Agnivesha (Sanskrit:अग्निवेश,romanized: Agniveśa) is a legendaryrishi (sage) inHinduism, reputedly one of the earliest authors onAyurveda (Indian alternative medicine).[1][2] He is described to have codified the knowledge of his preceptor,Atreya, and arranged it in the form of a treatise, named theCharaka Samhita.[3]
Agnivesha is described to be the chief pupil of PunarvasuAtreya. TheAgnivesha Samhita, dated back to 1500 BCE,[4] is based on Atreya's teachings, and is a lost text onAyurveda.[5] The Agniveśatantra, consisting of 12,000 verses,[6] is stated to be the foundational text of the Agnivesha school, one of the six schools of early Ayurveda (others beingParashara, Harita,Bhela, Jatukarna, and Ksharpani).[7]
The text is mentioned in theCharaka Samhita: "the tantra (Agnivesha) as written by Agnivesha is compiled, edited and modified byCharaka" (agniveśakṛte tantre carakapratisaṃskṛte)[8][9]
