eou. Ind. Inst. Hist. Mad. Vol. XXI pp. 149 to 151

PRINCIPLES, METHODS AND IMPORTANCE OFLITERARY RESEARCH IN THE HISTORY OF AYURVEOA

MOMIN AU.

ABSTRACT

Ayurveda has been a developing science since prehistoric era, and itt1as made significant progress through the ages. The development ofAyurveda was restricted from the 17th century onwards and it remainedstatic since then. The beginning of this century provided new inspirationfor its revival. However. the development of Ayurveda received necessary-support only lifter independence. There has been active initiative andeffort lor the development ot Avurveda in general and research in particu lar.The emphasis on research mathodoloqv has ars» been given and literaryresearch work in Ayurveda will certainly enrich Ayurveda, h.inging out the{atent potentialities that ar-e lying dormant and unexplored in its vastliterature.

Ayurveda has been a developingscience since prehistoric era and ithasmade significant progress through theages. Beginning from the scatteredreferences in Vedic literature, it wassystematised and well presented inthe form of Samhitas like Charaka,Sushruta and Ashtangahridaya, andlater followed by creation of MadhavaNidana, Sharangadhara and Chakra-datta etc., reflecting the contemporarydevelopments in society, literatureand science. The development ofAyurveda was restricted from the17th century onwards and it remainedstatic since then.

The beginning of this centuryprovided new inspiration for itsrevival. The institutions for trainingpersonnel in Ayurveda were establi-shed, which helped in emergence ofsystematic Ayurvedic education inour country. But, inspite of thisdevelopment, the research in Ayur-veda could not make any significantprogress. However, the developmentof Ayurveda received necessary sup-port only after independence.

Various committees appointed bythe State and Central Governments,have all from time to time invariably

-Research Officer incharge, Indian Institute of Historv 0 f Medicine, Hy~rab.d.

150

made recommendations and stressedthe importance of research in variousbranches of Ayurveda, with a viewto ensure its growth and development.Accordingly research on fundamentaldoctrines of Ayurveda, literaryresearch, clinical research, drugresearch, research on dietetics andresearch on psychological aspectswere indentified as broad categoriesof research in Ayurveda. The UdupaCommittee (1958) further examinedthe scope of research priorities underclinical, literary, chemical, botanical,pharmacognostical and basic princi-ples. In this way, though areas andmethods for research were indentifiedby the various committees, still theneed for further discussion on theresearch methodology has been felt.As such a special session on thesubject was arranged by CCRIMH in1973 and then, a seminar was heldat Patna in 1976, under the auspicesof the Council of State Boards, andFaculties of Indian Medicine for thediscussion on various aspects ofAyurvedic research. One of thesubjects for discussion at this seminarwas "Literary Research and Collectionof source materials".

Thus, there has been activeinitiative and effort for the develop-ment of Ayurveda in general andresearch in particular, since thecontinuity of 1he development ofAyurveda can only be maintainedthrough constant research. Theemphasis on research methodology

BUll. Ind. l nst , Hist. Med. Vol. XXI

has also been given and literaryresearch has been recognised as animportant aspect of any researchprogramme. The literary researchinvolves-the revival and publicationof ancient classical literature; collec-tion, compilation and documentationof SUbject-wise references relating todrugs and diseases from ancientclassical literature, laxicographicworks, contemporary literature andallied modern sciences. These arethe few aspects of literary researchwork in Ayurveda which will certainlyenrich Ayurveda, bringing out thelatent potentialities that are lyingdormant and unexplored in its vastliterature.

Principles of literary Research :Like any research work, the

literary research work in Ayurvedahas also to be based on certainprinciples such as :

1. Honesty and straight forwardness;2. Accuracy and exactness in matters

of facts;3, A cautious dealing with the facts

without indulging in too hastycomparisons;

4. Rejection of the theory, found tobe inconsistent with the facts;

5. Diffusion of truth for the benefitof mankind;

6. Old literature not to be discarded,thinkinq it useless;

7. Importance to all subjects must begiven;

Principles, Methods and Importance of Literary Research- Momin Ali 151

8. In the absence of any definiterecord of indisputable evidenceswith regard to the chronologyrelating to the compilation of anyancient important Ayurvedictreatise, it has to be tried to adhereto the least controversial datesafter a careful consideration of thebalance of reliable evidences.

Doubt and modesty also haveoften paved added stimuli tofurther enquiry and discovery oftruth.

Methodology of literary ResearchFollowing methods can be adoptedfor literery research in Ayurveda.

1. CRITICAL STUDY OF AVAILABLELITERATURE, METHODICALCOLLECTION OF VARIOUS REFE-RENCES, THEIR PROPERCLASSI-FICATIONS AND SUBJECTWISECOMPILATIONS OF THE MATE-RIAL IN THE FORMS OF MONO-GRAPHS, REFERENCE BOOKSAND TEXT BOOKS ETC.The available Ayurvedic literature

needs deep study and compilationson various diseases and their reme-dies, which would provide rich andready material to research-workers.Books on technical and scientificterminology, dictionaries and refere-nce-books need to be prepared.There is an urgent need of bringingout Ayurvedic classics with commen-taries by famous authors. Preparationsof standard text-books for studentsat all levels and in all subjects is alsonee dad.

2. COLLECTION AND STUDY OFRARE AYURVEDIC MANUSCRIPTSAND THEIR EDITING:

There has been revival of interestin ancient Indian literature from theend of 18th century when Britishorientalists like Sir William Jonesfounded the Asiatic Society of Bengal.It took another half-a-century forEuropean and Indian scholars torealise the great value of Sanskritmanuscripts which will then had beensadly neglected, allowed to bedestroyed by insects or vagaries ofweather or thrown out as debris oreven sometimes used to make a fire.In the middle of the last centurywhen the East India Company or theBritish Government or their officerslike Mckenzie, Taylor, Brown began tosend out search parties for the salvageof gradually deteriorating and disap-pearing manuscripts, pioneering workas done by Rajendra Lal Maitra,Haraprasada Shastry, Burnell, andother scholars. Caland, Cordier,Hoernle and Jolly gave specialattention to medical manuscripts andreviewed the discovery of new manu-scripts or monographs on medicalliterature. The publication of BowerManuscript, Bhela Samhita, KashyapaSamhita, Kalyana Karaka, ShodhalaNighantu and Shabdachandrika etc.was a great step towards creation ofawider scope for Ayurveda. It is hightime that the Government of India,the State Governments, the Universi-ties, the National Academy and the

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National Institute of Sciences givehigh priority not only to the care andpreservation of Sanskrit MedicalManuscripts or Medical Manuscriptsof other Indian languages but also totheir study by competent scholarsversed both in Ayurveda and Sanskrit,with a view to prepare descriptivecatalogue emphasising the specialfeatures of the book with referenceto historical value or practice ofmedicine. Besides, there must be anintensive search from village level tothe State level for the manuscriptsscattered in different areas particu-larly in the underdeveloped backwardareas, agency tracts, old centres ofculture now deserted. This search hasto be done not merely through officialagencies or circulars, advertisementsbut mainly through field workers,personal visits or personal appeals tomodernised descendents of old fami-lies which patronised learning orwhich produced learned men. It is inthis manner that Sarfoji built up amagnificent library at Tanjore whichhas unique manuscripts. In caseswhere some families are not preparedto part with their manuscripts arran-gements have to be made for gettingthem copied or microfilmed.

As a first step for a study ofmedical manuscripts relat.nq to Indiaa list of all medical manuscripts scat-tered allover India must be preparedand later to be supplemented withthe list of medical manuscripts in the

Bull, Ind. Inst. Hist, Med. Vol, XYI

various libraries in other countrieson the basis of available printed cata-logues of manuscripts, reports onthe search for manuscripts, epigrap-hical reports etc. and lists of manus-cripts in smaller public and privatelibraries and universities.

As a second step in this direction,a descriptive catalogue of certainselected medical manuscripts is to beprepared to help the research workers.

Thus, the informations gatheredare to be analysed, arranged andpublished under respective heads andalso translated into English and otherregional languages to enable a largernumber of scholars to undertakeresearch and to utilise the new sourcematerials till now unexplored. In thisway a good deal of valuable literaturecan be compiled with regard to thedate and place of writers of medicine,types of original sanskrit treatises,popular compilations copied indifferent parts of India in variousepochs of history, the popularity, orthe authority of different medicalauthors, successive commentaries ongreat treatises, translations of suchtreatises and compilations and com-pendiums In regional languagesbased on Sanskrit literature. It is inthis manner that acorrect developmentof medical literature in India can bepostulated on the basis of medicalmanuscripts in India and abroad.

Principles, Methods and Importance of Literary Research -Momin AU 753

3. COMPILATION OF MATERIAL ONAYURVEDA FROM VEDASBRAHMANIC LITERATURE ANDMEDIEVAL LITERATURE Etc. ANDCOMPARATIVE STUDY OF CON-TEMPORARY SCIENCE OFMEDICINE IN DIFFERENT COUN-TRIES:For the elucidation and study of

Ayurveda we are more or less con-cerend with Vedic and Brahmanicliterature, the medieval literature,Buddhistic medical literature, noticesof Chinese, Greek and other foreignwriters/travellers, contemporary litera-ture and accounts of contemporaryevents, Chinese and Tibetan records,Greek literature, Egypti an medicalpapyri containing accounts of medicalpractice which was contemporaneouswith the Vedic medicine and inscrip-tions on stone and copper plates andnatives chronicles etc. All countriesnear and around India would furnishus with valuable contributions towardsa scholar-like knowledge of Ayurveda.Thus, it would be easier forthe scho-lars to undertake research according tocomparative method-a method whichwhen utilised will lead to resultswhich will be simply astonishing-results, which then subjected to thecritical and scientific methods ofmodern research, will yield a harvestof scientific findings not imaginableby the workers themselves. The taskis certainly not an easy one; it willtake years of study and applications,and the cooperation of a host ofscientific workers. This will prove to

be a newly-opened mine of scientificenquiry. Alchemical experiments didnot secure the philosophers stonewhich would turn all base metalsinto gold, but to the alchemists weowe the science of chemistry whichis undoubtedly more precious thanwhat was the subject of their research.Travellers who gathered knowledgeof plants were herbalists, but thescience of botany had its origin inthe rude attempts of such men atclassification and description of thevegetable kingdom. In a similar way,we should try to collect folk-medicineas it exists in different countries andwe may collect facts about medicalpractice in different countries fordetecting resembalance betweensuch facts or similarity which mayexist between apparently dissimilarsystems of the healing art. We musttry to give a summary of the resultsachieved by scholars by the compara-tive study of medical science. Thiswill reveal the impact of other scienceon the development of Ayurveda. Itwill also give an account of develop-ment of Ayurveda during differentperiods in different regions.

In a systematic enquiry into thestate of medical science among anyancient race, it may be pointed outthat the comparative study of con-temporary science of medicine indifferent countries is often furnishedwith valuable materials as regards thestate of medicine in a country, andthis method has been recommended

154

for cultivation as one of the sourceof information 'for a proper estimateand real value of the knowledgecontained in the literature of theperiod. Comparative mythology andcomparative philology by scholars inthe field of medical science will leadto intersting discoveries, as one andthe same idea might have beenconceived or the knowledge of oneand the same fact might have beenacquired almost simultaneously or atslightly different periods of time bypeople in different countries in aperfectly independent manner. Theevolution of human intellect is knownto follow more or less the samepattern, everywhere irrespective ofany qeoqraj.hical limitations. Thus,history of medicine is a very fascina-ting subject and covers a very vastfield. Henery, E. Sigerist a wellknown authority on history ofmedicine, therefore says; "TrueHistory is Always contemporary,history, as Benedetto Croce once said,because it is a contemporary interestthat drives a man to consult the past.Medical history is not only historybut medicine as well. The medicalhistorian while serving truth as his-torian, is endeavouring to contributeto the progress of medicine."

4. COMPILATION OF BIOGRAPHIESOF GREAT MEN OF AYURVEDA,BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND CATALO-GUESORRAREANDIMPORTANTAVAILABLE LITERATURE OFAYURVEDA.From the study of biographies of

BUll. Ind. tnst . Hist. Me d, Vol. X)(I

celebrated medical men, we mayform an idea of the different linesadopted by them as their hobby.Medicine is not a mere mechanicaltraining but the training in medicineis :I liberal education. It developsman's power in whatever directionsthese powers are later to be utilised.The study of biographies has beenused from time immemorial as an aidto the formation of character bystamping moral impression along withinteresting ideas on the minds ofstudents.

5. RESEARCH WORKS AND POST-GRADUATE THESES MUST BEEDITED AND PUBLISHED.The validity and justification of

the Research work and post-graduatetheses should pass through the com-petent Expert Committee beforeundertaking the final publication.The name of the Committee shouldbe given in the introduction of thatwork.

6. COMPILATION AND ORGANISA-TION OF THE LITERATURE OFINDIVIDUAL SUBJECTS INPROPER AND SYSTEMATICSEQUENCE.The number of medical works

written during different periods isvery large. These works contain allthe topics or subjects of Ayurveda,or highly special investigations ofsingle topics e.g. medicine, surgery,diagnosis of diseases; description ofhundreds of medicinal plants,minerals, animal substances and

Principles, Methods and .mportsnce of Literary Research-Momin Ali 155

thousands of compound preparationswith their therapeutic values anddietetics etc. There are also workson the diseases of horses andelephants. It is only from a diligentsubject wise or topic wise researchinto this literature, that we can expectto become acquainted with theknowledge of Ayurveda. It is naturalthat, we should take keen interest inthe revival of our science of medicine.

Literary research thus, with itsso vast field is very important for thecompilation of history of Ayurveda.The history of medical literature formsa very large part of medical history.If any standard book on history ofmedicine is opened, it may be seenin some parts as if it were not merelya history of books, but a small partof medical activity through all the

ages. In every department of humanculture a survey of its historicaldevelopment is essential. This isespecially as in case of medicine, ifwe are to appreciate fully its presentstatus and seek some guidance as toits future line of advancement.

The task before us, therefore,today is to integrate aid learningwith the new scientific ideas.Evaluation of past medical knowledgein the light of modern scientificmethods is very essential and is boundto yield good results. Exploration ofthis literature can give many infor-mations which will prove to be veryuseful for the progress of Ayurvedain future, as Sir Winston Churchillhad once said "The longer you canlook back, the further you can lookforward".

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REFERENCES

1. Anonymous

2. Dwivedi, V.N.

3. Girindranatha, M.

4. Ray, P.

5. Reddy, D.V.S.

1969

1965

1923

1956

1961

BuJ/. Ind. tnst. Hlst, Med, Vol. XXI

Reports of the assessment committeefor research and post-qradute studies,Gujart Ayurved University Jamnagar.

Editorial Article 'Research in Ayurveda',I.A.S.R. Bulletin Ayurvedalok, Vol. \I,No.2, Jamnagar.

History of Indian Medicine, Vol. I to IIIpublished by University of Calcutta(Introduction) .

History of Chemistry in Ancient andMedieval India, Published by IndianChemical Society, Calcutta (Preface).

Sanskrit Medical Manuscripts and theirimportance for the history of Ayurveda,P. Nos. 48 to 51, Indian Journal of theHistory of Medicine, Vol. VI No.2,Dec. 1961, published for the IndianAssociation of the History of Medicine,497, Poonamallee High Road, Madras-7.

Principles, Methods and Importance of Literary Research-Momin Ali 157

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