Suśruta-Saṃhitā (Āyurveda book)

Suśruta-Saṃhitā—The status of Suśruta-Saṃhitā is second only to Caraka-Saṃhitā in the history of Āyurveda. This anthology of Suśruta, one of the twelfth disciples of Dhanvantari, was reformed by Nāgārjuna but is known as the Suśruta-Saṃhitā. In the Mahābhārata, Suśruta is said to be the son of Maharṣi Viśvāmitra, an expert in surgery and a disciple of Dhanvantari. When Dhanvantari, a scholar of Āyurveda, was born as a Kṣatriya named Divodāsa at Kāśīdhāma by the order of Devarāja Indra, Viśvāmitra found out about it in meditation and sent his son Suśruta there for teaching Āyurveda. Later, Suśruta's writings became reformed in the hands of Nāgārjuna and became known as Suśruta-Saṃhitā. The Suśruta-Saṃhitā, compiled by Suśruta, was composed in the fifth or sixth century AD.

The Suśruta-Saṃhitā division has six sections and many chapters. Sūtra sthāna consists of forty-eight chapters and describes the meanings of surgical terms and the classification of herbs. Nidānasthāna consists of eighteen chapters and describes the causes and symptoms of the disease. Śarīra sthāna consists of ten chapters and describes the human body and has descriptions and embryology. Cikitsāsthāna consists of forty chapters and Large chapters rich in details of the treatment of various diseases. Kalpa sthāna consists of six chapters and describes Various poisons and their reactions and medical system. Uttaratantra consists of six chapters. Nāgārjuna is considered to be the author of this part. Here Combined different topics. According to Suśruta, there are seven types of surgical procedures-Chedana, Bhedana, Lekhana, Traṣyana, Āharaṇa, Bisravarṇa and Sīvana. Ācārya Suśruta was an expert in Kaumārbhṛtya^[1].

Many Commentaries have been written in the Suśruta-Saṃhitā. Notable among them are the oldest commentators like Jaiyaṭa, Gayadāsa, Cakrapāṇi-kṛta (1080 AD) Bhānumatī, Nibandhasaṃgraha by Dalhvaṇa, besides Śrīmādhaba, Jejjaṭa, Kaupālika etc. The Suśruta-Saṃhitā popularized the book with its simplicity of language and presentation of the subject, the duties of surgery in necropsy, asceticism, haemorrhoids, fractures, flesh transplants and brain surgery^[2].