Ayurveda Short Courses
Caraka Saṃhitā
The Caraka Saṃhitā is one of the oldest textbooks of Ayurveda. It is an ideal text book for those who want to explore deeper into the theoretical foundations and philosophy of Ayurveda. It has been preserved for over a period of more than 1500 years. This text was also edited, reconstructed, and expanded in the process. The source of this text is the Agniveśatantra, which is based on the teachings of Ātreya, the founder of the school of medicine in Ayurveda.
Around the second century BCE, Caraka is said to have extensively edited the work of Agniveśa. He made substantial revisions to the original text, so it came to be known as the Caraka Saṃhitā. In the fourth century CE, another scholar by the name of Dṛḍhabala restored missing sections of the text.
The Caraka Saṃhitā is important for its comprehensive coverage of the principles (tatva), theory (sastra) and practice (vyavahara) of Āyurveda. It also covers the entire scope of Ayurveda in terms of medical treatment as well as spiritual wellbeing. It encourages naiṣṭhikĪcikitsā, or self transformation, as the ultimate solution for all pain and disease.
The Sūtrasthāna is the first section of the Caraka Saṃhitā with 30 chapters arranged into seven quartets of four chapters each. Out of the last two chapters, one chapter is a summary of the section and the last one a summary of the entire text itself. The general topics covered in the Sutrasthana are treatment, preservation of health, guidelines for healthcare management, cleansing procedures, classification of diseases, guidelines for management of diseases, food and beverages, and the vital organs supporting life.
The Caraka Saṃhitā is excellent reading material for those who are interested in advanced learning of Ayurveda and the study of Sūtrasthāna is a good preparation to lay the foundation for a learning expedition in the world of Ayurveda.
Caraka Saṃhitā Part III Course Overview
Caraka Saṃhitā Part III covers four chapters from the second quartet. This is Nirdesha Chatushka, the quartet on instructions to health care workers.
The first chapter, Khuddakachatushpada, centers on the four aspects of therapeutics. These include vaidya (physician), dravya (medicine), upasthata (caretaker) and rogi (patient).
The next chapter, Mahachatushpada, explains the classification of diseases on the basis of prognosis. It is recommended in this chapter that the treatment should only be initiated after thorough diagnosis and identification of the disease, and the physician should refrain from treating the incurable diseases.
The third chapter, Tisraishaniya, covers topics such as the three types of desires, the causes of diseases, their types, pathways, and therapies. The last chapter, Vatakalakaliya, discusses the qualities and functions of vata, pitta, and kapha.
At the end of this Caraka Saṃhitā III class, students will:
- Learn essential Sanskrit terminologies of Ayurveda explained in the Caraka Saṃhitā related to four limbs of treatment and three pursuits of life.
- Understand the in-depth meaning of the classical teachings explained in the Caraka Saṃhitā related to the three pursuits of life and how to validate knowledge using the instruments of knowing.
- Understand the concept of Catuṣpāda.
- Understand the protocol for delivering scientific treatment on the basis of proper diagnosis.
- Understanding how to assess prognosis of diseases.
- Understand the relationship between the tridoṣas and the forces in nature and how the tridoṣas help in maintaining health.
Course Schedule
This course is delivered 100% online with set attendance times every Monday evening from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. PST. The course runs for 15 weeks.
Faculty
SCU’s Ayurveda program is offering this course in collaboration with Amrita School of Ayurveda, Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham (University). The course will be taught by Vaidya P. Rammanohar from Amrita University.
Vaidya Ram Manohar
Dr. P. Rammanohar received BAMS and MD (Ay) degrees from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru. He has been contributing in the field of Ayurvedic research for the last 30 years. He is presently serving as Director of Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda and Research Head of Amrita School of Ayurveda managed by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the number one private University in India. He served as faculty in institutions such as the University of Essen, Germany, Southern California University of Health Sciences, USA, European Academy of Ayurveda, Germany, and Ayurvedic Point, Italy. He is an approved guide for the PhD program in Ayurveda at Amrita University.He is Research Advisor (History of Science) for Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Government of India. He is Member of the Scientific Committee of National Institute of Ayurveda. He is member of the WHO Expert Group for development of International Standard Terminologies for Ayurveda. He is in the Task Force for Interdisciplinary Research in AYUSH for COVID-19, Ministry of AYUSH as well as the Kerala State Task Force for Ayurveda Interventions in COVID-19. He served as member of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), Government of India and also in Scientific Committee of Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Government of India. He is member of Advisory Board of Central Sanskrit University and Member of working group to formulate Educational Policy for Integrative Medicine, Niti Ayog, Government of India.He has to his credit more than 60 publications, including research papers published in peer reviewed indexed research journals as well as contributions in chapters for books.
Admissions Requirements
PREREQUISITE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
None. This course is open to all students who want to learn Ayurveda, Ayurveda professionals, or other health care practitioners who would like to have a more in-depth understanding of the preventive aspect of Ayurveda.
Acceptance to SCU as a student is not required to attend this course and students do not earn university credit or a grade.
Refund Policy: No refunds are available for this course.