Agnivesha (Sanskrit: अग्निवेश, romanized: Agniveśa) is a legendary rishi (sage) in Hinduism, reputedly one of the earliest authors on Ayurveda (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 the Charaka Samhita.^[3]

Legend

Agnivesha is described to be the chief pupil of Punarvasu Atreya. The Agnivesha Samhita, dated back to 1500 BCE,^[4] is based on Atreya's teachings, and is a lost text on Ayurveda. The Agniveśatantra, consisting of 12,000 verses,^[5] is stated to be the foundational text of the Agnivesha school, one of the six schools of early Ayurveda (others being Parashara, Harita, Bhela, Jatukarna, and Ksharpani).^[6]

The text is mentioned in the Charaka Samhita: "the tantra (Agnivesha) as written by Agnivesha is compiled, edited and modified by Charaka" (agniveśakṛte tantre carakapratisaṃskṛte)^{[7] [8]}