Description of the body and daily regimen

Topics in this session

Headings from the book in reading order. Open a topic for its summary and the knowledge it refers to.

1. Invocation and resolveमंगलाचरण व प्रतिज्ञाInvocationp. 26

   Bowing to Śrī Vardhamāna, who has attained liberation, is the one cause of the bliss of final accomplishment and whose glory grows within and without, the author promises to describe first…

2. Counting bones, joints and related structuresअस्थि, संधि आदिक की गणनाAnatomyp. 26

   The body is said to have 300 bones, 300 joints, 900 sinews (snāyu), 700 veins (sirā) and 500 muscles (peśī). An editor's footnote objects that there cannot be as many joints as bones, since…

3. Counting the vessels (dhamanī) and related structuresAnatomyp. 26

   Twenty vessels (dhamanī) run from the navel, ten upward and ten downward, and four run crosswise, making twenty-four; there are sixteen kaṇḍarās (thick tendons) and six kūrcas. A footnote…

4. Chapter 3 begins (Sūtravyāvarṇana)अथ तृतीयः परिच्छेदःOtherp. 26

   Opening line of the third chapter, whose running head and colophon name it Sūtravyāvarṇana. It counts the bones, joints, vessels, muscles, vital points, teeth and other parts and measures…

5. Counting the muscle cords and other partsAnatomyp. 27

   There are two muscle cords (māṃsarajju), seven layers of skin, eight channels (srotas), one liver and one spleen, and sixteen rows of large intestine forming the stomach (āmāśaya) and the…

6. Counting the vital points and other featuresमर्मादिक की गणनाAnatomyp. 27

   The body has 107 vital points (marma), nine openings (two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, the mouth, the anus and the genital), eighty lakh hair pores and the three doshas, vāta, pitta and…

7. Counting teeth and related measuresदंत आदिक की गणनाAnatomyp. 27

   There are thirty-two teeth and no more, and twenty nails; fat (medas), semen (śukra) and brain matter (mastuluṅga) each measure one añjali. A footnote says these and the following measures…

8. The measures of muscle fat and other fluidsवसा आदिक का प्रमाणAnatomyp. 27

   The body holds three añjali of fat (vasā), six prasṛti each of pitta and kapha, and half an āḍhaka of blood. Footnotes give one prasṛti as 8 tolā and one āḍhaka as 256 tolā.

9. The measures of urine and faecesमूत्रादिक के प्रमाणAnatomyp. 28

   The body holds one prastha of urine and half an āḍhaka of faeces, and five kinds of vāyu pervade it; a footnote gives one prastha as 64 tolā.

10. The five kinds of vātaPhysiologyp. 28

    The five vāyus are prāṇa, apāna, samāna, vyāna and udāna; the commentary says they digest food and carry it inward and also serve to expel faeces and urine.

11. The openings through which wastes leaveमल निर्गमन द्वारAnatomyp. 28

    Tears and sticky eye-dirt leave by the eyes and ear-wax by the ears; from the mouth come spittle, nasal mucus, vāta, pitta and the dirt of tongue and teeth; the nose discharges mucus and…

12. Showing the impurity of the bodyशरीर का अशुचित्व प्रदर्शनOtherp. 28

    The body is likened to a cracked pot that leaks dirt through its nine openings day and night, sweats through its pores, and breeds lice, nits and other small eight-legged creatures.

13. An exhortation to love dharmaOtherp. 29

    The body is by nature full of suffering and impurity, with old age, death and the loss of what is dear, and birth itself is great suffering; so a wise person should always turn to dharma.

14. On recollection of past birthsजातिस्मरण विचारOtherp. 29

    Some people born in this way sometimes remember a past birth (jātismaraṇa), so its marks are described in order to establish that former and later births exist.

15. Causes of recollecting past birthsOtherp. 29

    Its causes include a clear intellect and mind at the moment of death, knowledge of scripture, strength of religious thought, passing to the new birth by a straight course and attaining a…

16. Marks of recollecting past birthsजातिस्मरण लक्षणOtherp. 29

    Hearing of or seeing things experienced in a former birth, seeing similar things in a dream or in fear, inference from such likeness, and the destruction or subsidence of the obscuring…

17. How constitution arisesPhysiologyp. 29

    When the soul enters the mixture of semen and blood in the womb, the dosha that predominates in it at that moment forms the person's constitution: a pitta-predominant mass gives a child of…

18. Marks of a person of vāta constitutionवात प्रकृति के मनुष्य का लक्षणPhysiologyp. 30

    A person of vāta constitution is described as disliking cold, harsh, with many prominent veins, wakeful at night and given to chatter; unlucky, thievish and disliked; envious and lacking…

19. Marks of a person of pitta constitutionपित्त प्रकृति के मनुष्य का लक्षणPhysiologyp. 30

    A person of pitta constitution is described as quick to anger, sharp-witted, bold, sweating, with yellowish veins, likeable, with coppery-red lips and palate; intelligent, brave,…

20. Marks of a person of kapha constitutionकफप्रकृति के मनुष्य का लक्षणPhysiologyp. 31

    A person of kapha constitution is described as very intelligent, stout and cheerful, dark like young dūrvā grass (the commentary says darbha shoots), grateful but slow to give up enmity,…

21. Resolve to describe the land for medicinesक्षेत्रलक्षण कथन - प्रतिज्ञाPharmacologyp. 31

    Having described the constitutions, the author promises to describe, for the sake of the marks of medicines, the good land for collecting them: of excellent qualities and free of holes,…

22. Land unfit for gathering medicinesऔषधि ग्रहणार्थ अयोग्य क्षेत्रPharmacologyp. 32

    Medicines are not to be gathered from temple grounds, haunts of ghosts such as cremation grounds, extremely cold, hot or snowy places, waterlogged, waterless or misshapen land, barren dry…

23. Land fit for gathering medicinesऔषध ग्रहणार्थ प्रशस्त क्षेत्रPharmacologyp. 32

    Good land for gathering medicines has creepers full of fresh shoots and flowers and trees laden with fruit, sweetness, beauty and fragrance everywhere and an abundance of the excellent…

24. Unfit medicines even from good landसुक्षेत्रोत्पन्न अप्रशस्त औषधिPharmacologyp. 32

    Even a fine medicinal plant grown in good land is to be rejected if it has been spoiled by forest fire, sun, water, weapons, lightning, insects, wind or the like.

25. Marks of a good medicineप्रशस्त औषधि का लक्षणPharmacologyp. 32

    A good medicine, even if small in quantity, is of good appearance, taste and smell, pleasant, agreeable, wholesome, pure and of visibly proven effect; such a medicine is to be gathered for…

26. Medicine is to be used only after examinationपरीक्षा पूर्वक ही औषध प्रयोग करना चाहिएPrinciplep. 33

    Such a faultless medicine, given after examining the patient's digestive fire, age, strength, land, season and the nature of the disease, is said to destroy even terrible diseases quickly;…

27. The effects of an excessive doseअधिक मात्रा से औषधि प्रयोग करने का फलPharmacologyp. 33

    A medicine given in more than the proper dose is said to cause fainting, intoxication, exhaustion, burning, pricking pain, distension of the abdomen, obstruction of stools, confusion,…

28. How a medicine is to be dosedऔषध प्रयोग विधानPharmacologyp. 33

    Too small a dose does nothing, so the proper dose should be given; to calm the doshas one gives small amounts and settles the dose over three days, and the commentary adds that when the…

29. Old and fresh medicinesजीर्णाजीर्ण औषध विचारPharmacologyp. 33

    Experts say fresh (moist) medicines are generally the more potent, but ghee, vidaṅga and long pepper become richer in good qualities when old.

30. The kinds of body: stout, thin and mediumस्थूल आदि शरीर भेद कथनPrinciplep. 33

    Having dealt with medicines according to the tradition, the author turns to the kinds of body: stout, thin and medium, of which the medium is the best.

31. Desirable and undesirable bodiesप्रशस्ताप्रशस्त शरीर विचारPrinciplep. 34

    Stout and thin bodies are called very blameworthy and unfit for work such as carrying loads or riding horses, while the medium body is desirable in every way and in every condition.

32. Treatment of the stout and thin bodyस्थूलादि शरीर की चिकित्साRegimenp. 34

    The stout body should be made lean with dry medicines, foods and drinks, the thin body made plump with unctuous, nourishing medicines and food, and the medium body preserved with wholesome…

33. Curability of thinnessसाध्यासाध्य विचारPrognosisp. 34

    Thinness is of two kinds, caused by the doshas or natural; that caused by the doshas is the most curable, while natural thinness is very hard to cure, and it should be nourished with effort.

34. Means of reducing the stout bodyस्थूल शरीर का क्षीणकरणोपायRegimenp. 34

    For reducing the stout, experts recommend various purgative preparations and medicines and diet drawn from the dry, astringent, pungent and bitter groups.

35. Means of bringing the thin body to balanceक्षीण शरीर को समकरणोपायRegimenp. 34

    For the thin, water is commended, and milk is to be given after meals; with nasal therapy, linctus, gargles and similar measures his digestive fire should always be protected.

36. Preserving the medium bodyमध्यम शरीर रक्षणोपायRegimenp. 35

    For the medium body, emesis is to be given in spring, enema therapy in the rainy season and purgation in autumn; this is how the noble ones preserve the health of the healthy. A footnote…

37. Avoiding what harms healthRegimenp. 35

    Very sour or dry food, excessive exercise, wind, sun and heat, excessive sexual activity and the daily use of a single taste are causes that bring on the doshas and many diseases, and are…

38. Introducing the doshasवातादि दोषों का कथनPrinciplep. 35

    Having described the body, the author turns to diseases according to the tradition: the three doshas known as vāta, kapha and pitta exist in the body and, when increased, produce many…

39. Characteristics of the doshasवातादि दोष लक्षणPhysiologyp. 35

    Vāta is described as pungent, very dry and mobile; pitta as liquid, bitter (the commentary says sharp), hot and yellow; and kapha as unctuous, sweet in taste, very slow, naturally heavy,…

40. The seats of kaphaकफ का स्थानPhysiologyp. 36

    Kapha resides in the stomach, chest, head, throat and all the joints and, aided by mobile vāta, carries out its work in the whole body. The commentary names the five kaphas by site (kledaka…

41. The seats of pittaपित्त का स्थानPhysiologyp. 36

    Pitta resides between the digestive bowel and the stomach, in the heart, and in the liver and spleen, and, carried by vāta, pervades the whole body. A footnote names its five kinds: pācaka…

42. The seats of vātaवात का स्थानPhysiologyp. 37

    Vāyu, which moves through the whole body, resides especially in the buttocks, waist, groin and private parts; by its nature it carries the doshas and tissues to their places, and when…

43. One aggravated dosha disturbs the othersप्रकुपित दोष सबको कोपन करता हैpathogenesisp. 38

    A single dosha, once aggravated, vitiates the doshas that dwell in its seat, and from this many diseases arise; the author promises to describe the aggravations of the doshas according to…

44. The chief causes of aggravation and calming of the doshasदोष प्रकोपोपशम के प्रधान कारणpathogenesisp. 38

    The doshas are aggravated or calmed through external and internal causes, through the rising (udaya) or premature ripening (udīraṇā) of karma, and through the fourfold set of substance,…

45. Causes of vāta aggravationवात प्रकोप का कारणpathogenesisp. 38

    Vāta is said to be aggravated by excessive exercise and sexual activity, long journeys on foot, riding, carrying loads, wrong times of sleep, immersion in water and blows of wind; by…

46. Causes of pitta aggravationपित्तप्रकोप के कारणpathogenesisp. 39

    Pitta is said to be aggravated by excessive grief, anger, fear and joy, by severe fasting and excessive sexual activity, by too much pungent, sour, sharp (alkaline) and salty food, by…

47. Causes of kapha aggravationpathogenesisp. 39

    Kapha is said to be aggravated by daily sleep in the daytime, by lack of sexual activity and exercise, by slimy, sour, unctuous (such as ghee and oil), very thick or heavy and salty foods,…

48. The kinds of doshapathogenesisp. 40

    The doshas are counted as ten: three singly (vāta, pitta, kapha), three in pairs (vāta-pitta, vāta-kapha, kapha-pitta) and four in the combination of all three (all together, or one of the…

49. Signs of the aggravated doshas in briefप्रकुपित दोषों का लक्षणpathogenesisp. 40

    In brief: aggravated vāta gives a moving, pricking pain in the abdomen; aggravated pitta gives sourness and burning; and aggravated kapha gives nausea (the commentary says belching) and…

50. Signs of vāta aggravationpathogenesisp. 40

    Aggravated vāta is said to produce many sudden pains without apparent cause: feelings of the body breaking, being beaten, pricked, cut or kneaded, wasting, flinging of the limbs, bitten,…

51. Signs of pitta aggravationपित्तप्रकोप लक्षणpathogenesisp. 41

    Aggravated pitta is said to produce great heat, drying (of the throat), fainting, burning, a feeling of smoke rising from the mouth, loss of appetite, anger, distress, heat of the body,…

52. Signs of kapha aggravationकफ प्रकोप लक्षणpathogenesisp. 41

    Aggravated kapha is said to produce loss of touch sensation, itching, heaviness of the body, whiteness, coldness, stupor, excessive sleep, stiffness, loss of appetite and mild pain.

53. Colours of the aggravated doshas, and the rule of treatmentप्रकुपित दोषों के वर्णpathogenesisp. 41

    When the doshas are aggravated the body changes colour: with vāta it becomes ash-like, pigeon-grey, very dark and dry; with pitta very blue, yellow, green, dark or red; with kapha glossy…

54. Closing verse of chapter 3Otherp. 42

    The closing verse, the same as at the end of chapters 1 and 2, likens the work to a drop from the Jina's ocean of scripture and calls it the one benefactor of the world, hence the name…

55. Colophon of chapter 3: Sūtravyāvarṇanaइत्युग्रादित्याचार्यकृत कल्याणकारके स्वास्थ्यरक्षणाधिकारे सूत्रव्यावर्णनं नाम तृतीयः परिच्छेदः।Otherp. 42

    The colophon closes the third chapter, named Sūtravyāvarṇana, in the part on protecting health of Ugrādityācārya's Kalyāṇakāraka, with the Hindi line naming the Bhāvārthadīpikā commentary…