Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita
by Nayana Sharma | 2015 | 139,725 words
This page relates ‘identity of Agnivesha’ of the study on the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita, both important and authentic Sanskrit texts belonging to Ayurveda: the ancient Indian science of medicine and nature. The text anaylsis its medical and social aspects, and various topics such as diseases and health-care, the physician, their training and specialisation, interaction with society, educational training, etc.
The identity of Agniveśa
The historical identity of Agniveśa is also shrouded in uncertainty. The foremost among Ātreya’s students, is said to have been the son of Agni, the god of fire.[1] He is also known as Vahniveśa[2] and Hutāśaveśa;[3] he is quoted by the name Hutāśa in Madhava’s Nidāna.[4] Both the names have the same literal meaning of Agniveśa or “one with fire garment.” Hence, according to Chattopadhyaya, Agniveśa could have been used as a descriptive epithet rather than as a proper name of an individual authority.[5] The original Agniveśa-tantra which is now non-extant was in existence for a long time as later writers like Vāgbhaṭa (who mentions Agniveśa as one of his sources), Jejjaṭa (a pupil of Vāgbhaṭa), Tisaṭa (son of Vāgbhaṭa), Cakrapāṇidatta (in the 11th century) and others including Sivadāsa-Sen (15th century), who have quoted verses from it.[6] Thus, it is argued that the original text was available to Dṛḍhabala as well-only a certain portion of the redacted text of Caraka was not available.[7]
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
Caraka Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 13.3; 17.5.
[4]:
G.J. Meulenbeld, History of Indian Medical Literature, Vol. I A, p.521.
[6]:
Gulabkunverba, The Caraka Saṃhitā, Vol. I, pp. 72-73.
[7]:
Gulabkunverba, The Caraka Saṃhitā, Vol. I, p.71.