An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita, Vol. I: Sutrasthanam — trans. Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna (1907)

— Classiticutiou of tlesh— The Vishkira group — General properties of the flesh' of Vishkira, animal^ — Etymology of the term Pratuda — Enumeration of the animals of the Pratuda group— Cave dwelling, and hole dwelling animals— The Prasalia group of animals — Beneficial use of flesh of the Prasaha group in, Phthisis — Detailed classification of animals with the etymology of their generic names, and properties of their flesh — Frvit group, and the properties of different fruits — Group of pot herbs, and their properties — Flower groups — The group o£ edible leaves of plants, and their properties — The group of bulbous plants — The group of salts — General properties of nitrate of potash, etc. — Properties of gold, iron, silver and other metals — Determination of the properties of drugs other than those herein mentioned — Drinks and beverages — Rules of diet — Rules of serving out the meal — General causes of indigestion— Symptoms of the different types of indigestion — Medical treatment of the same — Symptoms which mark acts of over or insufticient eating, or an act of eating a meal before a previous one is digested — Reason of one's feeling hungi'y even when suffering from indigestion ... 469 — 571

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THE SUSHRUTA SAMHUA

SUTRASTHANAM.

CHAP T E R I.

Well, we* shall now describe the origin of the Science of Medicine, as disclosed by the holy Dhanvantari to his disciple Sushruta. (Vedotpattimadhyaryam).

Once upon a time, when the holy Dhanvantari, the greatest of the mighty celestials, incarnated in the form of Divodasa, the king of Kasi, was blissfulh^ seated, in his hermitage, surrounded bv a concourse of holy Rishis ; Aupadhenava, Vaitarana, Aurabhra, Paushkalavata, Karavirya, Gopura-rakshita, Sushruta and others addressed him as follows : — "O Sire, it grieves us much to find men, though otherwise well befriended

" The present work which originally formed the subject of a discourse by the holy sage Dhanvantari to his disciple Sushruta, has been compiled in its present form by the venerable Nagarj una, and is accordingly designated as the Sushruta Samhila.

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b)' the'ir kin and relations, falling a prey to diseases, mental, physical, traumatic, or natural, and piteously wailing in agony like utterly friendless creatures on earth ; and we supplicate thee, O Lord, to illumine our minds with the truths of the Eternal Ayurveda (Medical Science) so that we may faithfully discharge the duties allotted to us in life, and alleviate the sufferings of humanit)" at large. Bliss in this life and hereafter, is in the gift of this eternal Ayurveda, and for this, O Lord, we have made bold to approach thee as thy humble disciples." To them, thus replied the hoi}' Dhanvantari : — "Welcome to all of you to this blissful hermitage. All of you are worthy of the honour of true pupilship or tutelage."

The A'yui'veda (which forms the subject of our present discourse), originally formed one of the subsections of the Athar\'a A'eda ; and even before the creation of mankind, the self-begotten Brahma strung it together into a hundred thousand couplets (Shlokas), divided into a thousand chapters. But then he thought of the small duration of human life on earth, and the failing character of human memory, and found it prudent to divide the whole of the Ayurveda into eight different branches such as, the SalyaTantram, the Salakya-Tantram, the Kaya-Chikitsa, the Bhuta-Vidy.i, the KauniHr-Bhrityci, the Agada-Tantram, the Rusa\"ana-Tantram and the \'ajeekarana-Tantram.

Chap. I. ] SUTRASTHAN'AM. ^

Xow about the characteristi'c features of each of these branches of the Science of the Ayurveda : —

The Salya-Tantram*— The scope of this branch of Medical Science is to remote from an ulcer) any extraneous substanx:e such as, iTagments of hay, particles of stone, dust, iron or bone ; splinters, nails, hair, clotted blood, or condensed pus (as the case may be , or to draw out of the uterus a dead foetus, or to bring about safe parturitions in cases of false presentation, and to deal with the principle and mode of using and handling surgical instruments in general, and with the application of fire (cautery) and alkaline (caustic) substances, together with the diagnosis and treatment of ulcers.

The Sha'Ia'kya-Tantramt— embraces as its

object the treatment of those diseases which are restricted to the upward (lit: — region above the clavicles) fissures or cavities of the body, such as the ears, the eyes, the cavity of the mouth, the nostrils, etc.

The Ka'ya-Chikitsar (General diseases! — treats of diseases, which, instead of being simply