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The chapter focuses on the three aspects of the mind as revealed in Kashyapa Samhita, an ancient paediatric treatise. Kashyapa Samhita deals with Kumarabratya: care of the children, one of the eight branches of Ayurveda. While the treatise Kashyapa Samhita deals with various aspects of well-being, diseases and their treatments in children, this chapter focuses only on three aspects, mainly consciousness, memory and dreams. The focus thus is on evolution of the mind in general and consciousness in particular during the foetal development. Consciousness emerges in the third month of foetal development. Memory is seen as a repository of memory traces that spans generations especially of the healers. Memory is seen as a function that can be enhanced through treatments. In additions, dreams are given much importance as the function of the mind. Dreams may be premonitory and thus prognostic. Some dreams are considered auspicious. Detailed examination of the sources of dreams too is carried out. Some examples of dreams especially attributed to the supernatural forces will be given.An attempt will be made to compare the above concepts in the contemporary framework of Pediatrics and Developmental Psychology. Some research questions in the light of concepts derived from the Kashyapa Samhita will be posed in order to verify whether the proposed concepts lend themselves to empirical research.

DOI: 10.1007/978-81-322-1587-5_7

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