Previous Year Question
Charak Samhita is divided into how many chapters and sections?
80 chapters and 7 sections
60 chapters and 8 sections
120 chapters and 8 sections
100 chapters and 5 sections
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is 120 chapters and 8 sections.
The Charaka Samhita is one of the most important ancient texts of Ayurveda and is particularly regarded as a foundational text of Kayachikitsa, or internal medicine.
The text is divided into 8 Sthanas, containing a total of 120 chapters. The eight Sthanas and their number of chapters are as follows—
Sutrasthana — 30 chapters
Nidanasthana — 8 chapters
Vimanasthana — 8 chapters
Sharirasthana — 8 chapters
Indriyasthana — 12 chapters
Chikitsasthana — 30 chapters
Kalpasthana — 12 chapters
Siddhisthana — 12 chapters
Together, these give 30 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 12 + 30 + 12 + 12 = 120 chapters.
The textual history of the Charaka Samhita is also important. According to the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage, the original treatise was compiled by Agnivesha on the basis of the teachings of his teacher Punarvasu Atreya. It was later redacted by Charaka, because of which the work became famous as the Charaka Samhita.
Subsequently, some portions of the text were lost. Dridhabala re-redacted the work and restored 41 lost chapters. These included the chapters of Kalpasthana and Siddhisthana and some lost chapters of Chikitsasthana.