The Compendium of Caraka 1.1

English (machine translation) 1.1

Language: English

1.1.1

Now, therefore, we shall explain the chapter on the desire for a long lifespan.

1.1.3

Desiring a long lifespan, Bharadvāja, of fierce asceticism,
approached Indra, knowing the lord of the immortals to be a refuge.

1.1.4

For Prajāpati first received Āyurveda in its entirety as spoken by Brahmā,
and from him, in turn, the Aśvins [received it].

1.1.5

From the Aśvins, the venerable Śakra obtained it completely;
addressed by the ṛṣis, Bharadvāja therefore approached Śakra.

1.1.6

When diseases arose as obstacles to embodied beings,
[hindering] their asceticism, fasting, study, celibacy, vows, and lifespan,

1.1.7

then the great ṛṣis, placing compassion toward beings foremost,
gathered together, performers of holy deeds, on an auspicious flank of the Himālaya:

1.1.8

Aṅgiras, Jamadagni, Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Bhṛgu,
Ātreya, Gautama, Sāṅkhya, Pulastya, Nārada, Asita,

1.1.9

Agastya, Vāmadeva, Mārkaṇḍeya, Āśvalāyana,
Pārikṣi the mendicant Ātreya, Bharadvāja, Kapiñjala,

1.1.10

Viśvāmitra, Aśmarathya, Bhārgava, Cyavana, Abhijit,
Gārgya, Śāṇḍilya, Kauṇḍilya, Vārkṣi, Devala, Gālava,

1.1.11

Sāṅkṛtya, Baijavāpi, Kuśika, Bādarāyaṇa,
Baḍiśa, Śaraloman, and both Kāpya and Kātyāyana,

1.1.12

Kāṅkāyana, Kaikaśeya, Dhaumya, Mārīca, Kaśyapa,
Śarkarākṣa, Hiraṇyākṣa, Lokākṣa, and Paiṅgi,

1.1.13

Śaunaka, Śākuneya, Maitreya, Maimatāyani,
the Vaikhānasa-s, the Vālakhilya-s, and other great ṛṣis,

1.1.14

receptacles of the knowledge of the Absolute, of self-restraint, and of observances,
blazing with the brilliance of asceticism like fires being fed with oblations.

1.1.15

Seated comfortably there, they held this auspicious discourse:
"Health is the supreme foundation of righteousness, wealth, pleasure, and liberation.

1.1.16

Diseases are destroyers of it, of well-being, and of life;
this great obstacle has manifested among mortals.

1.1.17

What might be the means of pacifying them?" Having spoken thus, they entered into meditation;
then, with the eye of meditation, they saw Śakra as a refuge:

1.1.18

"He, the lord of the immortals, will explain the means of pacification as it truly is.
Who will go to the abode of the thousand-eyed one to inquire of the husband of Śacī?"

1.1.19

"May I be appointed to this purpose here"—this was the first speech;
Bharadvāja spoke it, and therefore he was delegated by the ṛṣis.

1.1.20

Having gone to Śakra's abode, he saw the slayer of Bala
sitting amidst the assembly of divine ṛṣis, blazing like fire.

1.1.21

Approaching and greeting the lord of the gods with blessings of victory,
the wise one humbly spoke the excellent words of the ṛṣis:

1.1.22

"Diseases have arisen that cause terror to all living creatures;
therefore tell me, O lord of the immortals, the means of their pacification as it truly is."

1.1.23

To him, recognizing the vast intellect of the supreme ṛṣi,
the venerable performer of a hundred sacrifices taught Āyurveda in few words:

1.1.24

the knowledge of etiology, symptoms, and therapeutics, the supreme recourse of both the healthy and the sick,
the eternal, auspicious triad of aphorisms that the Grandfather knew.

1.1.25

That noble-minded sage, applying his mind to it, properly understood in a short time
the entire, boundless, three-branched Āyurveda.

1.1.26

By means of that, Bharadvāja attained a limitless lifespan accompanied by happiness,
and he declared it without omission, and without addition, to the ṛṣis.

1.1.27

And the ṛṣis, seeking to attain a long life, received from Bharadvāja
that knowledge that promotes life and benefits humanity.

1.1.28

Those great ṛṣis perceived as they truly are, with the eye of knowledge,
generality and particularity, qualities, substances, and action,

1.1.29

and inherence; knowing which, and adopting the method taught in the treatise,
they obtained supreme happiness and an unhurried, lasting life.

1.1.30

Then Punarvasu, devoted to friendliness, out of compassion for all creatures,
imparted the auspicious Āyurveda to six disciples:

1.1.31

Agniveśa, Bhela, Jatūkarṇa, Parāśara,
Hārīta, and Kṣārapāṇi received the words of that sage.

1.1.32

The distinction lay in [their] intellect; there was no difference in the instruction of the sage,
whereby Agniveśa became the author of a treatise first.

1.1.33

Then Bhela and the others each composed their own treatise, and once completed,
those highly intelligent ones recited them to Ātreya and the assembly of ṛṣis.

1.1.34

Hearing the aphoristic formulation of principles by those performers of holy deeds,
the ṛṣis, delighted, approved, saying, "It has been properly formulated in aphorisms."

1.1.35

All of them praised them, wishing the welfare of all beings,
and exclaimed loudly in unison, "Splendid is this compassion for creatures!"

1.1.36

The divine ṛṣis residing in heaven heard that holy sound,
and together with the immortals, hearing the great ṛṣis, they rejoiced exceedingly.

1.1.37

The cry, "Ah, splendid!", soothing and deep, made the three worlds resound,
uttered in the sky with joy by living beings.

1.1.38

An auspicious wind blew; all the directions were illuminated with radiance;
and divine showers of blossoms, accompanied by water, fell.

1.1.39

Then the deities of knowledge entered Agniveśa and the others:
intellect, accomplishment, memory, comprehension, resolve, fame, patience, and compassion.

1.1.40

And those treatises of theirs, approved by the supreme ṛṣis,
gained renown on earth for the welfare of the multitude of beings.

1.1.41

Where beneficial and unbeneficial, happy and sorrowful lifespan,
what is wholesome and unwholesome for it, and its measure are stated, that is called Āyurveda.

1.1.42

The union of the body, sense organs, mind, and the self, that which sustains [life], vitality,
that which moves continually, and continuity are stated by synonyms to be lifespan.

1.1.43

That most auspicious knowledge of this lifespan, held by those who know the Vedas,
shall be taught, which is beneficial to mortals in both worlds.

1.1.44

Generality is always the cause of increase of all entities,
and particularity is the cause of decrease; both act [accordingly].

1.1.45

Generality produces oneness, while particularity causes differentiation;
for generality is sameness of purpose, whereas particularity is its opposite.

1.1.46

Mind, the self, and body: this triad is like a tripod;
the world stands through their union, and upon it everything is established.

1.1.47

This is the person, this is consciousness, and this is regarded as the subject matter
of this knowledge; indeed, for its sake has this knowledge been revealed.

Space and the other [elements], the self, the mind, time, and the directions are the summary of substances;
a substance endowed with sense organs is animate, while one lacking sense organs is inanimate.

1.1.49

Those beginning with sound, those beginning with heavy, intellect, those ending with effort, and those beginning with supremacy
are declared to be the qualities; action is called exertion beginning with effort.

1.1.50

Inherence is regarded as the inseparable state of earth and the other [elements] with their qualities.
It is eternal, for wherever a substance is, there a quality is never absent.

1.1.51

That in which actions and qualities reside, and which is an inherent cause,
is a substance; whereas a quality is inherent, motionless, and a cause.

1.1.52

Action resides in substance, is the cause of conjunction and disjunction,
and is the performance of what is to be done; action depends on nothing else.

1.1.53

Thus the cause has been stated; the effect here is declared to be the equilibrium of the tissues,
and the action bringing about the equilibrium of the tissues is stated to be the purpose of this treatise.

1.1.54

The junction of time, intellect, and the objects of the senses in improper, non-, and excessive degree
is the threefold summary of etiologies for diseases that reside in two [substrata].

1.1.55

The body and that designated as the mind are regarded as the substrata of diseases,
as well as of pleasures; but balanced junction is the cause of pleasures.

1.1.56

The supreme self, however, is free from change; through the mind, the elements, their qualities, and the sense organs,
it is the cause of consciousness; eternal, the seer, it indeed observes the actions.

1.1.57

Wind, bile, and phlegm are declared to be the summary of bodily humors;
moreover, rajas and tamas are indicated as the mental [humors].

1.1.58

The former is pacified through therapeutics relying on the divine and on rational application;
the mental through knowledge, discernment, fortitude, memory, and concentration.

1.1.59

Dry, cold, light, subtle, moving, non-slimy, and rough:
wind is completely pacified by substances possessing opposite qualities.

1.1.60

Slightly unctuous, hot, sharp, liquid, sour, mobile, and pungent:
bile is quickly pacified by substances possessing opposite qualities.

1.1.61

Heavy, cold, soft, unctuous, sweet, stable, and slimy:
the qualities of phlegm attain pacification through opposite qualities.

1.1.62

Disorders considered curable are eliminated
by medicines of opposite qualities, applied according to place, dose, and time.

1.1.63

Management, however, is not taught for incurable diseases;
and hereafter, qualities and actions will be explained according to each substance.

1.1.64

Taste is the object of the gustatory organ; its substances are water and earth,
and in its manifestation and differentiation, the other three [elements], beginning with space, are conditions.

1.1.65

Sweet, sour, then saline, pungent, and bitter,
and astringent: this is regarded as the sixfold summary of tastes.

1.1.66

Sweet, sour, and saline overcome wind; astringent, sweet, and bitter
overcome bile; astringent, pungent, and bitter overcome phlegm;
pungent, sour, and saline provoke bile; sweet, sour, and saline provoke phlegm;
and pungent, bitter, and astringent provoke wind.

1.1.67

Some pacifies the humors, some corrupts the tissues,
and some is held [beneficial] for the regimen of health: substance is declared to be threefold.

1.1.68

That again is declared to be threefold: animal, plant, and mineral.
Honey, dairy products, bile, fat, marrow, blood, flesh,

1.1.69

feces, urine, hide, semen, bone, sinew, horn, nails, hooves,
hairs of the head, body hair, and bile concretions are employed from animal sources.

1.1.70

Gold, the five base metals with their dross, sand, quicklime,
realgar, gemstones, salt, red ochre, and antimony

1.1.71

are designated as mineral medicine. Plant [medicine], however, is of four kinds:
vanaspati, vīrudh, vānaspatya, and auṣadhi.

1.1.72

A vanaspati is known by fruits, a vānaspatya by flowers and fruits as well,
auṣadhis end with the ripening of fruit, and vīrudhs are known by spreading vines.

1.1.73

Roots, barks, heartwoods, exudates, stalks, fresh juices, tender sprouts,
alkalis, latex, fruits, flowers, ashes, oils, thorns,

1.1.74

leaves, buds, bulbs, and offshoots are the plant group.
Sixteen root-bearing plants and nineteen fruit-bearing plants are recognized.

1.1.75

There are four great unctuous substances, five salts,
eight urines are enumerated, and eight kinds of milk as well,

1.1.76

and six trees for purification are pointed out by Punarvasu.
Whoever knows how to apply these in disorders is a knower of the Veda.

1.1.77

Hastidantī, haimavatī, śyāmā, trivṛt, adhoguḍā,
saptalā, that named śvetā, pratyakśreṇī, and gavākṣī,

1.1.78

jyotiṣmatī, bimbī, śaṇapuṣpī, viṣāṇikā,
ajagandhā, dravantī, and kṣīriṇī is the sixteenth here.

1.1.79

Śaṇapuṣpī, bimbī, and haimavatī are for emesis;
śvetā and jyotiṣmatī should be used in head evacuation.

1.1.80

The remaining eleven are to be employed in purgation.
Thus the root-bearing plants have been stated by name and action; listen to the fruit-bearing ones:

1.1.81

Śaṅkhinī, viḍaṅga, trapuṣa, madana,
dhāmārgava, ikṣvāku, jīmūta, kṛtavedhana,
and klītaka is remembered as twofold: wetland and dryland;

1.1.82

prakīryā, udakīryā, pratyakpuṣpā, abhayā,
antaḥkoṭarapuṣpī, and the autumnal fruit of hastiparṇī;

1.1.83

the fruit of kampillaka and āragvadha, and that of kuṭaja;
dhāmārgava, ikṣvāku, jīmūta, and kṛtavedhana.

1.1.84

Madana, kuṭaja, trapuṣa, and hastiparṇinī:
these are to be used in emesis and in non-unctuous enemas.

1.1.85

Pratyakpuṣpā is prescribed for emesis via the nose;
the remaining ten are taught for purgation.

1.1.86

Nineteen fruits have been stated by names and actions.
Ghee, oil, fat, and marrow: unctuous substance is said to be of four kinds.

1.1.87

Properly applied for drinking, inunction, enema, and nasal therapy,
they are oleating, vitalizing, complexion-promoting, and enhancers of strength and plumpness.

1.1.88

Indeed, these unctuous substances are prescribed as removers of wind, bile, and phlegm.
Sauvarcala, rock salt, viḍ-salt, and audbhida-salt,

1.1.89

together with sea salt, make five salts.
They are unctuous, hot, sharp, and supreme digestives.

1.1.90

They are employed for paste applications, in the procedures of oleation and fomentation,
in purgation and emesis, in non-unctuous and unctuous enemas,

1.1.91

in inunction, in food, in head evacuation,
in surgical procedures, in suppositories, and in collyria and unction pastes.

1.1.92

In indigestion, constipation, wind disorders, abdominal swellings, colic, and abdominal disease,
these salts are declared; hear from me now of the eight urines:

1.1.93

All those designated as principal in the instruction of Ātreya:
sheep's urine, goat's urine, cow's urine, buffalo's urine,

1.1.94

elephant's urine, camel's urine, horse's urine, and donkey's urine.
Hot, sharp, non-dry, pungent, and accompanied by saltiness,

1.1.95

urine is employed in rubbing pastes and in topical plasters;
urine is employed in non-unctuous enemas and also in purgation.

1.1.96

It is also employed in sudation, in constipation, and in counter-poisons;
and in abdominal diseases, piles, and in those afflicted with phantom tumors, dermatosis, or vitiligo.

1.1.97

It is employed in warm poultices and likewise in affusion;
it is taught as a digestive stimulant, an antitoxin, and a destroyer of worms.

1.1.98

It is declared to be the highest relief for those afflicted with anemia.
When drunk, it pacifies phlegm and directs wind downward.

1.1.99

It draws bile to the downward path. Thus has the summary of its qualities
been spoken by me in general; now it will be stated individually:

1.1.100

Sheep's urine is slightly bitter, unctuous, and not hostile to bile.
Goat's urine is astringent and sweet, wholesome, and destroys the humors.

1.1.101

Cow's urine is slightly sweet, destroys the humors, and dispels worms and dermatosis;
when drunk, it relieves itching and is properly beneficial in abdominal diseases of humoral origin.

1.1.102

Buffalo's urine, containing alkali and laxative, destroys piles, swelling, and abdominal diseases;
elephant's urine is salty and beneficial for those with worms and dermatosis,

1.1.103

praised for those with retention of feces and urine, poisoning, phlegm afflictions, and piles.
Camel's urine is described as slightly bitter, destroying asthma, cough, and piles.

1.1.104

That of horses is bitter-pungent, removing dermatosis, wounds, and poison;
donkey's urine destroys epilepsy, insanity, and possession by spirits.

1.1.105

Thus the urines have been stated here according to their capacity and application.
Henceforth, milks will be spoken of, along with their actions and qualities:

1.1.106

Sheep's milk, goat's milk, cow's milk, and that of buffalo;
also that of camels, female elephants, the mare, and the woman.

1.1.107

Milk, like mother's milk, is generally considered sweet, unctuous, and cool;
pleasing, bulk-promoting, virilific, promoting intellect, strengthening, and invigorating to the mind.

1.1.108

It is restorative, fatigue-relieving, destroying asthma and cough;
it destroys bleeding disorder and unites what is fractured.

1.1.109

It is wholesome for all living beings, pacifying and purifying;
it dispels thirst, stimulates digestion, and is superior in emaciation and chest lesions,

1.1.110

especially in anemia, hyperacidity, wasting, phantom tumor, and abdominal disease;
in diarrhea, fever, burning sensation, and swelling;

1.1.111

in disorders of the female genital tract and semen, in scanty urination,
and in hard-knotted feces, wholesome for those suffering from disorders of wind and bile.

1.1.112

In nasal medications, topical plasters, immersion baths, emesis, and non-unctuous enemas,
in purgation and unction, milk is employed in every case.

1.1.113

The qualities of each milk individually, one by one in due order,
I shall state again in full in the chapter on food and drink and the rest.

1.1.114

Now, three other trees distinct from those with fruits and roots
are snuhī, arka, and aśmantaka; their action is stated individually:

1.1.115

One should know aśmantaka for emesis, the latex of snuhī for purgation;
the latex of arka is to be known for emesis accompanied by purgation.

1.1.116

They mention these other three trees whose barks are beneficial:
pūtīka, kṛṣṇagandhā, and the tree tilvaka.

1.1.117

Pūtīka and tilvaka should be employed in purgation;
kṛṣṇagandhā is indicated in erysipelas, swellings, piles,

1.1.118

ringworm, abscesses, cervical lymphadenitis, dermatosis, and alajī eruptions.
The wise physician should also know these six trees as purifiers.

1.1.119

Thus have been declared the plants with fruit and roots, unctuous substances, salts,
urine, milks, and the six trees whose latex and bark are designated.

1.1.120

Goat-herds know herbs by name and form in the forest,
as do sheep-herds, cowherds, and other forest dwellers.

1.1.121

Not by the mere knowledge of the name, nor again by the knowledge of the form,
can anyone claim to know the highest truth of herbs.

1.1.122

Even one ignorant of their form is called a knower of reality if he knows their application;
how much more a physician who knows herbs in every respect!

1.1.123

He who knows their application adjusted to place and time,
examining each individual person, is to be known as the best of physicians.

1.1.124

Just as poison, a weapon, fire, or a thunderbolt,
such is a medicine when unknown; when known, it is like ambrosia.

1.1.125

For a medicine not understood in its threefold aspect of name, form, and quality,
or even when known but improperly applied, results in calamity.

1.1.126

Through proper application even a sharp poison becomes an excellent medicine,
and even a medicine when improperly applied becomes a sharp poison.

1.1.127

Therefore, no medicine prescribed by a physician devoid of practical reason
should be taken by an intelligent person who desires life and health.

1.1.128

A thunderbolt of Indra fallen upon one's head might leave a remainder [of life];
but a medicine prescribed by an ignorant person leaves no remainder for the patient.

1.1.129

He who, fancying himself wise, gives medicine to an afflicted,
bedridden, trusting patient without understanding it—

1.1.130

that evil-minded man has abandoned virtue, is wicked, and has become death itself;
a person would fall into hell even by conversing with him.

1.1.131

Better it would be to drink the venom of a serpent or boiling molten copper,
or to eat iron balls heated intensely in fire,

1.1.132

than to accept food, drink, or wealth from a person afflicted with disease
who has sought refuge, while wearing the guise of the learned.

1.1.133

Therefore, an intelligent person desiring to be a physician should make supreme effort
toward the perfection of his own qualities, so that he may be a giver of life to men.

1.1.134

That alone is proper medicine which leads to health;
and he alone is the best of physicians who liberates from diseases.

1.1.135

Success proclaims the proper administration of all actions;
success proclaims the foremost physician endowed with all virtues.

1.1.136

Here are the summary verses:
The origin of Āyurveda, the cause of its reception, its setting in motion,
the authorization to compose aphorisms, the determination of Āyurveda;

1.1.137

the cause, effect, and the purpose of Āyurveda in full;
etiologies, humors, and therapeutics in brief;

1.1.138

tastes along with their supporting substances; the threefold classification of substances;
plants with roots, plants with fruits, unctuous substances, and salts;

1.1.139

urine, milks, and the six trees relying on latex and bark;
and the actions of all these, proper and improper application, qualities and defects;

1.1.140

reproach of quacks, and all the qualities that abide in physicians—
all this has been fully explained in this first chapter by the great sage.

1.1.140_1

Thus ends the first chapter, named "Desire for a Long Lifespan", in the Sūtrasthāna of the treatise composed by Agniveśa and redacted by Caraka.

Commentaries (1)

Jalpakalpataru — Gaṅgādhara Kaviratna 1860, Sanskrit

Linked texts (1)

Carakasaṃhitā — Agniveśa (Āyurveda) & Caraka, Sanskrit