An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita (Bhishagratna ed.)

* D. R.— Sweet, bitter, and astringent drugs.

Bitter drugs— Patoladi group ; Kashdya drugs— Triphaladi group ; sweet drugs— Kakolyadi group.

302 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. V.

be advantageously applied in cases marked by a pre-
ponderance of the vitiated blood, with this exception
that cold plasters and repeated blood-lettings should
be resorted to in the- latter (Raktaja-Vata-Rakta). ii.

Vata-Rakta with a preponderance

of Kapha:— Incases where the Kapha preponderates, the patient should be made to drink a potion consisting of a decoction of Haridrd and Amalaka, sweetened with honey ; or a decoction of Triphald, or a Kalka of Madhuka, S'ringavera, Haritaki -ax^A Tikta-rohini m.x'K.Q.d with honey. As an alternative, Haritaki and treacle with either cow's urine or water, should be given to him. The affected part or limb should be sprinkled or washed with cow's urine, oil, alkaline water, Sura, Sukta, or with a decoction of Kapha-destroying drugs. A hot decoction of the drugs constituting the Aragvadhadi group may be used with benefit in sprinkling the affected part. The body of the patient should be lubri- cated or anointed with clarified butter, boiled with the cream of milk-curd, cow's urine, wine, S'ukta'd.nA with the Kalka of Yashti-madhu, Sdrivd and Padma- kdshtha. A plaster (Pradeha), composed of pounded sesamum, mustard seed, linseed and barley (taken jn equal parts) and mixed and pasted with S'leshmdtaka, Kapittka,Madhu-s'{grudLXid.covj's urine, and Yava-kshdra should be applied (hot to the seat of the disease). 12-13.

The Five Pradehas :--(i)Apaste of white

mustard seed, (2, that of sesamum and As'vagandha,

(3) a similar paste of Piydla, S'elu and Kapittha bark,

(4) that of Madhu-ii'gxw, Punarnavd and (5^ a paste of
Vyosha, Tiktd, Prithakparni and VriJiati, these five
kinds of Pradehas should be separately pasted with
alkaline water and (any of them) applied lukewarm to
the affected locality. 14.

Chap, v.] CIIIKITSA STHANAM. 303

As an alternative, a plaster composed S'dlaparni,
Pris'niparni, Vrihati and Kantakdri, pasted together
with milk and mixed with Tarpana * should be applied
(to the seat of the disease). In cases of Vata-Rakta
involving the concerted action of two or three of the
Doshas, the remedy consists in applying such drugs in
combination as are possessed of the efficacy of subduing
the action of each of them. 15.

Guda-Haritaki and Pippali-Vardha-

mana Yogas : — Haritaki with treacle may be used in all types of Vata-Rakta. As an alternative, the patient should be enjoined to use Pippali, pasted with miik or water, every day (in the following way).+ The number of Pippali should be increased by five or ten respectively on each successive day till the tenth day of its use ; after which period the number of Pippali should be decreased (by a similar number) on each successive day till it is reduced to the original five or ten. The patient should live on a diet of milk and rice only (during the entire course of this treatement). This medicine which is known as the Pippali-Vardhamana,:|: proves efficacious in cases of Vata-Rakta, chronic fever (Vishama-Jvara), aversion to food, jaundice, enlarged spleen, piles, cough, asthma, cedema, phthysis, loss of appetite, heart-disease and ascitis. 16.

Clarified butter, cooked in milk with the paste of the drugs of the Jivaniya group, should be used in

* Flour of barley or fried grain, dissolved in water, is known as Tarpana.

tThe dosage should begin originally with five or ten Pippalis according to the strength of the patient.

X Maharshi Charaka mentions this Yoga in the chapter on Rasayana and prescribes it also in the treatement of Udara. Chakradatta mentions the use of this medicine in the treatment of liver and spleen and of fever.

304 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. V.

anointing (the body of the patient). A plaster, composed of Sahd, Sahadevd, Chandana, Murvd, Mustd, Piydla, S'atdvari^ Kas'eru , Padma-kdstha Yashti-madhu, S'ata- pushpd (A. D. Vidari) and Kushtha, pasted together with milk and mixed with the cream of clarified butter, should be applied (hot) to the affected locality. A plaster composed of Saireyaka, Atarushaka, Vald, Ati-vald Jivanti and Sushazi^ pasted together with the milk of a she-goat, should be likewise applied (to the seat of the disease). As an alternative, the diseased locality should be plastered with the pastes of Kds'marya^ Yashti- madhu and Tarpana mixed together ; or it should be treated with Pinda-Taila, prepared by cooking Madhu- chchhishta (bee's wax), Manjishthd, resin, and Ananta- mula in milk* (and oil taken together). 17-20.

In all cases of Vata-Rakta, old and matured clarified
butter boiled with the expressed juice of Amalaka
should be prescribed as drinks. The affected part
should be washed or sprinkled with old and matured
clarified butter, boiled with a decoction and paste
(Kalka) of the drugs belonging to the Kdkolyddi group,
or with those of the Jivaniya group, or with the decoc-
tion of Sushavi, or of Karavellaka. The Vala-Tailat
should be used for sprinkling and immersing purposes,
and as drink and Vasti-karma (enemas).

Diet: — The diet should consist of articles made
of old and matured S'ali or Shashtika rice, wheat or
barley, taken with milk | or with the soup of Mudga

* Milk four times of oil should be taken.

I The "Vald-Taila" described in the medical treatment of Mudha- garbha, ch. XV.

X In the case of Vata-roga with preponderant Pitta, the patient should take the food with milk ; in the preponderance of Vayu, with the soup of Jangala meat; and in the preponderance of Kapha, with Mudga-soup, devoid of any acid combination.

Chap, v.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 305

pulse or flesh of Jdngala animals and devoid of any acid combination.* 21.

Frequent blood-letting should be resorted to and
measures, such as, emetics, purgatives, Asthapana and
Anuvasana should be adopted in cases of the aggravated
Doshas-|* (involved in the case). 22.

Memorable Verses :— A case of Vdta-

Rakta of recent growth, proves readily amenable to the remedial measures described before. Long-standing, i.e., chronic cases (of Vdta-Rakta) are never perfectly cured, but can only be palliated. The application of poul- tices (Upandha), of medicinal washes or sprinkles (Pari- sheka), hot-plasters, anointings (Abhyanga), spacious and comfortable bed-chambers which do not admit of too large an influx of air, shampooing, and the use of soft and pleasant beds and soft pillows, are chiefly recommended in a case of Vata-Rakta ; whereas physical exercise, sexual intercourse, display of anger, the use of heat-making, saline, acid and difficultly digestible food and eatables producing eff^use serus or slimy matter in the bodily channels, and sleep in the day-time (should be deemed extremely injurious and hence) should be studiously refrained from. 23.

The Medical Treatment of Apata-

naka : — The medical treatment of a patient suffering
from Apatainaka (hysterical convulsions), not exhibiting
fixedness of gaze and arched eye-brows, with an absence

* In the case of Vata-roga, with a preponderance of Pitta, the patient should take his food with milk ; in the preponderance of Vayu, with the soup of Jangala meat ; and in the preponderance of Kapha, with Mudga- soup, devoid of any acid combination.

t In the preponderance of Kapha, emetics should be employed ; in the preponderance of Pitta, purgatives should be given ; and in the pre- ponderance of Vayu, Anuvasana and Asthapana measures should be resorted to.

306 THE SUSilRtJTA SAMHltA. [Chap. V.

of perspiration, quivering, delirium and the numbness
of genitals, found not to fall on the ground but capable
of being supported on his arms (Akhattd-pati) and whose
trunk is not bent or arched on its posterior (dorsal) side
(Vahirayama), may be attempted (with success). The body
of the patient should be first anointed with emulsions
(Sneha) and then fomented ; strong medicated snuff
should then be administred for purifying (the accumu-
lated mucus in) the head. After that the patient should
be made to drink a clear potion prepared of clarified
butter, cooked in combination with a decoction of the
drugs constituting the Viddri-gandhadi group, extract
of meat, milk and milk-curd, so as to arrest the further
expansion of the deranged Vayu into the system.

Traivrita Ghrita :— A decoction of the Vayu-
subduing drugs, such as, Bhadra-ddrvddi, etc., barley,
Kulattha pulse, Kola, and the flesh of the Anupa and
Audaka animals with the Pancha-Vargas* should be

* According to Jejjata, "Pancha-Vargam" means the flesh of the five kinds of Anupa animals, z//s., Kulachara, Plava, Kos'astha, Padin and Matsya (fishes).

The reading here is doubtful. The term "Audaka" in the compound word ** Sanupaudaka-mamsam " seems to be redundant, inasmuch as •'Audaka" animals are included in the "Anupa" class. (Sutra, chap. XLVI. Page 487, Vol I). In this case the word " Pancha-vargam " also seems to be only an explanation of the term "Anupa" meaning the fiive kinds of Anupa flesh, and it seems to have surreptitiously crept into the body of the text from the marginal notes of some authoritative manuscript copy of the book. If, however, we are to abide by the current reading of the book, "Pancha-varga" cannot mean the five kinds of flesh in the presence of the word ''Audaka" mentioned separately, as Jejjata would have it. In that case it can only mean either the five groups of Pancha-mulas, viz., the major Pancha-mulas, the minor Pancha-mulas, the Valli-Pancha-mulas, the Kantaka-Pancha-mulas and the Tiina-Pancha-mulas. (Sutra, chap. XXXVIII, Pages 355-6, Vol. I), as some would explain it to mean. Others, however, prefer the reading as it \i and explain the term "Fancha-varga" to be the five kinds of medicinal drugs mentioned before in the sentence,

Chap, v.] CriIKITSA STHANAM. 307

made. The decoction, thus prepared, should be mixed with milk and fermented rice-gruel, etc., and then cooked with an adequate quantity of clarified butter, oil, lard and marrow by casting Kalka (paste) of the Madhura (Kakolyadi group) into it This Traivrita Ghrita* (lit. consisting of clarified butter with three other lardaceous articles), thus prepared, should be administered to Apatanaka-patients in potions and diet, in effusions and immersions, in anointings and errhines, as well as in Anuvasana measures. Diaphoretic measures should be applied according to the prescribed rules. In a case marked by an unusually aggravated condition of the YAyu, the patient should be made to stand neck-deep in a pit tolerably warmed or heated with burning husks, and- cow-dung. As an alternative, Palas'a leaves should be strewn over a hot stone-slab or over a hot oven, after having sprinkled wine over them, and the patient should be laid full length upon these leaves, or fomentations should be made with Ves'avdra, Kris'ara and Pdyasa. 24—25.

An oil, cooked in combination with the expressed

viz., the Vataghna drugs, Yava, Kola, Kulaltha and flesh. Oihers, again, mean by the term "Pancha-varga" the five parts, viz., leaf, fruit, flower, bark and root, of the Vataghna drugs mentioned in the sentence.

We have, however, the authority of Vagbhata and Chakradatta in our side to accept the first view that the term "Audaka" is redundant, in- asmuch as they have not read the word "Audaka" in their compilations. —Ed.

* According to Dallana, four seers of clarified butter, oil, lard and marrow (each weighing one seer), sixteen seers of Kanji, etc., sixtetn seers of milk, sixteen seers of the decoction and one seer of the Kalka (paste) should be taken in its preparation. But Gayadasa is of opinion that four seers of milk should be taken instead of sixteen seers.

Four seers of Ghrita, etc., four seers of milk, six seers of Kanji, six seers of the decoction and one seer of the Kalka (paste) are generally taken byexperienced physicians in its preparation.— Ed.

308 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. V.

juice oi Mulaka, Eranda, Sphurja, Arjaka, Arka^ Saptald
and S'amkhini should be used in washing (Parisheka),
etc., the body of an Apatdnaka-patient. Potions con-
sisting of sour Dadhi (milk-curd) mixed with powdered
pepper and Vachd, or of oil, clarified butter, lard,
or honey, mixed with the same things and taken
in an empty stomach, prove curative in cases of
Apatanaka. 26.

These remedial measures are applicable in cases of
Apatanaka when the action of the aggravated Vayu
alone preponderates. In a case involving the concerted
action of two or mere of the Doshas, drugs, remedial
to each of them, should be combinedly employed.
Medicinal liquid errhines {Avapida) should be employed
after the subsidence of a severe attack. The fat or lard
of a cock, crab, Krishna-fish, porpoise or of a boar
should be taken* by the patient. As an alternative,
he should be made to drink (a potion consisting of)
milk boiled with Vdyu-subduing drugs (Das'a-mula, etc.),
or a gruel (Yavdgu) composed of barley, Kola, Kulattha-
pulse and Mulaka, cooked with curd, oil and clarified
butter. Oily purgatives, Asthapana and Anuvasana
measures, should be employed if the paroxysm does
not subside even in ten days. Medicines and remedial
measures laid down under the head of Vata-vyddhi
and the process of Raksha-karma, should be likewise
adopted (in cases of Apatanaka). 27.

Treatment of Pakshaghata :— A physi-
cian is enjoined to take in hand the medical treatment
of a patient laid up with Pakshaghata, unattended
by a discolouring of the skin, but having pain in the
affected part, and who habitually observes the rules of