Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

* ‘ Upasanam ’ is, literally, sitting by one’s side ; hence, association or contact. Association with those that are good is an indication of judg¬ ment. ‘ Samyak ’ qualifies ‘ upasanam.’ ‘ Vrata ’ and ‘ niyama ’ imply the same sort of practices. They involve self-denial. 1 Upavasa,’ mean¬ ing fast, falls within both ‘ vrata ’ and ‘ niyama ; ’ hence, the adjective 1 prithagvidhah,’ meaning ‘ of other kinds,’ for qualifying ‘ niyama.’ ‘ Dharanam ’ is the holding or conserving a thing in the mind ; hence, apprehension. ‘ Vijnanam ’ is accurate knowledge of objects, their composition, attributes, relations, etc. The word is frequently used in the sense of Science. ‘Vijana’ is privacy, seclusion, or solitude. Pleasure or delight in solitude belongs to them that are of a contemplative disposition. It has been already ex¬ plained that Emancipation can never become attainable if there is any remnant of acts whose fruits are to be enjoyed or endured. Hence, absten¬ tion from acts, and the destruction or exhaustion of acts already done, are necessary in view of Emancipation. ‘ Naishkramyam ’ is leaving or abandoning one’s home, i. e., casting off the householder’s mode of life for adoption of ‘ Sanyasa ’ or a life of Renunciation. One must be afraid of contact with worldly objects if one is to strive for Emancipation. ‘ Artha tattwaparikshanam ’ is explained by Gangadhara as ‘ vastunam yatharthana pariskhanam,’ i. e., a survey of objects in their true light. Unless objects be known in their true light, those amongst them that deserve to be abandoned cannot be abandoned, and those amongst them that deserve to be pursued cannot be pursued. — T.

p. 690

all entities, one becomes freed from pain.*

Those eight causes are now laid down by which the Memory is strengthened. It is said that Memory arises from, I. appre¬ hension of cause and form, 2. similarity, 3. contrariety, 4. adjuncts of entities, 5. frequent recapitulation, 6. acquisition of knowledge, 7. re-hearing, and 8. recollection of what has been seen, heard, and feltf155-58

* The presence or conservation of memory is to be inferred from the several practices and attributes beginning with association with the good and ending with fortitude. The other practices and attributes, viz., those beginning with abstention from acts and ending with survey of objects in their true light, may spring not only from the conservation of memory but from other causes as well. Thus one may abandon home from anger ; one’s humility may be due to one’s disposition by nature. — T.

t The causes, as mentioned here, from which Memory arises or is strengthened, are not exclusive of each other. The classification is not scientific. Apprehension of cause includes the recollection of effects from causes, as of explosion and of the devastation it brings about, from a sight of gun-powder. Apprehension of form, as an exciting cause of memory, refers to the recollection of an elephant or more particularly its legs from a sight of columns of stone or bricks. Similarity implies the recollection of one’s absent son from sight of a similar face or hearing of a similar voice. Contrariety implies the recollection of a fat person from sight of a lean one, or of a lean person from sight of a fat one. Adjuncts of entities imply the recollection of one’s school-mates and the events of early years from the sight in after life of the school building. Frequent recapitulation certainly strengthens the memory. Gangadhara explains that acquisition of knowledge means that knowledge which is the fruit of yoga. In conse¬ quence of this knowledge, the events of many previous lives are capable of being called back. Knowledge, however, as an exciting cause of me¬ mory, may not mean that knowledge which is the result of yoga. It may mean ordinary knowledge, for one who acquires knowledge by reading and study certainiy lays the foundation for improving his memory. Re-hearing, as a cause of the strengthening of memory, needs no explanation. The last cause requires no explanation.— T.

CHARAKA SAMHITA

p. 691

Even this, viz., strength of memory relating to the highest principle, is the one road to Emancipation, as pointed out by those that become Emancipated.

The same has been represented by yogins as the road of yoga.