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

* It should be always borne in mind that God has implanted this desire in the mind of man and provided him with the necessary organic appendages only for the propagation of his species and not for the gratification of any diseased or morbid sexual propensity which is found nowhere else in Nature save and except in debauched human subjects and which lowers them even below the level of brutes. Hence love should be the essence of the bond which binds a couple and converts them into a kind of human centaur, the man and the wife, and union sexually considered, should be effected only under the promptings of that sacred instinct in Nature which makes the lilies blow and causes the pollens to unite their fecundating principles with one another and which a healthy unsophisticated human heart can instinctively read as the seed time of youthful exuberance.

t A bath is recommended for a man of strong virile power, in case of sexufil intercourse in the day time or it may be possible to take a bath early in summer nights.— Dallana.

502 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. XXIV.

sound sleep. Food or milk, saturated with sugar, and meat-juice, prove very refreshing after the act. 89.

Thus ends the Twenty-fourth Chapter in the Chikitsita Sthdnam of the Sus'ruta Samhitd which deals with the rules of Hygiene and the prophy- lactic measures in general.

CHAPTER XXV.

Now we shall discourse on the medical treatment of a variety of diseases (Misraka-Chikitsita). i.

It has been stated before that blood-letting is the
remedy in diseases of the Paili (ear-lobes). Now hear
me describe in detail the treatment of those affections
which are confined to the lobes of the ears. They are
five in number and are called the Paripota, Utpakta^
Unmantha. Duhkha-Vardhana and the Parilehi. 2-3.

Causes and Symptoms : -if the lobe of

an ear be suddenly pulled and kept in that position for a
long time, a numbed and painful swelling of a blackish
red colour is produced on the lobe, owing to its soft
and delicate nature. This is found to spontaneously
burst or crack, and is called the Paripota, which
should be ascribed to the action of the deranged Va(yu
(of the system). 4-

A painful swelling attended with a burning sensation
and suppuration, appearing in the lobe of the ear,
owing to the friction and movements of a heavy orna-
ment worn in the lobe, is originated from the vitiated
condition of the blood and the Pitta. Its colour is
either brown or red and is called the Utpsita. 5.

Pulling the ear-lobes down by f >rce tends to enrage
the V^yu (of the localities) which in union with (the
deranged) Kapha gives rise to a painful swelling in those
regions, attended with itching and tinged with the
specific colours* and symptoms of the Doshas
involved. The disease is called the Unmantha, and is

* Madhava in his compilation reads *'^djH^<<*lH" ^^^^^ ^^^ swelling is attended with a numbness and no pain) in place of "f^^iy^^^^j," Vdgbhata also supports this. — Ed,

504 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. Chap. XXV.

originated through the concerted action of the deranged Vaiyu and the Kapha. 6.

A swelling in an ear-lobe attended with pain, burning and itching sensations owing to its being (pulled down and) lengthened, when found to suppurate (in the end) is called the Duhkha-vardhana ; it* restricts itself only to the skin (of the affected part . 7.

Small exuding pustules resembling mustard-seeds (in size) and attended with pain, burning and itch- ing sensations, appear in the lobes of the ears owing to the action of the vitiated blood, or the deranged Kstpha, or to the presence of parasites (in those localities). The disease soon spreads itself (and assumes an erysi- pelatious character). It is called the Parilehi from the fact of its eating away the affected lobe with the entire helix. 8.

General Treatment :— These dreadful dis-
eases (which invade the lobes of the ears) are highly
dangerous and tend to destroy and eat away the affected
appendages, if not properly attended to at the outset and
specially when the patient is addicted to unwholesome
food and drink and to an injudicious conduct of life.
Hence a physician should speedily remedy these
complaints with applications of medicated Sneha,
Sveda, etc., ointments, washes, plasters, poultices and
blood-Ietting.t This is the general treatment of those
diseases. 9.

* Madhava adds "an unsuccessful perforation (in the ear-lobe)" to be an additional cause of this disease. He also reads **f^-^"^ i.e., **due to the concerted action of the three Doshas" in place of "cef^n^j^". Madhava has Vagbhata's support in this.— Ed.

t In cases of the predominance of the VsCyu, anointment, Anuvd- sana and poultices should be resorted to. In cases of Pitta-predominance, • purgatives should be applied. Emetics should be applied in cases of Kapha-predominance and lastly blood-letting, purgativ^^ and washes,

Chap. XXV.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 50 5

Specific Treatment :— Now we shall de-
scribe the medical remedies which should be specially
used in anointing (the afifected parts in these diseases).
Drugs, such as Khara-Manjari, Yashti-madhu, Sain-
dhava, Deva-ddru, As'va-gandhd and the seeds ol Mulaka
and of Avalguja should be pasted together and cooked
with a compound of milk, oil, clarified butter, lard,
marrow and wax. This preparation should be applied
lukewarm to the affected lobe in a case of the Pari-
potaka type. lo-ir.

Manjishthd, Sesamum, Yashti-madhu, Sdrivd,
Utpala^ Padma-kdshtha, Rodhra, Kadamba and the
tender leaves of the Vald^ Jambu and Amra (mango)
should be cooked together with (an adequate quantity of)
oil and Dhanyamla (Kdnjika). This oil proves curative
in a case of Utpaita. 12.

Similarly (a medicated) oil cooked with Tdla patri,
As'va-gandhd, Arka, Vdkuchi-SQQils, Saindhava^ Sarald^
Ldngaliy lard of a Karkata (crab) and of a Godhd. (a
kind of lizard), proves beneficial in cases of Unmantha.
The affected lobes should be washed (Sechana) with
a decoction of the leaves of the As'mantaka, Jambu and
Amra (in such cases). 13.

In a case of Parilehi, the afifected lobe (Pdli) should
be dusted with powdered Prapaundarika, Yashti-
madhu ^ Manjishthd and the two kinds of Haridrd after
lubricating it with the oil cooked with the Kalkas of
Ldkshd and Vidanga. It should be as well fomented
with heated cow-dung and plastered with the lukewarm
pastes of Vidanga alone, or in combination with Trivrit,

etc, should be resorted to in cases of the affection being due to the concerted action of the vitiated blood and the Pitta.

* Sarala here means Dhupa-kashtha, according to Dallana.

5o6 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. XXV.

S'ydmd and Arka pasted together (with cow's urine\
or with the pastes of Karanja-SQQd, Ingudi seed, Kutaja
and Aragvadha (pasted with cow's urine). Mustard oil
cooked* with the admixture of all the foregoing drugs
and with Markka, NimbaAQdiWQs and wax, proves effi-
cacious as unguents (in such cases). 14-15.

In cases where the ear-lobes are affected and have
become either thin, or hard, an ointment should be
applied to them in order respectively to increase their
growth, or to soften them. 16.

The marrow of a jackal and of an animal frequenting
and living in swampy grounds (Anupa, such as a buffalo,
etc.), together with lard; oil and fresh clarified butter,
should be cooked with a quantity of milk weighing ten
times their combined weight and with the drugs of the
Madhura (Kakolyadi) group, Asva-gandhd and Apd-
mdrga and Ldkshd-Rasa (decoction or infusion of
Lakshi). The oil thus prepared should be filtered
and preserved carefully in an earthen pitcher. The
affected ear-lobes should be constantly fomented and
well-lubricated with it. The use of this medicated oil
helps the growth of the ear-lobes and makes them
healthy, soft, smooth, painless, evenly developed and
capable of bearing the weight of ear-pendants. 17,

Treatment of Palita :— The expressed

juice of the Bhringa-rdja and (the decoction of) Triphald,
powders of indigo leaves, ArjunahdLvk^ Bhringa-rdja,
Pinditaka^ black-iron, flowers of the Vija and of Saha-
chara, Haritaki, Vibhitaka and Amalaka mh^^di together
and pasted with a quantity of mud found adherent
to lotus-bulbs weighing as much as the combined

* Dallana says that this oil should be cooked with cow's urine weighing four times as much as the oil.

Chap. XXV.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 507

weight of the aforesaid drugs should be kept in an iron-
pitcher well covered and preserved inside a room for a
fortnight. After this period it should be cooked with
(an adequate quantity of) oil and with the expressed
juice* of the Bhringardja and (a decoction of) Triphald.
For the purpose of ascertaining the proper cooking
of the oil, a (white) feather of a Valaka icrane) should
be dipped into it, and satisfactory preparation should
be judged from the deep blue colour imparted to the
feather. The oil should be then preserved in a black-
iron pitcher for a month, Used as anointments, this
oil arrests a premature greyness of the hair. 18.

The flowers of the S'airiya, Jambu, Arjuna and of
the Kds'mari, sesamum, Bhringa-rdja-SQQds, mango-
stones, Punarnavd, \ mud, Kantakdri^ Kdsisa, marrow of
the seeds of Madana, Triphald, powdered iron, Rasdnjana,
Yashti-madhu^ Nilotpala, Sdrivd, and Madayanti\ should
be pasted together with the decoction of the Sara (pith)
of the Vijaka. It should then be mixed with seven
Prastha measures of the decoction of the Sara of Vijaka
and preserved for ten days in a covered iron vessel.
This compound should then be carefully cooked with
an A'dhaka measure of Vibhitaka-oil and again pre-
served in a new iron-pitcher for a month. Then after
cleansing the system of the patient, the oil thus prepared

* In the cases of cooking an oil, the liquid substance to be used, should be, as a general rule, four times as much as the oil ; but in this case, the expressed juice of Bhringa-rdja and (the decoction of) Triphald should be continued to be added, so long as the feather does not become deep blue.

t According to Dallana, the reading would have b^en "T|7f^^," i.e., the two kinds of Punarnavd.

X One Karsha measure of each of the aforesaid drugs should be taken.

508 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. XXV

should be used as errhines (Nasya) and in anointing the
head, and the patient should be advised to live on diet
consisting of Mdsha-pulse, or of Kris' ard. In the course
of a month, it imparts a (deep black) gloss like that of
a black bee, or that of Rasdnjana to the hair and makes
it grow thick and curly. It cures baldness, arrests
the susceptibility of the system to an attack of pre-
mature decay, removes the wrinkles of the face, and
invigorates the sense-organs in the performance oj
their proper and respective functions. This oil should
not be given to a man who does not wish to use it, nor
to an indigent person, to an ungrateful wretch, nor to
an enemy. 19.

Treatment of Vyanga, etc. i-^Ldkshd,

Rodhra, the two kinds of Haridrd, Manahs'ildy Haritdla^ Kushtha, Ndga (lead), Gairika, Varnaka^ Manjishthd, Vacha, Saurdshtra-mrittikd^ Pattanga, Gorochand, Rasdnjafia, bark of Hemdnga (Champaka), the tender leaves of Vata, Kdliya-Kdshtha, Padma- kdshtha, the filaments of a lotus, both red and white chandana, Mercury'^ and the drugs of the Kdkolyddi group should be pasted together with milk. The paste, thus prepared, as well as lard, marrow, wax, clarified butter, milk, and a decoction of the drugs of the Kshira trees should be cooked together. This medicated clarifie d butter, is the best of all the unguents that may be applied to the face. It cures the most difficult cases of Vyanga and Nilika, and removes all tans, specks, marks, moles, eruptions, etc., from the face. It imparts smoothness to the wrinkled skin, gives a healthy plumpness and bloom to the cheeks, and makes the face as beautiful as a lotus.

* This is the first time that we come across the mention and use of "Pdrada" (Mercury) in the Sus'ruta Samhita.— Ed.

Chap. XXV.] CHIKITSA STHANAM. 509

It should be recommended to kings and to the ladies
of the royal court, as well as to persons of the same
rank. It acts as a good remedy for cutaneous affec-
tions (Kushtha), and may be as well applied in cases of
Vipadika. The use of a cosmetic compound consisting
of powdered Haritaki, leaves of Nimba, the bark of
man^Oy stems of the pomegranate, and the flowers and
leaves of Madyantikd pasted together, imparts a god-like
effulgence to the complexion of a man. 20-21.

Thus ends the Twenty-fifth Chapter of the Chikitsita Sthanam in the Sus'ruta Samhita which deals with the treatment of a variety of diseases.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Now we shall discourse on the medical treatment for increasing the strength and virile power of weak

persons (Kshina-Valiyam Vaji-Karana). i.

A youth in sound health taking regularly some
sort of Vadji'Karana (aphrodisiac) remedy may enjoy
the pleasures of youth every night during all the
seasons of the year. Old men^ those wishing to enjoy
sexual pleasures or to secure the affections of women,
as well as those suffering from senile decay or sexual
incapacity, and persons weakened with sexual excesses,
should do well to submit themselves to a course of
Vdji-karana remedies. They are highly beneficial to
gay, handsome and opulent youths and to persons
who have got many wives. 2 -A.