The Legacy of Caraka

Description

Caraka, the master physician, is believed to have lived in the first century AD. The Samhita– composed by him forms the bedrock of ayurvedic practice today. His contribution to India’s cultural inheritance was profound. Caraka Samhita– was, in fact, a revision of an older text Agnivesa– Tantra, which was written several centuries before Caraka’s time. Caraka’s revision became so popular that it was translated into Tibetan, Arabic, English and many Indian languages. The Legacy of Caraka retells the Samhita– in a new format. Instead of adhering to the sequence of the Stha–nas in the original, the author has retold the Samhita– through thematically structured chapters, in contemporary idiom. The retelling has involved some degree of restructuring and condensation but has ensured that whatever is stated can be traced back to the original. In a detailed introduction, the author has commented on specific aspects of Caraka’s philosophy, concepts and practice, as seen from the point of view of modern medicine. This book will be of special interest to students of a–yurveda, medicine and other sciences, and those interested in the history of science in India Preface An appreciation List of illustrations Introduction I. Caraka and his legacy II. Atharva Veda to Caraka Atharvan echoes in Caraka - Human body in Atharva veda III. Diseases in Caraka's period IV. Doctrines and concepts V. Five evacuative procedures (pañcakarma) VI. Procedures for rejuvenation and enhanced virility (rasāyana and vājīkaraṇa) VII. Medicinal plants VIII. Food and drinks IX. Habitat X. Learning to be a physician SECTION 1 : Mind and matter 1. Āyurveda 2. Drugs formulations in therapeutics 3. Sense perception and well-being 4. Life in accord with the seasons 5. Suppression of natural urges; comments on physical miscella 6. The medical quartet 7. Three desires 8. Lubricants in therapeutics 9. Fomentation 10. Evacuative therapy 11. Imbalance of doṣas - varied expressions 12. Slimming and building up in therapeutics 13. Obesity and leanness; stray remarks on sleep 14. Blood 15. Food as the source of man and his diseases 16. Rasas 17. Food and drink 18. The fate of food and drinks in the body 19. Physicians 20. Rasas, Dosa and a Healthful Diet 21. Epidemics 22. Norms for the quantity of meals 23. Body 24. Disease 25. Infestation by worms (krmi) 26. Training of a physician 27. The body and its knower 28. Conception 29. Genesis of the embryo 30. Pregnancy 31. Antenatal and postnatal managemen and care of the baby 32. The individual and the cosmos 33. A count of body parts 34. The spectre of death SECTION 2 : Rejuvenant and virile therapy 35. Rejuvenant therapy (rasāyana) 36. Virile therapy (vājīkarana) 37. Fevers (jvara) 38. Pitta-induced bleeding disorders (rakta pitta) 39. Gaseous and hemorrhagic lumps of the abdomen (gulma) 40. Polyurias (pramehas) 41. Skin disorders including leprosy (kuṣ ṭha) 42. Phthisis (śosa) 43. Insanity (unmāda) 44. Epilepsy (apasmāra) 45. Chest injuries and their sequelae (ksata ksī na) 46. Swelling (śvayathu) 47. Abdominal disease with distension (udara) 48. Piles (arśa) Congenital piles nt 49. Digestion and digestive disorders (grahaṇi) 50. Disorders of pallor (pāṇḍuroga) (anemias) 51. Hiccup; shortness of breath (hikkā; śvāsa) 52. Cough (kāsa) 53. Diarrhea (atisāra) 54. Vomiting (chhardi) 55. Cellulitis (visarpa) 56. Thirst (tṛ ṣ ṇā) Missing p.413-420 missing 57. Poisoning (viṣa) Types 58. Alcoholic disorders (madātyaya) 59. Sores and injuries (vraṇa) 60. Three regional disorders (basti 61. Numb and immobile thighs (ūrustambha) 62. Disorders of perturbed vata (vātavyādhi) 63. Disorders of perturbed vāta and blood (vātaśoṇita) Clinical 64. Disorders of the reproductive system 65. Drugs for evacuation 66. Evacuative procedures (pañcakarma) and formulations Epilogue Botanical names Glossary