A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c25.619

Language: English

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Chapter eight (prakṛtibhedīya), corresponding to part of the aṅgavibhāga chapter (Śā.3) of the Hṛdaya, deals with: the seven types of prakṛti (constitution), dominated by one, a combination of two, or all three doṣas; the doṣa or doṣas present in excess during pregnancy, due to the diet and behaviour of the mother, and due to the nature of male seed and ārtava, determine one’s constitution from birth until death; the action of the doṣa(s) on one’s constitution is compared to that of poison in poisonous animals (8.2); 410 the effects of the constitution on one’s physiology are explained; the doṣa characterizing the constitutional make-up of a person does not hurt him or her, and antagonistic articles, behaviours, etc., are well tolerated; morbid changes of a doṣa, however, will affect a foetus and kill or deform it (8.3); 411 others declare that doṣas are prākṛta or vaikṛta; prākṛtadoṣas, present from birth onwards, determine the seven types of constitution, sustain the body, and do not change during life; doṣas subject to changes are called vaikṛta (8.4); these vaikṛtadoṣas mix with the prākṛtadoṣas, thus corrupting them; similarly, the para type of ojas, staying in the heart and measuring eight drops (bindu), which constitutes the substrate (ādbāra) of the ojas deriving from the rasa and measuring a prasṛta, will be corrupted (8.5); descriptions, first in prose, then in verse, of the constitutions dominated by vāta (8.6–8), 412 pitta (8.9–11), 413 and kapha (8.12–14);

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414 a saṃsargaprakṛti is dominated by two doṣas; in someone with a samadoṣaprakṛti the doṣas are equally well developed; 415 persons with one of the first three constitutions described, and in particular those with a constitution dominated by two doṣas, are considered to be essentially perpetually sick (nityātura), 416 but are called healthy in every-day language, just like hunger and thirst are normal phenomena; they are in need of the treatments outlined in the doṣopakramaṇīya chapter (Sū.21); those with a balanced constitution should take into consideration the rules regarding sātmya during the various seasons (8.15); there are also seven types of prakṛti which are distinguished according to the degree of dominance of sattva, etc., śauca, etc., are their characteristics (8.16); 417 seven more types of prakṛti may be distinguished in relation to jāti, 418 kula (family lineage), 419 deśa (type of country inhabited), kāla, vayas (age), bala (strength), and ātmasaṃśraya (individual characteristics) (8.17); the types according to sattva, etc., which affect both mind and body, are, due to their gradations (taratamayoga), innumerable (8.18); they develop after birth in relation to impressions from activities (abhyāsavāsanā), and are dispositions (anūka), called after deities, pretas, animals, etc. (8.19); 420 the stages of the human life cycle: bāla, madhya, vṛddha; the stage called bāla lasts sixteen years; madhya lasts from sixteen to sixty years;

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421 after the age of sixty, vṛddha begins; hāla is subdivided into stanyavṛtti (living on breastmilk), āhāravṛtti (living on solid food) and ubhayavṛtti (living on both kinds of food); 422 the characteristics of bāla; 423 kapha predominates in this stage 424 (8.20); madhya is subdivided into yauvana, sampūrṇatva and aparihāni; 425 pitta predominates during the madhya stage; 426 its general characteristics; 427 yauvana lasts until the age of thirty; 428 the characteristics of sampūrṇatva, lasting up to forty years; 429 aparihāni is not characterized 430 (8.21); the characteristics of vṛddhi, with vāta as the prevailing doṣa (8.22); others divide the life cycle into ten periods of ten years; each of these decads is characterized by the loss of a particular feature; these features consist of: bālya (childhood), vṛddhi (growth), prabhā, medhā, tvac, śukra, keenness of eyesight, sharpness of hearing, manas (mental faculties), and all the faculties of the senses 431 (8.23); the maximum life span is one hundred years in this (Kali) age; some people, due to their karman, approach this age or live even longer; generally, the life span depends on one’s prakṛti (8.24);432 the gradual reduction of the span of life in the course of the ages of the world (8.25); the three types of strength (bala): sahaja, kālakṛta and yuktikṛta; the sahaja type, which is prākṛta, depends on one’s sattva and body type; the kālakṛta strength is associated with season and age;

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the yuktikṛta type derives from one’s diet, behaviour, and use of ūrjaskara preparations (8.26);433 there are eight types of sāra: tvak-, rakta-, māṃsa-, medaḥ-, asthi-, majja-, śukra-, and sattvasāra; their excellence increases in the mentioned order; the degree of strength can be deduced from the type of sāra (8.27);434 the characteristics of someone possessing all the eight sāras; the opposite type; the intermediate type (8.28);435 the measurements in aṅgulas of many parts of the body: first and second toes are two aṅgula long;436 the three other toes are successively one fifth shorter;437 prapada,438 pādatala439 and pārṣṇi440 are each four aṅgula long, but respectively six, five and four aṅgula broad; the length and circumference of the foot are fourteen aṅgula;441 the circumference of the ankle and the middle part of the lower leg is also fourteen aṅgula;442 the height of the foot is four aṅgula;443 the lengths of lower leg and thigh are eighteen aṅgula;444 the knee is four aṅgula long;445 the circumference of the thigh is thirty aṅgula 446 (8.29); testicles and penis are six aṅgula long;

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their circumferences are eight, respectively five aṅgula;447 the breadth of the pelvic region (kaṭi) is sixteen aṅgula,448 its circumference fifty aṅgula;449 the bastiśiras measures twelve aṅgula;450 the udara measures twelve aṅgula;451 the sides of the chest (pārśva) are ten aṅgula broad and twelve long;452 the trika is twelve aṅgula high;453 the back is eighteen aṅgula in height;454 the space between the nipples (stanāntara) measures twelve aṅgula;455 the areola around the nipples (stanaparyanta) extends over two aṅgula;456 the anterior part of the chest is twenty-four aṅgula broad and twelve in length;457 the heart measures two aṅgula;458 the skandhas and kakṣās measure eight aṅgula each;459 the aṃsas measure six aṅgula;460 the upper arm (prabāhu) measures sixteen, the lower arm (prapāṇi) fifteen, the hand (pāṇi) twelve aṅgula;461 the middle finger (madhyamāṅgula) is five aṅgula long, the index (pradeśinī) and ring finger (anāmikā) are half an aṅgula shorter; little finger (kaniṣṭhikā) and thumb (aṅguṣṭha) measure three aṅgula and a half;462 the neck is four aṅgula long, while its circumference is twenty-two aṅgula;463 the face (ānana) is twelve aṅgula long, while its circumference is twenty-four aṅgula464 (8.30);

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the mouth (āsya) measures five aṅgula;465 chin (cibuka), lip, nose, interpupillary region (dṛṣṭyantara), ear and forehead measure four aṅgula each;466 the frontier between the wings of the nose (nāsāpuṭamaryādā)467 is one third of an aṅgula broad;468 the eye is two aṅgula deep (āyata) and as broad as the ball (udara) of the thumb;469 the black part measures one third of the white part;470 the dṛṣṭi measures one ninth of the black part471 and is as large as the half of a lentil;472 the head is six aṅgula high, while its circumference is thirty-two aṅgula;473 the total length of the human body is eighty-four aṅgula;474 the proportions are as they should be (sama) when length and breadth are equal (āyāmavistārasama);475 measures which are larger are desirable, smaller measures undesirable;476 the same criteria are applicable to other general features (8.31);477 desirable bodily characteristics (8.32).478