Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam

The Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam, composed by Vāgbhaṭa in the 7th century CE, is a comprehensive summary and synthesis of earlier Ayurvedic knowledge, particularly the works of Caraka and Suśruta.

Content

Organized into six sections (sthāna), it covers fundamental principles, diagnostics, therapeutics, pharmacology, anatomy, and hygiene in a clear, accessible style.

Significance

Widely used as a teaching text in Ayurvedic education, it remains a standard reference and is especially popular in the southern Indian and Southeast Asian traditions.

Verification

Authorship attributed to Vāgbhaṭa; modern philological research argues that the Aṣṭāṅgasaṅgraha and the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā are unlikely to be the work of a single author, and the relationship and authorship of the two treatises remain debated. Manuscripts and commentaries are well-documented. Textual transmission stable across regional recensions.

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