Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

In this connection, the Kârana ( cause) for the accomplish¬ ment of action is the physician. The Karana (or instrument) is medicine.

The Kâryya-yoni (material cause) is absence of harmony, among the dhcLtus or constituent elements of the body.

The Kâryya (action, or, rather, result of energy spent) is res¬ toration of harmony among the dhâtus.

*The language of the second half of the original is needlessly diffuse. The sense may be expressed in fewer words. I have, however, tried to give as faith¬ ful a rendering as possible. What is stated here is this : the subjects of exami¬ nation are ten, vie., Karana, Karana, KSryyayoni, Kâryyaphala, Anubandha, Defa, Kâla, Pravritti, and Upâya. The methods of examination are different.- Then, again, each of the ten subjects is capable of being examined in different ways. The author explains himself fully lower down. — T.

p. 586

CHA BA KA-SAMHITA.

The KSryya-phala (or fruit or result of action) is the attainment of happiness, ( i . e., ease or health).

The Anubandha (after-consequences) is continuance of life.

Adhisthana (substratum of action) is the place where the patient resides, as also his body.

The Kala (time) is year (including seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, fortnights, seasons, &c.), as also the condition of the patient with respect to age (viz., infancy, youth, manhood, decrepitude, &c.), or his condition during day or night, morning or evening, &c.

The Pravritti (effort, or energy, put forth for accomplishing an act) is the taking up of the treatment by the physician.

The Up5ya (or suitability and adaptation of Karana and the others), is the suitability of the physician and the medicines and their proper adaptation to the object that is to be accomplished, viz., cure.

As regards the topics embraced by Upaya, they have been expound¬ ed above, viz., where this subject has been first taken up.

Thus have the ten iexaminable objects) having Kârana for their first, been exemplified by applying them to physician and the rest, numbering ten in all.

Indeed, KSrana and the rest have thus been applied one after another to physician and the rest.95*

Amongst these ten kinds of examinable objects, the especialities of each, as also the particular way in which each is to be examined, are now setli fort.

K5rana (or cause) is the physician. This has been said above. As regards his examination : he is a Bhishak (physician) who applies (administers) medicines (for curing ailments). He is well-

*The concluding portion of the aphorism is needlessly tautological.

CHA RA KA -SAM HI! A.

p. 587

versed in carrying out the sense of the aphorisms. To him Life is known in all its bearings.”*

Wishing to bring about duly a harmony of the dhatus, the phy¬ sician should, at the outset, examine himself, as regards his own qualifications, in comprehending the attributes (of his patients or of the dhatus that have fallen away from a state of harmony).

Beholding the object or result he is to achieve, he should con¬ sider as to whether he is able to achieve that object or result.97

In this connection, these are the qualifications of physicians, equipt with which a physician becomes able to bring about the harmony of dhdtus.

They are as follow : —

Clear apprehension of the (medical) scriptures, experience gained by actual observation of treatment ; cleverness or skill ; (purity both external and internal); dexterity of hand gained by practice ; equipment with all the necessary appliances of treatment (such as drugs, instruments of all kinds, &c.); possession of all the organs of knowledge and action (t'.e., freedom from such defects as blindness, deafness, &c., and lameness, &c.); knowledge of the nature (of both human beings and inanimate objects) ; and capacity to deal with exigencies.98

Karana (instrument), again, is medicine. That is medicine which serves as an appliance (or instrument) in the hands of the physician while endeavouring to bring about harmony of dhatus. It is distinguished from all these which have (before) been included in the word Upaya.t

*A physician is called a Bhishak. This conies from Bhishaj, meaning one that deals with drugs. Bheshaja is drug. The three requisites of a physician are, first, that he should be conversant with the use of drugs ; secondly that he should be conversant with the sense of the medical scriptures and be able to act according to them ; and, thirdly, that he should know the subject of life in all its bearings. — T.

fWhat is said in the last sentence is this : certain things ge by the name of Upâya or means. (Vide aphorism 90 ante.) Karan* is an Upaya, (but then, as such, it is distinguished from the others. As GangSdhara explains, medicine as Karana in the hands of the physician, who is kârana, is "sadhakatamah Upaya,” i.c., the most efficacious of all Upiyas or means. — T.

p. 588

CHAR AKA.S A M HI TA .