapters), Nidana sthāna (8 chapters), Vimana sthāna (8 chapters), Sarira sthāna (8 chapters), Indriya sthana (12 chapters), Chikitsa sthana (30 chapters), Kalpa sthana (12 chapters) and Siddhi sthana (12 chapters). 17 chapters of Cikitsā sthāna and complete Kalpa sthāna and Siddhi sthāna were added later by Dridhabala (9th century). The text starts with Sūtra sthāna which deals with fundamentals and basic principles of Ayurveda practice. Unique scientific contributions credited to the Caraka Saṃhitā include:
- a rational approach to the causation and cure of disease
- introduction of objective methods of clinical examination
- “Direct observation is the most remarkable feature of Ayurveda, though at times it is mixed up with metaphysics. The Saṃhitā emphasizes that of all types of evidence the most dependable ones are those that are directly observed by the eyes. In Ayurveda successful medical treatment crucially depends on four factors: the physician, substances (drugs or diets), nurse and patient. The qualifications of physician are: clear grasp of the theoretical content of the science, a wide range of experience, practical skill and cleanliness; qualities of drugs or substances are: abundance, applicability, multiple use and richness in efficacy; qualifications of the nursing attendant are: knowledge of nursing techniques, practical skill, attachment for the patient and cleanliness; and the essential qualifications of the patients are: good memory, obedience to the instructions of the doctors, courage and ability to describe the symptoms.”[3]
Commentaries
The most celebrated commentary on this text is the Carakatatparyatika or the Ayurveda Dipika written by Cakrapanidatta (1066). Other notable commentaries are Bhattara Harishchandra's Charakanyasa (c.6th century), Jaijjatas Nirantarapadavyakhya (c.875), Shivadasa Sena's Charakatattvapradipika (c.1460). Among the more recent commentaries are Narasimha Kavirāja's Charakatattvaprakasha and Gangadhara Kaviratna's Jalpakalpataru (1879).
Charaka Samhita on nursing
"The Caraka (Vol I, Section xv) states these men should be, 'of good behavior, distinguished for purity, possessed of cleverness and skill, imbued with kindness, skilled in every service a patient may require, competent to cook food, skilled in bathing and washing the patient, rubbing and massaging the limbs, lifting and assisting him to walk about, well skilled in making and cleansing of beds, readying the patient and skillful in waiting upon one that is ailing and never unwilling to do anything that may be ordered." [4]
References
- ^ Valiathan, M.S. (2003) The Legacy of Caraka Orient Longman ISBN 81-250-2505-7 reviewed in Current Science, Vol.85 No.7 Oct 2003, Indian Academy of Sciences seen at [1] June 1, 2006
- ^ Monier-Wlliams (1899), s.v. caraka.
- ^ Chattopadhyāya, D. (1982) Case for a critical analysis of the Charak Saṃhitā In Studies in the History of Science in India (Ed. D. Chattopadhyāya). Vol. 1. New Delhi: Editorial Enterprises. Pp. 209-236. cited in Tiwari, Lalit “A Summary of the Late D. Chattopadhyaya's Critique of Charaka Saṃhitā” seen at [2] June 1, 2006
- ^ Wilson, Bruce in The History of Men in American Nursing without sources at www.allnurses.com, seen June 1, 2006
External links
- Charak Samhita online version
- Charak Samhita Original sanskrit Text
- Charak Samhita
- English Rendition Of Charaka Samhita Verses With Commentary Of Dr. Vikrama
Further reading
- Kaviratna, A.C. and P. Sharma, tr., The Charaka Samhita 5 Vols., Indian Medical Science Series, Sri Satguru Publications, a division of Indian Books Centre,Delhi 81-7030-471-7
- Menon, I A and H F Haberman, Dermatological writings of ancient India Medical History. 1969 October; 13(4): 387–392. seen at The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London [3] June 1, 2006
Categories:- Ayurveda
- History of ancient medicine
- Sanskrit texts
- Medical manuals
- Sanskrit words and phrases
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