Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Hearing these words of (the royal sage) Varyovida (about the virtues and nature of the Wind), the son of Marichi said, — If it be as thou sayest, what power can medical science possess in the matter of either understanding or describing this topic of discourse? Or, why has our discourse on this topic commenced in connection With medical science ?-fVaryovida said, — If the physician do not hear that the Wind is possessed of great might, that it is very fierce, that it is charact¬ erised by great celerity in respect of all its operations, and that it is productive of evil, why shall he make haste, with concentrated faculties, to restrain it at the outset when it becomes suddenlyexcited? Indeed, the physician should, at the very outset, seek to allay or restrain the Wind from fear of the injury it is capable of doing. The just propitiation of the Wind leads to health, the growth of strength and complexion ; energy, the increase of vitality, the growth of knowledge, and extension of the period of life.10

The son of Marichi said, — The heat dwelling in the body, within the Bile, when excited, produces evil and when in its normal condition leads to beneficial consequences.

This is as follows : — In its normal condition it aids digestion, vision, the proper measure of warmth (of body), propriety of com¬ plexion, courage, cheerfulness, and free play of the faculties, &c. When excited, it produces indigestion, weakness of vision, an improper measure of warmth, an unhealthy complexion, fear, wrath,

* ‘ Mrityu ’ is represented as a goddess who sprang from Brahman the Creator. When asked to destroy all creatures, she refused to do so, moved by compassion. She was, however, ultimately prevailed upon by the Creator to accomplish the purpose for which she was created. Yama is the infernal Judge. It is his province to judge of all persons after death, and to award punishments to those that deserve them of different grades of severity. ‘ Niyantri’ is a male deity that is employed in ordaining the occur¬ rences of the lives of every person. ‘ Prajapati’ is the Regent that supervises the world. * Aditi’ is the mother of the celestials. ‘ V^wakarman’ is the divine artificer. He is like Vulcan of Greek mythology. — T.

t Grammatically, ‘ kim’ should be supplied after ‘ katha’ : — 7

CHA kA KA-SA M HIT A.

p. 137

fcrror, &c. Excited and ummixed, it produces similar pairs of Opposites. li

Hearing these words of Marichi’s son, Kacyapa said, — Shoma that dwells in the body with the pfilegm, unexcited and excited, produces beneficial and evil consequences. They are as follow : —

Tightness of limbs and their relaxation ; growth and weak¬ ness ; exertion and langour ; virility and its reverse ; knowledge and ignorance ; understanding and stupidity, and similar other pairs of opposite virtues.12

Hearing these words of Kacyapa; the illustrious Punarvasu, the son of Atri, said, — All of your illustrious selves have said what is sufficient and proper in respect of what is beneficial and what is injurious for man. Without doubt, all the (three) elements, •viz., Wind, Bile, and Phlegm, when in their normal condition, keep a man’s senses in good order ; bring about an accession of strength, complexion, and happiness; and bestow length of life upon him, even as religion, wealth, and pleasure, judiciously sought, unite one, both here and hereafter, with what is highly beneficial. When Wind, Bile, and Phlegm become abnormal, they bring about an accession of immeasurable evil upon him even as the three seasons, when fraught with abnormal manifestations, bring about an accession of much evil upon the world, when their calamities begin to develop themselves. — All these words of the illustrious son of Atri were fully accepted by the Rishis and approved of by them.13

Here is a verse.

Hearing these words of Atri’s son, all the Rishis (there present) accepted and approved of them even as the deities accept and approve the words of Indra.14

Here are two verses containing a summary.

The six qualities of the Wind, the two kinds of causes, {viz., excitement and unexcitement), the diverse functions of the Wind when excited and unexcited, the four kinds of functions of Bile and Phlegm, the opinions of the several Rishis, and thep. 18p. 138 at A RA KA -SA MHI7A.

opinions of Punarvasu, have all been expounded in this Lesson an the merits and faults of the Wind.

Thus ends the Twelfth Lesson called the Merits and Faults of the Wind in Agniveca’s treatise as revised by Charaka.

LESSON XIII.

We shall next expound the Lesson on Oils. Thus said the illustrious son of Atri. 1