Surgery in ancient India (Study)
by P. P. Prathapan | 2011 | 50,270 words
This essay studies Surgery in ancient India based on Sanskrit sources.—The Sushruta Samhita details the practice of surgery known to ancient Indian traditional medicine, which showcases an advanced development in this field as well as theoretical and practical knowledge of hygiene rivaling contemporary routine practices. The present thesis further ...
10. Ayurveda in the Smritis
AYURVEDA IN THE SMRITIS Hindu Dharma or Hindu way of life is called Sanatana Dharma, which has been incorporated in Smrtis. Smrtis are based on Vedas. The basic Smrtis are eighteen in number. Among them Manu Smrti, Naradiya Smrti, Visnu Smrti and Yajnavalkya Smrti have become very popular. Manu Smrti is written by Raja Manu in the ancient times. These Smrtis are not mere law books, but they deal more with the civil and criminal laws and the rules of inheritance and the laws of marriage and family. Every aspect of the individual life is included. The king's duties in relation to the internal and external affairs of the country are included there in. Worship of Gods, ceremonies in commemoration of the dead, birth and death, pollutions and expiatory acts, sacrifices, customs and manners of daily life and behaviour are all included. Penalties were levied upon those who disobeyed the rules of conduct laid down in the Smrtis. The rules of conduct codified in the Smrtis and expressed in the Samhitas (like Caraka and Susruta) correspond so much that we feel both derived their knowledge from a common source. Ayurveda Sutras were more or less exclusively intended for the educated classes, the Smrtis were intended for propagating this knowledge 36
among the masses.