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

\''aj?ia with his decapitated trunk." To them, replied the divine Ashvins : — " We shall do, O lords, as you command us to do." Then the celestials propitiated the god Indra in order that a portion of the oblations offered in the course of a sacrifice, might be allotted to those heavenly twins. The Ashvins reunited the severed head of Yajna to his body as prayed for.

[Hence this branch of the Ayurveda (Shalyanga) is the oldest of all its subdivisions].

The primary importance of the

Shalyam : — All hold this Tantram to be the most imnortant of all the other branches of the Mi^o See/' 'f ' "^^^ ^^ suc^w

^^ ^receptacle ofheauff iustantaueous actious can be r/VPQ ' ^ ^^ ^^^^^^ appliances as,

^ 3 Jb|*/£^getable world belongs t Ve|*Op , T o^ locomotion, belong to

^Jnav be areued here, since nd sword-cuts had to be dressed and

^ ^^^ tllQ to iuindamental material the gods and the denwns, long before ff dQ^f]^ 'ippearance Oir) ], it is not ct' idiopathic maladies such-^ as, fever, etc. ;

ad Smgery contruvofold attril/ was demanded of her towards the healint;

"-• up of those u'cers. li>. But s' branch of the Ayurveda is the oldest of all

IP the allied brawhes of thu-se in.ng art.

p. 8

surgical operatioi|s, external applications of alkalis, cauterisation, etc., and -.secondly inasmuch as it contains all that can be found in the other branches of the science of medicine as well, with the superior advantage of producing instantaneous effects by means of surgical instruments and appliances. Hence it is the highest in value of all the medical Tantras. It is eternal and a source of infinite piety, imparts fame and opens the gates of Heaven to its votavies, prolongs the duration of human existence on earth, and helps men in successfully fulfilling their missions, and earning a decent competence, in life.

Gradual extension of the Ayurvedic Knowledge :—Bramha was the first to inculcate the principles of the holy Ayurveda. Prajapati learned the science from him. The Ashvins learned it from Prajapati and imparted the knowledge to Indra, who has favoured me ( Dhanvantari ) with an entire knowledge thereof. I, for the good of mankind, am ready to impart it to those ^;-}-i^antram)-M^i^ earth.

anches of the Sci

The King of Kar?^,ther corroborate'^^ account Of himself i._^ pe,ception, Inft'^^ '^^ supreme and original god i^^^^j^^ (Agam?' *^"^^ ^^ Dhanvantifri. It is I who warde , f tl disease and decay fi-on\ the celestials, ^o - Kg j,-,^ was an inmate of the region of heaven, now I a . ^ .carnated on earthp. 9 with the view to teach the Science of SurgeiV with all its allied branches of study to men.

In the present science (Ayurveda), the Piirusha (selfconscious oro:anic individual) is described as the resultant of the combination of the soul and the five primar>- material principles. All medical acts such as, surgical operations, administration of medicinal remedies and applications of alkaline substances, or cauterisation, etc.), are restricted to the Piirusha alone.*

Why is it so ? The answer is, simply because the created world is composed of two distinct classes, such as the mobile and the immobile. f These two classes, in their turn, are further sub-divided for the purposes of the science of medicine into the two orders, Agneya hot and Saumya (cool. Hence the world is composed of fi^'e material principles, though characterised by the twofold virtues, Agneya (hot) and Saumya (cool).i t The vegetable world belongs to the latter category, while 'animals, possessed of locomotion, belong to the former.

* It may be questioned why they should be confined to the Puiusha ? Such a query may be successfully met by the statement that the Purusha alone is the receptacle of health and disease in contradistinction to the Self or Ego.

X It may be argued here, since everything in the universe is composed of the five fundamental material principles [ of earth, water, fire (heat), air and sky (ether) ], it is not competent to assert that the universe is possessed of the twofold attributes Agneya (heated or fiery) and Saumya (cool or watery), alone. But since fire (heat) or water (cold) predominates in all things in the universe in juxtaposition with ihe primary virtues of the

10 THE SUSWRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. I.