Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna
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The translator’s English as printed (Avinash Chandra Kaviratna). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
If upon an examination, severally by touch, of the patient’s limbs, it is found that his heels, knees, groins, anus, testicles, pennis, navel, shoulders, breasts, wrists cheeks, ribs, nose, ears, eyes, eye¬ brows, temples and such other parts, have fallen away from their positions, he should then be regarded as one whose life has already expired or is about to expire. 6
The physician should also keep his eye upon these, vis., the inspiration and expiration of the patient, his carotid arteries,* eye-lashes, eyes, hair, bristles on the body, abdomen, nails and fingers.
If the inspiration and expiration be either very long or very short, the patient should be regarded as already dead.
If upon touching his carotid arteries it is found that they do not tremble (or move), he should be regarded as one who is dead.
If his teeth appear to be filthy, excessively white, and overlaid with a sort of white dust, he should be regarded as dead.
If his eye-lashes be found to have become matted, he should be regarded as dead.
If his eyes be found to have lost their normal aspect and be¬ come abnormal, bulged out, or sunken, or excessively crooked or curved, or exceedingly expanded, or productive of copious secre¬ tions, or always unwinking, or excessively winking, or rolling, or of vision entirely misdirected, or of weakened or failing vision, or colour-blind so that they see everything as white or dark,f or red as burning coals, or overlaid with any of these abnormal colours, vis., dark, yellow, blue, dark-blue, coppery, green, and white, he should be regarded as dead. 7 t Here two kinds of colour-blindness are mentioned, viz., * Nakulandha’ and ‘ Kapatandha.’ The first literally means ‘blind like the mongoose’ the second is ‘blind as the pigeon.’ The first is supposed to see everything as white j the second, everything as dark.— T.
* ‘ Manya’ is generally used to signify the nape of the neck. Here, as correctly explained by Chakrapani, it is used to mean the carotid artery, Lower down it is used in the dual number, meaning, of course, the two carotid arteries.
p. 112
CHARAKA-SAMHITA.
S&4
The hair on the head and body of the patient should be pulled.
If the hair on the head and body, when pulled, comes out with¬ out giving any pain to the patient, he should be regarded as one who is dead. 8
If upon examining the abdomen the veins be found to be visible and if those veins be dark-blue, or coppery, or blue, or yellow, or white, he should be regarded as dead. 9
If his nails be dried up and bloodless, and if their colour be like that of a ripe jamva(«), he should be regarded as dead. 10
The fingers of the patient should be pulled.
If upon pulling the fingers they do not produce the usual sound, the patient should be regarded as dead. 11
( Here occurs a verse containing a Summary ).
The physician who, upon examination by touch, succeeds in ascertaining in the patient all those diverse conditions appertaining to*touch, never falls into error in the matter of (calculating) the period of life.*
Thus ends the Third Lesson, called Parimarshaniyamindriyam, in the Division called Indriya, of the treatise of Agnive$a as revis¬ ed by Charaka,
LESSON IV.
INDRIYANIKAM.
(ASSEMBLAGE OF SENSES.)
We shall now expound the Lesson called Indriyanikam) or the (assemblage of senses).
Thus said the illustrious son of Atri.* i
Learn from us as to how a physician conversant with distinc¬ tions, desiring to ascertain the measure of life’s period, should exa¬ mine the several senses of a human being. 2
Vision and the other senses are, with a view to understand them rightly, examinable by Inference (and not direct perception) ; for, a. Fruit of the Eugenia jambolana, Lamk.
* The word ‘anikam’ implies an assemblage or collection. Hence, ' Indriyanikam’ ‘assemblage of senses’, that is, ‘the various senses taken together.’ _ T.
CHA RAKA-SAMHITA.
S85
verily, the true knowledge of the senses is not derived from the senses,* 3When a person’s sense-derived knowledge is seen to disagree, without any apparent reason, with that of one in health, it should be regarded as a symptom of death.f 4
The symptoms, productive of evil, in respect of the senses, have thus been said (in brief).
Listen now, again, to the same more elaborately. 5 These contrarieties of visual appearances, viz., beholding empty space (or ether) as a solid substance, and the earth as ether, are symptoms of approaching death.J 6
The physician should regard the life of that person as run out who sees the air which is perceptible by touch alone, or who sees -not the blazing fire.§ 7
That man (soon) casts off his life-breat-hs who beholds a net spread out in a piece of crystal water in which no net has really been spread, or who sees; a stable (or fixed) object as moving.11 8
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