Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Thus ends the Eighth Lesson, called Jatisutriya, of the Division called £arira, of Agnivega’s treatise as revised by Charaka.

Thus ends the Fourth Division in the compilation drawn up by that Professor (of the Science of Life), known as the ascetic Charaka.

* The last word of this aphorism, viz., ‘anasuyaka,’ literally means one divested of ‘ asuya’ or malice. Hence, an honest man. It may also be taken as implying ‘ one having faith in what has been said before. — T.

t The worship or respect of the world is, in this instance, due to the superior virtues of the child which a person is sure to have by a due observance of the acts laid down. There is an oft-quoted adage which runs as follows :

Putre yajasi toye cha naranam punyalakshanam.

It means, the indications of a man’s merits occur in son, fame, and water ; that is, if one’s son becomes adorned with every virtue, or if one happens to acquire great fame by good deeds, or if the water becomes good of the tank one causes to excavate, one is regarded as possessed of great merits. Happiness for countless years becomes his in heaven or the life hereafter. It is this that is referred to here — T t Wealth of Body has been treated of in this Lesson from both the human and the superhuman point of view. The first includes all that portion of this Lesson which is con¬ cerned with what constitutes the superiority of one Body over another as regards flesh, bone, &c. To the other point of view belongs all that is said about the extraordinary excellences of some bodies or, rather, of men endued with bodies. — T.

NDRIYASTHAN AM

THE DIVISION ON INDRIYAS.*

We shall, after this, expound the Lesson on Indriyas as con¬ nected with Complexion and Voice.

Thus said the illustrious son of Atri.i Verily, in this connection,

Complexion, Voice,

Smell, Taste, Touch,

Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue, Skin,

Mind, Likes (and dislikes),

Purity, Conduct, Practices,

Memory,

Nature, or normal condition,

Deviation from Nature, or abnormal condition,

Features or countenance,

Intellect (or the power of apprehension),

Strength, Cheerlessness, Cheerfulness, Dryness, Oiliness,

Sleep (including sloth and inactivity),

Activity (including disposition for work),

Heaviness (of the whole body or of particular limbs),

* The word ‘ Indriya’ in this Division is used in its literal sense. It is derived from ‘Indra’, meaning ‘Prana’ or the Life-breaths ; hence ‘Indriya’ means what appertains to the Life-breaths, or what constitutes the indications of the Life-breaths. In this Division of the work, the Rishi expounds the premonitory indications of dissolution long before dissolution actually comes. Those indications are all connected with changes of condition in respect of complexion, voice, &c. It will be seen that amongst the various incidents which the physician is directed to observe in order to ascertain the measure of one’s life, mention is not made of the Pulse. (Jujruta also is silent, like Charaka, on the pulse. It is true, later physicians came to regard the pulse as a determining factor of great impor¬ tance, hut there can be no doubt that the works on the pulse are all very modern. European physicians also have come to regard the pulse as not of much importance. The truth is, those Hindu physicianss who set great importance on the pulse are untrue to Charaka and Qugruta. It is a mere pretence and nothing more for a Kaviraja to examine the pulse repeatedly and assure the friends of the patient that his declarations about the latter’s condition are all based upon his observation of the pulse.

It would seem that about the time of Charaka, the pulse was not regarded as an indi¬ cator of health or disease, for nothing is said about the pulse in this Division. — T.

p. 872

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

Lightness (of the whole body, or of particular limbs),

Qualities of the body (such as softness or hardness, heat or cold, &c.),

Diet (including drinks, and the likes of the patient for particular kinds of food and drink),

Sports (including all indifferent acts and practices in which the patient .ndulges or likes to indulge) ;

Development of diet (implying that into which the food and the drink of the patient is developed, that is, whether they are develop¬ ed into the juice which is matured into blood and flesh or whether the result is abundance of kitta or dross) ;

Means (or remedies to be applied for alleviation of disease) ;

Alleviation or cure (of disease),

The disease (that affects the patient),

The premonitory symptoms ;

The sensations (of the patient in respect of pleasure and pain) ;

The supervening complaints ;

The aspect of the body in respect of light and shade ;

The shadow (of the body on any reflecting surface or water, &c.) ;

Dreams or visions (of the patient) ;

Topics connected with the messenger commissioned to fetch the physician ;

The omens observed by the physician on his way to the patient’s house ;

Changes in the normal condition of the relatives of the patient ;

Medicines (in view of the disease) ;

The effects produced by the medicines administered ;

Considerations about the applicability of particular medicines to the patient in view of his constitution and the disease that has affected it ;