[The sanskrit-kucha fragment PK AS 2A in the Ayurvedic medical canon Yogaśataka].

Abstract

Yogaśataka, an Ayurvedic medical canon, was translated into Tibetan, Kuchean and Uighur, and was widespread in the Western Regions (Xi Yu area), Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This paper focuses on the first formula prescription in the Sanskrit-Kuchean fragment PK AS 2A of the Yogaśataka in terms of its prescription translation into Chinese, examining drugs, the names of diseases, and analysis of the characteristics of prescriptions bilingually. It was found that the Kuchean translators added specific information of drug usages to the original Sanskrit prescriptions. The Kuchean translators also made mistakes, such as misunderstanding and transcribing errors. The prescription for menorrhagia in PK AS 2A was widely used in ancient India and the Western Regions (Xi Yu), revealing the influence of the Yogaśataka in different social and cultural levels in the Western Regions (Xi Yu).