A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c24.27

v1.c24.27

Some acknowledge eight kinds of vīrya: guru, laghu, snigdha, rūkṣa, uṣṇa, hima (= śīta), tīkṣṇa, and mṛdu (9.12cd–13ab); 102 Caraka has declared that action is brought about by vīrya only, no action being possible without vīrya (9.13cd–14ab); 103 guru, etc., are described as vīryas in agreement with the meaning of that term (anvartha), because they are the essential ones among the guṇas, possess great power, and prove to be the chief ones in practice; moreover, their range of application is important and wide (9.14cd–15);¹⁰⁴ for these reasons, the term vīrya is not applied to rasa, etc. (9.16); others maintain that uṣṇa and śīta are the only guṇas worthy to be called vīrya, because agni and soma are the most powerful among the constituents of substances and cannot be surpassed, just as vyakta and avyakta on a cosmical scale (9.17–18ab); the actions of uṣṇa and śīta vīrya are described (9.18cd–19); the change of taste at the conclusion of the digestive process, due to the contact with the abdominal fire, is called post-digestive taste (vipāka) (9.20);¹⁰⁵ the sweet and saltish tastes are sweet after digestion, the acid taste remains acid, the bitter, pungent and astringent tastes are generally pungent after digestion (9.21); the effects of the post-digestive tastes are the same as those of the tastes before digestion (9.22ab);¹⁰⁶ some substances exert their actions through their taste, other substances through their post-digestive taste, vīrya or prabhāva (9.22cd–23ab);¹⁰⁷ the strongest among rasa, vipāka, vīrya or prabhāva overcomes the other ones; when of equal strength, vipāka overcomes rasa, vīrya both rasa and vipāka, and prabhāva all the other ones (9.23cd–25);¹⁰⁸ when two substances with the same taste, etc., differ in their actions, these specific effects arise from prabhāva (9.26–27ab);¹⁰⁹ substances called vicitrapratyayārabdha differ in their actions, though their taste, etc., are similar (9.27cd–29).¹¹⁰