Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

The ‘Anubandha’ (or necessary adjuncts of the result of action) is life.

*'Abhyvaharya’ implies the usual acticles of enjoyment. The special mention of food (ahara), immediately after, shows that ‘abhyavahara’ includes all other articles except food.

‘Vaikarika Swapna’ means such dreams as diseased persons get ; these differ from the pleasant dreams of healthy people.

The free action of every organ is an infallible indication of health. Hence the free discharge of wind, of urine, of stools, and of the vital seed, is a neces¬ sary condition of sound health.!

In Hindu philosophy, the Mind is distinct from the Intellect. The former is called 'Manas’, the latter ‘Buddhi.’ ‘Manas’ is regarded as the sixth (the internal) sense. — T.

CHA RAKA-SAMHITA

59i

Its indication is a continuity of the vital breaths.104

Place (of action) is the country (or habitat of the patient) and the patient himself (viz. , his body).

Amongst these (two), the examination of country (or habitat) is for acquiring a knowledge of the patient, as also for ascertainment of (the qualities of) drugs.

In tin's connection, the following is (the method of examination) for acquiring a knowledge of the patient. It is this : —

In what region (or country) has the patient taken his birth, or has grown, or has caught the desease ?

In that country these are the articles of food and drink, these the sports, &c., these the practices, this the measure of strength, this the sort of constitution, these the practices suitable to health and life, these the faults that predominate in the constitutions, these the inclinations, these the ailments of the people, and these are beneficial, and these are not beneficial to them.105*

For acquisition of an accurate knowledge of medicines, it is necessary to examine the soil (from which they are obtained). The examination of soil will be laid down in the Division called Kalpa.106

The patient is the ‘de^a’ or field of action (treatment).

His examination has for its object the ascertainment of the (unexhausted period of his life or the ascertainment of the measure of strength and faults. lorf

*'Iyam bhaktih’ implies ‘these are the inclinations’ of the inhabitants or natives of the country. For example, the people of this country like to bathe every day once or twice ; to walk about with bodies uncovered ; to eat rotten fish ; to labour at night time ; to marry more than one wife ; & c. — T f ‘Karya-defa’ is, literally, the field of action ; that is,, the ground on which the action operates. The actor being the physician, the action being treatment, the patient is the field or ground of that action.

The examination of the patient has, really, one object in view, viz., the ascer¬ tainment of the fact as to the period for which the patient may yet live. This is dependent on ascertainment of the measure of the patient’s strength, including the measure in which the faults (wind, bile and phlegm) have been excited. It

p. 592

CHA RA KA ■ SAM HIT A.

In this connection, even this is the object of ascertaining the measure of the particulars about strength and faults.

A strong medicine, suddenly administered by an undiscrimina¬ ting physician, may kill a patient of little strength.

Indeed, an exceedingly strong medicine of a fiery, watery and windy character, or the use of heat, alkaline ashes, and surgical intruments, is incapable of being borne by patients of little strength.

These, in consequence of their unbearable and exceedingly violent action, quickly become destructive of life.108

Observant of this, good physicians treat a patient of little strength with such medicines as do not enhance his weakness, as are mild and exceedingly gentle in their operation, as are so graduated as to become stronger and stronger day by day, as bring about cure and as do not increase the danger.

These rules are specially observable in the case of females. They are of unsteady, mild, open, and weak hearts ; they are ex¬ ceedingly delicate and weak, and in need of comfort and conso¬ lation.109

So also, when a weak patient is afflicted by a violent disease, a medicine of little strength, administered by an undiscriminating physician, fails to bring about a cure.

Hence, the patient should be examined in respect of his normal constitution in health, of the abnormal condition that has set in, of the predominance of some particular element in his constitution (such as blood, or flesh, &c., of his compactness or otherwise, the make of his proportions such as stature, &c., '.of what things are suitable to his constitution, of his mental disposition, of his power of eating of his power of exercise, and of his age.1I0J is believed by many, who are unacquainted with the Ayurvedic method of treatment, that its professors cause the patients to observe undue fasts. This is an erroneous impression. The strength of the patient is always sought to be kept up by proper means.

*‘Asadhakam bhavati’ means ‘does not become effective,’ i. e., does not bring about the result anticipated ; or, does not bring about a cure. The words used in the original are all technical ; ‘prakrititah’ has reference to the usual charaka-samhitA.

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