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also we can glean technical terms as used in the Ayurveda, suggesting that a system of medicine existed in his life-time.[1]
Positive historical evidence.We have thus what amounts to positive historical evidence that during the life-time of Buddha and even much earlier the doctrine of humoral pathology and the Ayurvedic method of
- ↑ The very terms Ayurveda and Ayurvedika i.e. expert in the Ayurveda occur in Pánini. We give below a list of some of the technical terms.शिशुक्रन्दयमसभद्वन्द्वेन्द्रजननादिभ्यश्छः ४।३।८८; परिमानान्तस्यासंज्ञाशाणयोः ७।३।१७; खार्य्याः प्राचाम् ५।४।१००; खार्य्या ईकन् ५।१।३३;
"And the blessed one said to the venerable Ánanda: 'A disturbance, Ánanda, has befallen the humors of the Thathágata's body"—ibid, p. 191.
The various kinds of salts used in medicine as also the eye ointments, to wit, black collyrium [stibium], rasa ointment [rasáñjana], sota ointment [srotañjana] &c. ibid. p. 90, are exactly the same as prescribed in the Susruta and other works on Hindu Medicine. (See also under añjanas, p. 93 of this book).Note specially the reference to vatthikamma which is a Páli corruption of the Sanskrit vastikarma:"Now at that time the Chhabbaggiya Bhikkhus, since a surgical operation had been forbidden by the Blessed One, used a clyster."No body has yet been bold enough to suggest that in the Mahávagga Greek influence can be traced.