काश्यप संहिता (वृद्ध जीवकीय तन्त्र व विद्योतिनी हिन्दी टीका सहित)

१३४	काश्यपसंहिता वा वृद्धजीवकीयं तन्त्रम्

‘भारतीयायाः प्राचीनभैषज्यविद्याया आलोचने तदीयगूढविचारसूक्ष्मबुद्धिविकासलेखसौष्ठवादीनामनुसन्धाने तदीयं स्थानमत्युच्चमासीदिति ज्ञायते १इति च न्यूबर्गर (Neuberger) विद्वानपि वर्णयति ॥

पाश्चात्यदेशैः सह भारतस्य पुराकालादेव मिथः परिचयः सम्पर्कॊ व्यवहारश्चासीदिति हेरोडोटसफीलोष्ट्रेट्सप्रभृतयः प्राचीनाः पाश्चात्यविद्वांसोऽप्युल्लिखन्ति । जैसोड्स-आफिसेनस्-अफ्रिकेनस्-इत्यादिप्राचीनतत्तदाचार्यसंगृहीता लेखा अप्येतदेव द्रढयन्ति । प्रथमशताब्दीभवस्य प्लेनीना२मकस्य ग्रीक विदुषो लेखादपि भारतीयानां वनस्पत्यौषधानां योगौषधानानामपि विक्रयाय ग्रीसदेशे नयनमित्यादय उपलब्ध्यन्ते । ग्रीस भारतयोः पारस्परिकः सम्बन्धः पूर्वमप्यासीत्, भारतीयैः पूर्वप्रसाधितां पक्षाघाताम्लपित्तादिरोगेषु धत्तूरस्योपयोगितां यूरोपीयैरप्यनुपात्तामुल्लिखन् रायेल्३ (Royle) पण्डितः पाश्चात्येषु भारतीयविज्ञानप्रभावं दर्शयति । प्राचीनग्रीकवैद्यके भारतीयायुर्वेदस्य कैरप्यंशैरनुप्रभाव आसीत्, भारतीयानां ग्रीकानां च भैषज्यप्रणाल्यां समानता दृश्यते इति होमेल्ट्४न् विद्वानपि संमन्यते । ब्यानर्जीमहा५शयोऽपि तदेव विवृणोति ॥

श्रीयुतरमेशचन्द्रदत्तमहाशयेन स्व६कीयपुस्तकेऽपीत्थं लिखितं वर्तते ।

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१. Neuberger says.—‘The medicine of the indians, if it does not equal the best achievements of their race, at least nearly approaches them, and owing to its wealth of knowledge, depth of speculation and systematic consideration takes an outstanding position in the history of oriental medicine’.
Neuberger. History of Medicine. Trans. by Playfair Vol. I P. 437

२. Pliny, the Roman contemporary of Dioscorides had also mentioned Indian medicinal plants and drugs. ‘Hindu achievements in exact sciences B. K. Sarkar P. 50-51. See also Intercourse between India and the Western World P. 102 by H. G. Rawlinson.

३. The smoking of dhattura leaves in asthma ..... are modern in Europe, but have come down in India since very old times (Royle) Vide-Hindu Achievements in exact Sciences by B. K. Sarkar P. 49 Antiquity of Hindu Medicine.

४. When we remember also that Pythagoras introduced Brahmanical system ... ‘that there was some Indian influence on the medicine of ancient Greece. The analogy between Hindu and Greek system of medicine is certainly much too close to be the result of accident’. (W. Hamilton, History of medicine Vol. I P. 43)—Hellenism in Ancient.
India P. 196 by G. N. Banerji.

५. ‘Nor do the Hindoos appear to have derived their knowledge of Medicine from any of their neighbours. The Greeks were the only people from whom they would have borrowed it; but besides the immeasurable distance and absence of frequent communication between the two countries in such remote times, the Hindoos were naturally so averse to travelling and so little desirous of intercourse with foreigners, that the hypothesis of their having borrowed the medical literature seems to stand on an exceedingly slender basis’.
Hellenism in Ancient India. P. 191 G. Banerjee

६. In Europe the antiquity of Hindu medicine is not yet generally known and recognised, and the habit of tracing the origin of all Aryan culture to the Greek style impedes an impartial inquiry. As Dr. Wise justly remarks, ‘Facts regarding the ancient history of medicine have been sought for only in the classical authors of Greece and Rome, and have been arranged to suit traditional theory which repudiated all systems which did not proceed from a Grecian source. We are familiar from our youth with classical history, and love to recall events illustrated by the torch of genius and depicted in our memories; and it requires a through examination of a subject, a careful weighing of new evidence, and a degree of ingeniousness