Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2014; 2(1): 11-16 ISSN: 2322 - 0910 International Journal of Ayurveda and Pharma Research Review Article MANUSCRIPTS IN INDIAN SYSTEM OF MEDICINE - A REVIEW Kundailia Neetika1*, Amartya Bose2, Saroch Vikas3 *1P.G. Scholar, Department of Rasashastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, School of Ayurveda, Desh Bhagat University Mandigobindgarh (Punjab), India. 2P.G. Scholar, M.Pharmacy (Aurveda), Pune, India. 3Lecturer, Department of Rasashastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, School of Ayurveda, Desh Bhagat University Mandigobindgarh (Punjab), India. Received on: 11/11/2013 Revised on: 15/01/2014 Accepted on: 26/02/2014 ABSTRACT India has a rich intellectual and also a textual heritage that dates back to several hundreds of years. India culminates one of the largest collections of medical manuscripts of any civilization in the world. The different types of manuscripts in ISM (Indian System of Medicine) includes, Ayurveda that is spread all over India since antiquity along with Siddha this is mainly confined to South India, so rig-pa, which is confined to Tibetan plateau and Unani-Tibb this is Greco-Arabian system of medicine, which came to India along with the Muslims. A proper understanding in the review of ancient manuscripts revealed that the past existence of medical manuscripts evidences were available mainly in four forms those were Bhurja patra (palm leaves), old handmade paper and commonly available paper. The review also revealed that presently available medical texts, which are in use now, represents less than 2% of medical literature which are in use now, information which are now lost that were present in the manuscript. The location of the manuscripts are in archaeological departments, National libraries etc. The only attempt to catalogue Indian Medical Literature was preferred by Osmania University in 1958. There is utmost urgency for conservation of medical manuscripts to revive ancient knowledge for health and prosperity as there is a great threat in losing the manuscripts due to negligence. The intellects achievements of Indian culture lay scattered across several fields of study in ancient texts ranging from Vedas to Upanishads to a whole culmination of scriptures, science and arts thus signalling an urgent need in reviving these manuscripts. KEYWORDS: Bhurja-patra, Palm-leaves, ISM Manuscripts, Medical literature. INTRODUCTION Ayurveda is believed to be the of the individuals, libraries, academic predecessor of the Atharvaveda, which is more institutions, museums, temples and monasteries than 3000 years old. It is the oldest indigenous which were not known to the learned system of medicine in India existing since 1000 researchers and academicians. Eastern part of BC and the vast knowledge of this medicine is India is having rich traditions of Ayurveda and documented in different types of manuscripts some of the places are having very good number viz. birch, palm leaf, handmade paper, cloth etc. of medical manuscripts. Due to its peculiar It is believed that India is the largest repository geographical location, many of the places where of manuscripts having more than five million the manuscripts are located have been affected manuscripts consisting of several valuable with devastating cyclones. In past, many of the medical manuscripts. Even though several valuable manuscripts have been damaged due to attempts have been made to retrieve the data cyclones and there is an urgent need to conserve from the medical manuscripts, yet there are this treasure before they get extinct. large number manuscripts still in the possession Available online at : http://ijapr.in Page 11 Kundailia Neetika et al. Manuscripts in Indian System of Medicine - A Review Organizing bodies like National mission 7. Yogasatakavriddha for manuscripts and many more have 8. Handivedapota contributed significantly in collecting medical 1. Meulenbeld History of Indian Medical manuscripts in India though thousands of many Literature[1] more are yet to be explored. A veritable index to Yogratnamala or Ascaryaratnamala India’s scientific tradition is appreciably large ascribed to Nagarjuna is of some medical number of manuscripts, mostly in Sanskrit, that interest, though it is chiefly a tantric text dealing have been preserved in over a hundred with magic. The treatise consists of 140 polished repositories both in India and abroad. While the verses in Arya meter about a large number of major texts have been studied and considerable subjects belonging to what is called Sat Karman numbers of manuscripts remain unexplored. In in Tantrism. Most of the stanzas describe any case, they have fostered scientific pursuits procedures enabling one to achieve for over a millennium. However amongst several extraordinary aims, but the healing of bodily thousand medicinal plants mentioned in disorders also forms an integral part of the work. Ayurvedic texts only a few hundred plants are Some of the topics, Agnistambha (the quenching identified and the identification of 300 to 400 of fire; 39–42); Sastrastambha (making weapons plants are confirmed. In Ayurvedic classical texts harmless; 55–58); Akalagraha, (causing solar the names of all the plants are in Sanskrit and and lunar eclipses; 63–67); Mrtasamjıvana most of them are still to be identified. (making dead animals alive again; 135), etc. Many of the Ayurvedic Sanskrit classical subjects pertaining more or less to medicine are: texts translated to regional languages (Kannada, Lomashatana (the removal of hair; (51–54) Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarat etc.) are still Vandhyaputrajanana (making a barren woman on palm leaves. All such palm leaf manuscripts give birth to a son; 85–86); Vandhyakarana are century old and are in a perishable condition (producing sterility in a woman;89–92); due to negligence, normal wear and tear etc. In Lingavrddhi (increasing the size of the male such manuscripts, we can find the Sanskrit organ; 93–96); Sukrastambha (delaying names of medicinal plants with regional names. ejaculation; 97–100); Yonisulakarana (causing Study of these palm leaf manuscripts may help to pain in the female organs; 101); Kusthakaran. a identify many of the medicinal plants, which are (causing kustha). Garbhastambha (preventing not yet identified. Hence, this is the need of the delivery in a pregnant woman; 106); hour to collect such unpublished palm leaf Bhagasamkocana (healing wounds of the female manuscripts and to record the contents before organs; 121); Bhagodghatana (making the they are damaged or lost. e.g. Few of the valuable vagina accessible or inaccessible to the male; manuscripts are Romarishi Ekamoolikevaidyam, 122). Mahamantravadisridhara deva virachita At the end of the work the author, who Vaidyasastram and Veerabhatti Vaidyasastram. calls himself Nagarjuna declares that he Materials and Methods composed it from what he heard from his guru For better understanding of the and learnt from other Shastras, adds that he literature on manuscript, it has been distributed tested all the recipes and found them 2 and segmented in to the following categories: effective. The name of the author’s guru, Bhaskara, might be hidden in the first verse, A. An overview of existing ISM manuscripts where he is compared to the sun (Bhaskara). P.V. B. Ayurvedic manuscripts in the Chandra Shum Sharma, who accepts this interpretation, regards Shere Collection, Oxford him as identical with the Bhaskara who was the C. Bowers manuscript father and teacher of Sodhala and also the A. An overview of existing ISM manuscripts teacher of Kesava, which makes the Nagarjuna 1. Meulenbeld History of Indian Medical who wrote the work a contemporary of these Literature two and distinct from Siddha Nagarjuna. 2. Sanskrit Ayurvedic Manuscripts in the British isles 2. Sanskrit Ayurvedic manuscripts in the [3] 3. Wellcome Institute for the History of British Isles Medicine (London) (This is a draft version of the paper, 4. Rasapradipa which was published as Wujastyk, Dominik 5. Rasarajasamkara (1990). “Sanskrit - Ayurvedic manuscripts in the 6. Sannipatarnava British isles.” journal of the European Ayurvedic Available online at : http://ijapr.in Page 12 Int. J. Ayur. Pharma Research, 2014; 2(1): 11-16 ISSN: 2322 - 0910 society, 1, 85–118). It has been said that of the are referred to this for more details. The Sanskrit whole collating project, the hardest part to carry and Prakriti collections are only partly out with complete success is probably the catalogued. They comprise approximately 6000 business of finding out what manuscripts are. or more manuscripts, about three quarters of This remarkable, originally intended to apply to which have been listed. The collection covers all classical Latin and Greek works, is even truer for branches of Sanskrit literature. A hand list of the Sanskrit manuscripts, which exist in such collection has commenced publication, and relative abundance. There are more Sanskrit volume one describes 1003 manuscripts, of manuscripts in Britain than in any other country which 249 are medical works. There are also outside India. A rough estimate puts the number works in the related fields of the astral sciences, at about 30,000 only half of which have been Tantra, Yoga, etc. catalogued. Clearly there are great resources in 4. Rasapradipa5 that country for the study of all aspects of Sanskrit culture, and Ayurveda is no exception. It In Sanskrit and Hindi having marginal may be of value, therefore, to give a survey of the initials: rasahdevanagary script. Begins - Sanskrit collections in Britain, with reference to srymanmukumdacaran au Ayurveda, and to provide some indication of the natvatosapattadbhisajamkriyaterasapradýpoyam Ayurvedic works in the un-catalogued Dakulamirapahahsresthah. Leaf 3r has: collections. The five most important collections itijvar¯adis.udsarves u roges u in Britain, from the point of view of size, are mahamrtyumjayorasah. Leaf 3v has: those of the India office library and records in athanavajvarelaghumr.tyujayorasah. London, the Bodleian library in Oxford, the 5. Rasarajasamkara:6 welcome institute for the history of medicine in In Sanskrit known as Rasasarasamkara. London, Cambridge university library, and the On leaf 11v.-The author was the son of Mudgala.