Sharangadhara Samhita
Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā शार्ङ्गधरसंहिता
| Author / compiler | Sharangadhara |
|---|---|
| Composed | c. 1300 CE |
Significance for cosmetology
Sharangadhara Samhita is the classical manufacturing manual. The Brihat Trayi (Charaka, Sushruta, Ashtanga Hridaya) tell you what to put in a formulation; Sharangadhara tells you how to actually cook it.
The Madhyama Khanda (12 chapters) is the source of:
- The standard sneha-paka ratio (Kalka : Sneha : Drava = 1 : 4 : 4) cited in every recipe in this formulary
- The definitions of the three pakas — Mridu (mild), Madhyama (medium), Khara (hard)
- The Ksheera-paka rule (1 : 8 when the drava is milk)
- The Pada-shesha reduction rule (boil to ¼)
- The standard preparation methods for Kashaya, Kalka, Churna, Avaleha, Asava-Arishta, Sneha-Paka, Lepa, Lavana — every Ayurvedic dosage form
The Purva Khanda Ch.1 (Paribhasha) is the source of the unit conversion table we use throughout this formulary (Pala = 48 g, Karsha = 12 g, etc.). Sharangadhara codified the doubling-based system that Charaka and Sushruta had used inconsistently.
Why this is a laghu-trayi (lesser-three) text
Sharangadhara is one of the three “Laghu Trayi” texts (with Bhavaprakasha and Madhava Nidana) that systematized Ayurvedic pharmacy and pathology in the medieval period. It is a smaller, more practical text than the Brihat Trayi — focused on the dispensary, not the metaphysics. It is the text that pharmacy students traditionally learn.
Extraction notes
⚠️ The Sharangadhara Samhita is NOT yet fully extracted into this formulary. The Hindi-Sanskrit Brahmanand Tripathi commentary edition was downloaded but the OCR quality is too poor for direct use. The unit conversions and sneha-paka rules cited throughout this formulary are derived from cross-referenced English summaries of Sharangadhara Purva Khanda Ch.1 and Madhyama Khanda Ch.9 — they match Sharangadhara’s canonical values but the chapter-and-verse precision has been imported from secondary sources.
Full extraction of Sharangadhara requires vision-LLM re-OCR of the Hindi/Sanskrit PDF, which is a separate ~$100 / ~10-hour task not yet performed. The recipes in this formulary that depend on Sharangadhara’s exact procedures (especially the precise oil-cook timings and the lepa-thickness rules) are flagged with a vaidya-review requirement.
Structure
| Sthana | Name | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purva | Purva Khanda (Foundation) | 7 | Ch.1 Paribhasha — DEFINES THE UNITS OF MEASURE used throughout this formulary (Pala, Karsha, Tola, etc.). |
| Madhyama | Madhyama Khanda (Manufacturing) | 12 | THE manufacturing manual — Kashaya (decoction), Kalka (paste), Churna (powder), Sneha (oil & ghee), Avaleha (lehyam), Asava-Arishta (medicated wines), Lepa (paste), and the standard 1:4:4 sneha-paka rules. |
| Uttara | Uttara Khanda (Therapeutics) | 13 | Ch.10 Snehana, Ch.11 Lepa-Murdha-Taila-Karnapurana-Vidhi (face packs, head oils, ear oils). |
Beauty-relevant chapters
- Purva Khanda Ch.1 — Paribhasha (unit definitions)
- Madhyama Khanda — ALL of it (the manufacturing manual)
- Uttara Khanda Ch.10 — Snehana (the basis of all Ayurvedic skincare oils)
- Uttara Khanda Ch.11 — Lepa, Murdha Taila, Karnapurana Vidhi
Translations & editions
| Translator | Year | Publisher | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmanand Tripathi (Dipika Hindi commentary) | 1995 | Chaukhamba Surabharati Prakashan | copyright |
| Adhamalla (Sanskrit Dipika commentary) | c. 1350 CE | Nirnaya Sagar Press | public-domain |
| Kasirama (Gudartha-Dipika commentary) | c. 1500 CE | — | public-domain |