Bhaisajyaratnavali of Shri Govinda Dasji (Three Volumes)

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Divide into 106 chapters, each dealing with separated disease and indispositions, Bhaisajaya Ratnavali (composed in 19th century A. D. by Shri Govinda Dasji) has been the most popular collection among the practitioners as well as the manufacturers of Ayurvedic medicine across India and neighbouring countries.

The work, rightly named as Bhaisajaya Ratnavali i.e. Gem of the Medicinal Formulae has stressed including the use of mercury and sulphur (the parada and gandhaka) as well as other ingredients which were either unavailable or which remained largely unused by the authorities of Ayurveda like Charaka, Susruta and Vagbhatta. Thus, the Bhaisajya Ratnavali updates the entire gamut of Ayurvedic recipes immediately before the impact of the West on Indian medical system.

The author of Bhaisajya Ratnavali really did a great service to collate the countless medical prescriptions in use, and thus saved them for posterity. He wrote in Sanskrit considering the practical as well as sociological significance of the language. The work should have been translated into English much earlier. Nonetheless, it is a matter of pleasure that the English version of this great work is finally made available to the readers.

Considering its wide popularity and immense utility, physician Shri Brahma Shankar Mishra revised the work. Similarly, Shri Ambikadatta Shastri published a commentary of this work in the year 1956. This commentary served the readers greatly as it detailed the parts and amounts of the herbs involved in various formulae recorded. The present work is translated version of the revised work. The commentator also suggested, at places, the doses of various recipes to be taken by the patient. It may be noted that Shri Govinda Das Ji considered the young physicians and practitioners as its potential readers. The commentary of Shri Brahmashankar Mishra helped even a non-professional to take benefit from the great work. This translation has been prepared with a view to extend the reach of Bhaisajya Ratnavali to the professionals as well as the lay readers, the practitioners as well as the patients.

The present translator and the reviewer have stressed to include the original native terms frequently. Thus, the point of view of original writer have been retained free from the bias of the translator. To clarify their meanings, a glossary of Ayurvedic terms and references has been appended at the end of the Volume III of the work. If a few terms have escaped this list the kind readers could refer to our Dictionary of Ayurveda.

Dr. Kanjiv Lochan has over 15 year of experience of research in Ayurvedic literature. His earlier works included Medicines of Early India. He has obtained a Ph. D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University on History of Ayurveda related Sciences.

Preface and Acknowledgement

Translating Bhaisajya Ratnavali is a matter of satisfaction on certain important counts. First, it brings to the access of wider English-knowing people the biggest work on Ayurveda formulary for the first time. Second, since the oldness of the work is proved this translation would authenticate India's demand to nullify the claims for the patents of non-original pharmaceutical 'inventions' involving our herbal heritage. [The World International Patent Office of USA and the European Union Patent Office at Munich often claimed lack of the translated version of such works of formulary with well-established date of its original circulation in the public domain. Even though the texts such as the Charaka Samhita are old by centuries, we do not have an authenticated date of their original publication. Moreover, they are not presented in shape of a formulary. On the other hand, the work in context has been composed as a formulary and the British librarians who were in helms those days recorded it in the accession list of the National Library, Calcutta way back of 1920s. Thus the publication easily qualifies to check the efforts of non-original pharmaceutical inventions' patent. And, it covers more than 1000 herbal and herbo-mineral products of the country.]

On personal level, the work as well as me, the translator of the formulary, is heavily indebted to Dr. Anand Choudhary of Jamnagar. He has gone through the manuscript word by word and has suggested significant changes. He humbly states that his contribution to the production is as less as the salt in a pulse-soup. But, one can imagine the taste of a soup having no salt. Even though all the shortcomings of the output are my sole responsibility, the work might have been still poorer without the support so kindly rendered by Dr. Choudhary. I express my gratitude to him, to his wife and to his son Anusatya (As Dr. Saab took up the job at a very short notice, his family faced the lack of his involvements in puja celebrations of the year). Kind involvement of Dr. Prabhakar Rao of Delhi is also remembered, with gratitude.

As a matter of fact, the translation work extended for more than two full years. In course of this duration, as chance would have it, I witnessed a great upheaval in life. This has definitely impacted the work. So I must take this opportunity to acknowledge with sincerity all those who stood by me when I needed mental and material support, and badly so. In this sense, the first name occurs, very deservingly, of Ruchika Ratna. It was this young lady, who emptied her purse (containing her first salary) to see that I had a proper treatment and rehab when, due to mental tension (as carrying the heavy load of the manuscript of the present work, I wandered through various Ayurveda universities and college, and failed to find a zealous reviewer for the same), I neared a stage of brain hemorrhage. Her brother Rachit Raj, who rushed from Pune to attend on me at the Sujivan Hospital of Ahmedabad is also remembered. The siblings regard me as their guardian and as such, technically, I cannot thank them. Nevertheless, I bless them and wish that the world know that even in this era, there are young children who care and serve individuals beyond the ambit of blood relationship, out of mutual understanding.

The encouraging phone calls received by me at the hospital from my brothers messers Rajiva, Sajiv, Chiranjiv and Amarijiva Lochan, Kamara and by my sisters Anjali (and her husband Shri Manoj Kr. Lal) and Palu, by Mika (who called from Japan), wife of my younger brother helped me to recruit my health so that I could finish the work. The wonderful treatment I received on part of Dr. Ashvin Dhabi of Sujivan Hospital is also remembered. Dr. Dabhi is, to me and as I could witness not money-minded, and he got me admitted to his hospital, knowing it well that I did not have enough money to pay the required fee. May god bless him with a long and active life.

I remember with gratitude the help of our family friend Shri Vijay Ambastha and his wife Nishaji (alias Beenaji) of Giridih, Jharkhand.

I also acknowledge the great support of Sukka Shekar rao of Srikakulam (Khajuru- Kaviti), Andhra Pradesh. It is he who has composed the most of the manuscript. Shekar's speed and enterprise with the computer, his power to grasp the subject with its technical terminology are simply amazing. Support of Govind, Sanjay, Narayan of Delhi and Amar Shukla of Ahmedabad is also acknowledged. Support of Archna Mathur, Jagu Ranjan Andia, Dharmendra and Prabhat Mishra is also remembered.

Without the help of these individuals the work in your hand could not have got the present shape and would have been further delayed.

We have worked on a number of proof copies of the text. Still, there might have remained typographical and other errors in the work. The kind readers are requested to send suggestions and highlight the shortcomings of the translation so that it could be taken care of in next editions.