Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Such an understanding enables one to devote oneself to yoga , and to become a Sankhya, i.e., a practical follower of that system of philosophy which goes by the name of Sankhya. That philosophy teaches that everything in the universe is the result of the union of 1 Purusha 1 and ‘Prakriti.’ When this is understood and, further, that ‘ Purusha ’ is distinct from ‘ Prakriti, ’ then ‘ Purusha ’ becomes able to shake off ‘ Prakriti ’ or tear off the latter’s bonds, the result of which is Emancipation or the highest felicity. In the last line of verse ^ the words ‘ Vidya, ’ 1 Siddhi, ’ ‘ Smriti, ’ ‘ Medha, ’ ‘ Prajna, ’ and ‘Jnanam’ are said to apply to the pure understanding which belongs to a pure mind.

‘ Vidya ’ is knowledge ; i.e., that true knowledge which teaches the distinction between Self and Not-Self. ‘ Siddhi ’ implies Success. When such an understanding is attained, the highest object of acquisition is attained ; in other words, success is achieved. ‘ Smriti ’ and ' Medha ’ and ‘ Prajna ’ and Jnanam ’ are synonyms of ‘ Buddhi, ’ expressing only its different phases. — T.

* Such a person is above Piety and Sin, which lead to felicity and misery, to Heaven and Hell, and therefore to new states of existence. Such a person attains to Emancipation.— T.

CHARAICA SAMHITA.

p. 781

Tranquillity of Soul (ganti) is otherwise known by these synonyms, viz., Vipapam, Virajas, Qantam, Param, Aksharam, Avyayam, Amritam, Brahma, and Nirvanam,* 11

This, O amiable one, is that Knowledge by acquiring which the Munis, their doubts dispelled, and themselves freed from heedlessness, and passion and desire, attained to the tranquillity of Emancipation. la

{Here are two verses containing a summary).

In this Lesson called ‘ Purusha-Vichayam, ’ the following topics have been expounded by the great Rishi, viz.,

The similarity between the world and Purusha, together with the object in view of which such similarity should be studied and understood ;

the original cause from which the life of Purusha arises ;f the way of ‘ Nivritti ’ (or cessasion of desire and acts); the practices which lead to the acquisition of a pure mind ;

* ‘ Vipapam ’ is Sinlessness ; ‘ Virajas 1 is Stainlessness, or freedom from rajas or darkness ; ‘ Cantam ’ is the same as ganti ’ the difference being one of form or grammatical gender. ‘ Param ’ is High or Highest ; meaning the Supreme Soul ; ‘ Aksharam ’ is that which knows no decay or loss ; ‘ Avyayam ’ is that which has no change ; i.e., Immutable j ‘ Amritam 1 is Deathlessness ; it may otherwise imply nectar or ambrosia which confers immortality ; ‘ Brahma ’ means the vastest, or that which pervades all things ; Nirvanam ’ is extinction of all known conditions of life.— T.

t The cause from which ‘ Purusha ’ or his life arises is ‘ Pravritti ’ or the inclination for acts. By the conquest of 1 Pravritti ’ one attains to ‘ Nivritti ’ or the cessasion from all acts and freedom from desire. It is ‘ Nivritti ’ that leads to Emancipation. As long as there are acts, there must be life. If the acts are good, happy life (Heaven), and if the a;ts are bad, an unhappy life (Hell) will be the consequence. Acts are never destroyed till their fruits are enjoyed or endured.— T.

p. 782

CHARAKA SAMHITA.

the Understanding which is true and which leads to Eman¬ cipation ; and lastly, Emancipation. 1-2

Thus ends the Fifth Lesson, called ‘ Purusha-Vichayam, ’ in the Division called ‘garira’, of Agnive$a’s treatise as revised by Charaka.

LESSON VI.

We shall now expound the Lesson called ‘garira-Vichayam’ in the Division called * garira. ’

Thus said the illustrious son of Atri. 1

In the Physician’s Science, ‘ garira- Vichaya’, i.e., an ana¬ tomical knowledge of the body, is desirable for (compassing) the good of the body. ’•

By knowing the anatomy of the body, one attains to a knowledge nf all those things \vhich are productive of benefits to the body. For this reason, physicians possessed of skill ap¬ plaud a knowledge of the anatomy of the body.5

In this connection (it may be said that) what is called the body is that which has for its essence a union of the modifi¬ cation of the five (primal) elements, which constitutes, besides, the seat of the conscious Ego.* 4

Then the ‘Dhatus’ (constituent elements, i. e., juices, blood, flesh, &c.) in the body, which (in their normal state) act with one another in harmonious proportions, attain to inequality of proportions,

* From the point of view of Hindu philosophy, this is, pi rhaps, the best definition of the body. The body is a material compound, the constituting elements being the five primal essences, viz., earth, water, light or heat, air, and space or ether, or, rather, their modifications. This material compound is called the body when it is the seat of Chetana, by which is meant the Conscious Ego.— T.

CHARAKA SAMHITA.

p. 783

then this one (viz., Purusha) becomes subject to pain (in the form of disease) or destruction (death). *

That which is called the absence of harmony on the part of the ‘ dhatus, ’ is, again, nothing but the occurrence of the increase or the decrease of some of the ‘ dhatus.’f5

By (their) nature, increase and decrease of ‘ dhatus ’ that are hostile, take place simultaneously.6