The Compendium of Caraka 1.22: dvāviṃśo 'adhyāyaḥ/

Now we shall explain the chapter on lightening and nourishing therapy.

Thus said the venerable Ātreya.

Ātreya addressed inspiring words to his six foremost disciples, / headed by Agniveśa, who were dedicated to austerity and self-study:

"He who knows lightening, nourishing, drying, oleation, / sudation, and astringing in timely manner—he indeed is a physician."

When Ātreya had said this, Agniveśa spoke:

"O venerable one, what is lightening, and of what kind are those who should be lightened? / What is nourishing and who should be nourished? Who should be dried and what is drying?

What are unctuous substances and who should be oleated? What are sudations and who should be fomented? / What is astringing and who should be astringed? You ought to tell this, O master!

And of these six, beginning with lightening, / you ought to describe concisely the signs of proper administration, non-administration, and excessive administration."

Hearing those words of Agniveśa, the teacher said: / "Whatever brings about lightness in the body is recorded as lightening.

That which produces bulk in the body is nourishing. / That which produces roughness, harshness, and clarity is drying.

Oleation is that which produces unctuousness, fluidity, softness, and moisture. / Sudation is that which relieves stiffness, heaviness, and cold, and induces sweat.

Astringing is that which firmly immobilizes that which is moving and unstable. / A substance that is light, hot, sharp, non-slimy, dry, subtle, rough, mobile,

and hard is generally considered lightening. / A substance that is heavy, cold, soft, unctuous, dense, bulky, slimy,

generally dull, stable, and smooth is said to be nourishing. / That substance which is dry, light, rough, sharp, hot, stable, non-slimy,

and generally hard is drying. / A substance that is liquid, subtle, mobile, unctuous, slimy, heavy, cold, / generally dull, and soft is regarded as oleating.

A substance that is hot, sharp, mobile, unctuous, dry, subtle, liquid, stable, / and generally heavy is said to be sudorific.

A substance that is indicated as cold, dull, soft, smooth, dry, subtle, liquid, stable, / and light is generally recorded as astringing.

The fourfold evacuation, thirst, exposure to wind and sun, / digestives, fasting, and exercise—this is lightening therapy."

Those who have abundant phlegm, bile, blood, and excretions, with wind mixed in, / and who are large-bodied and strong, should be lightened by evacuations.

Those whose diseases arise from kapha and pitta and are of medium strength— / vomiting, diarrhoea, heart disease, visūcikā, alasaka, fever,

constipation, heaviness, belching, nausea, anorexia, and the like— / the wise physician should generally treat in the beginning with digestives.

These very same diseases, when their strength is low, / one should overcome by suppression of thirst and by fasts.

Diseases of medium strength in strong persons one should conquer by exercise, sun, and wind; / what then of diseases whose strength is slight?

For those suffering from skin disorders or prameha, those unctuous, abhiṣyandin, and nourished, / lightening is commended in the winter season, even if they have disorders of vāta.

Not struck with poisoned arrows, uninjured, in prime of life, of beasts, fish, and birds / that feed on wholesome food—such meat is said to be nourishing.

Those who are wasted, wounded, emaciated, elderly, weak, constant travellers on foot, / and constantly devoted to women and wine, and [all persons] in the summer, are recorded as suitable for nourishing therapy.

And those who have been emaciated by the diseases consumption, haemorrhoids, and disorders of the grahaṇī, / for them the light broths of the meat of carnivorous animals are nourishing.

Bathing, unctuous paste application, sleep, sweet enemas with unctuous substances, / sugar, milk, and ghee: understand this as nourishing for all.

Consuming pungent, bitter, and astringent items; lack of restraint with women; / and cakes of sesame paste, oil-cake, buttermilk, honey, and the like, is drying.

Those with blocked channels, massive morbid humours, and diseases situated in vital parts— / such as stiffness of the thighs and the like—are indicated as fit for drying.

The unctuous substances and the persons who should be oleated, the sudorifics and the persons who should be sweated, / have been described by me in detail in the chapter on unction and in that named on sudation.

Any medicament that is liquid, thin, immobile, cooling, / sweet, bitter, and astringent—all that indeed is astringing.

Those burnt by pitta, alkali, or fire, those afflicted with vomiting and diarrhoea, / and those suffering from excessive administration of poison or sudation, are indicated as suitable for astringing.

When wind, urine, and faeces are discharged, when the body is light, / when the heart, belch, throat, and mouth are clear, when drowsiness and fatigue have departed,

when sweat has arisen, taste has returned, hunger and thirst have sprung up together, / and the inner self is free from affliction, lightening is to be declared accomplished.

Aching of the small joints, body-aches, cough, dryness of the mouth, / loss of hunger, anorexia, thirst, weakness of the ears and eyes,

confusion of the mind, frequent upward wind, darkness at the heart, / and loss of the body's fire and strength occur when lightening is carried to excess.

Gain of strength and nourishment, and freedom from the defects of emaciation / is the sign of being nourished; and excessive obesity of being excessively nourished.

The sign of proper and excessive action in lightening applies indeed to drying. / A person is astringed when strength is gained and the aforesaid diseases are conquered.

Livid discoloration, stiffness of the limbs, agitation, lockjaw, / and constriction of the heart and faeces are the signs of excessive astringing.

And the sign of non-administration of these six, in brief, / is the non-pacification and indeed the increase of those morbid humours [treatable by] those medicines.

Thus the six therapies have been properly declared for all diseases; / conforming to dose and season, they succeed in curing curable conditions.

And here is [a verse]:

Because of the numerous combinations of the doṣas, the therapies are indeed combined; / yet they do not exceed sixfoldness, just as vāta and the rest do not exceed threefoldness.

Here are summary verses:

Thus in this chapter on lightening, the six therapies by which treatment proceeds / have been explained by the Blessed One in accordance with the questions asked.

Thus ends the twenty-second chapter, titled Lightening and Nourishing, in the Ślokasthāna of the treatise composed by Agniveśa and redacted by Caraka. //22