SWAMI KUMARA

by

A. N. PANDEY and V. V. S. SASTRY

I Introduction

Chronologically Swami kumara is to be considered after Bhattara Harichandra amongthe Commentators of Charaka Samhita. Swami kumara is also known as Panjikakara becauseof the name of his commentary Panjika. There seems to be a slight discrepancy aboutthe actual name. In the commentary Charaka Panjika, he is mentioned as SwamiKumara. But he is referred to as Swami Daasa by Chakrapani 1 (Charka SamhitaChikitsa Sthana 3-218) and Vijayarakshita (Madhavanidana 1-14). P. V. Sharma, in hisCharak Chintan, identifies him as Skandaswami and Kurnaraswami, probably becauseSkanda and Kumara are the synonyms of the same God (Amara Kosa Swargavarga).According to the rules of Poetry and Grammar, usage of synonymous expressions for afamous person in order to maintain the metre of the verses and to protect from Chhando ..bhanga, is justified. Jajjata referred to Swami Kumara in his commentary and also byDalhana in his Nibandhasangraha Vyakhya of Susruta Samhita, even though he had todifferentiate from the other Panjikakaras on Susruta Samhita namely Gayadasa andBhaskara who were referred to as "Panjikakarau", a dual number."

II His ParentageThe only available work of Swami Kurnara, Charaka Panjika does not reveal any

information about his parentage, native place. patronage etc. Since he begins his Panjikawith his prayers of Lord Siva, we have to conclude that he is a devotee of the said God.Therefore being a Saiva by tradition, his name Swami indicates his perfection in attainingthe absolute liberation or kaivalya. P. V. Sharma on the basis of Chaturbhani states

I. On the basis of the reference to Gayadasa by Vijayarakshita while commenting on Madhavanidana2-18 to 23 which are taken from Charaka Samhita Chikist.sthana 3, Gayadasa was considered to havewritten a commentary on. Charaka Samhita. Therefore a pertinent question here is whether, bythe word "Swarnidasa", Chakrapani was referring to both Swami Kumara and Gayadasa ?

2. Dalhana, at the beginning of his Nibandhasangraha Vyakhya of Susruta Samhita, referred toGayadasa and Bhaskara as "Panjikakarau". Gayadasa has written Bruhadpanjika and Bhaskarahas written the Laghupanjika, Dalhana always referred to Gayadasa and Bhaskara either byname or by the name of their commentaries. Therefore when Dalhana refers to Panjikakarau,it is always possible that he was only referring to Charaka Panjika and Swami Kumara. Dalhanain about 19 places referred as Panjikakara in singular number which may possibly mean SwamiKumara, According to the statement of Dalhana referring to panjikakara not accepting that particularversion of the portion of Susruta Samhita, makes us to conclude that Swami Kumara alsowrote a commentary on Susruta Sarnhita (refer to Dalhana on Susrutasutra 10-5, Susruta Uttraa3--4, 7-7 and 28, 39-116 to 118 and 127). '

66 Bulletin Ind. Inst. Hist. Med. Vol. V

that Swami Kumara lived in either Avanthi or Ujjayani. The actual word referred to is"Avantikah Skandaswarni". Even though the name Swami kumara is not directlyreferred to, P. V. Sharma, contends that Skandaswamy may be taken as a synonym forKumara Swami or Swami Kumara. This statement can be accepted, since it is surmisedthat Swami Kumara is a Saivite and also by tradition Ujjayani was a famous place ofSaivism, Mahakala, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, being situated there.

It is learnt very' recently that an Indian physician namely Kumara Bhatta had beena very popular preceptor of Ayurveda among the people of Thailand. This informationhad been brought to notice by the Indian physician Shri Narayana Sastri, who visitedThailand in 1967-68. The Ayurvedic scholars of Thailand consider this Kurnara Bhattaan Indian and mention his name very reverentially. Since they could not specificallyidentify him, they believe that Indians must have a clue. Some scholars consider thatthis Kumara Bhatta of Thailand is the same as Swami Kumara. But we do not have anyproof that Swami Kumara visited this place. In the same way, there is no proof againstSwami Kumara's popularity as a Physician not attaining a universality and spreading intodistant lands.

ill Date of Swami Kumara

The verses quoted at the beginning of his Panjika may throw light upon his date.Swami Kumara himself accepts that he has made an investigation into the work ofBhattara Harichandra before he started his own commentary of Charaka Samhita. Thiscan only lead us to one conclusion that Swami Kumara was posterior to BhattaraHarichandra. Since Swami Kumara has been quoted by Jajjata (7th century A.D.) andHarichandra flourished in 6th century, it is also justified that Swami Kumara waseither the contemporary of Bhattara Harichandra or more possibly his disciple. P. V.Sharma also contends that Swami Kumara was a contemporary of Bhattara Harichandra.Therefore the upper limit can be fixed as 6th century and the lower limit as the 7thcentury A.D.

IV Cbaraka Panjika of Swami Kumara

The commentary of Charaka Samhita written by Swami Kumara is known asCharaka Panjika. In Sanskrit, the word Panjika denotes a special meaning. Accordingto Abhidhana Chintamani: "Panjika is that which gives accurate record of words andmeanings, therein registered after an analysis or an investigation." This correlateswith the statement of Swami Kumara at the beginning of his commentary. "After athorough investigation ofHarichandra's Charakanyasa which illuminated the minds of thelearned sages, Swami Kumara has taken up the work with the wonderful passages madeeasy and recorded as the Panjika".

The Panjika is started with an invocation for the blessings of Lord Siva and afterthat the author pays homage to Charaka in preference to other deities and sages associa-ted with Ayurveda and Charaka Samhita, namely Brahma, Prajapati, Aswini etc. He

Swami Kumara=-Pandey and Sastry 67

continues with his homage to Bhattara Harichandra. Here Swami Kumara also recog-nises or identifies Charaka as Patanjali who had corrected the errors of speech byVyakarana and of the mind by the Yoga. The same opinion was expressed through anidentically quoted verse by both Bhoja in his Nyayavarthika and Vijnanabhikshu inYogavarthika: I bow with folded hands to Patanjali who purified the mind of itsimpurities by (writing a work on) Yoga, the voice of its impurities by his grammar(Maha Bhashya), the physical body of its impurities by his work on medicine and whowas superior to all the sages (of his time)".

This commentary, Charaka Panjika, on the first five chapters of Sutrasthana, IS

available in the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras.

REFERENCES

1. Acharya, Jadavaji Trikamji: The Charaksamhita, 3rd ed., Bombay, theNirnaya Sagar Press, 1941.

2. Acharya, Jadavaji TrikamjiSagar Press, 1955.

Madhavanidana, 1st ed., Bombay, Nirnaya

3. Acharya, Jadavaji TrikamjiNirnaya Sagar Press, 1938.

The Susruta Samhita, 3rd ed., Bombay,

4. Charaksamhita, Vol. I, Jamnagar, Sri Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society, 1949.

5. Meulenbeld, G. J.: The Madhava Nidana and its chief Commentary,Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1974.

6. Mukhopadhyaya, G. N.: History of Indian Medicine, Vol. III, Calcutta,University of Calcutta, 1929.

7. Narayan Shastri: Sudoor Poorv Ke Deshon me Ayurved (Ayurveda in theFar East countries), Sachitra Ayurveda, 1968, Vol. 21, No.1, pp. 40 to 44.

8. Sastri, S. K., A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts tn theGovernment Oriental Manuscript Library, Madras, 1918.

9. Sharma, P. V., Caraka Cintana, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Vidya bhavan, 1970.

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