View source for Charaka Samhita

{{Short description|Sanskrit text on ayurveda}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox religious text
| image =A section of the Carakasamhita - sutrasthana Wellcome L0040423.jpg
| image_size=250
| alt = 
| caption = A section of the Charaka Samhita.
| verses = 
| author = [[Charaka]]
| language = [[Sanskrit]]
| date     = Between 100 BCE and 200 CE
| chapters = 120 (in 8 books)
| name= ''Charaka Samhita''
| period= {{BCE|1st-millennium}}
| sutras= [[Ayurveda]]|religion=[[Hinduism]]}}

{{Hindu scriptures}}
The '''''Charaka Samhita''''' ({{langx|sa|चरक संहिता|Caraka-Saṃhitā|lit=Compendium of [[Charaka]]}}) is a [[Sanskrit]] text on [[Ayurveda]] (Indian traditional medicine).{{sfn|Meulenbeld|1999|loc=vol. IA, pp. 7-180}}<ref>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  [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/oct102003/1087.pdf] June 1, 2006</ref> Along with the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]'', it is one of the two foundational texts of this field that have survived from ancient India.<ref>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".</ref><ref>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 (...);<br />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"</ref><ref>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 (...)</ref> 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 [[Agnivesha|Agniveśa]]. It was revised by [[Charaka]] between 100 [[Common Era|BCE]] and 200 CE and renamed ''Charaka Samhitā''. The pre-2nd century CE text consists of 8 books and 120 chapters.<ref name="pmid21927226"/><ref name=meulenbeldhimlc10/> It describes ancient theories on the human body, [[etiology]], [[symptom]]ology and [[Pharmacology|therapeutics]] for a wide range of diseases.<ref name="Glucklichtsov141"/> 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.<ref name="Svoboda1992"/><ref name=valiathan1186/><ref>F.A. Hassler, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1764939 Caraka Samhita], Science, Vol. 22, No. 545, pages 17-18</ref>

==Authorship==
{{Quote box |width=26em | bgcolor=#FFE0BB |align=right |salign = right 
|quote='''The ideal medical student'''
<poem>
He should be of a mild disposition, noble by nature, never mean in his acts, free from pride, strong memory, liberal mind, devoted to truth, likes solitude, of thoughtful disposition, free from anger, of excellent character, compassionate, one fond of study, devoted to both theory and practice, who seeks the good of all creatures.
</poem>
|source =—''Charak Samhita'' 3.VIII.6 (Abridged){{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=549–550 (Volume 2 of 5)}}<ref name=csamhitavimsth/>}}
The ''Charaka Samhita'' states that the content of the book was first taught by [[Atreya]], and then subsequently codified by [[Agniveśa]], revised by Charaka, and the manuscripts that survive into the modern era are based on one completed by Dṛḍhabala.<ref name="pmid26195898">{{cite journal| author=Bhavana KR and Shreevathsa | title=Medical geography in Charaka Samhita. | journal=AYU | year= 2014 | volume= 35 | issue= 4 | pages= 371–377 | pmid=26195898 | doi=10.4103/0974-8520.158984 | pmc=4492020 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Dṛḍhabala stated in the ''Charaka Samhita'' that he had to write one-third of the book himself because this portion had been lost, and that he also re-wrote the last part of the book.<ref>{{cite book|title=Science and Society in Ancient India|author=Debiprasad Chatopadhyaya|pages=29–32|year=1978}}</ref>

Based on textual analysis, and the literal meaning of the Sanskrit word ''charaka'', Chattopadhyay speculated that charaka does not refer to one person but a lineage or sect of people.<ref>{{cite book|title=Science and Society in Ancient India|author=Debiprasad Chatopadhyaya|pages=29–30|year=1978}}</ref> Vishwakarma and Goswami state that the text exists in many versions and entire chapters are missing in some versions.<ref name="pmid24049400">{{cite journal|vauthors=Vishwakarma R, Goswami PK | title=A review through Charaka Uttara-Tantra. | journal=AYU | year= 2013 | volume= 34 | issue= 1 | pages= 17–20 | pmid=24049400 | doi=10.4103/0974-8520.115438 | pmc=3764873 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Date==
Dates of composition of the ''Charaka Samhita'' are uncertain. Meulenbeld's ''History of Indian Medical Literature'' dates it to be between the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE,<ref name=meulenbeldhimlc10>{{harvnb|Meulenbeld|1999|loc=IA, part 1, chapter 10 ''Caraka, his identity and date''}}</ref> with Charaka's compilation likely between 100 BCE and 200 CE.{{sfn|Meulenbeld|1999|p=114}} The Dṛḍhabala revision and completion, the source of current texts, is dated to the 6th century CE.<ref>Philipp Maas (2010), "On What Became of the Carakasaṃhitā after Dṛḍhabala’s Revision", eJournal of Indian Medicine, Vol. 3, No. 1, pages 1–22</ref>

===Roots===
In Sanskrit, ''{{IAST|charaka}}'' is a term for a wanderer, [[sannyasa|sannyasi]] (ascetic), and sometimes used in the context of the ancient tradition of wandering physicians who brought their medical expertise and [[magico-religious]] rites from village to village.<ref name="Surendranath Dasgupta 1922 284"/><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2014/web/webtc/indexcaller.php?input=HK&output=SktRomanUnicode&citation=caraka|title = Sanskrit-English Dictionary|date = 1899|access-date = 2016-01-29|website = Cologne Dictionaries|publisher = OUP|last = Monier-Williams|first = Monier}}</ref>

Surendranath Dasgupta states that the medical tradition of wandering physicians is traceable to the [[Atharvaveda]], particularly the  Caranavaidya shakha – one of the nine known ''shakha'' of Atharvaveda-based Vedic schools.<ref name="Surendranath Dasgupta 1922 284"/> The name of this school literally means "wandering physicians".<ref name="Surendranath Dasgupta 1922 284">{{cite book|title = A History of Indian philosophy, Vol 1|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NjI9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA283 |pages = 283–284|author = Surendranath Dasgupta|year = 1922 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> Their texts have not survived into the modern era, but manuscripts from two competing schools – Paippalada and Saunakiya, have.<ref name="Surendranath Dasgupta 1922 284"/>

The Atharvaveda contains chapters relating to medicine, surgery and magico-religious rites.<ref>Kenneth Zysk (2012), Understanding Mantras (Editor: Harvey Alper), Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120807464}}, pages 123-129</ref> This Atharvaveda layer of text was likely compiled contemporaneously with [[Samaveda]] and [[Yajurveda]], in about 1200 BCE–1000 BCE.<ref name=michaelwitzel68>[[Michael Witzel]] (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism (Editor: Gavin Flood), Blackwell, {{ISBN|0-631215352}}, page 68</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Legacy of Caraka|author=M. S. Valiathan|page=22|publisher=Orient Blackswan}}</ref> Dasgupta and other scholars state that the Atreya-Charaka school and its texts may have emerged from this older tradition, and he cites a series of Atharvaveda hymns to show that almost all organs and nomenclature found in Charaka Samhita are also found in the Vedic hymns.<ref>{{cite book|title = A History of Indian philosophy, Vol 1|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NjI9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA283 |pages = 284–289 with footnotes|author = Surendranath Dasgupta|year = 1922 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref><ref name="pmid22048529">{{cite journal| author=Thakar VJ| title=Historical development of basic concepts of Ayurveda from Veda up to Samhita. | journal=AYU | year= 2010 | volume= 31 | issue= 4 | pages= 400–402 | pmid=22048529 | doi=10.4103/0974-8520.82024 | pmc=3202268 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Contents==
{{Quote box |width=26em | bgcolor=#FFE0BB |align=right |salign = rights
|quote='''The aim of life science'''
<poem>
Life is of four kinds: ''Sukha'' (happy), ''Duhkha'' (unhappy), ''Hita'' (good) and ''Ahita'' (bad).

''Sukham-Ayuh'' is a life unaffected by bodily or psychic diseases is endowed with vigor, capabilities, energy, vitality, activity, knowledge, successes and enjoyment. The opposite of this is the ''Asukham-Ayuh''.

''Hitam-Ayuh'' is the life of a person who is always willing to do good to all living beings, truthful, non-stealing, calm, self-restrained, taking steps after examining the situation, virtuous, achieve [[Dharma]]-[[Artha]]-[[Kama]], without conflict with others, worshipping whatever is worthy, devoted to knowledge-understanding-serenity of mind, and to charity and peace. The opposite of this is the ''Ahitam-Ayuh''.

The aim of ''Ayurveda'' is to teach what is conducive to these four kinds of life.
</poem>
|source =—''Caraka Samhita'' Chapters 1.1, 1.30 (Abridged)<ref>{{cite book|title = A History of Indian philosophy, Vol 1|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NjI9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA283 |pages = 277–278|author = Surendranath Dasgupta|year = 1922 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref><ref>S. Cromwell Crawford (2003), Hindu Bioethics for the Twenty-first Century, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791457795}}, pages 41-42</ref>}}
The extant text has eight ''{{IAST| sthāna}}'' (books), totalling 120 chapters. The text includes a table of contents embedded in its verses, stating the names and describing the nature of the eight books, followed by a listing of the 120 chapters.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=424-438}} These eight books are<ref name="pmid21927226">{{cite journal| author=Balodhi JP| title=Constituting the outlines of a philosophy of ayurveda: mainly on mental health import. | journal=Indian J Psychiatry | year= 1987 | volume= 29 | issue= 2 | pages= 127–31 | pmid=21927226 | pmc=3172459 }}</ref>
# ''Sutra Sthana'' (General principles) -  30 chapters deal with general principles, philosophy, definitions, prevention through healthy living, and the goals of the text.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5, 16-20, 23}} It is divided into quadruplets of 7, making it 28 with 2 concluding chapters.
# ''Nidana Sthana'' ([[Pathology]]) -  8 chapters on causes of diseases.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5}}
# ''Vimana Sthana'' (Specific determination) 8 chapters contain training of a physician, ethics of medical practice, pathology, diet and nourishment, taste of medicines.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5, 20-22}}
# ''Śarira Sthana'' ([[Anatomy]]) - 8 chapters describe embryology & anatomy of a human body (with a section on other living beings).{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5, 26}}
# ''Indriya Sthana'' (Sensory organ based prognosis) - 12 chapters elaborate on diagnosis & prognosis, mostly based on sensory response of the patient.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5}}
# ''Cikitsa Sthana'' (Therapeutics) - 30 chapters deal with medicines and treatment of diseases.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5, 23-25}}
# ''Kalpa Sthana'' ([[Pharmaceutics]] and [[toxicology]]) - 12 chapters describe pharmacy, the preparation and dosage of medicine, signs of their abuse, and dealing with poisons.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5}}
# ''Siddhi Sthana'' (Success in treatment) - 12 chapters describe signs of cure, hygiene and healthier living.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=4-5}}

Seventeen chapters of ''Cikitsā sthāna'' and complete ''Kalpa sthāna'' and ''Siddhi sthāna'' were added later by Dṛḍhabala.<ref>{{cite book|title=Somatic Lessons: Narrating Patienthood and Illness in Indian Medical Literature|page=37|author=Anthony Cerulli|publisher=SUNY Press|year=2011}}</ref> The text starts with ''Sūtra sthāna'' which deals with fundamentals and basic principles of Ayurveda practice. Unique scientific contributions credited to the {{IAST|Caraka Saṃhitā}} include:
* a rational approach to the causation and cure of disease
* introduction of objective methods of clinical examination

===Physician, nurse, patient and medicines===
The text asserts that there are four important parts to medical practice – the patient, the physician, the nurse and the medicines.<ref name=valiathan1186>MS Valiathan (2009), An Ayurvedic view of life, Current Science, Volume 96, Issue 9, pages 1186-1192</ref> All four are essential to recovery and return to health, states the text. The physician provides knowledge and coordinates the treatment. He is who can "explore the dark interior of the body with the lamp of knowledge", according to the text and Valiathan's translation.<ref name=valiathan1186/>{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=21-22}} The physician must express joy and cheer towards those who can respond to treatment, masterfully avoid and save time in cases where the patient suffers from an incurable disease, while compassionate towards all.<ref name=valiathan1186/> The nurse must be knowledgeable, skilled at preparing formulations and dosage, sympathetic towards everyone and clean.<ref name="Svoboda1992">{{cite book| author=Robert Svoboda |title=Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity| year=1992|publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0140193220|pages=189–190}}</ref> The patient is responsible for being positive, have the ability to describe how he or she feels, remember and respectfully follow the physician instructions.<ref name="Svoboda1992"/><ref name=valiathan1186/>

The Charaka Samhita, states Curtin, was among the earliest texts that set a code of ethics on physicians and nurses, attributing "moral as well as scientific authority to the healer".<ref name="Curtin2001">{{cite journal|last1=Curtin |first1=Leah|title=Guest Editorial |journal=International Nursing Review |volume=48 |issue=1|year=2001 |pages=1–2| doi=10.1046/j.1466-7657.2001.00067.x|pmid=11316272|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rao |first1=M. S. |title=The history of medicine in India and Burma |journal=Medical History|volume=12 |issue=1| year=2012|pages=52–61 | doi=10.1017/S002572730001276X|pmid=4230364 |pmc=1033772 }}</ref> The text, in chapters 8 and 9 of the Vimana Sthana dedicates numerous verses to discussing the code. It mandates that the physician must seek consent before entering a patient's quarters, must be accompanied by a male member of the family if he is attending a woman or minor, must inform and gain consent from the patient or the guardians if the patient is a minor, must never resort to extortion for his service, never involve himself in any other activities with the patient or patient's family (such as negotiating loans, arranging marriage, buying or selling property), speak with soft words and never use cruel words, only do "what is calculated to do good to the patient", and maintain the patient's privacy.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=553-558 (Volume 2 of 5)}}

There is no end in the knowledge of medical science, claims verse 3.8.12 of the Charaka Samhita, and the physician must constantly learn and devote himself to it.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=547-548 (Volume 2 of 5)}} The text asserts that a physician should discuss his findings and questions with other physicians because "when one discusses with another that is possessed of a knowledge of the same science, such discussion leads to increase of knowledge and happiness".{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|p=557 (Volume 2 of 5)}} The verses that follow an outline that discussions can be hostile or peaceful, the former are unproductive, the latter useful; even if one faces hostile criticism, one must persuade with gentle words and manner, asserts the text.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|p=558-559 (Volume 2 of 5)}}

===Religious ideas===
The Charaka Samhita, like many ancient Hindu literature, reveres and attributes Hindu gods as the ultimate source of its knowledge.<ref name="Glucklichtsov141"/> The Charaka Samhita mentions [[Bharadvaja]] learning from god [[Indra]], after pleading that "poor health was disrupting the ability of human beings from pursuing their spiritual journey", and then Indra provides both the method and specifics of medical knowledge.<ref name="Glucklichtsov141"/>{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=1-4 (Volume 1 of 5)}} The method, asserts the text, revolves around three principles: etiology, symptomology and therapeutics.<ref name="Glucklichtsov141">{{cite book|author=Ariel Glucklich|title=The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective|url=https://archive.org/details/stridesvishnuhin00gluc_414|url-access=registration|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-531405-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/stridesvishnuhin00gluc_414/page/n155 141]–142}}</ref> Thus, states Glucklich, the text presumes proper goals to include both spiritual and physical health.<ref name="Glucklichtsov141"/>

The Charaka Samhita, in addition to initial recitations, uses the foundational assumptions and values embedded in various layers of the [[Vedas]]. These assumptions include the Vedic doctrine that a human being is a microcosmic replica of the universe,<ref name="Glucklichtsov141"/> and the ancient Hindu theory of six elements (five [[Prakriti]] and one [[Brahman]]),<ref name="Glucklichtsov141"/> three humors (Vata, Pitta, Kapha),<ref>{{cite book|title = A History of Indian philosophy, Vol 1|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NjI9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA325 |pages = 325–339 with footnotes|author = Surendranath Dasgupta|year = 1922 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> three [[Guṇa]]s (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) as constituent forces innate in a human body,<ref>Wendy Doniger (2014), On Hinduism, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0199360079}}, page 79</ref> and others.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ariel Glucklich|title=The Sense of Adharma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6bsOfvySvMC |year= 1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0198024484|pages=97–98}}</ref> The Charaka Samhita is premised on the Hindu assumption that [[Atman (Hinduism)|Atman]] (soul) exists, it is immutable, and thereafter the text defines physical and mental diseases as caused by a lack of correlation and imbalance in body, or mind, or both, because of external factors (Prakriti, objects of senses), age or a want of correlation (appropriate harmony, equilibrium) between the three humors or the three ''Gunas''.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=4-8 (Volume 1 of 5)}}

The Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita have religious ideas throughout, states Steven Engler, who then concludes, "Vedic elements are too central to be discounted as marginal".{{Sfn|Engler|2003|pp=416-463}}{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=5-7}}{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=400-402 with footnotes (Volume 1 of 5), Sashira Sthanam Chapter 1 verses 1-92, pages 651-676 (of Kaviratna Vol 2 of 5), etc.}} These ideas appear, for example, in the theoretical foundations and Vedic metaphors used in these texts.{{Sfn|Engler|2003|pp=416-463}}{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=5-7}} In addition, states Engler, the text includes another layer of ideas, where empirical rational ideas flourish in competition or cooperation with religious ideas, as well as the evidence of later additions of some Brahminic ideas.{{Sfn|Engler|2003|pp=416-463}}

There is a close relationship between the philosophic presuppositions and the approach to medicine in Caraka Samhita.<ref name="Hastings2014">{{cite book|author=Samantha K. Hastings|title=Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics: 2012-2013|year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-0759123342|pages=48–49}}</ref><ref>Pramod Thakar (1995), Philosophical Foundations in Ancient Indian Medicine: Science, Philosophy, and Ethics in Caraka-samhita, PhD Thesis awarded by Boston College, {{oclc| 42271152}}</ref>

===Nutrition and diet===
{{Quote box |width=26em | bgcolor=#FFE0BB |align=right |salign = right 
|quote='''Diet and health'''
<poem>
Innumerable diseases, bodily and mental, have for their root ''[[Guṇa|Tamas]]'' (stupefaction, darkness). Through fault of the understanding, one indulges in the five injurious objects, suppresses the urgings of nature and accomplishes acts that are highly rash. The man of Ignorance then becomes united with conditions for disease. The man of Knowledge, however, purified by knowledge avoids those conditions. One should never take any food, acting only from a desire for it or guided by ignorance. Only food that is beneficial should be eaten, after proper examination. Verily, the body is the result of food.
</poem>
|source =—''Caraka Samhita'', 1.XXVIII.41-48{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=400-401 (Volume 1 of 5)}}<ref name="pmid22661838">{{cite journal|vauthors=Thakkar J, Chaudhari S, Sarkar PK | title=Ritucharya: Answer to the lifestyle disorders. | journal=AYU | year= 2011 | volume= 32 | issue= 4 | pages= 466–471 | pmid=22661838 | doi=10.4103/0974-8520.96117 | pmc=3361919 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>Sanskrit: [http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_sutra.pdf Sutra Sthana, Chapter 28] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029111847/http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_sutra.pdf |date=2013-10-29 }}, pages 225-226</ref>}}
''Charaka Samhita'' dedicates Chapters 5, 6, 25, 26 and 27 to "Aharatattva" (dietetics), stating that a wholesome diet is essential for good health and to prevent diseases, while unwholesome food is an important cause of diseases.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=18-19}}

{{Blockquote|
<poem>
The tastes are six. They are sweet, sour, saline, pungent, bitter and astringent.
Properly used, they nourish the body.
Improperly used (excess or deficient), they verily lead to the provocation of the ''Dosha''.
The ''Dosha'' are three: ''Vata'', ''Pitta'' and ''Kapha''.
When they are in their normal state, they are beneficial to the body.
When, however, they become disorganized, verily they afflict the body with diseases of diverse kinds.
</poem>
|Charaka Samhita|3.I.3-4{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=446 (Volume 2 of 5)}}<ref>Sanskrit: [http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_vimana.pdf Vimana Sthana, Chapter 28] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029111853/http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_vimana.pdf |date=2013-10-29 }}, pages 225-226, verse 4-5 (Note this archive numbers the verses differently than numbering found in other manuscripts)</ref>}}
The text suggests that foods are source of heat, nutritive value as well as physiological substances that act like drugs inside human body. Furthermore, along with medicine, Caraka Samhita in Chapters 26 and 27, states that proper nutrition is essential for expedient recovery from sickness or surgery.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=18-19}}

====Meat for dietetics and medicine====
The Charaka Samhita suggests a regimen of ''Mamsa Rasa'' (meat soup) during pregnancy from the 6th month onwards.<ref name="pmid22556705">{{cite journal| author=Dwivedi M| title=Ayurvedic concept of food in pregnancy. | journal=Anc Sci Life | year= 1995 | volume= 14 | issue= 4 | pages= 245–7 | pmid=22556705 | pmc=3331247 }}</ref>

Freshly cut meat is also recommended by the text for treatment of poison: the cut meat is pressed against the affected part or spot of insect or reptile bite to absorb the poison.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=24-25}}

Ray et al. list medicinal substances from over 150 animal origins that are described in Charaka Samhita, and the chapters these are found in.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=38-51}} These range from meat of wild animals such as fox and crocodile, to that of freshly cut fish, fish oil, eggs of birds, bee's wax.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=38-51}} Additionally, the text describes hundreds of formulations (gruel) it asserts to be of medicinal value from a mixture of animal products and herb or plant products,{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=52-77}}{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=13-18 (Volume 1 of 5)}} as well as inert minerals such as various salts, soots and alkalis.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=78-85}}{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|p=17 (Volume 1 of 5), see discussion of ''yavakshara'' in footnote "j"}}

===Ancient pharmacy===
Numerous chapters in the Charaka Samhita are dedicated to identifying and classifying seeds, roots, flowers, fruits, stems, aromatic leaves, barks of different trees, plants juices, mountain herbs, animal products ranging from their milk to their excretory waste after the animals eat certain diet or grasses, different types of honey, stones, salts and others.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=Volumes 2, 3 and 4}} The text also describes numerous recipes, detailing how a particular formulation should be prepared. A typical recipe appears in the Cikitsa Sthana book of the Caraka Samhita as follows:{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=Volumes 2, 3 and 4}}

{{Blockquote|'''Anu Taila recipe'''
<poem>
Take a measure of sesame seeds.
Macerate them in goat's milk.
Then pound them in goat's milk.
Place the pounded product on a piece of clean cloth.
Place the product and cloth over a vessel filled with goat's milk.
Apply mild heat to the vessel. Let vapors from heated milk slightly boil the sesame paste.
Mix the boiled paste with pulverized liquorice, adding an equal measure of goat's milk.
Press the oil out of the mixed product.
Add this oil to the (standard) decoction of ten roots in the ratio of one to four.
To this oil mix, add paste of ''Rasna'', ''Madhuka'' and ''Saindhava'' salt in the ratio of four to one.
Boil all these together. Filter. Extract and collect the oil.
Repeat the root-paste-salt-oil combining and boiling process ten times.
The resulting oil is called ''Anu-taila''.
</poem>
|Charaka Samhita 6.XXVI{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=1746-1747 (Volume 4)}}<ref>Sanskrit: [http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_chikitsa_16_to_30.pdf Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 26] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029110041/http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_chikitsa_16_to_30.pdf |date=2013-10-29 }}, pages 902-903 (Note this archive numbers the verses differently than numbering found in other manuscripts)</ref>}}

The text, thereafter, asserts that this ''Anu-taila'' is to be used as a rubbing oil and as a nasal drop for a certain class of ailments.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=1746-1749 (Volume 4)}} Glucklich mentions other medical texts from ancient India which include the use of Anu-taila in skin therapy.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ariel Glucklich|title=The Sense of Adharma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6bsOfvySvMC |year= 1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0198024484|pages=96–97}}</ref>

===Sexual health===
The Charaka Samhita discusses sexual diseases as well as its theory of treatment of sexual dysfunctions and virility (''Vajikarana''). The text emphasizes methods of body cleansing, sexual health-promoting conduct, behavior and diet. Certain herb and mineral combinations are part of its regimen.<ref name="pmid23858267">{{cite journal|vauthors=Dalal PK, Tripathi A, Gupta SK | title=Vajikarana: Treatment of sexual dysfunctions based on Indian concepts. | journal=Indian J Psychiatry | year= 2013 | volume= 55 | issue= Suppl 2 | pages= S273–6 | pmid=23858267 | doi=10.4103/0019-5545.105550 | pmc=3705695 | doi-access=free }}</ref> The text asserts that obesity and a lifestyle lacking exercise is linked to sexual dysfunctions (Kṛcchra Vyavāya), dedicating many verses to this.<ref name="pmid23858267"/><ref name="pmid24167331">{{cite journal|vauthors=Geetha P, Aravind BS, Pallavi G, Rajendra V, Rao R, Akhtar N | title=Sexual dysfunction (Kṛcchra Vyavāya) in obesity (Sthaulya): Validation by an observational study | journal=Anc Sci Life | year= 2012 | volume= 32 | issue= 2 | pages= 76–81 | pmid=24167331 | doi=10.4103/0257-7941.118535 | pmc=3807961 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

The text, states Arnold, contains many verses relating to women's sexual health, suggesting "great antiquity of certain methods and therapeutic agents used in the treatment of gynecological cases", for example, the cautery, pessaries, and astringent washes.<ref name="pmid18743509">{{cite journal| author=Arnold CH| title=Historical Gynecology | journal=Cal West Med | year= 1936 | volume= 44 | issue= 1 | pages= 40–3 | pmid=18743509 | pmc=1760219}}</ref>

===Medical education===
Chapter VIII of the Charaka Samhita's Vimana Sthana book includes a section for the student aiming to become a physician.<ref name=csamhitavimsth/>{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=546 (Volume 2 of 5)}} The text asserts that any intelligent man who knows the challenge and patience necessary to become a physician must first decide on his [[guru]] (teacher) and the books he must study.{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=546-547 (Volume 2 of 5)}}  The Charaka Samhita claims, according to Kaviratna and Sharma translation, that "diverse treatises on medicine are in circulation", and the student must select one by a reputed scholar known for his wisdom, is free from tautology, ascribed to a [[Rishi]], well compiled and has [[bhasya]] (commentaries), which treats nothing but the professed subject, is devoid of slang and unfamiliar words, explain its inferences, is non-contradictory, and is well illustrated.<ref name=csamhitavimsth/>{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=546-547 (Volume 2 of 5)}}

The teacher for apprenticeship should be one who knows the field, has experience gained from successfully treating diseases, who is compassionate towards who approach him, who lives a life of inner and outer ''[[Shaucha]]'', is well equipped, who knows the characteristics of health and disease, one who is without malice towards anyone, is free of anger, who respects privacy and pain of his patients, is willing to teach, and is a good communicator.<ref name=csamhitavimsth/>{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=547-548 (Volume 2 of 5)}}  When one finds such a teacher, asserts the Caraka Samhita, the student must revere the teacher like a deity or one's own father, because it is by his grace that one becomes educated.<ref name=csamhitavimsth>Sanskrit: [http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_vimana.pdf Vimana Sthana, Chapter 8] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029111853/http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/charaka/charaka_vimana.pdf |date=2013-10-29 }}, pages 323-326 (Note this manuscript archive numbers the verses differently than numbering found in other manuscripts)</ref>{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=547-548 (Volume 2 of 5)}}

When the teacher accepts a student as his apprentice, asserts the Charaka Samhita, he should in the [[yajna|presence of fire]] initiate the student with the following mandates during the period of apprenticeship – "thou shalt be a [[brahmacharin]], wear beard and mustache, thou shalt be always truthful, abstain from meat and unclean diet, never harbor envy, never bear weapons, thou shalt do anything I say except if that may lead to another person's death or to great harm or to a sin, thou shalt behave like my son, never be impatient, always be attentive, behave with humility, act after reflection, and always seek whether sitting or standing the good of all living creatures".<ref name=csamhitavimsth/>{{Sfn|Kaviratna|Sharma|1913|pp=552-553 (Volume 2 of 5)}}

==Commentaries==
The most celebrated commentary on this text is the ''Carakatātparyaṭīkā'' "Commentary on the Meaning of the Caraka" or the ''Ayurveda Dīpikā'', "The Lamp to Ayurveda" written by [[Chakrapani Datta]] (1066).  Other notable commentaries are Bhattaraka Harichandra's ''Carakanyāsa'' ({{circa}} 4th-6th century), Jejjaṭas ''Nirantarapadavyākhyā'' (c.875), Shivadasa Sena's ''Carakatattvapradīpikā'' (c.1460). Among the more recent commentaries are Narasiṃha Kavirāja's ''Carakatattvaprakāśa'', Gaṅgādhara Kaviratna's ''Jalpakalpatāru'' (1879) and Yogindra Nath Sen's Charakopaskara (1920).<ref>http://210.212.169.38/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/4802/Thesis%20%28P-775%29.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y {{Bare URL PDF|date=September 2022}}</ref>

The earliest scholarly [[bhasya]] (review, commentary) in Sanskrit may be of Bhattar Harichandra's ''Carakanyasa'' on the redaction by Dṛḍhabala.<ref name="pmid23723636"/> Two manuscripts of this bhasya have survived into the modern era, and currently stored as number 9290 in Asiatic Society of Kolkata and number 13092 manuscript at the Government East Library, Chennai.<ref name="pmid23723636">{{cite journal| author=Gaur BL| title=Bhattar Harichandra: The first commentator of Caraka Samhita. | journal=AYU | year= 2012 | volume= 33 | issue= 3 | pages= 328–31 | pmid=23723636 | doi=10.4103/0974-8520.108815 | pmc=3665101 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Comparison with Sushruta Samhita==
The Charaka Samhita is among the most important ancient medical treatises. It is one of the foundational texts of the medical tradition in India, alongside the ''[[Sushruta Samhita|Susruta Saṃhitā]]'', ''the [[Bhela Samhita|Bheḷa-Saṃhitā]]'', and the medical portions of the [[Bower Manuscript]].{{Sfn| Meulenbeld|1999|pp = 203–389 (Volume IA)}}{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=203–389}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title = The Roots of Ayurveda|last = Wujastyk|first = Dominik|publisher = Penguin|year = 2003|isbn = 978-0140448245|location = London etc.|pages = 149–160}}</ref>

The Charaka Samhita is the oldest known Hindu text on Ayurveda (life sciences), followed by the Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hrdaya. Except for some topics and their emphasis, they discuss many similar subjects such as General Principles, Pathology, Diagnosis, Anatomy, Sensorial Prognosis, Therapeutics, Pharmaceutics and Toxicology.{{Sfn| Meulenbeld|1999|pp = 203–389 (Volume IA)}}<ref name="pmid4899819">{{cite journal|vauthors=Menon IA, Haberman HF | title=Dermatological writings of ancient India | journal=Med Hist | year= 1969 | volume= 13 | issue= 4 | pages= 387–392 | pmid=4899819 | pmc=1033984 | doi=10.1017/s0025727300014824}}</ref>{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980}} The Sushruta and Caraka texts differ in one major aspect, with Sushruta Samhita providing the foundation of surgery, while Caraka Samhita being primarily a foundation of medicine.<ref name="pmid4899819"/>

==A source for socio-cultural and ecological history of ancient India==
The text is not only an interesting source of ancient medical practices, it also may be a source of valuable information on ecological, social, and economic conditions in ancient India.<ref name="pmid26195898"/> The text describes physical geography with words such as ''Jangala'', ''Aanoopa'', and ''Sadharana'', then lists the trees, vegetables, lakes and rivers, bird life and animals found in each of these regions.<ref name="pmid26195898"/> Many of the drugs mentioned, they state, are linked to region of their origin (e.g. Maghadi from Maghada and Kashmarya from Kashmir).<ref name="pmid26195898"/> Ray et al. list the numerous mammals, reptiles, insects, fishes, amphibians, arthropods and birds and the respective chapters of Caraka Samhita these are mentioned in.{{sfn|Ray|Gupta|Roy|1980|pp=30-37}}

The text also states that the food habits of ancient Indians varied by region.<ref name="pmid26195898"/> ''Mamsa'' (meat) was popular with people who lived in Bahlika, Pahlava, Cheena, Shoolika, Yavana and Shaka. People of Prachya preferred Matsya (fish), according to Bhavana and Shreevathsa translation.<ref name="pmid26195898"/> Those living in Sindhu Desha (now Gujarat and south Pakistan) were habituated to milk, according to Caraka Samhita, while people of Ashmaka and Avantika consumed more oily and sour food.<ref name="pmid26195898"/> The people of Dakshina Desha (South India) preferred Peya (thin gruel), whereas those of Uttara (North) and Pashchima (West) liked Mantha. Residents of Madhya Desha (Central India) preferred barley, wheat and milk products, according to the text.<ref name="pmid26195898"/>

==See also==
*[[Ayurveda]]
*[[Charaka shapath]]
*[[Debates in ancient India]]
*[[Mitahara]]
*[[Naturopathy]]
*[[Siddha medicine]]
*[[Sushruta Samhita]]
*[[Sowa Rigpa]]
*[[Unani]]
*[[Yoga]]
*[[Homeopathy]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
*Ācārya, Yādava Trivikrama (ed.) ''Maharṣiṇā Punarvasunopadiṣṭā, tacchiṣyeṇĀgniveśena praṇītā, CarakaDṛḍhabalābhyāṃ pratisaṃskṛtā Carakasaṃhitā, śrīCakrapāṇidattaviracitayā Āyurvedadīpikāvyākhyayā saṃvalitā'' Nirnaya Sagara Press, 1941.  The best current edition of the Sanskrit text.  Often reprinted.  Online machine-readable transcription available at [https://web.archive.org/web/20140911220653/http://sarit.indology.info/newphilo/navigate.pl?indologica.3 SARIT.info]
*{{cite journal| last=Engler |first= Steven| year= 2003|title= " Science" vs." Religion" in Classical Ayurveda| journal= Numen| volume=50| issue=4| doi=10.1163/156852703322446679 | pages=416–463|hdl= 11205/105| hdl-access=free}}
* {{cite book|last1=Kaviratna |first1= Avinash C. |first2= P. |last2= Sharma | title=The Charaka Samhita 5 Vols.| year=1913| publisher= Sri Satguru Publications|isbn= 978-81-7030-471-5 |url= http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/002074393}}
* Menon, I A and H F Haberman, ''Dermatological writings of ancient India'' Medical History. 1969 October; 13(4): 387–392. seen at The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London [https://archive.today/20130801120331/http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1033984&pageindex=1%23page] June 1, 2006
* Muniyal Ayurveda, Manipal, ''Sacitra Caraka Samhita - Volume 1'', published by Muniyal Institute of Ayurveda Medical Sciences, Manipal. 2005 [http://www.ayurvedas.com]
* Meulenbeld, G. J. ''A History of Indian Medical Literature'' (Groningen, 1999–2002), vol. IA, pp.&nbsp;7–180, gives a detailed survey of the contents of the ''Carakasaṃhitā'' and a comprehensive discussion of all historical matters related to the text, its commentators, and its later history in the Islamic world and in Tibet. 
*{{cite book|last=Meulenbeld|first=Gerrit Jan |title=A History of Indian Medical Literature: Text|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2xcmwEACAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Forsten|isbn=978-90-6980-124-7}}
* Sharma, P. V. ''Caraka-Saṃhitā: Agniveśa's Treatise Refined and annotated by Caraka and Redacted by Dṛḍhabala (text with English translation)'' Chaukhambha Prakashan, 1981–1994.  The best modern English translation of the whole text.  Volume 4 gives summaries of the commentary of [[Chakrapani Datta]].
*{{Cite book|title = Suśruta Saṃhita (a Scientific Synopsis) |last1=Ray|first1=Priyadaranjan|last2=Gupta|first2=Hirendra Nath|last3=Roy|first3=Mira|publisher = INSA|year = 1980|location = New Delhi|url =https://archive.org/stream/CarakaSamhitaAScientificSynopsis/CarakaSamhita_priyadaranjanRay#page/n0/mode/2up }}
*Sharma, R. K. & Bhagwan Dash, V. ''Agniveśa's Caraka Saṃhitā (Text with English Translation & Critical Exposition Based on Cakrapāṇi Datta's Āyurveda Dīpikā)'' Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 1976–2002.  Another good English translation of the whole text, with paraphrases of the commentary of [[Chakrapani Datta]].
* Wujastyk, Dominik, ''The Roots of Ayurveda'' (Penguin Classics, 3rd edition, 2003), pp.&nbsp;1–50 gives an introduction to the ''Carakasaṃhitā'' and a modern translation of selected passages.

==External links==
* [https://agasthiyarherbalproducts.com/download-charaka-samhita-free-pdf-complete-7-volume-series/ Charaka Samhita English Translation] All 7 volumes of Charaka Samhita in pdf for free.
* [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.63710/page/n7/mode/2up|The Charaka Samhita]], Full English translation by Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society, 1949 (includes glossary)
* [https://www.carakasamhitaonline.com/index.php?title=Main_Page Charak Samhita New Edition] Charak Samhita Research, Training and Skill Development Centre, India 
*[http://www.carakasamhitaonline.com/mediawiki-1.32.1/index.php?title=Main_Page Charak Samhita New Edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302141919/http://www.carakasamhitaonline.com/mediawiki-1.32.1/index.php?title=Main_Page |date=2020-03-02 }}, 
*[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/002074393 English translation of Charaka Samhita], Hathi Trust Archives, 5 Volumes
*[https://archive.org/stream/CarakaSamhitaAScientificSynopsis/CarakaSamhita_priyadaranjanRay#page/n0/mode/2up ''Charaka Samhita'' - a scientific synopsis archived version] Ray and Gupta, National Institute of Sciences, India
*[http://niimh.nic.in/ebooks/ecaraka/index.php ''Charak Samhita'' Original Sanskrit Text with commentary]   
*[http://sarit.indology.info/carakasamhita.xml?view=div ''Carakasaṃhitā'' (Sanskrit, IAST-Translit)], SARIT Initiative, The British Association for South Asian Studies and The British Academy
*[http://www.istb.univie.ac.at/caraka/ Philosophy and Medicine in Early Classical India III], Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, University of Vienna
*{{cite book |title=The Charaka-Samhita by Mahamuni Agnibesha, Revised by Maharshi Charaka|editor1=Devendranath Sen Gupta |editor2=Upendranath Sen Gupta |publisher=Dhanvantari Machine Press, Calcutta |year=1897|url=https://archive.org/stream/Caraka-sahit/SenandSen_Carakasamhita_1897#page/n0/mode/2up |language=sa }}
* {{cite journal |author1=Kenneth G. Zysk |author2=Tsutomu Yamashita |title=Jajjaṭa's Nirantarapadavyākhyā and Other Commentaries on the Carakasaṃhitā |journal=eJournal of Indian Medicine |volume=10 |year=2018 |pages=1–113 |doi=10.21827/5c3f01174756c |doi-access=free }} A critical edition and English translation of the oldest commentary on Charaka Samhita.

[[Category:Ayurvedic texts]]
[[Category:Hindu texts]]
[[Category:Sanskrit texts]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian medical works]]
[[Category:Oaths of medicine]]