Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Some lay down many parts of the body as the seats of Piles, vis.,. the genital passage (in case of females), the genital organ (in the case' of males), the throat, the palate, the mouth, the nostrils, the ears, and the eye-lids. 9

The above, however, are seats of the disease called AdhimSngsa’’ or fleshy growths.

In this treatise those fleshy growths only which manifest them¬ selves in the rectum are called Piles.

The (true) seat of Piles rs the adeps, the flesh, and the skin (of the rectum). 10

Of congenital Piles, some are small ; some are large ; some are long ; some are short ; some are round ; some are of rough and and irregular shape ; the extremities of some are knotted inwards ; the extremities of some are knotted outwards ; some are matted together ; some point inwards ; some point outwards.

The complexions of all these varieties are determined by the faults that cause them. 11

Attacked by this variety of Piles, one becomes, from the period of one’s birth, exceedingly emaciated, divested of colour, weak, and cheerless. His wind, urine, and stools become constipated. He also gets gravel and calculi. 12

His stools, without regularity in respect of time, become consti¬ pated or loose, consisting of digested and undigested matter, or dry, or consisting of detached portions (that is, without the whole mass being co-herent).

' At intervals, again, about which there is no regularity, such a one passes stools that are white, or pale, or green, or yellow, or blood-red, or watery, or thick, or slimy, or possessing the scent of a corpse. 13

He feels cutting pains of great severity in the region about his navel, bladder, and groins.

* A free translation, and not a literal rendering, is offered of this aphorism.— T.

p. 1370

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

He also feels severe pain in the rectum, and gets diarrhoea with white flux. 14

The other symptoms that manifest themselves are horripilation, gonorrhoea, looseness of the bowels, constipation thereof, flatulence and borborygmi, rumbling noise in the intestines, epistasis, and stupefaction of chest as also of the organs of senses. 15

Repeated eructations take place, of a bitter and sour taste, of wind exceedingly constipated ;

The patient becomes excessively weak ;

The digestive fire also becomes weak ;

His disposition becomes wrathful, so that trifles excite his anger ;

His vital seed becomes almost dried up ;

He becomes very cheerless, and never enjoys ease, comfort, or joy. 16

He becomes afflicted also with cough, asthmatic breathing, that variety of asthma which is called ‘Tam aka,’* thirst, hiccup, vomiting, disgust for food, indigestion, inflammation of the Schneiderian membrane, and sneezing ;

He sees darkness all around him, and severe headaches also afflict him. J7

His voice becomes weak, broken, indistinct, and resembles that of a broken drum.

He becomes afflicted with diseases of the ear.

His hands, feet, face, and eyes become swollen.

He gets fever, with langour of all the limbs, and pains in all the joints. 18

At times he becomes afflicted with pains in the sides, the abdo¬ men, the hypogastric or pubic region, chest, back, and the lower part of the spine.

His mind seems to be always working, and he becomes incapable of any exertion. I9

* When the wind, remaining in the upper ducts of the body, increases the phlegm and becomes obstructed by that phlegm, it produces that variety of asthnia which is called •Tamaka.’ — T.

p. 1371

In consequence of anal canal being obstructed from the time of his very birth, the ‘apana’ wind, without being able to escape in a downward direction, rises upwards and provokes the other lifebreaths, viz., ‘samSna,’ ‘udana,’ ‘prSna,’ and ‘vyâna,’ as also the two other faults, viz., the bile and the phlegm. 20

All the five life-breaths, as also the bile and the phlegm, becoming provoked, afflict the Piles and beget the ailments mentioned above. 21

The characteristics have now been explained of Piles that are congenital. After this, we shall explain the symptoms of those Piles that appear after birth. 22

In consequence of eating food that is heavy, or cold, or that stops the secretions, or that causes a burning sensation, or that consists of inharmonious ingredients, or that is indigestible, or, of eating food that is not sufficient, or that is unassimilable, or, of eating beef, or fish, or fowl, or pork, or the flesh of buffaloes, or of goats, or mutton, 23 or, of eating meat of animals that are lean or dry, or meat that is rotten, or, of excessive indulgence in cakes, or frumenty, or milk, or the cream of curds, or modifications of sesame and treacle, 24 or, of taking the soup of the seeds of Phaseolus radiatus, or the juice of sugarcanes, or paste of sesame seeds, or the esculent roots called DiQSCorea globosa, dry pot-herbs, sour or acid gruels and curries, or garlics,* or inspissated milk, or whey, or lotus or lily stalks, or the roots of the water lily, or the esculent roots called ‘Goluncha,’ or the tubers of Scirpus Kysoor, or the fruits of Trapa bispinosa, or the vegetable called ‘Taruta,’ or the milk of raw paddy, or the varieties of paddy called ‘£uka’ and ‘^ami’ before they become old, or radishes that are undeveloped ; 25