Vagbhata
Vagbhata (Skt. vāgbhaṭa; Tib. ཕ་ཁོལ་, Wyl. pha khol) (ca. 550-600 AD) is considered one of the three main authors of Ayurveda, the other two being Charaka and Sushruta. His main works are the Astanga Samgraha (Ashtāṅgasaṅgraha) and the Astanga Hridaya (Ashtāngahridayasaṃhitā), A Compilation of the Essence of the Eight Branches, the latter of which has been translated into Tibetan (Wyl. yan lag brgyad pa'i snying po bsdus pa) and can be found in the Tengyur. One commentary on the Hridaya written by Chandranandana is also found in the Tengyur. To this day the Astanga Hridaya is considered the most important Ayurvedic work in the region of Kerala, India.
Vagbhata was most likely born a Brahmin and familiar with Vedic literature and culture, and later embraced Buddhism. He starts both the Samgraha and the Hridaya with homages to the Buddha.
Notes
Further Reading
- Vagbhata's Astanga Hrdayam- Text, English Translation, Notes, Appendix and Indices- 3 Vols, translated by: Prof. K.R. Srikantha Murthy (Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy: 2000)