Bull. Ind. Inst. Hist. Med. Vol. XX pp. 95 to 105

SALIENT FEATURES OF DHANVANTARI,A LESS-KNOWN AYURVEDIC TREATISE

D. SURESH KUMAR*

ABSTRACT

Salient features of a less-known ayurvedic treatise. Dhanvantari are

reported in this communication. Occurance of some iatrochemical formulations

ascribed to Charaka. Dhanvantari and Krishnatreya is a special feature of thistext. Clear instructions are given in this treatise on the pre-treatment of patients,

types of adjuvants, bio-activators and post-prandial drinks to be administered

with the medicines and dietary restrictions. As phirangaroga and ashthastha-napariksha are described, it can be concluded that Dhanvantari was composed

in 16 or 17 century A.D. Some inter-relationships of the Dhanvantari School

of Ayufveda and Tamil medicine are also discussed, implying the need for a

re-examination of the concepts of the history of Avurveda

Introduction

Sanskrit literature contains asizeable number of treatises on Ayur-veda. Drawing inspiration from theclassical compositions of the Atrevaand Dhanvantari schools of thought.many scholars contributed compendia,translations of which are avai lable inthe regional languages. During thecourse of a literature survey we cameacross the Malayalam version of onesuch text entitled Dhanvantaru.", Itwas originally published in 1938 withthe sitikandhiva commentary of Kavu;i-gal Nilakentha Pill ai. a Sanskrit scho-

lar. As Ohanvantari is a less-knownayurvedic text, an attempt is made inthis communication to highlight someof its salient features, which qualify itfor further study.

Plan of the text

The author does not reveal hisidentity anywhere in the text. Beforestarting the classification of fevers,he invokes the blessings of Pafica-nana. a terrifying ferm of Siva. Theconcluding stanzas, typical of manySanskrit texts are missing in Dhan-vantari, which ends with the recipeof a cosmetic formulation (2:440**).

*Department of Physiology. International Institute 01 Ayurveda.

Ramanthapuram. Coimbatore-Bd l 045. India.

'**Volume and Page numbers.

96

The opening chapter of the textdeals with omens, diagnostic techni-ques, interpretation of dreams, signsof imminent death, qualities of land,characteristics of vegetable drugs anddefinition of weights and measures.This is followed by cl sss ificatlon ofdiseases and guidelines for theirtreatment. After describing the cha-racteristics of each subgroup of thedisease, the author enumerates thesingle drug remedies, compoundherbal formulations and iatrochemicalpreparations useful in its management.There are 129 such chapters whichbegin with the classification of fevers(jvararoqanidana) and end with treat-ment of sexual debility (vajikarana).There is no chapter on rejuvenation(r asav ana). The author presents themedical knowledge as if Dhanvantarinarrates it to Siva.

Classifications of diseases

The nosoloqical aspects of Dhan-vantari are based mostly on Miidhava-nida na". However. <It some inst ance sthe author ventures to incorporateinformation from other sources asw(;11 Thus, many fevers like bhautika,mandhara, krsnamandhara, ekahika,dvvahik a. trvahika. caturahika, panca-hika, pak sik a and rnasika are alsoincluded (1 :49-115). Mention is alsomode of aqr arnarns a. aksispandanaasvvdana. bahumiitra, i'kiingaspan-dana qranthisula, kharasparsa, rnaha-svcds mu tr ati sata. s arvanqaspandana,~i;phastallibha and suptavata. Sorne

Bull. Ind. Inst. Hist. Med. Vol. XX

of these diseases were first reportedin post-Vaqbhat a texts like Gadani-graha, Parvavaratnamala. Rasaratna-kara etc+.

Diagnosis of diseases

For identification of diseases theauthor recommends the asthasthana-pariksa or examination of pulse (nadi).urine (miitra). feces (mala), tongue(jihva), eyes (netra), general appea-rance (rupa). voice (sebda) and skin(sparse) of the patient. NaQiparik~ais believed to have been adopted fromTamil medicines and mutrapariksawas first described in Avurveua byVangasena in Cikitsasarasamqrahadating from 11 century A. D. 4 As therudiments of the concept of asthas-thanapank sa are traceable in KavasthaCamund f's .Jvaratlrnir abhaskara of16 century', Dhanvantari can beassigned to 16 or 17 century. This issupported by the observation that inthe ohalasruti of Brhadvidvadhara-bhr arn, Ksudhavatlqut ika Mflhiigulma-ka lfin alar as am. Hasavanamrtalohamand Sowbhaqva-un t hirnodakarn, theauthor makes an allusive reference tothe .Jvaratirnirabhask ar a (1: 429-430,2: 26, 31. 247, 250-251).

Medicinal formulationsHerbal preparations

Some of the recipes of Dhanvan-tari ore found to have been adoptedfrom Cakr adatt ain which dates from11 ce nturv.! The use of Terminaliailr juna (R o xb.) Wig h I & Arno t (or j :)[1;1)

Salient Features of Dhanvantari-Suresh Kumar

in heart disease and Crataeva nurvala

Buch.- Ham. (varuna ) in urolithiasis

was first recommended by Cakrapani-

da tte",". Occurrence of recipes of

several simple formulations is a mar-

ked feature of this text.

Mercurial preparations

Dhanvantari recommends nume-rous mercurial preparations in thetreatment of almost all diseases.Many of the formulations are attribu-ted to Candraniitha. Gahananatha,Nltvanatha, Visvanatha and otheriatrochemists who flourished in themedieval periods Table 1 lists thereferences to such formulae. Interes-tingly enough, some mercurials areascribed to Asvinikurnar a. Caraka,Dhanvantari, Kr!?J)atreya, Narada, Sivaand Visnu. These observations aresignificant in the wake of absence ofreferences to mercurials in presentday versions of Su-rut a Sal1;hila andCaraka Sarnhita .

It is generally believed that mercu-rial preparations are administeredwithout considering the destabilisa-lion of the tridosa '. However, Dhan-vantari is replete with references tomany mercurials which are indicatedin specific d6~a states. This suqgeststhat attempts were made by laterauthors to integrate iatrochemistrywith classical avurvedic doctrines.References to such formulae are pro-vided in Table 2.

97

Botanical Aspects

Due to interaction with Greco-Arabic and Chinese medicines, manynew plants were incorporated intothe ayurvedic pharrnacopoeia re. Aloebarbadensis Mill (kumari). Crinumlatifo/ium L. (sudarsana): Cretantiglium L (j aipala), Echinops echino-tus Roxb. (ustrakanr ak a) and Papaversomiferum L (ahiph.'na) are somesuch plants found in the formulae ofDhanvantari Interestingly, Cannabissativa L. (bhauqa) occurs in 15formuiations, 11 of which are aphor-disiacs.

Dhanvantari describes phiranqa-roga (syphilis) first reported inAyurveda by Bhavarnishra'". Versesfrom Bhavapraka- a are obviouslyreproduced with little variation todescribe the aetiology, prognosis andsecondary and afflictions of thedisease (2:199-201). Rasakarpur a,Saptasa livat i and a few powdersincluding that of Smilax china L.(copacini) are indicated exactly as inBhavaprakasa (2 : 206- 208).

Influence of tantra and other

religious elements

Elements of tantra and other

religious practices are found in Dhan-

vantari. Some ex a.nples are cited

below.

98

1) Amrtankuraloham is to be consu-med after paying homage to thedeities, spiritual masters and thelearned (1: 374-376).

2) A!?tadasasatikaprasari1)i tailarn iseffective only if consumed afterperforming Visnupuja (1: 344-346).

3) Candraprabhavati is especiallyeffective if consumed after performingSivapiija (1: 163-165).

4) Puja of Ravi (Sun) and Guru(Jupiter) should be performed on anauspicious day before consumingCatus arnalohain (1: 425-426).

5) Navikacur nam should be consumedin the early morning while meditatingon the Yogini form of Durga (1: 136-137)

6) Before starting the preparation ofSankhadravaka one should performY6ginipuja and Bhairavapuja accor-ding to established procedures (2: 97-98).

7) Pflja of Sarvanqasundararasam andVi ivesvararasam should be performedbefore consuming the same (1: 217,381-382).

8) The aphrodisiac (Satavarim6dakal11should be consumed after performing~ivap\!ja and Dhanvantaripuja (2:409-410) .

9) Piija of Ganapati. Y6gisvari, Siva,Vi~IlU and Surva should be performed

Bull. Ind. /nst. Hist. Med. Vol. XX

before consuming Sulavajril)! vati(1: 423-424).

10) All diseases will be cured ifTrail6kyacintama1)irasal11 is consumedwhile performing pu]a of Sri Parvatiand Surva (1: 368- 369).

11) Human urine is recommended asan adjuvant for administering Bhiita-bhairavarasam (1: 299·300). Sharma(1984) is of the opinion that use ofhuman urine is related to tantrikrites' I.

Discussion and Conclusions

On the whole Dhanvantari seemsto have been composed in thepost-Bhavamishra period, apparentlywith the intention of serving as acomprehensive guide to practitioners.It gives clear instructions on thepre-treatment of patients, types ofadjuvants. bioactivators and post-prandial drinks (anupana) to be admi-nistered with the medicines, dietaryrestrictions and precautions to betaken with mercurials.

Interestingly, the text containssome information which should serveas stimuli for further research onthe history of Ayurveda. The celestialtwins- Asvinikurnara. Caraka, Dhan-vantari and Krsnatreva are said tohave designed some iatrochemicalpreparations (Table 1). In this contextit may be mentioned that Todaranan-da's Ayurvedasaukhya contains passa-ges on pulse examination ascribed in

Salient Features of Dhanvantari-Suresh Kumar 99

Caraka Samhita '. Such evidencescast doubt on the va liditv of theopinion of some medica I historiansthat iatrochemistry and pulse exami-nation were later introductions toAyurveda due to its interaction withexponents of Chinese, Greco-Arabicand Tamil rnedicinesv.!-. How suchelements disappeared from the originalversions of the classics needs to beinvestigated. Painstaking study ofthe extent medical literature of Arabic,Pali. Persian, Sanskrit, Tamil andTibetan languages is required to solvesome of these riddles.

In the chapter on the nosology ofantavrddhi, the author states that"as suggested by Susruta and others,vardhma afflicts persons who hadrecovered from an attack of phiranqa-r6ga (2:128-129). This suggests thata phirangaroga - like malady mighthave been known to ancient authors.Such a statement is meaningful inthe light of the fact that the recently-described AIDS is very much compa-rable to a clinical condition thatstems from diminution of 6jas andthe resulting vitiation of vata andpitta. even though a specific namewas not assigned to the clinicalentity18,14.

Considering all the internalevidences it can be concluded thatDhanvantari was composed by ananonymous scholar of the DhanvantariSchool of Ayurveda. Many secondary

evidences suggest that the schoolhad links with Tamil medicine.

Dwarakanath remarks that ascholar of the Dhanvantari Schoolwas the guru of Konkanavar. the 16century ascetic revered in the Tamilmedical tradition". i5. A Tamil medicaltreatise entitled Tanvantari Vaityamis still in use and formulae of manymercurials like .Jvaracintarnanirasamand Piratapalankesverakkulikai arepresent in it!". Konkanavars guru wassaid to have been an accomplishedtantrik!" and interestingly manyelements of tantr a are available inDhanvantari as well. While referencesto Caraka, Susruta or Vagbhala aremissing in Tamil medical works,some texts of the system containintroductory verses paying tributeto Dhanvantati. The tanvantarivanakkarn (homage to Dhanvantari)in Teraiar Makakarisal is a proofof it!".

Not many texts on therapeuticsare attributed to Dhanvantari. How-ever, Kamat refers to DhanvantariGrantha and Dhanvantari Pancakain the appendix to his study ofthe Dhanvantariya Niqhantu 18, OneDhanvantari Cikitsarnavam is reportedto be in the Orissa State Museum,Bhubaneshvar !", It will be interestingto ascertain whether these texts haveany characteristics in common withDhanvantari, the subject of the prsantstudy,

100

TABLE 1

Bull. Ind. /nst. Hist. Med. Voi. XX

IATROCHEMICAL FORMULATIONS ATTRIBUTED TOHISTORICAL AND MYTHOLOGICAL PERSONALITIES

No. Name of personality to whomthe formula is ascribed

Name of Formula Reference

1. Asvinikumara2. Candranadha3. Candranadha4. Candranadha5. Caraka6. Dhanvantari7. Gahananadha8. Gahananadha9. Gahenanadha10. Gahananadha11. Gahananadha12. Gahanananda13. Gahanananda14. Gahanananda15. Gahanananda16. Gahananandanadha17. Gahananandanadha18. Gahananandenadha19. Gahananandanadha2~ Gahananandanidha21. Gahaninandanadha22. Krsnitreya23. Kr~T.\atreya24. Narada25. Nitvan atha26 Snrva27. Vi~11U28. Vi~vanatha

"Contains no mercury.

Kusdheraksasatailam 2 : 235- 236Sricandramrtaloharrr" 1 : 235-236Sulavajrlnjvatl 1 : 423-424SirasuladrivajrarasaTfl 2 : 376S6manatharasaTfl 2 : 79-80Mrtyuiijayal6haTfl 2 : 109-110Srinrpativallabham 1 145-146Krimidhalijalaplavetasem 1: 183-184Kasasamharabheiravarasam t : 229GulmakalanalarasaTfl 2 : 26-27Aqnikumaraloham 2 : 108PraQavaliabharssaTfl 1 : 191-192Pranavallabharasarn" 2: 32-33, 109Hasarnrtarasarp 1 : 202TarakesvararasaTfl 2 : 57Candrasurvatmakarasam 1: 193-194Gulrnasardularasam 2 : 32Kalana larasam 1 : 181-182Kancanabhrakalp 1 : 220S6mc';vararasaTfl 2 : 76· 77, 85-86Vatevidbvamsanarasam 1 365- 366Caturmukharas am 1 318-319Y5gefidrarasaTfl 1 320Laksmivildsara sam 1 : 103-105Gulmavejr inivatlka 2 : 29Ksudhasaqarerasam 1 177

•. Nit\ 6dayarasam 1 238-239.. .

Vis\(csvararasaql 1 381-382

,---«

Salient Features of Dhenv enteri=Sur esh Kumar 101

TABLE 2IATROCHEMICAL FORMULATIONS INDICATED IN SPECIFIC D(»)A STATES

No. Name of formulation

1. Abhrakavat ika2. Amrtaruavarn

3. Arnrtarnavarasarn4 Brhadicchabhedirasarn5. BrhalkaiicanabhrakarasaTfi

6. Gulmakalanalarasaql7. HrdayarI)avarasalp.8. .Jvarakesartrasam

9. .Jverarirasam10. Kanakavatlvatl11. Kancanabhrakarasalp.12. Krimidhiilija lapl avarasem

13. LaghvanandarasaTfi

14. Laksmivilasarasam15. L6kesvararas8ql

16. Madhyamasarvajvarahara·16haTfi

17. Mrtyunjayal6hsql

18. Mrtyunjayarasaql

19. Palasiidivati

20. PasaI)avajrarasaIII

21. Pittakaiiintakarasalp*22. Pranavallabhar asam

Cures pain of vata-k apha originCures atisara of single. doubleor triple dosa combinationCures kasa of vata originCures vitiation of kaphaAnupana to be selected on thebasis of dosakoparnCures vata gulmaCures kapha htdr6gaCures pitta jvara if administerdwith sugarCures kapha-pitta diseases 1 : 82Cures arsas of vata or. kapha origin 1 162Cures kasa of kapha-pitta origin 1 212Kills worms of pitta or vata-pitta 1: 183·184originCures vata disease with giddiness : 195-196and burning sensationCures vata-pitta jvaraAdjuvants and anupana arerecommended for diseases ofvata, pitta or kapha originCures jvara of vata. pitta, kapha 1: 107and sannipata originAnuoana to be selected on thebasis of d6sak6pamCures vata-pitta jvara if admini- 1: 100stered with coconut water orsugar. Cures kapha jvara ifadministered in honey.Bhavana to be done in paiicapitta- 1 : 366-367rasam if it is to be administeredin pitta diseases.Anupana to be selected on thebasis of dosakopan:Cures kasa of pitta originDose is to be increased afterassessing vitiatton of kapha

Remarks Reference

1 : 138-1391 : 126·127

1 : 2282: 7-81 : 220-221

2 : 26-272: 361 : 102

1 : 103-1051 : 217·219

2: 109-110

2 : 65

1 : 228-2291: 191-192

702 Bull. Ind. lnst, Hist. Med. Vol. XX

ReferenceNo. Name of formulation

23. Rajamrgankarasarp

24. Sarvanqaaundararasarn

25. Sarvanqasundararasam

26. Somesvsrerasam27. Srikhanthavati ;;.

28. Svacchandabhairavam

29. Sva lparnrqan kam

30. Svas akuthar am

31. Ttksnarnukharasam

32 Trallokvacintarnanirasam

33. Triputabhairavarasam"34. Vaidvanathavati

35. Vaidvanathavatlka

36. Vatakulantakalll

37. Vidvadhatabhram

38. vidvadharatasam39. Y5gendrarasa111

Remarks

Cures consumption of vata-kaphaoriginCures vata-pitta jvara and manydiseases of vata or kapha originCures piercing pain of kapha-vata 1 : 430-431originCures vats prarnehaCures diseases of kapha-vataoriginTo be administered on the basisdosakoparnAnupana to be selected on thebasis of do~ak5parp

Cures svasa, kas a and ksava ofvata-kapha originCures pitta arsas if administered 1: 161-162with sugarHoney & powder of Piper longum 1 : 368-369l. are bioectivators if themedicine is to be administeredin vata- kapha diseases.Also cures oedema due to va taAdjuvant is to be selected onthe basis of do~ak5pa111Cures distresses of vata- kaphaor kapha originAnupana to be selected on thebasis of dosakoparnDose to be selected on the basis 1: 424-425of do:;;akoparpCures kapha 9ulmaCures diseases of vata-pittaorigin

213

217

2: 76-771 : 364

: 233-234

: 219-220

: 251

11

9798

: 137-138

1 : 300-301

2 : 30-311 : 320

*Contains no mercury.

Acknowledgement

Financial assistance provided by the AVR Educational Foundation of Avur-

ve da, Coimbatore is gratefully acknowledged.

Salient Features of Dhanvantari-Suresh Kumar

1. Pillai. K.N.

2. Pillai. K.N.

3. Sastri. N. N.

4. Meulenbeld, G.J.

5. PillaL T.V.S.

6. Kumar, D.S. andPrabhakar, Y.S.

7. Prabhakar. Y.S. andKumar, D.S.

8. Subbarayappa, BY

9. Kumar, D.S. andPrabhakar. Y.S.

103

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