Charaka-samhita

Charaka-samhita

चरकसंहिता, carakasaṃhitā

"Charaka-samhita" is the main treatise on medicine (Ayurveda), which has survived to this day, is a vast collection of texts written in classical Sanskrit, the primary source of which is the ancient "Agniveshatantra".

The treatise takes its name from its the author-editor Charaka, but the identity and dates of his life are not precisely established. Referring to the "Bhava-prakasha", some modern scholars (such as NVK Varier) are of the opinion that Ananta (Patanjali), the master of all six Vedangas and Ayurveda, traveled throughout the world in the guise of a sage to learn about worldly life. The term "charaka" is believed to come from this habit of wandering. It is possible that Charaka, the editor of the Ayurvedic text, belonged to the clan of wandering Charakas.

Some scholars date Charaka to the first century AD, the heyday of the Mahayana movement in Buddhism. Others believe that Charaka was a follower of the North Indian medical school of Takshila, who later founded his own school, and who was a physician at the court of the Kushan king Kanishka (2nd century AD).

In the 8th–9th centuries text was edited and completed by Dridhabala, a Kashmiri. Each of the chapters of the treatise ends with a note about its composition: "compiled by Agnivesha, edited by Charaka and updated by Dridhabala."

In "Charaka-samhita" basic concepts of Ayurveda appeared – the theories of tridosha, panchabhuta, etc., along with detailed and systematic philosophical concepts. A description of the spiritual and material principles (from the position of Sankhya) is given in terms of the impact on the patient’s health. Charaka systematizes the ideas of the Vedic era about the healing energies of deities, prescribing, in addition to medicines, corresponding mantras.

The special and necessary requirements for healing are set out, for example, the following instructions are given upon graduation: the future doctor promises to keep professional secrets secret, to work only for the sake of patients, not to disclose their illnesses, not to participate in the preparation of poisons (even if the king orders him to do so) and be a role model for others in life.