A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.102

v1.c23.102

Subjects dealt with in the first part of the chapter are: the three doṣas support the body, like the pillars (sthūṇā) of a house; the body is called tristhūṇa for that reason; when deranged (vyāpanna), the same doṣas bring about the body’s dissolution (pralaya); the three doṣas, together with blood as the fourth, are always present in the body, maintaining it (21.3–4); the etymologies of the names of the doṣas (21.5); the chief seats (sthāna) of the doṣas; vāta is located in the śroṇi (pelvic region) and guda (recto-anal region), pitta between pakvāśaya and āmāśaya, 219 kapha in the āmāśaya 220 (21.6); the seats of the five kinds of pitta and kapha 221 (21.7); the maintaining functions of kapha, pitta and vāta are likened to the emission (visarga), absorption (ādāna), and the capacity of imparting motion (vikṣepa) of moon, sun and wind respectively (21.8); the relationship between pitta and agni; the internal fire (antaragni) is declared to be the same as pitta (21.9); 222 the seats and functions of the five kinds of pitta: pācaka, located between pakvāśaya and āmāśaya, rañjaka, located in liver and spleen, sādhaka, located in the heart, ālocaka, located in the eyes, and bhrājaka, located in the skin (21.10); 223 the qualities of pitta (21.11); 224 the seats and functions of the five kinds of kapha, located in the āmāśaya, chest, root of the tongue and throat, head, and junctures (sandhi) respectively (21.12–14); 225 the qualities of kapha (21.15); 226 the main seats (liver and spleen) and function of blood (21.16); the qualities of blood: neither hot nor cold, sweet (madhura), oleaginous (snigdha), red in colour, heavy (guru), of a musty smell (visra), and with a vidāha like that of pitta (21.17). 227