A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.242

Language: English

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The subjects dealt with are: the prāṇas, which consist of agni, soma,58 vāyu, sattva, rajas, tamas, the five sense organs, and the bhūtātman (4.3);59 the formation of the seven layers of the skin, called avabhāsinī, lohitā, śvetā, tāmrā, vedinī, rohiṇī, and māṃsadharā; the thickness of each of these layers; the disorders located in them;60 the measurements given are those found in fleshy parts, not in parts with a thin skin like the forehead, etc. (4.4);61 the kalās, which are seven in number; a kalā is the tissue forming a boundary between dhātu and āśraya (receptacle) (4.5); a dhātu becomes visible on cutting through fleshy parts; the structures called kalā are covered by snāyus, encased in a membrane (jarāyu), and surrounded by phlegm (śleṣman) (4.6–7);62 descriptions of the seven kalās, called successively māṃsadharā,63 raktadharā,64 medodharā,65 śleṣmadharā,66 purīṣadharā, pittadharā, and śukradharā (4.8–20);67 semen is present throughout the whole body, just as ghee in milk and juice in the sugarcane (4.21); the place where the śukra enters the urethra; it flows out through the urethra (4.22); the process of ejaculation (4.23); pregnant women do not menstruate because the channels (srotas) transporting ārtava are obstructed by the foetus; part of the ārtava is the material out of which the placenta (aparā) is formed, the remaining part makes the breasts swell (4.24);

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liver (yakṛt) and spleen (plīhan) of the foetus are formed from blood, the phupphusa68 from the foam (phena) of blood, the uṇḍuka69 from the waste products (kiṭṭa) of blood (4.25); the intestines, ano-rectal region and bladder are formed from the pure parts (prasāda) of blood and kapha, acted upon by pitta and vāta (4.26–27ab); the tongue is formed from the pure parts of kapha, blood and muscular tissue (māṃsa); the channels (srotas) arise from the combined action of vāta and ūṣman70 (4.28cd); the peśīs (muscles) arise in the same way; vāta and pitta are also the agents transforming (part of) the muscles, in combination with the sneha of medas, into sirās and snāyus; mild (mṛdu) heating (pāka) leads to the formation of sirās, strong (khara) heating to the formation of snāyus (4.29–30ab); repeated action of vāta leads to the formation of āśayas (receptacles) (4.30cd); the kidneys (vṛkka) arise from the pure parts of blood and fatty tissue (medas), the testicles (vṛṣaṇa) from the pure parts of muscular tissue (māṃsa), blood, kapha and fatty tissue (medas), the heart from the pure parts of blood and kapha; the heart is the basis (āśraya) of the prāṇa-transporting dhamanīs; below the heart, on the left side, are spleen and phupphusa71 located, on the right side liver and kloman; the heart is in particular the seat of consciousness (cetanā), which explains that all living beings sleep when it is covered by tamas (4.31);

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the heart resembles an inverted water-lily (puṇḍarīka);72 it is open when one is awake and closed during sleep (4.32); sleep in general and types of sleep (4.33–35);73 the origin of dreams (4.36); a nind (bhūtātman), although awake, may be called sleeping when tamas has increased in it and affected the senses (4.37); rules concerning sleeping and waking, in particular day sleeping (divāsvapna) (4.38–41);74 the aetiology of insomnia (nidrā-nāśa) (4.42);75 the treatment of insomnia (4.43–46);76 the treatment of excessive sleep (nidrāyoga) (4.47);77 indications for waking at night and sleeping by day (4.48);78 definitions of tandrā (drowsiness),79 jṛmbha (yawning), klama (a sense of tiredness without physical exertion),80 ālasya (laziness),81 utkleśa (nausea accompanied by salivation),82 glāni (languor),83 and gaurava (a sense of heaviness) (4.49–55);84 mūrcchā (fainting) arises from pitta and tamas, bhrama (vertigo) from rajas, pitta and vāta, tandrā from tamas, vāta and kapha, sleep from kapha and tamas (4.56); the foetus grows thanks to the rasa (of the mother) and the blowing (ādhmāna) of vāta (4.57); traditionally, fire (jyotis) is firmly established in the umbilical region; the (foetal) body grows through the fanning (of this fire) by vāta; vāta, with the assistance of ūṣman (= pitta), opens the channels (srotas), running in various directions; the pupil (dṛṣṭi) and the pores of the hairs (romakūpa) never increase in size and number according to Dhanvantari;

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the nails and the hairs of the head keep growing even if the body decays, which is due to svabhāva, acting as prakṛti (4.58–61); the seven constitutions (prakṛti): (dominated) by one of the doṣas, two doṣas or all the doṣas together (4.62); the doṣa prevailing at the time of union of semen (śukra) and female procreational fluid (śoṇita) determines the constitution (4.63); the physical and mental characteristics of persons with a constitution dominated by vāta (4.64–67), pitta (4.68–71), kapha (4.72–76),85 or a mixture of the doṣas (4.77);86 changes with regard to one’s constitution do not occur naturally (svabhāvena) and point to the approach of death (4.78);87 just as an insect or other small animal (kīṭa), born in an environment full of poisonous substances, does not suffer any harm, the constitution is never a cause of suffering (4.79); the five constitutions in which one of the mahābhūtas predominates, as acknowledged by some authorities;88 those in which vāyu, agni (fire) and jala (water) predominate are the same as those dominated by vāta, pitta and kapha; the constitutions with a predominance of earth (the pārthiva constitution) and ākāśa (the nābhasa constitution) possess their own distinctive characteristics (4.80);89 the mental characteristics of persons with a preponderance of sattva, rajas or tamas;90 the seven sāttvika types described are: brahma-, māhendra-,91 vāruṇa-, kaubera-, gāndharva-, yāmya-, and ṛṣisattva92 or -kāya;

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the six tāmasa types are: āsura-, sarpa-, śakuna-, rākṣasa-, paiśāca-, and pretasattva or -kāya; the three tāmasa types are: pāśava-, matsya-, and vānaspatyasattva or -kāya (4.81–98).