A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c25.212

v1.c25.212

The contents consist of: foods and drinks enjoyed in keeping with the rules constitute the support (āyatana) of life (āyus); they form the fuel of the internal fire, which maintains the body (10.2); seven factors relating to the intake of food should be taken into consideration: svabhāva (inherent nature),373 saṃyoga (combination), saṃskāra (preparation), mātrā (quantity), deśa (place), kāla (time), and upayoga (consumption); the svabhāva of an article of diet may change under the influence of saṃyoga, etc. (10. 3);374 saṃyoga,375 saṃskāra,376 mātrā,377 deśa378 and upayoga379 are explained (10. 4); time bears on the season and (the stage of) the disease; its distinctive signs are digestion or absence of digestion (10.5);380 many rules relating to the taking of a meal are formulated (10.6);381 the actions of foodstuffs which are snigdha, laghu and uṣṇa are described,382 followed by the effects of eating too slowly or too quickly383 (10.7); the concepts of sātmya and asātmya form the next subject;384 a number of different definitions of sātmya are recorded; three grades of sātmya are distinguished: pravara, madhya and avara;385 hita (healthy) and ahita (unhealthy) foods are defined (10.8); four improper types of enjoying a meal should be avoided: samaśana, adhyaśana, amātrā- śana and viṣamāśana; these terms are defined;386 the proper materials for the vessels in which particular dishes should be prepared are discussed (10.9),³⁸⁷ and, subsequently, the proper places of the various items composing a meal, as well as the order in which dishes with particular main tastes should be consumed (10.10);³⁸⁸ the kinds of anupāna to be selected as suitable in combination with particular dishes are enumerated;³⁸⁹ an anupāna should always possess properties opposed to those of the dish³⁹⁰ (10.11); the beneficial effects of an anupāna are dealt with; patients in whom it has an adverse effect are enumerated; the proper behaviour after taking an anupāna is described (10.12),³⁹¹ followed by prescriptions regarding the behaviour after finishing a meal (10.13);³⁹² articles of diet not to be enjoyed habitually are listed (10.14–17),³⁹³ as well as those suitable to habitual use (10.18–20);³⁹⁴ two verses praise the effects of a healthy diet (10.21–22).