Understanding Charaka Samhita in light of Samanya-Vishesha Siddhanta: a bird’s eye view

Abstract

The concept of Samanya-Vishesha (similarity and dissimilarity) is one of the major ideologies of Ayurveda. These are widely described and implemented in Charaka Samhita and are mentioned under six factors required for the action of Dhatusamya (equilibrium) in the body. Many scholars face difficulty in understanding the meaning and implementation of these principles. Elementary knowledge and clear understanding of the fundamental principles is very necessary and of utmost importance for their practical implementation. So, it is mandatory to understand these principles in a descriptive manner. An effort has been made to comprehend Charaka Samhita in the light of Samanya-Vishesha Siddhanta in this study. The facts have been collected from Charaka Samhita along with Ayurvedadipika Sanskrita commentary and its Hindi and English translations. Indian philosophical texts have also been referred. The matter has been extensively explored, systematically organized followed by rational analysis. After exploration and analysis it was concluded that the systematic organization of Charaka Samhita, etiology, symptoms and treatment of the diseases are basically dependent on these principles.