The Compendium of Caraka 1.12: dvādaśo 'adhyāyaḥ /

Now we shall expound the chapter on the beneficial and unbeneficial properties of vāta.

Thus declared the venerable Ātreya.

With reference to the knowledge of the beneficial and unbeneficial properties of vāta, wishing to ascertain one another's opinions, the great seers seated together questioned one another: "What are the qualities of vāta? What is its vitiator, or what are its pacifiers? And how do vitiators or pacifiers vitiate or pacify it, which has no solid form, is non-settled, and is ungraspable? And what are its actions, when vitiated or unvitiated, whether moving in bodies without a physical body or moving inside bodies, or outside bodies?"

Here Kuśa Sāṅkṛtyāyana said: "Dry, light, cold, rough, harsh, and non-slimy—these are the six qualities of vāta."

Having heard that statement, Kumāraśiras Bharadvāja said: "It is just as the revered one said; these are indeed the qualities of vāta. That vāta, however, comes to vitiation when actions of such qualities, such substances, and such potencies are practiced repeatedly; for the habitual use of similar qualities is the cause of increase of bodily elements."

Having heard that statement, Kāṅkāyana, the physician of Bahlīka, said: "It is just as the revered one said; these indeed are the vitiators of vāta. Contrary to these are the pacifiers of vāta; for the opposite of vitiating factors is the cause of pacification of bodily elements."

Having heard that statement, Baḍiśa Dhāmārgava said: "It is just as the revered one said; these indeed are the vitiators and pacifiers of vāta.

For we shall explain further how the vitiators and pacifiers vitiate or pacify it, which is non-solid and non-settled, without grasping it: The vitiators of vāta indeed produce dryness, lightness, coldness, roughness, harshness, non-sliminess, and porosity in bodies; moving into such bodies and having found a seat, vāta is nourished and undergoes vitiation. The pacifiers of vāta, on the other hand, produce unctuousness, heaviness, heat, smoothness, softness, sliminess, and solidity in bodies; moving without adherence in such bodies, vāta attains pacification."

Having heard Baḍiśa's statement, which was true and concurred with by the assembly of seers, the royal sage Vāryovida said: "All this is just as the revered one said, without flaw.

As for those actions of vāta, whether vitiated or unvitiated, which move in bodies without a physical form, or move within bodies, or occur outside bodies—having established their components through sensory perception, inference, and authoritative testimony, and having bowed to Vāyu, we shall declare them according to our ability: When unvitiated, vāta is the upholder of the bodily mechanism and structure; the self of prāṇa, udāna, samāna, vyāna, and apāna; the initiator of upward and downward movements; the controller and guide of the mind; the stimulator of all sense organs; the conveyer of all sense objects; the organizer of all bodily tissues; the bond of the body; the initiator of speech; the origin of touch and sound; the root of the auditory and tactile organs; the source of exhilaration and enthusiasm; the kindler of the digestive fire; the desiccator of the humors; the expeller of external wastes; the cleaver of gross and subtle channels; the fashioner of embryonic forms; and the sustaining ground of the continuation of life."

When vitiated, however, in the body, it afflicts the body with various disorders to the destruction of strength, complexion, happiness, and lifespan; it agitates the mind; it impairs all the senses; it destroys fetuses, causes their deformity, or retains them beyond the proper time; it engenders fear, grief, confusion, wretchedness, and excessive delirium; and it obstructs the vital breaths.

When abiding in its natural state, moving in the cosmos, its actions are indeed these; namely: the supporting of the earth, the kindling of fire, the ordaining of the continuous motion of the sun, moon, stars, and constellations, the formation of clouds, the shedding of waters, the setting in motion of streams, the producing of flowers and fruits, the bursting forth of sprouting plants, the division of the seasons, the division of the mineral elements, the manifestation of the measure and form of bodily constituents, the preparation of seed, the growth of crops without putrefaction or parching, and transformation without morbidity.

When severely vitiated, moving in the worlds, its actions are indeed these; namely: the shattering of mountain summits, the uprooting of trees, the agitation of oceans, the overflowing of lakes, the turning back of rivers, the shaking of the earth, the blowing of clouds, the raining down of frost, thunderbolts, dust, sand, fish, frogs, serpents, alkali, blood, stones, and lightning, the perversion of the six seasons, the non-aggregation of crops, the infliction of pestilence upon living beings, the destruction of existing entities, and the unleashing of the clouds, suns, fires, and winds that bring an end to the four yugas. For he is the revered lord, the source and the imperishable, the maker of the being and non-being of creatures, the ordainer of happiness and sorrow, Death, Yama, the Controller, Prajāpati, Aditi, Viśvakarman, universal in form, all-pervading, the ordainer of all systems, the subtle essence of entities, the omnipresent, Viṣṇu, the Traverser of the worlds—Vāyu indeed is the revered lord."

Having heard Vāryovida's statement, Marīci said: "Even if this is so, what relevance does stating or knowing this have in the science of medicine? This discussion commenced concerning the science of medicine."

Vāryovida said: "If a physician does not thoroughly comprehend the wind to be exceedingly strong, exceedingly harsh, exceedingly swift in action, and causing emergencies, how will he, when it is suddenly vitiated, being very attentive, declare [measures] beforehand to protect [the patient] against it, even before the danger of an emergency? Moreover, true praise of Vāyu leads to health, increase of strength and complexion, radiance, nourishment, attainment of knowledge, and supreme longevity."

Marīci said: "Fire alone, present within pitta in the body, vitiated or unvitiated, produces good and bad [effects]; namely: digestion and indigestion, vision and loss of vision, normal and abnormal state of heat, normal and abnormal complexion, courage and fear, wrath and joy, delusion and clarity, and other such pairs."

Having heard Marīci's statement, Kāpya said: "Soma alone, present within śleṣman in the body, vitiated or unvitiated, produces good and bad [effects]; namely: firmness and laxity, nourishment and emaciation, enthusiasm and laziness, virility and impotence, knowledge and ignorance, intellect and delusion, and other such pairs."

Having heard Kāpya's statement, the revered Punarvasu Ātreya said: "All of you have spoken correctly, except for the one-sided assertions. Indeed, all three—vāta, pitta, and śleṣman—abiding in their natural state, endow a person with unvitiated senses, endowed with strength, complexion, and happiness, and with long life, just as righteousness, wealth, and desire, when properly pursued, endow a person with great supreme good both in this world and in the next. But when altered, they endow him with great calamity, just as the three seasons, having become altered, afflict the world with misfortune at the time of destruction."

All the seers concurred with that statement of the revered Ātreya, and they rejoiced.

And here it is said:
Having heard that statement of Ātreya, all the seers concurred
and rejoiced, just as the gods at the words of Indra.

Here are two verses:
The six qualities, the two kinds of causes, and the diverse functions,
the fourfold function of vāyu, and separately of kapha and pitta,

the various opinions of the great seers and the opinion of Punarvasu
—all that has been illuminated in the [chapter on] the Beneficial and Unbeneficial Properties of Vāta.

Thus ends the twelfth chapter, titled 'Beneficial and Unbeneficial Properties of Vāta', in the Sūtrasthāna of the treatise composed by Agniveśa and redacted by Caraka. //12

Thus ends the tetrad on instruction. //3