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सुश्रुतसंहिता

Sushruta Samhita

Sushruta (redacted by Nagarjuna)6th Century BCE (redacted 3rd–4th Century CE)Ayurvedic Tantra / Medical Treatise

The foundational text of Ayurvedic surgery describing over 300 surgical procedures and 120 instruments. The referenced verse uses the metaphor of a donkey carrying sandalwood — knowing the weight but not the value — to critique superficial learning without understanding.

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Subhashitam

Subhashitams from this grantha

yathā kharaścandanabhāravāhī bhārasya vettā na tu candanasya |
evaṃ hi śāstrāṇi bahūnyadhītya artheṣu mūḍhāḥ kharavadvahanti ||

Just as a donkey carrying sandalwood knows only the weight, not the fragrance; so too, fools who study many scriptures grasp only the burden — never the meaning.

scriptures · understandingView