Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

That man who, in consequence of the excitement of the phlegm, repeatedly passes urine that is of the colour of the semen, and that is, besides, mixed with semen, is regarded as afflicted with ‘£ukrameha.’ *7

He who, in consequence of the excitement of the phlegm, passes urine that is exceedingly sweet and cold, and that is of copious mea¬ sure, is regarded as afflicted with ‘£ita-meha.’ 18

That man who, in consequence of the excitement of the phlegm, passes with his urine small solid particles as also minute phlegmonous threads, should be regarded as afflicted with ‘Sikata-meha.’§ 19

That man who, in consequence of the excitement of the phlegm, passes urine with great difficulty and in drops, without feeling the urgings of urination, is regarded as afflicted with ‘^anair-meha.’H 20

* ‘Paryushita’ implies stale. Cooked food becomes ‘paryushita’ when it remains for 12 hours after it is taken down from the fire. Generally speaking, cooked food prepared today becomes ‘paryushita’ the day after. ‘Paryushita’ urine would mean urine as it would he sometime after it is passed. If passed during the night, it would be ‘paryushita’ the next morning. — T.

t ‘Sandra’ is condensed, ‘prasada,’ liquid or watery. Hence, ‘sandraprasada’ implies partially dense and partially watery. — T.

+ ‘Pishta’ literally implies reduced to paste by pounding or grinding. Here it is used to signify rice reduced to paste and dissolved in water. Rice reduced to paste is called in Bengali ‘Pitali,’ which is evidently a corruption of ‘pishtalika,’ the feminine form of ‘pishtala.’ The particle ‘la’ or ‘ra’ implies presence in excess, as ‘Madhula’ or ‘Madhura,’ ‘Vatala,’ &c. — T.

§ ‘Murtan’ implies ‘having shape,’ in other words, solid.

‘Anun’ means ‘particles resembling grains of sand.’

‘Mutragatan doshan’ signifies particles of that ‘dosha,’ viz., phlegm, which has entered into or affected the urine. Hence, minute phlegmonous threads. — T.

IT ‘Ktichechram’ implies ‘with difficulty.’ ‘Mandam-mandam’ means ‘in very small quantities,’ that is, in drops.

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

96s

That man who, in consequence of the excitement of the phlegm, passes urine that is slimy and that issues in a thin and thread-like current, should be regarded as afflicted with ‘Alala-meha.’* 21

Thus have been explained the ten varieties of Prameha generated by the excited phlegm. 22

Of one who indulges in food that is hot, or sour, or saline, or con¬ sisting of alkaline ashes, or pungent, or who eats before the food last taken has been digested, as also of one who exposes oneself to the heat of the sun when the latter is in his strength, or of a blazing fire, or who undergoes fatiguing labour, or indulges in wrath, or who takes food that consists of inharmonious elements, if he happens to have a body like to what has been already mentioned, f bile becomes soon excited. 23

The bile becoming excited soon generates, agreeably to the order already laid down, the following six varieties of Prameha. 24

The distinctive designations of these varieties also are derived from the distinctive attributes of the bile.

They are as follow : 1. Kshara-meha, 2. Kala-meha, 3. Nila-meha, 4. Lohita-meha, 5. Manjishtha-meha, and 6. Haridra-meha.

These designations are connected with the six following attributes of the bile, viz., 1. Kshara (alkaline), 2. Amla (sour), 3. Lavana (saline), 4. Katuka (pungent), 5. Visra (endued with the scent of raw meat), and 6. Ushna (hot).

All these varieties of Meha, it should be known, are suppressible.

. This is so in consequence of two faults in a state of union (viz., phlegm and bile) seizing (or affecting) the adeps, and the treatment being necessarily hostile.! 25

‘Avegam’ is explained as signifying ‘without experiencing a pronounced urging for urination.’ — T.

* ‘Alala’ implies ‘dhara,’ i. e., stream or current. — T.

t That is, a body in which impurities, &c., have already accumulated. — T.

5 The phlegm-born varieties of Meha are all curable. As already explained, the phlegm seizes the adeps, and produces those varieties. The phlegm, however, and the adeps are nearly of the name nature. The treatment, again, is not hostile, for that which alleviates the phlegm, alleviates the adeps also. Not so in the case of the bile-born varieties. In the first place, there is the excited bile ; the excited phlegm also is united with it, for there can be no Meha without the excited phlegm being present. In the bile-born varieties, therefore, there

p. 966

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

Here occur some verses which explain the nature of the different varieties of Prameha generated by the excited bile. 26

The man who is afflicted with ‘Khara-meha’ passes, in consequence of the excited bile, urine that resembles ‘Kshara’ (alkaline ashes) in smell, colour, taste, and touch. 27

He who, through excitement of the bile, repeatedly passes urine that is hot and of the colour of ink, is regarded as afflicted with ‘Kala-meha.’ 28

That man who, through excitement of the bile, passes urine that is sour in taste and that is of the colour of the blue jay ( Coracias Indica), is regarded as afflicted with ‘Nila-meha.’* 29