ATREYA
![](Atreyamuni.jpg)
Rishi
Atreya
Atreya
(Aatreya) Rishi, or Atreya Punarvasu, was a descendant of Atri,
one of the great Aryan sages (rishis) whose accomplishments are
detailed in the Purans. Sage Atreya was a renowned scholar of Ayurved
and six schools of early Ayurved was founded based on his teachings.
He is credited as the writer of Bhela Samhita, dating to a period
of 6th century BCE. He is believed to have worked as the personal
physician of King Nagnajit of Gandhar Kingdom, who finds mention
in the Mahabharat. The original contents of Charaksamhita are credited
to Atreya, which were in turn codified and edited by Agnivesh and
Charak. According to Surendranath Dasgupt, the old Ayurved of Atreya-Charak
school probably has its root in the now extinct Caranvaidya branch
of Atharvved.
Influences
in Ayurvedic schools :
According to the Charak tradition, there existed six schools of
medicine, founded by the disciples of the sage Punarvasu Atreya.
Each of his disciples, Agnivesh, Bhela, Jatukarna, Parashar, Harit,
and Ksharapani, composed a Samhita. Of all the six, the one composed
by Agnivesh was most revered. According to Dr. Tustomu Yamashita,
the Bhela or Bheda(la) Samhita is often quoted by later authors
and commentators of Ayurved. Some of the manuscripts of Bhela available
are the Thanjavur Manuscript - a palm leaf manuscript kept in Maharaja
Sarfoji's library in Thanjavur - and East Turkestan Manuscript,
only one folio of a paper manuscript, now kept in Staatsbibliothek
zu Berlin.
Charak
later on, taking cues from Agnivesh Samhita, produced the now renowned
work Charak Samhita around 300 B.C. which survived and has been
handed down to us in the form of Bower Manuscript dated around 4th
century. Charak Samhita is the foundational text of Ayurved.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org