Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Yawning at frequent intervals ;

Bending down of the head ;

Shivering ;

A sense of fatigue without having undergone any labour ;

Delusions and errors ;

Delirium and incoherent talk ;

Sleeplessness or Insomnia ;

Horripilation ;

Grinding of the teeth ;

Ability to bear, quickly succeeded by inability to bear, sounds, cold, wind, and sunshine ;*

Inability to eat notwithstanding the desire to do so ;

Incapacity to digest the food taken ;

Weakness and lassitude of the whole body ;

Loss or absence of all energy ;

Decrease of strength and inability for continued exertion ; Procrastination ;

Inactivity and idleness ;

Abandonment of necessary acts ;

Disposition to thwart one’s own projects and plans ;

Condemning the counsels of seniors and others entitled to rever¬ ence and respect ;

Aversion to and hatred of children ;

Indifference and want of attention to one’s duties ;

Pain in wearing garlands, using unguents, and eating ;

Aversion to all articles of food that are sweet ; and Liking for food that is hot, or sour, or saline, or pungent.

Even these are the symptoms of fever that manifest themselves in the incubatory stage. 3°

These individual symptoms of fever manifest themselves partly or wholly, either before the appearance of bodily heat or after the ap¬ pearance of heat in the patient.f 3* t This aphorism is differently read by Gangadhara. But X think his reading is not' correct.— T-,

* The patient sometimes likes sounds, cold, wind and sunshine, and sometimes does not like them. — T.

C'H A RA KA - SA M HIT A .

p. 941

Fever has, verily, its origin in the wrath of Mahegwara„* * * §

It is the destroyer of the lives of all living creatures.-^

It is the torturer of the body, the senses, and the mind.

It is the weakener of intelligence, strength, complexion, joy, and energy.

It is the producer of fatigue, langour, heedlessness (or stupefac¬ tion), and impediments to eating. 32

Fever is called ‘Jwara’ because it pains the body.J Other diseases are not so fierce, so characterised by supervening afflictions, and so difficult to be treated, as this disease {viz., fever). 33 Fever is the king of all diseases.

In the intermediate order of being it is known by various other names. §

All creatures endued with life take birth, with fever upon them,, and die also with fever upon them. 34 Fever is called the great Stupefier.

Afflicted by it, embodied creatures fail to recollect any act of their former lives. IT

It is fever, again, that snatches away the life-breaths from every creature. 35

* This sentence, which explains the origin of fever to be the wrath of Mahegwara, isevidently an interpolation. Neither Agnivega, nor Charaka, could ascribe fever to such a fanciful origin, although it is repeated with details in Chikitsasthana, Lesson III, head. Fever. The Pauranik account is that Mahadeva having adopted the vow of abstention from wrath, the Asuras became very unruly and began to persecute the deities and Brahmanas. The gods then induced the celestial Rishi, Daksha, to prepare a great sacrifice in which Mahadeva was insulted by the sacrificer refusing to give him a share of the oblations. Mahadeva became angry. From the eye in his forehead issued a fierce being who, after destroying Daksha’s sacrifice, chastised the Asuras as well- It was this being who then took the name and nature of Fever. — T.

t Whatever the disease, there must be fever before death can ensue. Hence fever is regarded as the destroyer of the life of all living creatures. — T.

t ‘Jwara’ is derived from the root ‘jwar’ which means ‘to pain’ or ‘to afflict.’ It is called ‘jwara’ because it pains or afflicts all the limbs of the body. — T.

§ Thus fever in elephants is called ‘Palaka ;’ in horses, ‘Abhitapa ;’ in cows, ‘Iswara.’ In sheep and goats, it is called .‘Rralapa ; in camels, ‘Alasa ;’ in buffaloes, ‘Haridra ;’ in deer, ‘Mriga in birds, ‘Abhighata ;’ in fishes, ‘Indramada ;’ in snakes, ‘Akshika.’ The earth jtself may get fever. It is called ‘ushara’ (unfertility). Trees may have fever. It is called ‘kotara.’ ‘Kotara’ means holes and cavities. The commentators quote a work called ‘Palakapyiya’ in which these terms occur. — T.

IT A human being, immediately after birth, becomes afflicted by fever. This stupefies his memory, so that it becomes impossible for him to recollect the acts of his past life. Hence fever is called ‘Mahamoha’ or the Great Stupefier. ‘Moha’ may also mean darkness. Fever is an impenetrable veil of darkness which shrouds one’s past life from one’s view.

94*

CHARAKA-SAMHITA .

When the symptoms of the incubatory stage are seen, or at the outset of the disease, light and beneficial food only should be taken,, or the patient should fast (i. e., totally abstain from food of every kind), since fever arises from the ‘amagaya.’