The Susruta-Samhita or Sahottara-Tantra (A Treatise on Ayurvedic Medicine) Nepal, Text: 12th/13th century; Ink and opaque watercolor on palm leaf. The Sushruta Samhita is an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery, and one of the most important such treatises on this subject to survive from the ancient world. The Compendium of Susruta is one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine). The Susrutasamhita is of great historical importance because it includes historically unique chapters describing surgical training, instruments and procedures.