Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

or, of eating fruits that are not easy of digestion, or pot-herbs, or pickles, greens (z. e., the paddy called ‘^ringavera,’ fennel seeds, See.), or the fruits of Pongamia glabra, fat, the head

Not in all editions.— T.

p. 1372

CHARAKA-SAMHITA .

and feet of animals, or stale, rotten, or cold rice or other foodr or food that consists of various ingredients ; 26

. or, of eating curds called ‘Mandaka,’ or excessive drinking of wine and other spirits, or of drinking water that is heavy and that is brought from tanks, &c., that are stagnant ; or of the nonadmininistration of correctives, or of the erroneous adminis¬ tration of enemata, or of abstention from physical exercises as also from sexual congress ; 27 or, of indulgence in sleep at daytime, or in luxurious beds and seats and places :

In consequence of the above practices, the digestive fire becomes very much weakened, and the quantity of stools becomes accumulated. 28

In consequence of the use of hard and uneven seats or indulgence in uncomfortable postures, or of riding fiery steeds and camels of uneasy motion, or of excessive indulgence in sexual con¬ gress, or of improper insertion of tubes for administration of enemata, or of wounds in the rectum caused by nails, &c., or of the constant touch of cold water ; 29 or, in consequence of the rubbing of the rectum by means of cloths and hard pieces of dry earth and grass and straw, or of excessive straining, or of the forceful expulsion of the down- » ward wind, the urine, and the stools, or of suppressing their urgings when pronounced ; 3° or, as regards women, in consequence of the premature expulsion of the foetus, or of pressure or violence upon the foetus in the womb, or of frequent delivery, or of painful delivery :

The wind in the Apana regions, becoming provoked, and afflicting the accumulated stools having a downward tendency, obstructs the rings in the lower part of the anal canal. In consequence of this, Piles are begotten. 31

Generally, Piles characterised by the predominance of wind, bile, and phlegm, assume the shape of mustard seeds, or the seeds of Cicer lens, or those of Pkaseolus radiatus , or those of the wild variety of the ' same called f’haseolus aconitifolia , or grains of barley, or seeds of

£H A RA KA -SAM HIT A .

p. 1373

diverse varieties of Phaseolus, or balls, or the seeds of ‘Tintikeraka’ (a plant growing in deserts and wild regions), or the seeds of Costus speciosa, or the seeds of Diospyros glutinosa, or the fruits of Abrus precatorius, or the fruits of that variety of jujubes called ‘Karkandu,’ or the fruits of Momordica monodelpha , or the fruits of Zizyphus jujuba , or those of Caparis sodada, or those of Eugenia jambolana, or the teats of the cow, or the thumb, or the tubers of Scirpus Kysoor , or the fruits of Trapa bispinosa , of the beaks of cocks, peacocks, and parrots, or the tongues of those birds, or lotus buds, or the pericarp of the lotus. 32

The following are the distinctions between Piles caused by wind, those caused by bile, and those caused by phlegm :

Those Piles which are characterised by predominance of wind present the following symptoms :

They are lean, discoloured, hard, of a rough exterior, dry, darkish in hue, curved, of burst mouths and pointed ends. 33

They are uneven, flat or extended, and endued with pains of various kinds, viz., ‘£ula,’ throbbing, cutting, thrilling, and productive of horripilation. 34

Oily and hot applications produce relief.

They are attended with straining and flatulence ■ or borborigmy ; Pains manifest themselves in the pennis, the testicles, the groins, and the chest. A general langour pervades all the limbs. Palpitation of the heart also arises. 35

The downward wind, urine, and stools are always constipated.

Cutting pains are felt in the thigh, the waist, the back, the lower spinal region, the flanks, the abdomen, and the pelvis.

Heat and burning sensation in the head ; sneezing, eructations, catarrh in the nose, cough, epistasis, a sensation of fatigue and weak¬ ness, dropsical swellings, consumption, swoons, disgust for food, tastelessness of the mouth, sight of darkness, itching sensation, pains in the nose, otalgia, and hoarseness or obstruction of voice. 36

The skin, the eyes, the nails, the face, the urine, and the stools, become darkish red in colour, and rough in appearance, 37

p. 374

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

( Here are two verses.)

The excessive use of food that is astringent in taste, or pungent, or bitter, or dry or cold, or light, or insufficiency of fare, or excessive indulgence in wines that are of keen virtues, or in sexual congress, 38 or the observance of fasts, or places and times that are cold, physical exercises and exertions, grief, or exposure to wind and heat, are regarded as causes of wind-born Piles. 39

When the following symptoms are presented, the piles should be known as characterised by predominance of bile :