A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c44.s2.5

v3.c44.s2.5

Chapters seven to eleven describe grahas³⁰⁹ who attack children, the symptoms they produce, and the ways to ward them off.³¹⁰ Chapter seven (dinagṛhitābalagrahahara) describes ten grahas³¹¹ who may assault a child during the first ten days of its life,³¹² chapter eight (māsagṛhitābalagrahahara) twelve who do so during the twelve months of its first year,³¹³ and chapter nine (varṣagṛhitābalagrahahara) sixteen grahas who prey upon a child during the first sixteen years of its life.³¹⁴ Chapter ten (dinamāsavarṣabālagrahopāyakathana) gives the names of sixteen more grahas,³¹⁵ whose attack can be expected during the first day, month or year, second day, month or year, etc.,³¹⁶ and chapter eleven (sādhāraṇa) mentions common measures against all types of grahas, besides adding nine names of grahas³¹⁷ whose attacks are seen as a punishment for offences committed during a previous life. The measures described in order to ward off attacks by grahas usually consist of offerings (bali) of a specified number of various objects³¹⁸ to be deposited in a particular quarter of the sky, accompanied by the muttering of mantras.