Ashtanga Hridayam
Madhava Nidanam
Rasaratna Samuchchaya
While in the initial stages, the pharmacopoeia of Ayurveda consisted mainly of plant and plant based drugs, this book, written in the 13th C., introduces the field of Alchemy into Ayurveda, and in the course of 30 chapters and 3871 verses describes 960 formulations of drugs that could be prepared to cure ailments which had mineral or metallic origins, throwing light on the expertise India had in extraction, purification and conversion of metals into suitable forms for the treatment of at least 68 different types of ailments. We can understand how vast Pandit Duraiswami’s scholarship must have been when we perceive his interest in translating such a technical book, in order that Ayurvedic practitioners could have as wide a variety of medications as possible from every area of research known to men of science.
Pillai Pani
When in 1940, the then Madras government found that all Ayurvedic literature in the fields of gynecology and pediatrics were scattered in handwritten and palm leaf manuscripts they decided to gather this extensive material in a book, which Pandit Doraiswami edited with his own notes added to it. This contains pre and post-natal care of the mother, treatment for infertility, recipes for the cure of childhood ailments as well as the best diet for an expectant mother as well as the child for its maximum growth.
Sarngadhara Samhita
In the 15th C., acharya Sarngadhara put together this Samhita, part of the minor triad of Ayurvedic texts, along with Madhava Nidana and Bhava Prakash. This book is divided into three parts, the first section containing details on weights and measures as well as the time and place to collect herbs, the second section exploring the methods of preparation of medications and the third section focussing on the five major kinds of treatments followed by Ayurveda (panchakarma). Pandit Duraiswami translated this work to enhance the scholarship of doctors who could not access the Sanskrit original.
Sri Pancharatra Raksha of Sri Vedanta Desika
Tantrasarasangra Pandit
Tantra Sara was the compendium of worship supposedly taught to Lord Brahma by Lord Vishnu and Madwacharya extracted relevant portions of it into this volume, which consists of the (i) chanting of the great Vaishnava mantras (ii) aspects of Aavarana pooja (iii) Kalasha pooja (iv) comprehending the various forms and expressions of Lord Vishnu (v) yagna rituals (vi) meditation (vii) vasthu of temple construction (viii) sculpture and aspects related to the installation of icons. Pandit Duraiswami Aiyangar being a staunch Vaishnavite was obviously attracted to this work and through his Tamil translation, wanted to disseminate this knowledge to the devout Tamilian reader.
The Presidential Address
In the Presidential Address which was delivered by Pandit Duraiswami Aiyangar in Tamil, at the sixth Dravida Vaidya Conference held at Trichinopoly on May 28, 1934, he lauds the ancient heritage of Ayurveda, its spiritual descent from Danvantari, God of medicine himself, the special feature of the three humours which formed the basis of its diagnostical skill as also the neglect of the branch of surgery in Ayurveda, which was an important aspect of this science and which deserved to be encouraged. He used strong and logical arguments to debunk both the dubious claims of Siddhas, (another branch of indigenous medicine) and the British led Western medical sciences which tried to discredit Ayurveda, all the while drawing from its extensive knowledge. The greatness and glory of Ayurveda comes across clearly as also his pride in being a proponent of this wonderful healing practice.
Jivanandanam of Anandaraya Makhin
Hamsa Sandesham
Kadambari
Kiratarjuniya
