A review through Charaka Uttara-Tantra.

Area of Science:

• Ayurveda
• Classical Indian Medicine
• History of Medicine

Background:

• Current editions of Charaka Samhita lack an Uttara-Tantra.
• Charaka Samhita itself mentions an Uttara-Tantra, creating controversy.
• Commentators have not extensively addressed this discrepancy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the historical existence and recognition of the Uttara-Tantra of Charaka Samhita.
• To address scholarly debates surrounding the Uttara-Tantra's authenticity.

Main Methods:

• Thorough study and scanning of available Ayurvedic literature.
• Analysis of references cited by later scholars and commentators.
• Examination of Nishchalakara's Ratnaprabha for citations from Charaka Uttara-Tantra.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests Charaka Uttara-Tantra existed up to the 13th century AD.
• Nishchalakara quoted extensively from Charaka Uttara-Tantra in his work Ratnaprabha.
• Controversies regarding its existence are significant.

Conclusions:

• Charaka Uttara-Tantra was likely a recognized part of the Charaka Samhita corpus until at least the 13th century AD.
• Further detailed research into Ayurvedic and allied literature is necessary to fully elucidate its status.