4
A Short History of Ayurvedic Veterinary Literature
originals as we can unearth from the later débris are not to be despised but
rather to be marvelled at, when we allow for their high antiquity, and do not
forget how comparatively recently our own medicine has been cleared of many
absurdities. As Hayne says, ' the medical works of the Hindus are neither to
be regarded as miraculous productions of wisdom nor as repositories of non-
sense ', and their interest to us lies in the possibility of their having provided
the first stepping stones to modern scientific medicine. ' Recent research
has shown that the genius of the Greeks drew its sap from Phœnicia and Crete,
from Babylon and Egypt, and even still further afield from Sumeria and the
dwellers in the valley of the Indus ' [Green-Armatage]. A proper appreciation
of any science requires a knowledge of its evolution, of the errors and mislead-
ing theories that have prevailed, as well as of the steps by which real progress
has been made.
II. MYTHOLOGICAL ORIGINS
The value set by the Hindus on medical knowledge may be estimated
from the Mahabharata story of the churning of the primordial ocean in the
Golden Age. At the end of a long string of wonderful objects, the Gods
drew up Dhanvantari, the first physician, bearing in his hand a white jug
containing the coveted ambrosia, the universal panacea, the most precious of
earth's treasures. It was said that Brahma, taking compassion upon sick
and suffering humanity, had produced the science of Ayurveda and created
Dhanvantari to teach it to mankind.
There are, however, many other legends regarding the origin of terrestial
medicine and to most of the Gods and godlings (Apsaras and Gandharvas)
apparently a share in its potency is due. One of Indra's most famous acts
was the delivery of the calf retained in Vata's womb after her death. The
calf he ' grasped by the back and pulled out . . . . it became hump-backed '
(Black Yajurveda). It is nevertheless certain that in time the two Aśvins,
the twin sons of the Sun God, came to be recognized as the ' particular custo
dians of Ayurveda ' and that these two first taught veterinary science to men.
There is an interesting parallel between the Hindu legend of these two gods
and the Greek myth of Chiron, the first veterinarian. The first runs that when
Sanga Devi became the wife of the Sun God, she found his embraces too hot to
be endured. She, therefore, fled and turned herself into a mare. When he
discovered her, he turned himself into a horse and they walked in company.
In due course, she gave birth to twins, Nasatya and Dasra, the Asvinkumara.
These two beautiful young men bore the name of Asvin (horse) on account of
their origin. The Greek story tells of how Kronos fell in love with the ocean
nymph Philyra and to prevent his wife's maltreating her, he metamorphosed
her into a mare and she bore to him a son, Chiron, half man and half horse.
The striking similarity between these two legends probably points back to a
common culture evolved in the ' Aryan crater ' and not, as has occasionally
been argued, to later Greek influence in India. This alone is sufficient to
establish the extreme antiquity of Hindu veterinary art.
The Puranas relate how the Asvins acquired their knowledge. ' A certain
sage named Dadhyanchi had learnt the science from Indra under an interdic
tion not to teach it to any one else, the preceptor threatening to cut off his