ABSTRACT
Caraka is believed to have lived in the Punjab–Kashmir region during the reign of Kaniska in the famous Kusana Empire. A comparative study of the practice of Ayurveda in the period of Caraka and Vagbhata was therefore carried out with reference to doctrines and philosophical ideas, treatment of diseases, and medical procedures. The doctrine of the cosmos as a macrocosm and man as a microcosm was central in Caraka’s philosophy. The ritual for the initiation of trainees and the grand oath to be administered by the Acharya to the student, which were fully described by Caraka received scant attention in Astangahrdaya, which could even suggest a decline of the Gurukula tradition. Regarding medical procedures, enemas stood out in the time zones of Caraka and Vagbhata in terms of the universality of their applications, acclaimed efficacy in treating diseases and maintaining good health. Ayurveda faced a long phase of almost a 1000 years of stagnation after Vagbhata.
