Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

CHAR AKA SAM-HIT A'

Those kinds of food, and practices, which are not injurious ta the foetus and which conduce to its nourishment, have been laid down in the Lesson called 'Jatisutriya.’*

If the food and practices with which it is treated be uncon¬ genial, then the child that is born meets with instantaneous destruction like a tree that is newly planted and that has not its roots firmly embedded in the soil meeting with destruction through the action of the sun and the wind.20

Those diseases of infants which correspond with the excite¬ ment of particular faults and those which arise from the wrath of the gods and other powerful beings, are ascertained by the following means, viz., the instructions of the wise, the observation of uncommon indications, especial causes or premonitory condi¬ tions, especial symptoms, and especial methods of treatment.30 j*

As to the existence or non-existence of timely or untimely death, even this is our conclusion :

Some say that all who die, die in time, since there is no gap in. the course of time.

• This is reasonable, since of time neither absence nor presence.

* This Lesson comes next in this very Division of the treatise. — T.

t One of the questions asked is how are those diseases of infants which are due to the wrath of the gods and other powerful beings to be ascertained ?■ In aphorism 29 is the answer to this question. The only words requiring explanation are ‘ Samutthana,’ ‘ Linga ’ and ‘ Chikitsa,’ every one of which is grammatically connected with 1 Vijesha ’ in the ablative form. ‘ Samutthana ’ means 1 Nidana,’ i.e., those causes which induce disease. These include such facts as excessive exposure to sun, wind, or rain ; uncongenial food ; night¬ keeping, excessive toil ; irregularity of food ; irregularity of baths ; continued constipation ; &c.

By 1 Linga- Vijesha ’ is meant ‘ especial or particular symptoms.’ These help the physician in ascertaining which disease is due to the ordinary or usual causes, such as excitement of this or that fault, or of two of the faults, or of all the three faults, and which to others.

‘ Chikitsa-.Viyes'ha ’ is particular method of treatment. Methods of treat¬ ment help the physician in understanding which diseases are due to the excite¬ ment of the faults and which to the anger of the gods, &c. If the physician begins a particular course of treatment in the belief that the disease is due to ordinary causes and if that treatment fails in spite of its being the best, he. cannot but take the disease, in that case, as due not to the causes he had accepted but to the anger of the gods and other powerful beings.— T.

CHARAKA SAMHITA.

8oi of any gap, is realisable in consequence of the nature or its attributes.31 *

Others say that when one dies, that is one’s ordained time of death. Time* in its relations towards all creatures, is true without affection or hatred), because its action towards all is equal.

This is acceptable*: of a meaning other than that which is attached to the word. •

It is true that there is no one that does not die. In this respect* time may be said to be equal in its action towards all.

The fact* however* is that the word time is used with reference to the period of one’s life.32 f

He who regards this to be reasonable, viz., that that is one’s ordained time of death when one dies (as a matter of fact)* practically maintains that all things occur at the times ordained (respectively) for them. This* however, is evidently inconsistent with reason* since it is found that food* words* and aets may be untimely which produce baneful results, and food* words* and acts may be of an opposite character* which are productive of beneficial effects.

It is noticeable by the direct evidence of the senses, observin g

* lam not sure of the meaning of this aphorism. The Bengali translators have made utter nonsense of it. Gangadhara has not understood it. His comments are utterly erroneous. He takes the second sentence (which he numbers as a distinct aphorism by itself) as implying that there is nothing like untimely death, as all who die, die in time, for of time there is no gap. The heading he adopts of the hext sentence (Which alSo he numbers as a distinct, aphorism) is ‘tachchasamyak,’ forgetting that what follows supports, instead of refuting, the previous aphorism. The fact is, the positive ‘ samyak,’ and not the negative ‘asamyak’ would be the correct reading: What is stated in the last sentence is that time runs on, without stoppage or gap. This is precisely what is affirmed in the previous proposition: Hence, ' samyak ’ and not ‘ asamyak ’ is correct,— T.