Charaka
Charaka was an ancient Indian physician and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine that originated in the country more than 5,000 years ago. Authors are not unanimous about the exact period of his birth. But after analyzing the available information we may come to the inference that Charaka might have born during the period 200 – 100 BC. He is considered the principal contributor to the Charaka Samhita, an ancient foundational texts of Ayurvedic medicines.
Even today the Charaka Samhita is considered to be a comprehensive treatise encompassing various aspects of medicine, including etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and ethical considerations. The treatise covers a wide range of topics like anatomy, physiology, herbal medicine, surgical techniques, and the use of minerals and metals in medicine.
Charaka took a holistic approach to medicine and focused on understanding the body as a whole. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance among the three disease causing defects (doshas) in human body - wind (vata), bile (pitta) and phlegm (kapha). He strongly believed that disease resulted from an imbalance in these defects. Charaka’s treatment aimed at restoring this balance through proper diet, herbal remedies, lifestyle changes, using therapies such as massage and detoxification.
Owing to his holistic approach towards the treatment of a patient Charaka emphasized the importance of observation, experiment, and reasoning in the practice of medicine Ayurvedic medicine. He classified diseases based on their origin and symptoms and his diagnostic methods included examination of the pulse, urine, and other fluids of the affected person.
Because of the dearth of information very little is known about the personal life of Charaka. However, on the basis of certain old scriptures many authors presume that Charaka was a native of either Punjab or Kashmir. He is also identified as the court physician of the famous Kushan king, Kanishka.
Charaka and Ayurveda
The term Charaka is generally used to mean ‘wandering scholars’ or ‘wandering physicians’. According to the doctrine of Charaka, health and disease are not predetermined. Life expectancy of a person may be prolonged by human effort and proper lifestyle. Indian heritage and Ayurvedic system affirm that prevention of all types of diseases is more important than their treatment, including adjustment of lifestyle to align with the course of natural environment and change of seasons to ensure complete wellness.
He basically classified the system of medicine into seven branches:
Kaaya Chikitsa- Mental Health
Kaumarbhrtya Chikitsa- Pediatrics
Aganda Tantra- Toxicology
Shailya Chikitsa- Surgery
Shaakalya Chikitsa- Head, eye and throat medicine
Raasayana Tantra- Pharmacology
Vaajikarana Tantra- Reproductive Medicine
Charaka seems to be the early proponent of the philosophy, ‘prevention is better than cure’. In this connection the following statement can be attributed to Charaka:
A physician who fails to delve into the body of a patient with the lamp of knowledge and understanding can never treat diseases. He should first study all the factors, including environment which influence a patient's disease, and then prescribe treatment. It is more important to prevent the occurrence of disease than to seek a cure.
Although Charaka was aware of germs in the body, he did not give them primary importance. He stressed that illness was caused when the balance among the three defects (doshas) - mentioned earlier, in a human body were disturbed. For restoring the balance in the body he used to initiate some corrective measures necessary for a particular patient and prescribed Ayurvedic medicinal drugs based on his prudence.
It is believed that the ancient Indian physician Punarvasu Atreya, had seven disciples - Agnivesa, Charaka, Bhela, Jatukarna, Parasara, Harita, and Ksharapaani. Each of his disciples wrote his own Samhita or text on Ayurvedic system of medicines, of which the one written by Agnivesha is said to be the best version. Still its popularity was not up to the mark. After few centuries, the Agnivesha Samhita was revised by Charaka and renamed as the Charaka Samhita. Later it was supplemented with extra seventeen chapters by the author Dṛḍhabala.
Even today the understanding of Ayurveda and its teachings are attributed straight to the Charaka Samhita, a comprehensive guide containing details of the overall ideology, approach, treatment methods and general advice for physicians practicing Ayurvedic system of treatment.
As a text Charaka samhita consists of into 120 chapters in eight specific divisions:
Sutra Sthana (30 chapters) - General guide on the core philosophy and beliefs of Ayurveda, and the requisite approach towards treatment
Nidana Sthana (8 chapters) - Eight primary diseases and their causes
Vimana Sthana (8 chapters) - Ideological advice for practitioners on taste, recommended diet and training
Sharira Sthana (8 chapters) - Explanations of the anatomy of the human body
Indriya Sthana (12 chapters) - Diagnosis and prognosis
Chikitsa Sthana (30 chapters) - Specialized treatment methods
Kalpa Sthana (12 chapters) - Methods on how medicines must be prepared for accurate treatment
Siddhi Sthana (12 chapters) - Overall health advice
Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita are the two foundational texts of Ayurveda, practiced in India even today. For two millennia they remained standard works on the subject and were translated into many foreign languages, including Arabic and Latin.
Contribution of Charaka
As mentioned earlier, the word Charaka refers to wandering scholars or wandering physicians. His book Charaka Samhita is best regarded as the encyclopedia of Ayurveda. In the light of his acumen to find solutions to many underlying problems of the human body, his work is of great relevance even today. Charaka made intensive research on various aspects of human anatomy, embryology, pharmacology and blood circulation in the body. He has also identified suitable remedies host of diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes, chest pain etc.
He was able to classify about 10,000 herbs, many of them having medicinal. Charaka emphasised the use of herbs along with appropriate diet for proper health benefits. He was strongly advocated that there should be proper correlation between the mind, body and soul of a patient for his proper healing of a patient – termed as a holistic approach towards treatment. There is enough evidence to conclude that many physicians across several countries used his ideas directly or indirectly through centuries, and enriched their knowledge for further research and development in the field.
What the people are enjoying currently in the field of medical science is nothing but the great discoveries and selfless innovations made by the great persons like Charaka and their followers. The contributions of Saint Charaka will still continue to be valued across the world and appreciated by every scholar, who understands the value of the science of Ayurveda.
NB
I have collected information for this Article from different sources like Britannica Organisation, World History Organisation, Kerala Tourism, etc.
Comments
Lovely read!