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PHILOSOPHY OF CARAKASAÍHITÀ THESIS SUBMITED TO THE MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SANSKRIT By ASOKAN. G DARSANAM, PRAVACHAMBALAM NEMOM P.O., THIRUVANANTHAPURAM RESEARCH CENTRE GOVT. SANSKRIT COLLEGE TRIPUNITHURA SEPTEMBER 2008 Dr. G. Gangadharan Nair (Retd. Dean & Professor, S.S. University of Sanskrit, Kalady) Sivaganga Sanskrit College Road Tripunithura - 682 301 CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this thesis, PHILOSOPHY OF CARAKASAÍHITÀ, submitted for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sanskrit under the faculty of Language and Literature, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarsini Hills, Kottayam, is the record of bonafide research carried out by Asokan. G., under my guidance. Tripunithura Dr. G. Gangadharan Nair 15.09.2008 DECLARATION I hereby decalre that this thesis PHILOSOPHY OF CARAKASAÍHITÀ submitted for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sanskrit under the faculty of Language and Literature, Mahatmagandhi University has not previously formed the basis for the award of any Degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or other similar titles or recognition. Tripunithura ASOKAN. G 15.09.2008 Darsanam, Pravachambalam Nemom P.O., Thiruvananthapuram ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with immense pleasure that I express my sincere gratitude to my guide Dr. G. Gangadharan Nair who has given me instructions to complete this research project. I am very grateful to Dr. M. Gopalakrishnan Unnithan for the generous care with which he has read this thesis and improved it by corrections. I am indebted to Dr. V.N. Jha, Prof. Dr. Karin Preisendanz, University of Vienna, Austria, and Prof. K. Nirmalanandan, who have given me the benefits of long and varied experience as great scholars of Indian philosophical systems and I owe much to Dr. S.S. Vivekanandan, Dr. Manoj Sankaranarayanan and Dr. Pavana. J., for the services they have rendered to me in the completion of this work. And finally, I should like to place on record my indebtedness to the Research centre, Govt. Sanskrit College, Tripunithura, for providing me with adequate facilities for carrying out my research. ASOKAN. G PREFACE Àyurveda, represented by Caraka and Suøruta, stands first among the sciences of Indian intellectual tradition. No other branch of learning is subject to such an acute competition as Àyurveda is with modern medicine. Yet, it has survived the challenges of time and has attained a new impetus today. Intensive researches and studies are being carried out throughout the world with the intention to answer some of the fundamental questions which are yet to be answered in the domain of medical science. This is probably due to the novelty of the fundamental principles of Àyurveda which is based on a holistic approach. The fundamental principles are, in fact, built upon philosophical concepts. Hence it is essential to remove the ambiguities in philosophical abstractions for developing the consistency and authenticity of the fundamental principles. One of the possible ways is to make explicit the philosophical speculations in which the fundamental principles of Àyurveda are rooted. CarakasaΔhit° deserves special mention in this respect. CarakasaΔhit° is recognized as a unique treatise on k°yacikits° and fundamental principles. It is an encyclopaedia that discusses the inner and outer world without leaving anything as irrelevant and taking into consideration the prevailing knowledge systems. CarakasaΔhit°, ascribed to the great celebrity Caraka, has got three strata. The first stratum is the original work composed by Agniveøa, the foremost of the six disciples of Punarvasu Àtreya. He accomplished the work by collecting and codifying the teachings of his preceptor Punarvasu Àtreya. The second and the most prominent stratum is the redacted (pratisaΔsk§ta) form of Agniveøatantra and this redaction is ascribed to Caraka.The third and final layer is a reconstruction by D ∑habala, son of Kapilabala of the Punjab. He has incorporated the seventeen chapters of the sixth section Cikits°sth°na as well as the last two sections Kalpasth°na and Siddhisth°na into the CarakasaΔhit° and completed it. Thus, CarakasaΔhit°, as it is available today, comprises 120 chapters (adhy°yas) prearranged in eight sections (sth°nas): ·lokasth°na or S£trasth°na (30 chapters), Nid°nasth°na (8 chapters),§ Vim°nasth°na (8chapters), S°r¢rasth°na (8 chapters), Indriyasth°na (12 chapters), Cikits°sth°na (30 chapters), Kalpasth°na (12 chapters), and Siddhisth°na (12 chapters). The most significant thing to be noted in this connection is that the book is now known in the name of the redactor Caraka even though the final reconstruction was done by D ∑habala,. The present thesis is the result of my endeavor as a research student of the Mahatma Gandhi University. The purpose of the attempt is to present a comprehensive view of the philosophy of Caraka. The work primarily tries to codify the philosophical abstractions strewn in different sth°n°s of the compendium and, through a comparison with the concepts in other philosophical systems, seeks to bring out the foundational ideas constituting the creative matrix of Àyurveda. vi The thesis comprises nine chapters. The introductory chapter deals with the relevance of the study by focusing on the relationship between philosophy and the practical science of Àyurveda. The second chapter gives an explanation of the six categories enumerated by Caraka in comparison with the six categories of Vaiøe¿ika philosophy. The third chapter is devoted to a discussion of the important fundamental theories regarding the origin of the universe, five physical elements (paμcabh£tas), and the three faults (trido¿as), and reveals the allegiance of Caraka to the pre-classical S°Δkya. The next chapter describes the Self as the foundational cause of the Universe. A detailed exposition of a human-being and his relation with the universe based on philosophical abstractions is given in the fifth chapter. In the sixth chapter the means of knowledge are analyzed by making a comparison with their concepts in Ny°ya philosophy. Similarly, the seventh chapter is a comparative analysis of logic and dialectical terms. The eighth chapter discusses ethical conceptions and moral prescriptions. The concluding chapter evaluates the innovative contributions of Caraka and determines his philosophical vision. vii ABBRIVIATIONS ACJ Advaitic Concept of J¢vanmukti by Lalit Kishore Lal Srivastava. ADS A¿∂°daøasm ti. AH A¿∂°¥gah daya of V°gbha∂a. AHM Aspects of Hindu Morality by Saral Jhingran. Ai. U. Aitareya Upani¿ad. AK Amarakoøa. AMS Àyurved¢yamaulikasiddh°nta, by Vinayaka Jayananda Thakkar. § ARV The Mind in Àyurveda and Other Indian Traditions by A.R.V. Murthy. AS A¿∂°¥gasa¥graha of V°gbha∂a. BCA Buddhacarita of Aøvagho¿a. BFD Beyond Freedom and Dignity by B.F. Skinner. BG ·r¢mad Bhagavd G¢t° Bh°¿ya of ·ankar°c°rya. Bh. S BhelasaΔhit°. BLS Life: An Introduction to Biology. Br.Bh Brahmas£tra, with ·°¥karabh°¿ya. Br. Su Brahmas£tra Br. U. B had°ra∏yaka Upani¿ad. viii BT Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, Paul Williams, with Anthony Tribe. BWT On Being and What There Is: Classial Vaiøe¿ika and the History of Indian Ontology by Wilhem Halbfass. CHI The Cultural Heritage of India. Ci Cikits°sth°na CIET Classical Indian Ethical Thought: A philosophical Study of Hindu, Jaina and Bauddha Morals by Kedar Nath Tiwari. CIPM Classical Indian Philosophy of Mind by Kisor Kumar Chakrabarti. CSP The Critical Study of Praøastap°dabh°¿ya by S. Peerukannu. CS CarakasaΔhit° of Agniveøa, Revised by Caraka and D ∑habala, (with § the Commentary Àyurveda D¢pik° of Cakrap°∏idatta). CSG CarakasaΔhit° (with Hindi, Gujarati, and English Trans.). CSJ CarakasaΔhit° (with Àyurveda D¢pik° of Cakrap°∏i and Jalpakalpataru of Sri Gangadhar Kaviratna Kaviraja). CST CarakasaΔhit° of Agniveøa , (with Trans. and Critical Exposition by Dr. R.K. Sharma and Dr. Bhagavan Dash). DO Darønodaya: Early Indian Thought by S. K. Ramachandra Rao. DT The Doctrine of Tantrayuktis (Methodology of Theoretico- Scientific Treatise in Sanskrit ) by Dr. W.K. Lele. EAIP Elements of Ancient Indian Psychology by B. Kuppuswamy. EFW History of Indian Philosophy by Erich Frauwallner. ix EIP M. Hiriyanna, , The Essentials of Indian Philosophy. EIPS Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, Vol. IV, (S°Δkhya A Dual Tradition in Indian Philosophy. EIPK Enpcyclopedia of Indian Philosophies Vol. II (Indian Metaphysics and Epistemology: The Tradition of Ny°ya-Vaiøe¿ika upto Gangeøa). EJ An Epitome of Jainism. ENVC Evolution of the Ny°ya-Vaiøe¿ika Categariology by Harsh Narain. EWUV The East-West Understanding of Man by Narayan Karan Reddy. FIC Foundations of Indian Culture, Vol. I., Spiritual Vision and Symbolic Forms in Ancient India by G.C. Pande. FM A History of Philosophy by Fuller / McMurrin. FRIP Facets of Recent Indian Philosophy . HIL A History of Indian Logic (Ancient, Mediaevel andModern Schools) by Satis Chandra Vidy°bh£ø∏a. HIPS A Historyof Indian Philosophy by Surendranath Dasgupta. HSPCIC History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilisation. IFD Inference and Fallacies Discussed in Ancient Indian Logic: With Special reference to Ny°ya and Buddhism by Pradeep P. Gokhale. IHBT Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to the Hindu and Buddhist Thought by Richard King. IK Introduction to K°yacikits° by C. Dwarakanath. IM An Introduction To Metaphysics. x In Indriyasth°na. IP Indian Psychology by Jadunath Sinha. JJL Classical S°Δkhya: An Interpretation of its History and Meaning by Jerald James Larson. JNS Indian Philosophy by Jadunath Sinha. KA The Kautil¢ya Arthaø°stra. Ka Kalpasth°na Ka. U. Ka∂ha Upani¿ad. KFL Knowledge Freedom and Language: An Interwoven Fabric of Man, Time and World by D.P. Chattopadhyaya. KHP Presuppositions of India's Philosophies by Karl H Potter. § KL Kira∏°val¢ of Udayan°c°rya. KS K°øyapasaΔhit° of V ddhaj¢vaka KV K°øik°: P°∏in¢yavy°kara∏as£trav tti, of Pt.