A comprehensive review of Pāṭhabheda (variant readings) in Carakasaṁhitā

Abstract

Carakasaṁhitā (1500 BCE) is the most important and widely popular classical compendium of Ayurveda written by Ācārya Agniveśa based on the preaching of Lord Ātreya. The text underwent various forms of metamorphosis at the various points of time over the period of three and half millennium years. Various portions of the texts were added and some other alterations have been done to the text. Pāṭhabheda or variant readings refer to differences in the text that appear in multiple copies of a manuscript. This helps to reconstruct the history of a text and gain a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical context in which it was produced and transmitted. Four commentaries were taken into consideration for the current study. The total number of variants of readings found was 3656, which were categorized into six subgroups namely Pañcanidāna (related to diagnosis), Dravya (related to drugs of different sources like minerals, animals, and plants), Siddhānta (related to principles), Cikitsā (modality, methods of treatment), Auṣadha yoga (related to formulations), and Samanya (general terms). The Pāṭhabheda (variant readings) found in Carakasaṁhitā should be analyzed scientifically and those are to be considered as a part to enrich the wisdom and as tools to understand the wide range of practical implementations of all aspects and clinical practice in a better way.