The physician in the Vedas

The earliest conceptions of illness and healing are recorded in the hymns of the Ṛgveda and the Atharvaveda. The quintessential divine physicians are the Aśvins who have several medical and surgical feats to their credit.

The physician (bhiṣak) in the Ṛgveda is a wise brāhmaṇa (vipra), possessor of herbs and a fiend-slayer who keeps diseases at bay.

yatrauṣadhīḥ samagmata rājānaḥ samitāviva.
vipraḥ sa ucyate bhiṣak rakṣohāmīvacātanaḥ.^[1]

He who hath store of Herbs at hand like Kings amid a crowd of men,—Physician is that sage's name, fiend-slayer, chaser of disease.^[2]

In his commentary to the Ṛgveda, Sāyaṇa considers vipraḥ to be a wise Brāhmaṇa (prājñaḥ brāhmaṇaḥ); again in the Taittirīya Saṃhitā, he explains the term as “the wise man who is skilled in the production of the juices (of herbs) and strengths”.^[3] Zysk suggests that such a person may be called a “healer” or a “shaker” based on the etymology of the word, i.e., vipra is derived from the root vip, “to shake”.^[4] However, the term “vipra” is generally understood to have the following meanings -inspired, wise, learned (especially in theology), a sage, seer, singer, poet, a brāhmaṇa, etc.^[5] Zysk also points out that the word “bhiṣak” is replaced with “kavī” in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā which suggests that the healer is a chanter, i.e., one who is skilled in the use of words.^[6] M. Monier-Williams lists several meanings of “kavi”: gifted with insight, intelligent, knowing, enlightened, wise, sensible, prudent, skilful, sage, singer, poet, etc.,^[7] but chanter is not mentioned. “Kavi” in the Atharvaveda probably refers to one who composes the hymns and is not just a chanter. It is interesting to note that physicians in the eastern part of the country are addressed as “kavirāja”. On the basis of the evidence from the Vedic corpora, we may conclude that the Vedic bhiṣak was considered to be one who possessed skill in the preparation and application of medicinal herbs as well as knowledge and mastery of the recitation of charms and incantations.^[8]

The existence of medical practitioners and a fairly elaborate materia medica in the Atharvaveda (II.9.3) may be inferred from the reference to hundreds of physicians (śataṃ hy asya bhiṣajaḥ) and thousands of plants (sahasram uta vīrudhaḥ).^[9] Yet treatment of disease in this phase is not entirely drug reliant but based principally on amulets and incantations. According to the Atharvaveda, what can be achieved by the plant drugs, can be effected by binding an amulet with the particular charm of this verse.^[10] The pronouncement that the Atharvan who binds the amulet is the best of all good doctors,^[11] leads us to understand that charms and sorcery were an essential element of the physician’s repertoire. Kutumbiah describes the Atharvan as the priest-physician.^[12] He had access to the king as an adviser, and combined the roles of the physician, priest, sorcerer and adviser to the king.^[13] It is probable that the hymns of the Atharvaveda indicate two kinds of healers: the Atharvan who relied on charms and the lay healer who prescribed medicinal drugs.^[14]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Taken from V.W Karambelkar, The Atharva-Veda and the Āyur-Veda, Varanasi, 2003 (second edition), p.3.

[2]:

R.T.H.Griffith (Trans.), The Hymns of the Rigveda, Vols. I-II, Benaras, 1889-1890, (hereafter Ṛgveda) X.97.6.

[3]:

K.G.Zysk, Medicine in the Veda: Religious Healing in the Veda with translations and annotations of medical hymns from the Ṛgveda and the Atharvaveda and renderings from the corresponding ritual texts, Delhi, 1998 (second edition), p.241.

[4]:

K.G.Zysk, Medicine in the Veda, p.241.

[5]:

M. Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with special reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages; New Edition Greatly Enlarged and Improved by E. Leumann and C. Cappeller, New Delhi, 2008 (5^th Reprint), p.972. Hereafter Monier-Williams

[6]:

K.G.Zysk, Medicine in the Veda, p.241.

[7]:

Monier-Williams, p.972.

[8]:

K.G.Zysk, Medicine in the Veda, p.241.

[9]:

V.W Karambelkar, The Atharva-Veda and the Āyur-Veda, p.3.

[10]:

S.N. Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. II, Delhii, 2000 (reprint), p. 293.

[11]:

S.N.Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. II, p.293.

[12]:

P. Kutumbiah, Ancient Indian Medicine, Hyderabad, 1999 (Reissue), p.xiv.

[13]:

P. Kutumbiah, Ancient Indian Medicine, p. xiv.

[14]:

S.N. Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. II, p.294; P. Kutumbiah, p. xv.