Kasyapa Samhita or Vrddhajivakiya Tantra

Description

Kasyapa Samhita or Vrddhajivakiya Tantra It is a treatise of ancient period has remained the only source book on Kaumarbhrtya till 19th century. Though initial fabrication of sections and number of chapters of each section is in tune with Caraka-Samhita, however subjects dealt are original some of which are unparalleled. Hitherto only one Hindi translation with commentary is available which does not quench the thirst of knowledge of those not so well-versed with Samskrta and or Hindi. Present edition bridges this gap.

Besides in the commentary views of four important books of ancient period i.e. Caraka-Samhita, Susruta-Samhita, Astanga-Sangraha and Astanga-Hrdaya are presented under specific headings of the subjects of Kasyspa-Samhita, which provide readers an opportunity to understand the subject of that era in its entirety as-well-as specific views of these authors separately. Introduction of the book presents some original thoughts about Kasyapa / Kasyapa and also period of this book. Besides text and the commentary. The appendixes are likely to be very useful not only to lovers of Ayurveda but also to the students, teachers and research workers.

Ayurveda the eternal science of life surpassing all imaginations regarding its origin, having been taught to mortals by lord Brahma, the god of creation himself, was divided in eight branches or specialties for clear and critical understanding as-well-as practical/therapeutic application, kumarabhrtya is one of these eight branches. Number of treatise might had been written during those earlier days on all these specialties, providing a clear cut scope for inter disciplinary understanding out of which majority have been lost.

This is the only available source-book on Kaumarabhrtya, is presented in the form of compilations of the preaching’s of god kasyapa by his disciple Vrddha-Jivaka. With the lapse of time the book was lost in oblivion and then resurrected by vatsya, who procured it from an yaksa named Anayasa.

Probably the book was again lost or else it is difficult to analyse why no commentator thought to write his views on this book when commentaries on all important books were written. To argue that commentaries on Bhela and Harita-Samhitas were also not written, does not hold ground, because large number of erudites deliberated upon most elaborate book of kayacikitsa i.e. Caraka-Samhita. Both these books i.e. Bhela – Samhita and Harita-Samhita also bvelong to this very discipline, while Kasyapa-Samhita deals with kaumarabhrtya and for this speciality it is the only source book even today.

This Kasyapa-Samhita having been shown the light of the day by Rajaguru Hemaraja Sarma of Nepal in the year 1938, is actually on fourth or even less than what it would have been in its original form. Rajaguru Sarma has also prefixed an exhaustive historicalo account of the author the book as-well-as Ayurveda in general under the heading of Upodghata Prof. P. V. Sarma I his book Ayurveda Ka Vaijnanika Itihasa has also presented elaborately his scholarly ideas in this respect.