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Atreya

The Great Teacher Of Kaya-Cikitsita Or Medicine Is Krsna Atreya According To Mahabharata.
The Caraka Samhita, The Greatest Of The Works On Medicine Purports To Be The Final Embodiment Of Atreya’s Teaching. Every Chapter Opens With The Words ‘thus Spake The Worshipful Atreya’.

Agnivesha And Other Disciples Are Greatly Attached To Him And Hold Him In Supreme Veneration. He Is The First Systematic Teacher Of The Science Of Medicine After It Was Brought From Indra And Imparted To The Noble Galaxy Of Sages By Bhardwaja.

The Caraka Samhita Does Not Say Explicitly That Atreya Learnt The Science From Bhardwaja, But It Just Mentions The Bhardwaja, Having Brought The Sacred Wisdom From Indra, Imparted It To The Sages Marici And Others, Among Whom Atreya Is One. We Are Then Introduced To A Situation Wherein Atreya, The Compassionate One, Taught This Holy Science Of Life To His Disciples For The Ultimate Benefit Of All Creatures.

Despite The Absence Of A Specific Mention Of The Transmission Of The Science From Bhardwaja Of Atreya, The Fact Implied Is So Transparent That The Authors Omitted The Statement Of The Obvious. The Verse Opening With The Word ‘Thus Is Meant Convey This Fact Viz, In The Manner Foregone I.E. The Sages Including Atreya Having Learnt The Science, Then It So Happened, That Atreya Began Teaching Medicine To His Disciples. Cakrapani, The Commentator, Is Emphatic On This Point And Contradicts The Conclusion Of Some Identifying This Atreya With Bhardwaja Who Learnt The Ayurveda From Indra. For The Latter, Mistake Is Made By Some In View Of The Description In Cakara In The Chapter On Rasayana, Where Atri Is Said To Have Received The Knowledge Directly From Indra. That Pertains Only The Rasayana And On Later Occasion That The One Described In The Opening Chapter And Therefore Does Not Apply To The Question Of The Whole Science Of Ayurveda As It Was Taught By Indra To Bhardwaja And Again By Him To The Sages Of Whom Atreya Is One.

In This Connection, It Is Interesting To Note That Vagbhata And Bhavamisra Refer To Punarvasu Or The Son Of The Atri As Approaching Indra At The Head Of A Group Of Sages And Learning The Science Medicine From Him.

That This Atreya Is One Of The Great Sages, Expert In The Science And Spiritual Knowledge, And One Held In High Esteem Is Evident From The Prefixed Title To His Name ‘Bhagwan’. This Is A Title That Only The Very Greatest Of Sages Of Supreme Spiritual Attainment May Hope To Obtain. The Qualifications Or Merits That Entitle One To This Honor Are Set Forth Thus.
“He Is To Be Known As ‘Bhagwan’ Who Is Possessed Of The Knowledge Of Creation And Dissolution Of The World And Of The Birth And Death Of Creatures As Also Of The Science Both Material And Spiritual’.

Atreya Was Thus Among The Elite Of The Sages, Adept In All The Science And Mature Is Spiritual Wisdom And A Teacher Specially Of The Science Of Medicine. Though Versed In All The Eight Branches Of The Science Of Life, He Devoted This Treatise Entirely To Medicine And Referred His Disciples T Others Teachers And Treatise When Resort To Surgical And Other Special Procedures Were In Demand.

“This Is The Domain Of The Surgeons”, Is A Remark One Meets With When There Are Indicates For Surgical Remedies.
“We Do Not Attempt To Expatiate On Them Here, As That Belong To The Province Of Specialists.”

Thus Atreya Is A Specialist In Medicine (Kaya-Cikitsa) And Specially Therapeutics And A Popular Verse In Vogue Excellence In Each Department Of Medicine To Each Of One Of The Four Expert Teachers And Writers Of The Medical Science.
“Madhava Is Unrivalled In Diagnosis, Vagbhata In General Principles Of Medicine, Sursuta In Surgery And Caraka In Therapeutics.

Atreya Is Also Known As Punarvasu Or Punarvasu Atreya. In The Caraka Samhita, The Word Punarvasu Is Used As A Synonym For Atreya. The Opening Line Of Every Chapter Contains Always The Words ‘thus Spake The Worshipful Atreya’ And At The End Of The Chapter In The Recapitulation Of The Subject Of The Chapter Sometimes Other Synonyms Like Punarvasu, The Great Sage, Candrabhaga Or Krsna Atreya Are Used, Thus Making It Clear That Bhagwan Atreya Was Also Known By Other Names Of His.

It Is Possible That The Epithet Punarvasu May Be Significant Of Atreya Being Born During The Dominance Of The Constellation Of That Name. Such Method Of Nomenclature We Find At Many Places In Those Days E.G. Warrior Arjuna Of The Pandavas Was Also Called Phalgun From The Constellation Of That Name Under The Influence Of Which He Was Born.

According To The Caraka Samhita, Atreya Is The Son Of Atri For In Many Places He Is Referred To As The Son Of Atri. Though The Term Atreya Might Apply Either To The Son Of Atri Or His Near Or Distant Descendants Or To A Disciple Of Atri R Even To One Of The Clan Of Atri Specifically. And Also In View Of The Early Times To Which The Situation Pertains, It May Be Fairly Concluded That The Atreya We Are Concerned With, Is The Direct Son Of Atri.

We Find That In Later To Royal Physician Of Sri Harsa Was Known As Rasayana Punarvasava. This Appellation Of His Many Mean That He Was Either A Descendent Of Punarvasu Or One Versed In The Science Of Medicine Propounded By Punarvasu. Considering That Those Versed In Surgery Were Known As Dhanvantariyas, Dhanvantrai Being The First Profounder Of The Science, It Is Probable To Conclude That The Experts In The Science Of Medicine Propounded By Punarvasu Were Known As Punarvasava.

Identify Of Atreya With Punarvasu

• The Words Atreya And Punarvasu Are Used Together In The Caraka Samhita.

Also Thus In The Kasyapa Samhita

• ‘Atreya’ And ‘punarvasu’ Words Are Used As Synonyms At The End Of The Chapter Thus: In Caraka Samhita-

There Occur Also In The Astanga Sangraha Of Vagbhata-

• ‘Punarvasu’ Is Used As A Substitute Of Atreya As That Beginning Of A Chapter-

Punarvasu Is Also Mentioned As The Preceptor Of Agnivesha-

Besides, Even The Epithet Of Bhagwan Is Given To Punarvasu. (The Verse Is Quoted Above…..)
Krsna Atreya Seems To Be His Most Popular Appellation. As We Have Seen, The Mahabharata Refers To Krsna Atreya As The Famous Teacher Of Medicine. In The Caraka Samhita Itself Atreya Is Often Called Krsna Atreya.

Also May Of The Tested Recipes Are Named After Him As Commended Or Having Been Greatly Favored By Krsna Atreya.

There Can, Thus, Be No Confusion As Regards The Identity Of The Person Known As Atreya With Krsna Atreya In The Caraka Samhita. For In The Chapter-Xi Of Sutra Sthana, We Find The Usual ‘worshipful Atreya’ In The Initial Lines And At The End In The Resume. He Is Referred To As Krsna Atreya. Thus Bhagwan Atreya, Punarvasu, Atreya And Krsna Atreya Are The Names Of Single Individual Sage Who Is The Teacher Of The Science Of Medivine In The Caraka Samhita.

To Leave No Scope For Doubt On This Point The Following Will Be Useful.
Bhela, Being A Disciple Of Atreya Along With Agnivesha And Others, Refers To Atreya As Krsna Atreya In The Bhela Samhita.

There Is Tantra Or A Treatise On Salakya Or Surgery Of The Supra-Clavicular Parts Of The Body’ Ascribed To Krsna Atreya. On This Ground Some Are Led To Believe That There Existed Persons Of This Name.

Srikantha Datta In The Commentary On Vinda’s Siddhayoga States-

Similarly, Sivadasa In His Commentary ‘Tattva Candrika’ While Describing Dasmulasatapalaghrta Quotes From Jwaradhikara Or Cakradatta And Cotes The Names Of Gopura Raksita, Jatukarna, Caraka, Susruta And Krsna Atreya. But Both  The Above Authors- Srikantha Datta And Sivadasa, Have Raised The Question Of Two Personalities, Krsna Atreya The Surgeon And Atreya The Physician; But, While Commenting On The Line They Distinctly State.

The Commentators Sivadasa Holds The View That Krsna Atreya And Punarvasu Are One.

Even If Krsna Atreya Appears To Have Give Instruction On Surgical Matters It Does Not Follows That He Could Not Have Been Identical With Atreya Punarvasu, The Teacher In The Caraka Samhita. He Must Have Been Acquainted With The Whole Of The Science Of Life In All Its Eight Fold Ramifications, Though He Confined Himself To Kayacikitsa Or Medicine, In His Exposition Before Agnivesha And Other Disciples. There Is Thus Nothing To Contradict The Conclusion That There Existed But One Teacher Known Variously As Punarvasu. Atreya And Krsna Atreya.

He Was Also Known As Candrabhagi Or Candrabhagin. The 13th Chapter Sutra Sthana In Caraka Refers To The Teacher By This Name. Punarvasu Is Mentioned As Seated Amidst The Sankhya Philosphers Whom Agnivesha Approaches For Instruction And In The Resume At The End Of The Chapter, The Teacher Is Referred To As Candrabhagi. The Commentator Cakrapani Contents Himself By Saying That Candrabhagi By Punarvasu.

We Are Left To Conjecture The Derivations Of This Name For Him. It May Be, He Is The Son Of Candrabhaga Or A Resident Of The Region Named Candrabhaga. A Tributary Of The Indus Was Also Known By The Name. Being Resident On Its Banks, The Might Have Been Known As Candrabhaga. The Sister Compilation To That Agnivesha (Caraka Samhita), Namely The Bhela Samhita, Supports This View That Atreya Ounarvasu And Candrabhagi Are One And The Same Person.

Thus We Have The Great Sage Atreya, The Teacher Of Medicine And Preceptor To Agnivesha And Other Disciples, Bearing Other Names Of Krsna Atreya, Punarvasu And Candrabhagi As All These Names Are Applied To Him In The Caraka Samhita As Well As In The Bhela And Kasyapa Samhita Are Supported By References To Him In Other Books Like The Mahabharata In Similar Context.
Beginning Of The Chapter.

Ending

The Verse In The Bhela Samhita Is Very Significant As It Combines The Names Of Candrabhaga And Punarvasu While Referring To The Teacher Of Medicine.

“Nagnajit, The Similary King Of Gandhara, Giver Of The Path To Gold, Grasped The Feet Of Candrabbaghi Punarvasu In Obeisance, And Inquired.”

Thus The Verse Provides Us With A Confirmation Of The Identity Of Candrabhaga With Punarvasu And Also Offers A Clue As To The Period Of His Existence By Mentioning The Name Of Is Disciple The King Of Gandhara Named Nagnajit.

In The Caraka Samhita There Are Mentioned As His Contemporaries Who Participated In T5he Discussion On Various Medical Topics, The King Of Kashi Named Vamaka And Nimi The King Of Videha. Thus, This Leads Us The Question Of The Period Of Atreya In The Chronicles Of Ancient Indian History.

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