Charaka Samhita

Charaka Samhita
A section of the Charaka Samhita.
Information
ReligionHinduism
AuthorCharaka
LanguageSanskrit
Period1st-millennium BCE
Chapters120 (in 8 books)
SutrasAyurveda
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The Charaka Samhita (IAST: Caraka-Saṃhitā, “Compendium of Charaka”) is a Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine).[1][2] Along with the Sushruta Samhita, it is one of the two foundational texts of this field that have survived from ancient India.[3][4][5] It is one of the three works that constitute the Brhat Trayi.

The text is based on the Agnivesha Samhitā, an older encyclopedic medical compendium by Agniveśa. It was revised by Charaka between 100 BCE and 200 CE and renamed Charaka Samhitā. The pre-2nd century CE text consists of 8 books and 120 chapters.[6][7] It describes ancient theories on the human body, etiology, symptomology and therapeutics for a wide range of diseases.[8] 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.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ Meulenbeld 1999, vol. IA, pp. 7-180.
  2. ^ Valiathan, M. S. (2003) The Legacy of Caraka Orient Longman ISBN 81-250-2505-7 reviewed in Current Science, Vol.85 No.7 Oct 2003, Indian Academy of Sciences seen at [1] June 1, 2006
  3. ^ E. Schultheisz (1981), History of Physiology, Pergamon Press, ISBN 978-0080273426, page 60-61, Quote: "(...) the Caraka Samhita and the Susruta Samhita, both being recensions of two ancient traditions of the Hindu medicine".
  4. ^ Wendy Doniger (2014), On Hinduism, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199360079, page 79, Quote: A basic assumption of Hindu medical texts like the Caraka Samhita (composed sometime between 100 BCE and 100 CE) is the doctrine of the three (...);
    Sarah Boslaugh (2007), Encyclopedia of Epidemiology, Volume 1, SAGE Publications, ISBN 978-1412928168, page 547, Quote: "The Hindu text known as Sushruta Samhita (600 AD) is possibly the earliest effort to classify diseases and injuries"
  5. ^ Thomas Banchoff (2009), Religious pluralism, globalization, and world politics, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195323412, page 284, Quote: An early Hindu text, the Caraka Samhita, vividly describes the beginning of life (...)
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmid21927226 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference meulenbeldhimlc10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Glucklichtsov141 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Svoboda1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference valiathan1186 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ F.A. Hassler, Caraka Samhita, Science, Vol. 22, No. 545, pages 17-18