Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

The intelligent son of the dark-complexioned Atri, in this Lesson on the Three Aspirations, has set down these eight points, viz., aspirations, the stays or supports of the body, strength, the causes of disease, disease, the seat of disease, physicians, and medi¬ cine, each of which has been subdivided into three heads. Endued. with competence, the Rishi has pointed out that upon these twentyfour existent and non-existeat things depends medical science in its entirety.*

Thus ends the Eleventh Lesson, entitled the Three Aspirations, in the treatise of Agnive^a as revised by Charaka,

LESSON XII.

We shall now expound the Lesson on the merits and faults of the Wind. Thus said the illustrious son of Atri.f 1

The great Rishis, seated at their ease, and desirous of acsertaining the truth about the merits and faults of the Wind, asked one another, saying, — What are the virtues of the Wind ? What is meant by the provocation of the Wind ? What, again, are those things that can allay that provocation ? The Wind, again, is never stationary * Some texts read ‘ Bhavaveshwasaktena.’ If this reading be adopted, then a stop occurs after ‘Bhavah,’ the h being dropped by rule of stftidhi. It should then be taken as the substantive of the numeral adjective ‘ash tan.’ The next words would be ‘ bhaveshwasaktena’, i.e., ‘unattached to the objects of the senses’ and would qualify ‘ the son of Atri.’ ‘ Sarvam’ may mean also dharmarthakamah.’ — T.

f Vatakalakaliyam’ is explained variously, The Commentator sayS that ‘ kala’ means merits, and ‘ akala’ means faults. He suggests another meaning, for ‘ kalakala’ may imply part of part, that is, a very subtile part ; hence, the Lesson may be taken as one devoted to the treatment ofjhe subtile constituents of the Wind, — T.

CHA RA KA-SA MHI TA.

p. 133

(being ceaselessly mobile). It is also impalpable ( i . e., neither solid nor liquid). Those things that are said to provoke and allay it can¬ not come in contact with it. How then, without coming in contact with it, can they provoke or allay it ? The provoked or unprovoked Wind moves within the body and without the body. What, indeed, is its action within the body and what outside the body ?2

The questions being propounded, Kri$a the son of Sankriti, answered : — The Wind has six qualities ; these are dryness, light¬ ness, coldness, fierceness, heat, and poisonousness. Hearing these words, Kumara^ra-Bharadwaja said, — It is even so as the illustri¬ ous one has said. Truly, these are the attributes of the Wind. By frequent recourse to objects possessed of similar attributes, and acts productive of similar attributes, the Wind becomes excited. The presence of objects possessed of similar properties is the cause of the increase of each of these elements of wind, bile, and phlegm.3

Hearing those words, Vaditja-dhamargava said, — It is even so as the illustrious one has said. These (objects and acts) are excitants and mitigating causes of the wind. We shall presently expound how these excitants and mitigating causes achieve their respective functions of exciting and mitigating, without actually coming into contact with the wind which is impalpable and unstable. Without doubt, things that are dry, light, cold, fierce, hot, poison¬ ous, and wasting, are excitants of the Wind in the body. The Wind occurring in bodies fed with substances of such attri¬ butes, increases in consequence thereof and becomes excited. Substances, again that mitigate or allay the Wind in the body are those that are juicy, heavy, hot, jelly-like, soft, oily, and consti¬ pating. The Wind occurring in bodies fed with such substances, moves in contact therewith and becomes mitigated or allayed.4

Hearing these words of Vadi§a that were just and approved

* The question proposed is— what excites the wind ? The answer is that the wind has certain properties. When objects or acts that have or that produce similar proper¬ ties are used or done by a person, the wind in his system becomes excited. Among acts, night-keeping, &c., may be noticed for their tendency to excite the wind in the system, — T,

p. 134

CHA RAKA-SAMHITA.

by all the Rishis, the royal sage Varyovida said, — It is even so as the illustrious one has said. All this is faultless. Bowing unto the Wind, I shall, according to my lights, declare with the aid of direct perception, of inference, and of authority, the nature of those functions which the excited and unexcited wind, dwelling in the body and out of it, accomplishes while moving within the body and out of it.®