ЧАРАКА-САМХІТА ГЛАВИ 11–12 ПЕРШОГО РОЗДІЛУ / ПЕРЕКЛАД ІЗ САНСКРИТУ ТА КОМЕНТАРІ Д. В. БУРБИ

Abstract

This publication presents the first Ukrainian translation of chapters eleven and twelve of the first section of the fundamental Sanskrit treatise on Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) Charaka Samhita. As it exists today, this text is thought to have arisen in the 1 st century CE. The translation is of great importance for acquaintance of the Ukrainian readers not only with medical conceptions and life of Ancient India, but also with respective religious and philosophical doctrines. The first half of the eleventh chapter is devoted to the consideration of three human’s desires, such as the desire to live, the desire to earn, and desire to attain happiness in future life. In the discussion with an unbeliever the author proves the reality of reincarnation by taking recourse to four methods, viz. scriptural testimony, direct perception, inference, and reasoning. Then the chapter sequentially addresses seven threefold categories such as factors supporting life, varieties of body strength, causes of the disease, types of diseases, paths of manifestations of the disease, types of physicians, and types of therapeutics. The twelfth chapter is devoted mainly to the analysis of the properties of humor vāta (physiological air). The information is presented in the form of speeches of disputants on the medical symposium. An interesting is the part where in the spirit of the henotheism the god of the wind is praised as Supreme Godhead. Also in the chapter briefly mentioned properties of physiological fire and phlegm, as well as their ruling deities. There noted if any factors have properties similar with an one of the three humors, this humor exciting, but the factors opposite to the excitatory ones calms humor down. Both chapters concluded with summary lists of their contents.