Volume I Issue II April 2021

Name of Author : Meena Shanker

Title of the paper : The Poetic, the Literary and the Aesthetic in Indian Literature: Healing as a Narrative in the Treasure Trove of Vagbhata

Abstract: Indian Literature is replete with the philosophy, poetic art, literature and the aesthetics of ancient wisdom and this is undoubtedly an imperative paradigm of knowledge. The work of Hippocrates, entitled “On the Nature of Man”, “On Human Nature” by Thomas Hobbes, De Medicinia popular as On Medicine by Aulus Cornelius Celsus, “On Pharmacology” by Dioscorides, the theme of ancient Egyptian Medicine in the recorded works of Ebers Papyrus and many more portray healing as an archetype of narratology. Vagbata, inspired by the muses of knowledge and wisdom, expresses emotions on wellness in poetic verses coupled with the literary devices and references to expressions in his seminal text to culminate his quest into an artistic expression of aesthetic delight. The creation of this poetic, literary, aesthetic work of art, which is today digitally set to the tone of music is the Ashtanga Hridayam. It is a legacy that stands the test of time as the treasure trove of Vagbhata. A study of Man, it represents India as a behemoth in the world of aesthetic medicine and reformulates medical humanities as the crux of ancient Indian medical tradition.

Keywords : Poetic, Literary, Aesthetic, Indian Literature, Healing

DOI :

Page No. : 10-14