One of the most significant cultural inheritances for us Indians is the science of Ayurveda. This must be reinforced at a time when public health happens to be one of the most pressing concerns of policy makers around the globe. The need to balance ahara (diet) and vihara (lifestyle) is of utmost importance, and such scientific expositions on daily and seasonal regimen were compiled by several phyisicians from ancient India. We know of Caraka and Sushruta largely because of their seminal contributions towards general medicine (kayachikitsa) as well as surgical medicine (shalya-tantra). But, there is a third scholar who perhaps holds even greater significance, for he performed the enviable task of synthesising different Ayurvedic theories and explaining them with remarkable poetic proficiency. This was Vagbhata.
As is true for most ancient scholars, his dates cannot be ascertained, and there is heated debate over the identity of Vagbhata. Two prominent Ayurvedic texts are attributed to him- Ashtangasamgrah and Ashtanghridaya. While some scholars argue that both were composed by the same Vagbhata, others suggest that the complex prose of the former is reflective of both texts being composed by different individuals. Nonetheless, it can be reasonably argued that Vagbhata would have lived somewhere around the 6th century AD. In Ashtanga-Sangraha, he mentions his birthplace as being somewhere in Sind, near today’s Karachi. He derived most of his medicinal knowledge from his father Simhagupta and his grandfather, who also went by the name Vagbhata.[ref]
Vagbhata is known most for restating complex themes lucidly and proficiently. He was a prolific scholar and poet rolled in one. In the Ashtanga-Hridaya, he explicitly states that his efforts were primarily meant to ‘make the text accessible to those who are less industrious’.[ref] The first chapter (Sutra Sthana) captures the fundamentals of Ayurveda succinctly. This ability to extract the essence of knowledge without getting overtaken by a concern for using embellished and jargon-filled prose is a mighty accomplishment. This can act as a lesson for modern writers as well.
As for his religious affiliations, in Ashtanga-Sangraha, he clearly affiliates himself with Buddhism, while in the Ashtanga-Hridaya he invokes several Vedic Gods. In fact, throughout both texts, both the Buddhist and Hindu pantheon of Gods are given similar emphasis, and this underscores an implicit belief that a single reality existed behind diverse appearances. This lofty idea of ‘unity in diversity’ is a keynote of Indian history, and Vagbhata’s writings echo this sensibility.
Thus, Vagbhata completes another special trinity- the Brihat trayi- of Ayurveda, the other two being Caraka and Sushruta.
