Bhela-Samhita : Text with English Translation, Commentary and Critical Notes

Contents: Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgment. Introduction. Bibliography. 1. Sutrasthana (The fundamentals): i.  Treatment of Kustha. ii. Excessive eating. iii. Suppressible natural urges. iv. Sense organs--an introduction. v. Eating within measures. vi. The four limbs of medicine. vii. Deterioration due to retention of unassimilated food.... 2. Nidanasthana (diagnostic features): i. Missing. ii. Consumption. iii. Gulma. iv. Cough. v. Kustha.... 3. Vimanasthana (special mensurations): i. Mensuration of rasa in the body. ii. Missing. iii. Weak digestive capacity. iv. Disease constitution. v. Features of the diseased. vi. Seasons. 4. Sarirasthana (concerning the body): i. Missing. ii. Foetus, destructions, senses. iii. Body of unequal lineage. iv. Purusanicayam--assemblage of the parts of a person. v. Sariranicayam--assemblage of the body.... 5. Indriyasthana (Domain of the senses): i. Prognosis of death (as observable through our senses). ii. Svastyaynam--bodily features indicative of happiness. iii. Mumursu-laksana--characteristics of a person about to die. iv. Sadyomaraniya--bodily features of imminent death. v. Syaviyam--dark brown colouration of the body foreboding death. vi. Purvarupiyam--prodromic symptoms of death. vii. Indriyanikam--all about the examination of the sense organs..... 6. Cikitsasthana (concerning medical treatment): i. Ekadasasarpiska--the eleven (famous) sarpis or medicated ghees. ii. Visamajvara (irregular fever). iii. Raktapitta. iv. The consumptives. v. Treatment of gulma. vi. Treatment of kustha. vii. Prameha. viii. Treatment of insanity..... 7. Kalpasthana (formulations): i. Madana-kalpa. ii. Missing. iii. Iksvaku-kalpa. iv. Dhamargava-kalpa. v. Kutaja-kalpa. vi. Caturanguliya-kalpa. 8. Siddhisthana (domain of (securing) success in treatment): i. (Name missing) Emesis and evacuatives. ii. Errhines (sirovirecana). iii. Missing. iv. Ten misfortunes in treatment--dasavyapadiya. v. (Securing success by) dosage of enema.... Appendices: i. Preliminary remarks. ii. Notes and comments. iii. Weights and measures in Ayurveda. iv. Abbreviations. Index.

"Bringing out the ancient Sanskrit texts of repute to the expert attention of the non-Sanskrit knowing modernity is a specialised academic pursuit of many sided value. But this will be so, only if executed with all the care needed. Bhela-samhita, an incomplete Mss, is a reputed, ancient Ayurvedic work of this nature, earlier than the redacted Caraka Samhita. As such, it automatically assumes an important historical value. The present attempt is a pioneering work and has utilized the merits of all the editions to correct the text as much as possible.

To derive maximum productivity, the translation should be incisive, meticulous and reflect the merits and the vigour of the original. For this purpose, a special system of what is referred to as an interpretive translation has been developed and meticulously followed through out. This would productively highlight the specialties and also bring into proper relief quite a few advanced thinkings in the field as available here. This is so, despite the great age of the work. An usual criticism is that his text is too general and nonspecific. Enough care is taken to disprove this statement and show instead that it is quite specific and adequately detailed within its own framework. Infact, it is better treated as a special work, written more to the practitioners and has some emphasis on neurology. An other specialty of the attempt is that it heavily leans on the Vyutpatti or the etymology of the Sanskrit technical terms utilised. For, this is rather a more reliable key to the original thinkers in the field. This is particularly useful in suggesting the botanical equivalents of the Ayurvedic plants of this Samhita." (jacket)