An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita, Vol. II — trans. Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna (1911)

and the quantity of the fluid to charge with should be gradually increased with the progress of the patient's age and in consideration of his strength and bodily capacity. 5The pipe of a Vasti in respect of an adult above twenty-five years of age, should be made twelve fingers in length having a girth equal to that of his thumb at its base and a girth equal to that of the small finger at its mouth. At a distance of three fingers from above the mouth the Karnikas should be fixed. The bore should be such as to allow a feather of a vulture to pass through it, while the fissure at the mouth would have a girth to allow the stone of a Kola fruit or of a boiled Kaldya pulse. The pipe should in all cases be supplied with two Karnikas at its root, for the purpose of firmly securing it to the mouth of the Vasti (bladder). The quantity of the fluid to charge with in the case of an Asthatpana Vasti is twelve Prasritas. The length of the pipe in respect of persons above seventy years of age should be like that in the preceding case but the quantity of the fluid to charge with should be made as in the case of a youth of sixteen. 6, lYIaterials of the pipes :— The pipe should be made either of gold, silver, copper, iron, brass, ivory, horn, gems or wood. It should be straight, smooth and firm, tapering at the top like the tuft of hair in the tail of a cow, and bulbular [i.e , not pointed) at its mouth. The Vasti * should be (prepared with) the

* The Vasti is so called from its being prepared with the bladder (Vasti) of an animal. Dallana notes in this connection that the bladder

Chap. XXXV.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 593

bladder (Vasti) either of a full-grown ox, buffalo or a sheep nor should it be soft (flexible) and firm, neither too thick nor too thin and of adequate dimensions, 7.

Metrical Text : — in the absence of a pipe, a reed, bamboo, or horn might serve the purpose. In the absence of the bladder of any of the foregoing animals, the Vasti should be made of skin or of thick linen. 8.

Construction of the Vasti :— -The bladder

(of which a Vasti should be made) should be cleansed, tanned and dyed (disinfected). It should "be softened and repeatedly lubricated with a Sneha. It has generally a wide mouth which should be bent and lightly fitted to the butt end of the pipe (Netra). The mouth of the bladder should then be tied above the (Karnikd). The whole bladder should be heated with a piece of hot iron (in order to polish the surface and remove the pores therein, if any). The mouth of the bladder should then be folded and again tied (below the Karnikd). The whole should then be carefully preserved. The Asthdpana or the oily (Snaihika) Vasti should be applied, as the case may be, with the help of such a Vasti. A mild Vasti should be applied specially to infants and old men, since a strong one is likely to injure their health and strength. 9.

Vastis may be grouped under two heads — NairuMka (dry or oilless) and Snaihika (oleaginous). The term Asthdpana is synonymous with Niruha. The Vasti known as the Madhu-Tailika is only an alternative of a Niruhavasti. The terms Ydpana, Yukta-ratha, and Siddha-vasti convey also the same meaning. A Niruha-vasti is so called from the fact of its expelling the Doshas (morbific of an ox, buffalo, or a hog, should be used in the Asthapana and Anuvdsana measures, and the bladder of a goat or a sheep should be used in the Uttara-vasti.

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p. 594

THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap XXXV.

diatheses) from the system and from its curing the diseases of the body ; while Asthapana is so named from its virtue of rejuvenating the organism or producing longevity. The process of Madhu-tailika would be described in connection with the mode of applying a Niruha-vasti. lo.

The Anuvasana is only an alternative of a SnehaVasti, but (with this difference that; the quantity of the fluid to charge with should be three-fourths, and the amount of the good effect therefrom would also be threefourths. An Anuvasana-vasti is so called from the fact of its not injuring the system even in the event of its being retained in the bowels a whole day, or from the fact of its being adapted to daily application. The Matrai-vasti again which is applicable in all cases, is an alternative to an Anuvasana-vasti, but should be charged with only a half part of the fluid of that used in an Anuvdsana-vasti. 1 1 .

Metrical Texts :— A Niruha-vasti acts as a cleanser of the system (Sodhana). It is anti-fat (Lekhana), emulsive (Snehana) and constructive (Vrimhana). Oleaginous matter (Sneha) may freely enter into the organism when all its ducts and channels have been previously cleansed by the application of a Niruhavasti. As water will freely run through channels previously cleansed of all refuse matter, so does an Anuvasana tend to cleanse the organism of all Doshas (morbific diatheses) and to increase the vitality of the organism. A Sneha-vasti should, therefore; be applied to a person previously purged of all Doshas by the application of a Niruha-vasti. 12.

Both the Anuvdsana and the AsthapAna Vastis should be regarded as forbidden in cases of insanity, in the mental conditions of terror and grief, of a thirsty state of the body, of aversion to food and of indigestion, jaundice