Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Manhood (or the middle age) is characterised by strength, vital seed, manliness, prowess, apprehension, retention, recollec¬ tion, speech, wisdom, and the attributes of all the constituent elements attaining to evenness.

It is also the period of vigour, and of the mind being no longer restless. The attributes of all the constituent elements are in a state of unbrokenness.

It is the period when the bile is in a state of predominance.

This continues till the sixtieth year, as has been laid down.

After this, the period that comes, is characterised by the constituent elements of the body, the senses, strength, manliness, prowess, apprehension, retention, recollection, speech, and wisdom, all beginning to decay.

* The three kinds of strength here refered to are I. Superior, 2. Middling, and 3. Inferior, as observed by Gangadhara. — T.

p. 609

The attributes of the constituent elements begin to fall away (or degenerate).

It is the period when the mind is in a state of predominance.

Everything else begins to gradually decay.

This continues till the hundredth year.141

In this epoch {kali), the measure of (human) life, is a century.

There are men who live more than a hundred years or less than that period.

As regards this last class of persons, disregarding all incidents that are abnormal, noting only the diversities of the strength of Nature and the rest, the physician should ascertain the measure of life from the (usual) indications, and divide it into the three periods (named).*

Then, again, according to the strength, that is of three hinds, {viz., superior, middling, and inferior), of abnormal conditions, the strength, of three kinds, is ascertained, of the faults {viz., wind, bile, and phlegm).

After this, the physician, distributing medicines into three kinds (according to their strength), viz., keen, mild, and middling, should administer them agreeably to the strength (ascertained as above of the faults (excited).142

* What is stated here is this : the normal period oflife is a hundred years. Sometimes men live beyond that period, or less than that period. In either of the two last cases, the limits of boyhood, manhood, and decay will not correspond with 30 years and 60 years, as stated in the previous aphorism. The physician, while examining a patient, is directed to ascertain, by disregarding all abnormal incidents and regarding only the normal ones, the period of his life. Suppose, according to his computation, the patient’s period of. life comes up to 120 years, such a person’s boyhood, instead of terminating at 30, would terminate at 36 ; so also his manhood would terminate at 72. Similarly, in the case of one whose period of life is computed as extending to 80 years, his boyhood would terminate at 24, and manhood at 48. Instructions have been laid down, in "Indriya-sthana,” and also in the “Jati-Sutriya” section of “ Qarira-sthana,’’ for ascertaining the period of life, — T, charakasamhitA.

For ascertaining the measure of the period of life, instructions will be laid down, in “ Iudriya sthana” and also in “ Jati-sutriya” about the indications (tliat manifest themselves).* 148

Time is of two kinds, viz., the year and the age of the patient. Among>t these, the year is divided into two, or three, or six, or twelve parts.

These are, again, subdivided (into smaller portions), with a view to help the cau-e of treatment. t144

Amongst these, having dividrd the year into six portions, instructions shall be laid down in respect of what acts of treat¬ ment should be when adopted.

Winter, summer, and the rainy season, characterised respect¬ ively by cold, heat, and rains3 are the three divisions of the year. Within these (or between each two) are three others, each characterised by common attributes (of all the three principal seasons).

They are the ante-rainy (between summer and the rainy'; autumn (between the rainy and winter); and spring (between winter and summer).

* “ Indriya-sthana” follows “ Qarira-sthana” which (comes immediately after the present division called “ Vimanasthana.” In the section called “Arishta-lakshmanani” occur observations on various symptoms that prognosti¬ cate death even at the distance of a year or more. The “ Jati-sutriya” section occurs in “ Qarirdsthana.” In that section, instructions have been laid down regarding the measure of the period of life as ascertainable from an obser¬ vation of the general conditions of lineage, birth, health, food, &rc., — T.

f The year, when divided into two portions, would consist of two periods, each of which is measured by six months. The time taken by the sun in travelling from the vernal , to the autumnal equinox, and that taken by him in travelling from the autumnal back to the vernal equinox, are the two periods referred to. They are known among Hindus by the name of Ayanas, — the Uttara or northern Ayana and the Dakshina or southern Ayana. The former is regarded as a sacred period.

When divided into three portions, each would consist of 4 months, res¬ pectively called winter, summer and the rainy season. — T.

charaka-samhita.