The Sushruta Samhita — trans. Bhishagratna

17-20.

In all cases of Vata-Rakta, old and matured clarified butter boiled with the expressed juice of Amalaka should be prescribed as drinks. The affected part should be washed or sprinkled with old and matured clarified butter, boiled with a decoction and paste (Kalka) of the drugs belonging to the Kdkolyddi group, or with those of the Jivaniya group, or with the decoction of Sushavi, or of Karavellaka. The Vala-Tailat should be used for sprinkling and immersing purposes, and as drink and Vasti-karma (enemas).

Diet: — The diet should consist of articles made of old and matured S'ali or Shashtika rice, wheat or barley, taken with milk | or with the soup of Mudga

* Milk four times of oil should be taken.

I The "Vald-Taila" described in the medical treatment of Mudhagarbha, ch. XV.

X In the case of Vata-roga with preponderant Pitta, the patient should take the food with milk ; in the preponderance of Vayu, with the soup of Jangala meat; and in the preponderance of Kapha, with Mudga-soup, devoid of any acid combination.

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pulse or flesh of Jdngala animals and devoid of any acid combination.* 21.

Frequent blood-letting should be resorted to and measures, such as, emetics, purgatives, Asthapana and Anuvasana should be adopted in cases of the aggravated Doshas-|* (involved in the case). 22.

Memorable Verses :— A case of Vdta-

Rakta of recent growth, proves readily amenable to the remedial measures described before. Long-standing, i.e., chronic cases (of Vdta-Rakta) are never perfectly cured, but can only be palliated. The application of poultices (Upandha), of medicinal washes or sprinkles (Parisheka), hot-plasters, anointings (Abhyanga), spacious and comfortable bed-chambers which do not admit of too large an influx of air, shampooing, and the use of soft and pleasant beds and soft pillows, are chiefly recommended in a case of Vata-Rakta ; whereas physical exercise, sexual intercourse, display of anger, the use of heat-making, saline, acid and difficultly digestible food and eatables producing eff^use serus or slimy matter in the bodily channels, and sleep in the day-time (should be deemed extremely injurious and hence) should be studiously refrained from. 23.

The Medical Treatment of Apata-

naka : — The medical treatment of a patient suffering from Apatainaka (hysterical convulsions), not exhibiting fixedness of gaze and arched eye-brows, with an absence

23.

The Medical Treatment of Apata-

naka : — The medical treatment of a patient suffering from Apatainaka (hysterical convulsions), not exhibiting fixedness of gaze and arched eye-brows, with an absence

* In the case of Vata-roga, with a preponderance of Pitta, the patient should take his food with milk ; in the preponderance of Vayu, with the soup of Jangala meat ; and in the preponderance of Kapha, with Mudgasoup, devoid of any acid combination.

t In the preponderance of Kapha, emetics should be employed ; in the preponderance of Pitta, purgatives should be given ; and in the preponderance of Vayu, Anuvasana and Asthapana measures should be resorted to.

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306 THE SUSilRtJTA SAMHltA. [Chap. V.

of perspiration, quivering, delirium and the numbness of genitals, found not to fall on the ground but capable of being supported on his arms (Akhattd-pati) and whose trunk is not bent or arched on its posterior (dorsal) side (Vahirayama), may be attempted (with success). The body of the patient should be first anointed with emulsions (Sneha) and then fomented ; strong medicated snuff should then be administred for purifying (the accumulated mucus in) the head. After that the patient should be made to drink a clear potion prepared of clarified butter, cooked in combination with a decoction of the drugs constituting the Viddri-gandhadi group, extract of meat, milk and milk-curd, so as to arrest the further expansion of the deranged Vayu into the system.

Traivrita Ghrita :— A decoction of the Vayusubduing drugs, such as, Bhadra-ddrvddi, etc., barley, Kulattha pulse, Kola, and the flesh of the Anupa and Audaka animals with the Pancha-Vargas* should be

* According to Jejjata, "Pancha-Vargam" means the flesh of the five kinds of Anupa animals, z//s., Kulachara, Plava, Kos'astha, Padin and Matsya (fishes).

The reading here is doubtful. The term "Audaka" in the compound word ** Sanupaudaka-mamsam " seems to be redundant, inasmuch as •'Audaka" animals are included in the "Anupa" class. (Sutra, chap. XLVI. Page 487, Vol I). In this case the word " Pancha-vargam " also seems to be only an explanation of the term "Anupa" meaning the fiive kinds of Anupa flesh, and it seems to have surreptitiously crept into the body of the text from the marginal notes of some authoritative manuscript copy of the book. If, however, we are to abide by the current reading of the book, "Pancha-varga" cannot mean the five kinds of flesh in the presence of the word ''Audaka" mentioned separately, as Jejjata would have it. In that case it can only mean either the five groups of Pancha-mulas, viz., the major Pancha-mulas, the minor Pancha-mulas, the Valli-Pancha-mulas, the Kantaka-Pancha-mulas and the Tiina-Pancha-mulas. (Sutra, chap. XXXVIII, Pages 355-6, Vol. I), as some would explain it to mean. Others, however, prefer the reading as it \i and explain the term "Fancha-varga" to be the five kinds of medicinal drugs mentioned before in the sentence,

I

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made. The decoction, thus prepared, should be mixed with milk and fermented rice-gruel, etc., and then cooked with an adequate quantity of clarified butter, oil, lard and marrow by casting Kalka (paste) of the Madhura (Kakolyadi group) into it This Traivrita Ghrita* (lit. consisting of clarified butter with three other lardaceous articles), thus prepared, should be administered to Apatanaka-patients in potions and diet, in effusions and immersions, in anointings and errhines, as well as in Anuvasana measures. Diaphoretic measures should be applied according to the prescribed rules. In a case marked by an unusually aggravated condition of the YAyu, the patient should be made to stand neck-deep in a pit tolerably warmed or heated with burning husks, and- cow-dung. As an alternative, Palas'a leaves should be strewn over a hot stone-slab or over a hot oven, after having sprinkled wine over them, and the patient should be laid full length upon these leaves, or fomentations should be made with Ves'avdra, Kris'ara and Pdyasa. 24—25.

An oil, cooked in combination with the expressed viz., the Vataghna drugs, Yava, Kola, Kulaltha and flesh. Oihers, again, mean by the term "Pancha-varga" the five parts, viz., leaf, fruit, flower, bark and root, of the Vataghna drugs mentioned in the sentence.