Maharishi Kashyap, a revered sage of ancient India, is honored as the father of Indian pediatrics. His major Ayurvedic work, the Kashyap Samhita (or VriddhaJivakiya Tantra), is a foundational text on Kaumarabhritya—the science of child, maternal, and reproductive health. Composed around the 6th century BCE, it offers timeless insights into pediatric care.
The Kashyap Samhita follows a guru-shishya dialogue format, making complex teachings more accessible. It is organized into key sections like Sutrasthan (principles), Nidanasthan (diagnosis), Sharirasthan (anatomy), and Chikitsasthan (treatment), covering essential topics such as neonatal care, breastfeeding, childhood illnesses, nutrition, and mental-spiritual growth.
What distinguishes his work is the holistic and preventive approach he advocated. Maharishi Kashyap stressed balanced living, natural remedies, emotional well-being, and spiritual care. His text even addresses conditions like rickets and epilepsy with herbal and lifestyle-based treatments still respected in Ayurvedic medicine today.
Traditionally, the knowledge of Kashyap Samhita is believed to have divine origins, passed from Lord Brahma down to Kashyap through celestial sages. His disciple VriddhaJivaka compiled the teachings, later edited by Vatsya. Beyond medicine, Maharishi Kashyap, as one of the Saptarishis, shaped Vedic thought, ethics, and cosmology—blending science with spirituality in a lasting legacy.
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