Exploring the Core Texts of Ayurveda on National Ayurvedic Day

The celebration of the 11th National Ayurvedic Day on September 23 brought renewed focus to the three seminal works that define the discipline: Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya. These scriptures are held in the highest esteem for their authenticity and depth.

Charaka Samhita’s journey began with the discourse of Maharshi Punarvasu Atreya, captured by his pupil Agnivesha as the Agnivesha Tantra. Acharya Charaka later edited and expanded the material, giving the text its present identity. Over time, portions were lost; the scholar Dridhbala reconstructed about one‑third of the missing content, restoring the treatise to its full form. The work comprises eight sections—Sutra (foundations), Nidana (diagnosis), Vimana (pharmacology), Sharira (anatomy), Indriya (senses), Chikitsa (treatment), Kalp (prognosis) and Siddhi (outcome)—totaling 120 chapters.

Sushruta Samhita is regarded as the first comprehensive manual on surgery. It records the teachings of Kashiraja Dhanvantari as compiled by his disciple Sushruta, son of Vashistha. In the 5th century, Nagarjuna contributed the Uttara Tantra, increasing the total to 186 chapters. The text outlines eight surgical operations, the design and use of instruments, procedures such as cauterisation, fire therapies, water‑based treatments, otology, and sophisticated wound‑binding techniques.

The Ashtanga Hridaya, authored by Vagbhatta, son of Singhagpt’s disciple, compresses the extensive Ayurvedic canon into 120 chapters divided into six sections. Vagbhatta likens the book to the heart of Ayurveda, aggregating the eight essential branches—Kaya, Shalya, Shalakya, Kaumarbhritya, Agada, Manas, Rasayana and Vajikarana—into a single, accessible volume.

As interest in natural and holistic health resurges worldwide, these three texts provide an invaluable foundation for practitioners, researchers and anyone seeking to understand the philosophical and practical roots of Ayurveda.