IMPORTANT BOOKS ON AYURVEDA

IMPORTANT BOOKS ON AYURVEDA

                                                Most popular books of Ayurveda are grouped into two i.e., Brihat trayi’s and Laghu trayi’s. Brihat trayi’s include Charakasamhitha, Susrutasamhitha and Astangasamgraha. Laghu trayi consists of Madhavanidana, Sharangadharasamhitha and Bhavaprakasa.
 

BRIHAT TRAYI’S

1. Charakasamhitha
    
                         Charakasamhitha is one of the most important books among the samhithas. The Charakasamhitha as available in the present form is originally the work of Agnivesa who composed his tantra by collecting the teachings of his teacher Punarvasu Atreya. This tantra was later improved and enlarged by Charaka on whose name it came to be known popularly as the Charakasamhitha. Charaka was the court physician of King Kanishkan. Charaka did not give importance to Salyachikilsa in his book. Instead he gave importance to Kayachikilsa. Charakasamhitha now available has eight sthanas. They are Sutrasthanam, Nidanasthanam, Vimanasthanam, Sareerasthanam, Indriyasthanam, Kalpasthanam, Sidhisthanam and Chikilsasthanam.

 2.  Susruthasamhitha

                             Susruthasamhitha is a work comprehending the surgical traditions of Indian medicine ascribing to sage Susrutha, the original of which may have been composed around 600B.C or before 1000B.C. It was one of the 4 treatise regarded as the source books for the branch of surgery and for all the later surgical works in India. There were differences of opinion about the author of Susruthasamhitha. It can be generally presumed that the original text of Susruthasamhitha before its revision and redaction be considered as Susruthatantra (Vriddha susrutham) which there after came to be known as Susruthasamhitha. The present Susruthasamhitha consists of six sthanas and 186 chapters. While the 5 sthanas deal almost extensively with                               surgery the last sthana is assigned to deal briefly with the six branches of Ayurveda leaving out toxicology – Agadatantra.

   3. Ashtangasamgraha

                      Ashtangasamgraha is a voluminous and comprehensive medical treatise included in the Brihat trayi of Indian medicine. Vagbhata wrote it. He is classed with Charaka and Susrutha and held in great reverence all over India, especially in the south. It deals with all eight branches of Ayurveda. The Ashtangasamgraha is divided into 150 chapters with 6 sthanas. For easy learning it is summarized into another text called Ashtangahridaya. Unlike Ashtangasamgraha, this work is entirely versified, the verses often reminding one strongly the verse portions of Ashtangasamgraha. This work follows the general plan of Ashtangasamgraha and is divided into 6 sthanas and 120 chapters.    

LAGHU TRAYI’S

              The books of Madhanidanam, Sharngadhara samhitha and Bhavaprakasham are known as Laghu trayi’s.

1. Madhavanidana

                        Madhavacharya or Madhavakaran wrote Madhavanidana. His native place was Vangadesham. It is a book, which give importance to the cause of the disease or roganidanam. It is the best book dealing with Nidanam, Lakshana, and Samprapti of all diseases.

2. Sharangadharasamhitha

                     This is one among the Laghu trayis. Sharangadharan wrote this book. It gives much importance to medicinal preparations. The famous effective formulations of different books present in that period were collected and given in this samhitha. Sharangadharasamhitha is divided into 1) Poorvakandam 2) Madhyamakandam 3) Uttarakandam. It has got 32 chapters with 2600 slogas. It gives special importance to the classifications of diseases and their description.

3. Bhavaprakasham

                           Bhavaprakasham is one among Laghutrayi’s. Bhavamishran wrote it. The traditional knowledge present at that time was analyzed in this book. Bhavaprakasham has three divisions 1) Poorvakandam 2) Madhyamakandam and 3) uttarakandam. Poorvakandam is again divided into poorvabhaga and dwithiyabhaga and the mishraprakaranam of Poorvabhaga starts with Harithakyadivargam. This portion is known as Bhavaprakas nighantu.  It gives classification of many new drugs according to Rasam, Gunam, Veeryam, Vipakam and Prabhavam under 23 ranges.

 

 

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