The Bhagavat said to the goddess of the Bodhi tree, “Noble goddess, listen well and retain this perfectly in your mind. Today I will teach you the past prayers of these ten thousand devas that were causes and conditions.

“Noble goddess, in the past, in a time gone by, an uncountable, innumerable, inconceivable number of eons ago, at that time the tathāgata arhat samyaksaṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavat by the name of Ratnaśikhin appeared in the world.

“Noble goddess, at that time, after that bhagavat had passed into nirvāṇa, when the true Dharma had vanished and there was merely the outer appearance of the Dharma, there was a king by the name of Sureśvaraprabha who constantly governed the people in accord with the true Dharma, as if he were their father and mother.

“At that time, in the king’s land there was a head merchant by the name of Jaladhara, who was greatly learned in medicine and perfectly knew all eight branches of the Āyurveda. He healed beings, saving them from all the sufferings that arise from disharmony among the four great elements.

“Noble goddess, at that time the head merchant Jaladhara had a son named Jalavāhana, who was attractive and handsome and who an entire multitude longed to look at. He had a naturally swift mind and understood the treatises, and there was nothing he did not know about letters, drawing, calculations, and numbers.

“At that time, countless hundreds of thousands of beings in that king’s land were tormented by the various kinds of the suffering of illness, so that there was not even the slightest happiness in their minds.

“Then Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, saw those countless hundreds of thousands of beings experiencing the suffering of illness, and great compassion arose in his mind. He thought, ‘These countless beings are afflicted by terrible suffering, and my father, the head merchant, is greatly skilled in medical treatments. He knows all eight branches of the Āyurveda perfectly and is able to cure the various illnesses that arise from the augmenting and diminishing of the four great elements. But because he is old, decrepit, and physically feeble and diminished, he walks by leaning on a stick, and therefore he is unable to go to the villages, towns, and market towns and save the people from the suffering of illness, and he is unable to save countless hundreds of thousands of beings who are afflicted by very grave illnesses. Therefore, today I will go before my father, the great physician, and ask him for the secret medical treatments that will heal illness. Then, when I know them, I will go to the villages, towns, and market towns to save people from various illnesses and let them experience happiness for a long time.’

“Having thought that, the head merchant’s son then went to his father, bowed his head in homage at his father’s feet, and with his palms together in reverence, he sat to one side. Sitting in a particular place, he addressed questions to his father through these verses:

“ ‘I am asking for the medical treatments In order to bring a cure to beings, So look kindly upon me, beloved father, As I request that you teach me the instructions.

“ ‘In what way, when the body deteriorates, Do the great elements increase and diminish? And also what are the periods of time When numerous illnesses occur?

“ ‘What food and drink is required In order to experience health So that the power of heat in the body Does not decline and is not harmed?

“ ‘The illnesses of beings are of four kinds: They are the illnesses of air, bile, Phlegm, and their combination. In what way can those be healed?

“ ‘At what times does air illness arise? At what times does bile illness arise? At what times does phlegm illness arise? At what times does combination illness arise?’

“On hearing the supplication of the head merchant’s son, the father recited these verses:

“ ‘Today, on the basis of the medical Treatments of the ancient ṛṣis, I will teach you in the appropriate stages. Listen well and then cure beings.

“ ‘Three months are the season of spring, Three months are called summer, Three months belong to autumn, And three months are called winter.

“ ‘Regarding these in terms of one year, They are known to be in groups of three. If they are categorized into groups of two, Then there are six within one year.

“ ‘The first two are the season of flowers, The third and fourth are the season of heat, The fifth and sixth are the season of rain, The seventh and eighth are the season of autumn,

“ ‘The ninth and tenth are the season of cold, And the last two are the season of snow. In that way, know their differences And give medicine that is not contrary.

“ ‘If the right food and drink is provided In accordance with these seasons, It will be quickly digested in the stomach, And many illnesses will not occur.

“ ‘When there are changes in the seasons, The four great elements change around And there can be no healing medicine, And the suffering of illness will definitely occur.

“ ‘The doctor should know the four seasons And also should know the six periods of time, And, knowing the seven elements of the body, Should provide food and medicine that is appropriate.

“ ‘When an illness is located within An element of taste, within blood, Flesh, bones, marrow, and brains, Know whether it can be healed or not.

“ ‘There are four kinds of illness: Those of air and bile and phlegm, And also those of their combination. Know the times when they are active.

“ ‘In the season of spring, it is phlegm that moves. In summer, it is the illness of air that occurs. In the season of autumn, it is bile that augments. In winter, all three occur simultaneously.

“ ‘And in the spring, the food should be bitter, astringent, and pungent; In summer, it should be oily, pungent, salty, and sour; In autumn, it should be cold and sweet and oily; In winter, astringent, sour, oily, and sweet.

“ ‘If someone consumes accordingly Whatever medicine, food, or drink Should be consumed in these four seasons, Then many illnesses will not occur.

“ ‘After eating, there is the power of phlegm. It is during digestion that there is the activity of bile. Following digestion, there arises the power of air. You should know the illnesses in relation to such times.

“ ‘When the root of an illness is known, Provide the corresponding medicine for that illness. Illnesses have particular, individual forms, But you should know their roots in the past.

“ ‘For air illnesses, give that which has oil. For bile illnesses, laxatives are good. For phlegm illnesses, use emetics. For an aggregation, all three treatments are needed.

“ ‘That which has air, bile, and phlegm Is what is known as an aggregation. The time when the illness occurs is known, But the nature of the illness needs to be known.

“ ‘Reaching a diagnosis by examining in that way, Give the medical treatment that accords with the time. If the food, drink, and medicine are not inimical, Then that is what is called a skilled doctor.

“ ‘If the eight branches of Āyurveda are known, That will include all medical treatments. When these have been elucidated, The illnesses of beings will be healed.

“ ‘They are bloodletting, wounds, Body ailments, and demons; Virulent poisons and children; And life lengthening and virility.

“ ‘First, the person’s complexion, Speech, and nature are examined. Afterward they are asked about their dreams, And then it will be known whether it is air, bile, or phlegm.

“ ‘If a person’s hair is thin and in poor condition, And the nature of their mind is unstable, If they talk a lot and have dreams of flying, Then their nature is that of air.

“ ‘If they have white hair while young And have a great deal of perspiration, Have a clear mind, and have dreams of fire, Then their nature is that of bile.

“ ‘If the mind is stable and the body straight and even; They are concerned with details and have shiny, greasy hair; And if they see water and white substances in their dreams, Then know that this is the nature of phlegm.

“ ‘As for having the nature of combination, Some have two and some have three, But know that their nature will be Whichever one aspect is dominant.

“ ‘When you have understood what is their nature, Then give the medical treatment that accords with the illness. If there are no signs of dying, That is a person who can be healed.

“ ‘Know the signs of death to be The faculties perceiving incorrectly, Maligning gurus and doctors, And being angry with family.

“ ‘The eyes crossing, the complexion becoming pale, The tongue becoming black, the nostrils distorting, The auricles of the ears becoming darkened, And the lower lip drooping are signs of death.

“ ‘The myrobalan in one form Has the six aspects of taste. It dispels every illness, and so it Is the faultless king of all medicine.

“ ‘The three fruits and the three pungencies Are the easiest to find among medicines. Molasses, honey, milk, and butter: These are able to heal many illnesses.

“ ‘Other medicines than those Should be increased based on the illness. First, develop a compassionate motivation Without any concern for wealth and gain.

“ ‘I have taught you the treasured Subject of healing illness. If through this you heal beings, An infinite result will be attained.’

“Then, noble goddess, Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, having learned the meaning of the eight branches of the Āyurveda directly from his father, and having heard and perfectly learned the augmentation and diminishing of the four great elements, the adverse seasons, and the practices of medical treatments, had the knowledge that enabled him to heal many illnesses, so he went throughout this and that village, town, and market town.

“In order to gladden with excellent words the many hundreds of thousands of beings who came to him suffering with illness, he said to them, ‘I am a doctor! I am a doctor! And because I am very skilled in medical treatment, today I will heal all of you of your many illnesses.’

“Noble goddess, at that time, many hundreds of thousands of beings were gladdened by the excellent words spoken by the head merchant’s son, and they allowed him to cure them. Then the countless hundreds of thousands of beings who were afflicted by grave illnesses became joyous and delighted on hearing those words; they heard a wonderful marvel. Therefore, through those causes and conditions, all the suffering from illness was healed and ended; their declined strength was restored, and they were healed to become as they were before their illness.

“Moreover, noble goddess, at that time, countless hundreds of thousands of beings suffering from extremely serious and incurable illnesses came together to the head merchant’s son and supplicated him to heal them, and at that time through wonderful medical treatments he cured them all.

“Noble goddess, at that time, that head merchant’s son healed many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of beings afflicted by the suffering of illness throughout that kingdom.”