Philosophy of Charaka-samhita

by Asokan. G | 2008 | 88,742 words

Ayurveda, represented by Charaka and Sushruta, stands first among the sciences of Indian intellectual tradition. The Charaka-samhita, ascribed to the great celebrity Charaka, has got three strata. (1) The first stratum is the original work composed by Agnivesha, the foremost of the six disciples of Punarvasu Atreya. He accomplished the work by coll...

Moral outlook of Caraka

If we analyze the moral outlook of Caraka on the basis of the above criterion, we can see that the scheme of moral life promulgated by Caraka is basically Vedic and predominantly philosophical. But this does not mean that he discards the non-Vedic moral values. On the other hand, it follows a balancing attitude, for the main focus is human happiness. It upholds all the above mentioned values which are universally acclaimed as the “right way of life”.

Caraka adopts a rational attitude. Through the words of Ātreya he declares that Veda is credible knowledge. Meanwhile the assertions of eminent persons based on their investigation and substantiation in any field of knowledge which are not in contradiction with the Veda and which are approved by virtuous persons and are conductive to human welfare should be considered authoritative[1] . This shows that the moral conceptions are not merely dogmatic but also rational.

If “social morality” is predominantly the morality of doing, and individual morality is the morality of “being”, we see the culmination of both in the moral conceptions of Caraka. He pays equal importance to worldly life and liberation. Mundane life is construed as a way to attain the spiritual optimum. In other words, it is a synthesis of the world- and- life-affirming moral conceptions of Vedic- tradition.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

CS, Su, XI. 27.

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