A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c46.130

v3.c46.130

The ingested food passes through āmāśaya, pacyamānāśaya and pakvāśaya; the (digestive) fire is located above the pakvāśaya (55). The rasa derived from the food passes through the nāḍī of the navel and goes to all parts of the body, impelled by vāyu (56). The umbilical region has the form of a tortoise (kūrma); the eight limbs of this tortoise are connected with the eight mahānāḍīs; four among these are in the region of the back, four in the region of the chest (kroḍa) (57). Two of the nāḍīs in the back and two in the chest run upwards, the other four downwards; the nāḍīs running upwards split into two branches (pallava) in the region of the throat; one of these splits again into five smaller branches (58). The branches go to the eyes, nostrils, tongue, lips and ears; one nāḍī, coming from the back, is called ākuñcanakarī (59).⁷⁹ A nāḍī, coming from the shoulder region, goes to the hand and splits into five branches; this one too is called ākuñcanakarī (60). A nāḍī running downwards from the back splits into five branches for the toes and is called prasāraṇakarī (61).⁸⁰ The ninth limb of the tortoise is called liṅganāḍī; its two branches convey urine and semen (62). The tortoise lies in a transverse position in the umbilical region, its head pointing to the left and its tail to the right; its left legs point upwards, the right legs downwards (63). Two nāḍīs are present in its head, two in its tail, and five in each of its legs (64). Its mouth parts face upwards in women, downwards in men (71). For this reason a physician should examine the pulse of the right hand in men, of the left hand in females (72).