Religious medicine: the history and evolution of Indian medicine

340 Pages·2017·9.767 MB·English

by  Zysk, Kenneth G

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The History and Evolution of
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Kenneth G. Zysk
www.routledge.com
Religious Medicine

Religious Medicine
The History and Evolution
of Indian Medicine
Kenneth G. Zysk
With a New Introduction by the Author
I~ ~~o~1~~n~~~up
LONDON AND NEW YORK
Originally published in 1985 by The American Philosophical Society.
Published 1993 by Transaction Publishers
Published 2017 by Routledge
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library of Congress Catalog Number: 92-20088
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zysk, Kenneth G.
[Religious healing in the Veda]
Religious medicine : the history and evolution of Indian medicine 1 Kenneth
G. Zysk ; with a new introduction by the author.
p. em.
Originally published: Religious healing in the Veda. Philadelphia, Pa.: Amer-
ican Philosophical Society, 1985, in series: Transactions of the American
Philosophical Society ; v. 75, pt. 7 (1985).
· Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes.
ISBN 1-56ooo-076-7 (cloth)
1. Medicine, Ayurvedic. 2. Vedas. 3. Healing-India-Religious aspects.
I. Title.
R127.2Z997 1992
615.5'3-dc20
92-20088
CIP
ISBN 13:978-1-56000-076-1 (hbk)
To my mother and my father,
Madelein and Stanley Zysk
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Map of India
CONTENTS
Introduction to the Transaction Edition . ix
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
List of Translated and Annotated Hymns . xix
List of Ritual Verses Rendered XX
List of Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . .. xxiii
Errata ............... . . .. xxiv
Introduction to the Original Edition 1
I. INTERNAL DISEASES
A. Internal Diseases related to ytik~ma andjor takmtin
Chapter 1 ytik~ma (Consumption; Tuberculosis) . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 2 jiiyanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Chapter 3 k~etriyti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 4 rtipas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 5 hrddyotti (hrdrogti) (Chest-pain; Angina pectoris?),
harimtin Oaundice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 6 balasa (Swelling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter 7 takmtin (Fevers; Malaria, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 8 kasii (kas) (Cough) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter 9 The General Removal of Internal Diseases Re-
lated to ytik~ma and takmtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
B. Internal Diseases not closely related to ytik~ma and/or takmtin
Chapter 10 timfvii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 11 v{~kandha-sti'!lskandha (Tetanus?) . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Chapter 12 Ascites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter 13 Insanity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter 14 kr{mi (Worms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Chapter 15 Urine-Retention (and Constipation) . . . . . . . . . 70
II. EXTERNAL DISEASES
Chapter 16 Broken Limbs and Flesh Wounds . . . . . . . . . . 72
Broken Bones, Fractures and Wounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Flesh Wounds Characterized by Bleeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Chapter 17 Blood-Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Chapter 18 Skin Disorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
kilasa (Discoloration of the Skin; Leukoderma) . . . . . . . . . 81
apadts (Rash with Pustules) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Hair-Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
vii
viii RELIGIOUS MEDICINE
III. MEDICINES
Chapter 19 Water (tip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Chapter 20 jala~ti, Rudra's Medicine against Rudra's Disease 93
Chapter 21 Simples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Textual Annotations ...................................... 103
Appendix I: Sanskrit Names of Plants with Botanical Equivalents 257
Appendix II: Bibliographical Essay .......................... 261
Specialized Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Indices
Index of Sanskrit Text-Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Index of Sanskrit Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
INTRODUCTION TO THE
TRANSACTION EDITION
S
even years have passed since this book appeared with the title
Religious Healing in the Veda, as part of the Transactions of the
American Philosophical Society, vol. 75, part 7. The monograph
received good, sometimes excellent, reviews, and is now out of print.
On the whole, I was very pleased with the work, and especially with the
beautiful text produced by the American Philosophical Society, which is
here reproduced. My only regret is that it remains largely unknown by
many who would find it interesting and important to their own work.
Fortunately, this reprinted edition will now have an opportunity of
coming to the notice of those who previously missed it and who might
well fmd it useful and informative.
Although my studies have moved me into later time frames and literary
genres in order to fill in the gap between Vedic and classical ayurvedic
medicine, and more recently even into the related tradition of
Kima5astra, I have occasionally returned to the Veda when new ideas and
insights arose. Anyone who has embarked upon a study ofthe Veda can
testify that it is a vast and fascinating subject that constantly beckons one
to plunge ever deeper into its texts in an attempt to unlock certain
mysteries of the archaic mind. It is a lifelong pursuit in which I shall
always be engaged, reading and rereading the enigmatic and often clever
hymns of the .f.!.gveda and Atharvaveda.
Although the fundamental aspects of what for lack of a better descrip-
tion is called Vedic medicine are contained in the present monograph,
there remain several points requiring further exploration. One important
part of this healing tradition, only briefly mentioned in this work, is Vedic
toxicology. Several hymns of the Atharvaveda and a few of the Q.gveda
concern themselves with poisoning, usually caused by animals, and with
the remedies for it. It is almost certain that India's long and renowned
tradition of toxicology derives from a basic knowledge of poisons and
poisonous animals found in the Veda. I have collected and examined the
relevant hymns and passages from the early texts and hope to publish the
results of my study in the near future.
My subsequent research and investigation have taken me to time
periods not covered by the material in this book and have provided
certain fresh ideas and a radically different interpretation of the origins
of the ayurvedic system of healing. It might therefore be useful to outline
here the development of the Indian healing arts from Vedic medicine to
classical ayurveda, based on my more recent studies.
A distinctive part of Vedic medicine is its pharmacopoeia, especially
its rich description and knowledge of the local flora. This botanical
wisdom occurs largely in the hymns of theAtharvaveda and is connected
to a tradition of healing plant goddesses. The hymns of the Q.gveda reveal
less of a familiarity with indigenous plant life, and what is found there
ix