Vagbhata - Ancient Indian Writer, Physician, Ayurveda Legend

Vāgbhata (वाग्भट) famous for his works Ashtanga Sangraha and Ashtanga Hridaya Samhita, Ayurveda writer, disciple of Charaka, Pdf books of Vagbhata rishi works, Vaghabhata Sutras free download in Hindi, English and Telugu.

Vāgbhata (वाग्भट) famous for his works Ashtanga Sangraha and Ashtanga Hridaya Samhita is one of the most influential ancient writers of Ayurveda. Vagbhata was a disciple of Charaka. Both of his books were originally written in Sanskrit with 7000 sutra. According to Vagbhata, 85% of diseases can be cured without a doctor; only 15% of diseases require a doctor.

Works:

Astanga Hridaya and Astanga Samgraha

The Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā (Heart of Medicine) is written in poetic language. The Aṣṭāṅgasaṅgraha (Compendium of Medicine) is a longer and less concise work, containing many parallel passages and extensive passages in prose. They contain the essence of the treatises by Charaka and Sushrutha, as well as Vagbhata’s own perceptions on Ayurveda. The Astanga Haridyam is composed of 7120 easily understood Sanskrit verses which present a coherent account of Ayurvedic knowledge. There are sections on longevity, personal hygiene, the causes of illness, the influence of season and time on the human organism, types and classifications of medicine, the significance of the sense of taste, pregnancy and possible complications during birth, Prakriti, individual constitutions and various aids for establishing a prognosis. There is also detailed information on Five-actions therapies (Skt. pañcakarma) including therapeutically induced vomiting, the use of laxatives, enemas, complications that might occur during such therapies and the necessary medications. The Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā is perhaps Ayurveda’s greatest classic, and copies of the work in manuscript libraries across India and the world outnumber any other medical work. It is the central work of authority for ayurvedic practitioners in Kerala. The Aṣṭāṅgasaṅgraha, by contrast, is poorly represented in the manuscript record, with only a few, fragmentary manuscripts having survived to the twenty-first century. Evidently it was not widely read in pre-modern times. However, the ithas come to new prominence since the twentieth century through being made part of the curriculum for ayurvedic college education in India.

Other Works

There are many medical works attributed to Vagbhata, some of them are:

• the Rasaratnasamuccaya, an iatrochemical work, is credited to Vāgbhaṭa.
• an auto-commentary on Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā, called Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayavaiḍūryakabhāṣya
• two more commentaries, called Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayadīpikā and Hṛdayaṭippaṇa
• the Aṣṭāṅganighaṇṭu
• the Aṣṭāṅgasāra
• the Aṣṭāṅgāvatāra
• a Bhāvaprakāśa
• the Dvādaśārthanirūpaṇa
• A Kālajñāna
• the Padhārthacandrikā
• the Śāstradarpaṇa
• a Śataślokī
• a Vāgbhaṭa
• the Vāgbhaṭīya
• the Vāhaṭanighaṇṭu
• a Vamanakalpa
• A Vāhaṭa is credited with a Rasamūlikānighaṇṭu
• A Vāhaḍa with a Sannipātanidānacikitsā

Swadeshi Chikitsa (Part 1, 2, 3) by Rajiv Dixit is based on the Vagbhata sutras, principles and teachings. The Astang Haridyam has been translated into many languages, including Tibetan, Arabic, Persian and several modern Indian and European languages. Selected passages of the Astang Haridyam translated into English have been published in the Penguin Classics series. Pdf books of Vagbhata rishi works in all languages are now available to download for free on internet. Vaghbhata Chikitsa ayurveda works are easily available in Hindi, English, Marathi and Telugu. Maharshi Vagbhat Gaushala located in Tamil Naidu aims at protection of bharitya breed cows, gaumata is regarded as 'laxmi' (goddess of wealth) in our dharma, use of Pânchagavya is very important for a healthy disease-free life. We will write more posts on Vagbhata Ji's work in Ayurveda, stay connected with our twitter and FB page for updates.