Charaka-Samhita

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The Charaka-Samhita is a Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine). Along with the Sushruta-Samhita, it is one of the two foundational texts of this field that have survived from ancient India. It is one of the three works that constitute the Brhat-Trayi.

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In Sanskrit, Charaka is a term for a wanderer, Sannyasi (ascetic), and sometimes used in the context of the ancient tradition of wandering physicians who brought their medical expertise and magico-religious rites from village to village.

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Surendranath Dasgupta states that the medical tradition of wandering physicians is traceable to the Atharvaveda, particularly the Caranavaidya Shakha – one of the nine known Shakha of Atharvaveda-based Vedic schools. The name of this school literally means "wandering physicians". Their texts have not survived into the modern era, but manuscripts from two competing schools – Paippalada and Saunakiya, have.

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The Atharvaveda contains chapters relating to medicine, surgery and magico-religious rites. This Atharvaveda layer of text was likely compiled contemporaneously with Samaveda and Yajurveda, in about 1200 BCE–1000 BCE. Dasgupta and other scholars state that the Atreya-Charaka school and its texts may have emerged from this older tradition, and he cites a series of Atharvaveda hymns to show that almost all organs and nomenclature found in Charaka-Samhita are also found in the Vedic hymns.

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The text is based on the Agnivesha-Samhita, an older encyclopedic medical compendium by Agnivesa. It was revised by Charaka between 100 BCE and 200 CE and renamed Charaka-Samhita. The pre-2nd century CE text consists of eight books and one hundred and twenty chapters. It describes ancient theories on the human body, etiology, symptomology and therapeutics for a wide range of diseases. The Charaka-Samhita also includes sections on the importance of diet, hygiene, prevention, medical education, and the teamwork of a physician, nurse and patient necessary for recovery to health.

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The Charaka-Samhita states that the content of the book was first taught by Atreya, and then subsequently codified by Agnivesa, revised by Charaka, and the manuscripts that survive into the modern era are based on one completed by Dṛḍhabala. Dṛḍhabala stated in the Charaka Samhita that he had to write one-third of the book himself because this portion had been lost, and that he also re-wrote the last part of the book.

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The extant text has eight sthana (books), totalling 120 chapters. The text includes a table of contents embedded in its verses, stating the names and describing the nature of the eight books, followed by a listing of the 120 chapters. These eight books are:

1. Sutra-Sthana (General principles) - 30 chapters deal with general principles, philosophy, definitions, prevention through healthy living, and the goals of the text. It is divided into quadruplets of 7, making it 28 with 2 concluding chapters.

2. Nidana-Sthana (Pathology) - 8 chapters on causes of diseases.

3. Vimana-Sthana (Specific determination) 8 chapters contain training of a physician, ethics of medical practice, pathology, diet and nourishment, taste of medicines.

4. Sarira-Sthana (Anatomy) - 8 chapters describe embryology & anatomy of a human body (with a section on other living beings).

5. Indriya-Sthana (Sensory organ based prognosis) - 12 chapters elaborate on diagnosis & prognosis, mostly based on sensory response of the patient.

6. Cikitsa-Sthana (Therapeutics) - 30 chapters deal with medicines and treatment of diseases.

7. Kalpa-Sthana (Pharmaceutics and toxicology) - 12 chapters describe pharmacy, the preparation and dosage of medicine, signs of their abuse, and dealing with poisons.

8. Siddhi-Sthana (Success in treatment) - 12 chapters describe signs of cure, hygiene and healthier living.

 

Seventeen chapters of Cikitsa-Sthana and complete Kalpa-Sthana and Siddhi-sthana were added later by Dṛḍhabala. The text starts with Sutra-Sthana which deals with fundamentals and basic principles of Ayurveda practice. Unique scientific contributions credited to the Caraka-Saṃhita include:

• a rational approach to the causation and cure of disease

• introduction of objective methods of clinical examination

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​Link >>> Charaka-Samhita (English translation)

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