e-Sushruta Samhita
Suśruta-samhitā — A Technical Synopsis for Advanced Ayurvedic Scholarship
| Textual layer | Contributor / role | Approx. period | Key contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proto-treatise (Bheda-samhitā) | Suśruta (son of Viśvāmitra, legendary preceptor of Kāśī school) | c. 600 BCE (early Iron Age) | Core chapters on Śalya-tantra (surgery) and Śālākyatantra (ENT & ophthalmology) |
| Prati saṁskartā | Nāgārjuna (alchemist-surgeon of Mahāyāna milieu) | c. 2-3 CE | Redaction, addition of Uttara-tantra, metallurgical notes |
| Kashmir redaction | Anonymous scribes | c. 7–8 CE | Harmonisation of metre, interpolation of verses on doṣa theory |
Canonical architecture & verse census
| Sthāna | Chapters (adhyāya) | Subject focus |
|---|---|---|
| Sūtra | 46 | Fundamental principles, instrumentation (yantra, śastra), dosimetrics |
| Nidāna | 16 | Aetiology & pathogenesis of 8 cardinal surgical diseases |
| Śarīra | 10 | Dissection anatomy, embryology, foetal surgery ethic (garbha-upaghāta doṣa) |
| Cikitsā | 40 | Surgical management, burns, fractures, kumāra-cikitsā, rasāyana |
| Kalpa / Kāla | 8 | Toxicology, antidotal preparations, purification of metals |
| Uttara-tantra (Nāgārjuna’s addendum) | 66 | Ophthalmology, dentistry, psychiatry, gynaecology, paediatrics |
Principal medieval commentaries
| Commentary | Author (Century) | Scholarly importance |
|---|---|---|
| Nibandha-saṁgraha | Dalhaṇa (12th CE) | Definitive gloss; preserves readings from lost commentaries (Br̥hattrayi sources). |
| Nyāya-chandrikā-pañjikā | Gayādāsa (13th CE) | Critical notes on surgical craft, etymology of instruments. |
| Bhānumatī | Chakrapāṇidatta (11th CE) | Integrates pharmacological cross-references from Bhela & Kaśyapa. |
Doctrinal & technical hallmarks
- First codified text on plastic & reconstructive surgery – nasal reconstruction (karnanasikā sandhāna), ear-lobule repair, lithotomy.
- Catalogue of 125 surgical instruments – classified into yantra (passive hooks, forceps) and śastra (active cutting tools).
- Anaesthesia precursors – wine-cannabis mixtures (madya sidha), dermal cooling techniques.
- Tri-doṣa + Rakta as a quasi-independent humour – unique to Suśruta school, crucial for surgical bleeding doctrine.
- Epidemiological sections (Uttara-tantra 64–66) detailing quarantine for small-pox-like eruptions.
Contemporary research interfaces
- Plastic-surgical historiography: Rhinoplasty procedure (forehead flap) cited in Br. Joseph Carpue’s 1814 monograph; comparative studies in modern maxillofacial surgery.
- Biomedical engineering: Reconstruction of Suśruta’s ākāśa-yantra (enema apparatus) informs ergonomic syringe design.
- Toxicology & antidotes: Kalpa-sthāna plant lists (e.g., Viṣa-sharkarā) under phytochemical screening for chelation activity.
Conclusion
For doctoral researchers in Ayurvedic surgery, medical history, or ethnopharmacology, the Suśruta-samhitā provides an unparalleled blueprint of ancient operative science, integrating anatomy, instrumentation, toxicology, and systemic therapeutics. Mastery of its layered redactions—Agniveśa’s surgical core, Nāgārjuna’s Uttara-tantra augmentation, and Dalhaṇa’s scholastic exegesis—remains essential for advancing critical editions, cross-cultural surgical historiography, and translational research in traditional Indian medicine.