Ashtanga Hridaya of Bagbhat- Indian Ayurvedic system

Chapter 1: Ayushkameeya आय
ु
कामीयं Adhyaya
“Desire for long life”
1. Salutations
रागाद रोगान सततान ् ु
षतान्शेषकायसतानशेषान ृ औस ् ु
यमोहारतदाजघान
यो अपू
ववैयाय नमो अतु
तमै
Salutation to The Unique and Rare Physician, who has destroyed, without any residue all the
diseases like Raga (lust, anger, greed, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, ego), which are constantly
associated with the body, which is spread all over the body, giving rise to disease, delusion and
restlessness.
This salutation is done to Lord Dhanwantari.
2. Purpose of life: Essential quality to learn Ayurveda
आयु: कामायमानेन धमाथ सु
खसाधनम । आय ् ु
वदोपदेशेषु
वधेय: परमादर: ॥
āyu: kāmāyamānena dharmārtha sukhasādhanam | āyurvedopadeśeṣu vidheya: paramādara: ||
To achieve the purpose of life, that is
1. Dharma – following the path of righteousness
2. Artha – earning money in a legal way
3. Kama – fulfilling our desire
4. Moksha – achieving Salvation,
To achieve this purpose of life, one should concentrate on having a long life. To learn the science
of Ayurveda, which explains how to achieve this purpose, ‘obedience’ (Vidheya) is the most
important quality.
3. Origin of Ayurveda
मा मवा आय ृ ु
षो वेदं जापतमिजहेसो अिवनौ तौ सहां सो अपु
ादकामु
नीते
अिनवेशादकांते टु पथकृ ् ताण तेनरे
Lord Brahma, remembering Ayurveda, taught it to Prajapathi, he in turn taught it to Ashwini
Kumaras (twins), they taught it to Sahasraksa (Lord Indra), he taught it to Atri’s son (Atreya
Punarvasu) and other sages, they taught it to Agnivesa and others and they (Agnivesha and other
disciples ) composed treatises, each one separately.
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4 – 4.5. Funda of Ashtanga Hrudayam:
तेयो अतवकययः ायः सारतरोचयःयते अटागदयं नातसंेपवतरम ्
From those Ayurvedic text books, which are too elaborate and hence very difficult to study, only
the essence is collected and presented in Ashtanga Hridaya, which is neither too short nor too
elaborate.
4.5-5.5 – Branches of Ayurveda
कायबालहोवाग शयदंा जरावषानृ ्|| अटावगान तयाहु: चकसा येषु
संता |
kāyabālagrahordhvāṅga śalyadaṃṣṭrā jarāvṛṣān || aṣṭāvaṅgāni tasyāhu: cikitsā yeṣu saṃśritā |
1. Kaya Chikitsa – General medicine
2. Bala Chikitsa – Paediatrics
3. Graha Chikitsa – Psychiatry
4. Urdhvanga Chikitsa – Diseases and treatment of Ear, Nose, Throat, Eyes and Head
(neck and above region)
5. Shalya Chikitsa – Surgery
6. Damshrta Chikitsa – Toxicology
7. Jara Chikitsa – Geriatrics
8. Vrushya Chikitsa – Aphrodisiac therapy
These are the eight branches of Ayurveda.
5.5 – 6.5 Tridosha
वायु: पतं कफचेत यो दोषा: समासत: ॥ वकृताऽवकृता देहं नित ते वतयित च ।
vāyu: pittaṃ kaphaśceti trayo doṣā: samāsata: || vikṛtā’vikṛtā dehaṃ ghnanti te varttayanti ca |
Vayu – Vata, Pitta and kapha are the three Doshas of the body. Perfect balance of three Doshas
leads to health, imbalance in Tridosha leads to diseases.
6.5-7.5 How Thridosha are spread in body and in a day?
ते यापनोऽप नायोरधोमयोव संया: ॥
वयोऽहोराभु
तानां तेऽतमयादगा: मात ।्
te vyāpino’pi hṛnnābhyoradhomadhyordhva saṃśrayā: ||
vayo’horātribhuktānāṃ te’ntamadhyādigā: kramāt |
The Tridosha are present all over the body, but their presence is especially seen in particular
parts. If you divide the body into three parts, the top part upto chest is dominated by Kapha
Dosha, between chest and umbilicus is dominated by Pitta, below umbilicus part is dominated by
Vata.
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Similarly, in a person’s life, day and in night (separately), the first part is dominated by Kapha,
second part is dominated by Pitta and third part is dominated by Vata. While eating and during
digestion, the first, second and third part are dominated by Kapha, Pitta and Vata respectively.
7.5 Types of digestive fires
तैभवेवषम: तीणो मदचािन: समै: सम: ॥
tairbhavedviṣama: tīkṣṇo mandaścāgni: samai: sama: ||
There are four types of Digestive fires (Agni)
1. Vishama Agni – Influenced by Vata. A person with Vishama Agni will sometimes
have high appetite, and sometimes, low appetite.
2. Teekshna Agni - Influenced by Pitta. A person with Teeksna Agni will have high
digestion power and appetite.
3. Manda Agni - Influenced by Kapha. A person with Manda Agni will have low
digestion power and appetite.
4. Sama Agni - Influenced by perfect balance of Tridosha – Where person will have
proper appetite and digestion power. Digestion occurs at appropriate time.
8.5 Types of digestive tracts / nature of bowels
कोठ: ूरो मदृ मयो मय: यातै: समैरप ।
ु
koṣṭha: krūro mṛdurmadhyo madhya: syāttai: samairapi |
There are three types of digestive tracts (Koshta):
1. Kroora Koshta – wherein the person will take long time for digestion. The bowel
evacuation will be irregular. It is influenced by Vata.
2. Mrudu Koshta – Sensitive stomach, has a very short digestion period. Even
administration of milk will cause bowel evacuation.
3. Madhya Koshta – Proper digestive tract, bowel evacuation at appropriate times. It is
influenced by Tridosha balance.
9-10 Types of Prakruti – Body Types
शु
ातवथै: जमादौ वषेणैव वषकृमे: ॥ तैच त: कृतयो हनमयोतमा: पथकृ ् ।
समधात: समतास ु ु
ेठा नया वदोषजा ॥
śukrārtavasthai: janmādau viṣeṇaiva viṣakṛme: || taiśca tisra: prakṛtayo hīnamadhyottamā: pṛthak |
samadhātu: samastāsu śreṣṭhā nindyā dvidoṣajā ||
Like the poison is natural and inherent to poisonous insects, similarly, the Prakruti (body type) is
inherent to humans. The body type is decided during conception, based on qualities of sperm and
ovum.
Vata prakruti – Vata body type is considered as low quality
Pitta Prakruti – Pitta body type is considered as moderate quality
Kapha Prakruti – Kapha body type is considered good quality.
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Tridosha body type – influenced equally by Vata, Pitta and Kapha is considered the
best quality.
Dual body types, Like Vata-Pitta, Pitta-Kapha, Vata-Kapha body types are
considered as not good.
10.5 Qualities of Vata
त ो लघु: शीत: खर: सू
मचलोऽनल: ॥
tatra rūkṣo laghu: śīta: khara: sūkṣmaścalo’nila: ||
Rooksha – dryness, Laghu – Lightness, Sheeta – coldness, Khara – roughness, Sookshma –
minuteness, Chala – movement These are the qualities of Vata.
11. Qualities of Pitta
पतं सनेह तीणोणं लघु
वं सरं वम ।्
pittaṃ sasneha tīkṣṇoṣṇaṃ laghu visraṃ saraṃ dravam |
Sasneha – slightly oily, unctuous, Teekshna – piercing, entering into deep tissues, Ushna –
hotness, Laghu – lightness, Visram – bad smell, sara – having fluidity, movement, drava –
liquidity are the qualities of Pitta.
12. Qualities of Kapha
िनध: शीतो गमद: लणो म ु न: िथर: कफ: ॥ ृ
snigdha: śīto gururmanda: ślakṣṇo mṛtsna: sthira: kapha: ||
Snigdhna – oily, unctuous, Sheeta – cold, Guru – heavy, Manda – mild, viscous, shlakshna –
smooth, clear, Mrutsna – slimy, jely, sthira – stability, immobility are the qualities of Kapha.
संसगः सिनपातच तवयकोपतः
The increase, decrease of individual Doshas, or imbalance of couple of these Doshas is called as
Samsarga. And imbalance of all the three Doshas together is called as Sannipata.
13. Body tissues and waste products
रस असकृ ् मांस मेदो अिथ मज शु
ाण धातव: ।
सत दया: मला: म ू ू
शकृत वेदादयोऽप च ॥ ्
rasa asṛk māṃsa medo asthi majja śukrāṇi dhātava: |
sapta dūṣyā: malā: mūtra śakṛt svedādayo’pi ca ||
Body tissues and waste products are called as Dushyas. Means, there are influenced, and affected
by Doshas. Body tissues are -
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1. Rasa - the first product of digestion, Soon after digestion of food, the digested food
turns into Rasa. It is grossly compared to lymph or plasma. But it is not a complete
comparison.
2. Rakta – Also called as Asruk. – Blood
3. Mamsa – Muscle
4. Meda - Fat tissue
5. Asthi - Bones and cartilages
6. Majja - Bone marrow
7. Shukra – Semen / Ovum or entire male and female genital tract and its secretions are
grossly covered under this heading.
Mala – waste products
Shakrut / Pureesha – (faeces), Sweda (sweat) and Mootra (urine) are the three waste products of
the body.
13.5 Nature of increase and decrease
व: समानै: सवषां वपरतै: वपयय: । ृ
vṛddhi: samānai: sarveṣāṃ viparītai: viparyaya: |
Equal qualities lead to increase, and opposing qualities lead to decrease. For example, dryness is
the quality of Vata. If a Vata body type person exposes himself to dry cold weather, his dryness
and in turn Vata will increase, leading to dry skin. In the same way, oiliness is opposite quality of
dryness. If he applies oil to the skin, then the dryness and related Vata is decreased.
13.5 Six tastes
रसाः वावललवणततोषणकषायकाःष यमाताते च यथापू
व बलावहाः
Svadu – Madhura – sweet, Amla – Sour, Lavana – Salt, Tikta – Bitter, Ushna – Katu – Pungent,
Kashaya – Astringent are the six types of Rasa.
They are successively lower in energy. That means, Sweet taste imparts maximum energy to
body and the astringent, the least.
14. Effect of tastes on Tridosha
ताया मातं नित य: ततादय: कफम ।्
कषाय तत मधु
रा: पतमये त कु ुवते ॥
tatrādyā mārutaṃ ghnanti traya: tiktādaya: kapham |
kaṣāya tikta madhurā: pittamanye tu kurvate ||
In the list of tastes, the first three, i.e. Sweet, sour and salt mitigates Vata and increases Kapha.
The last three, i.e. bitter, pungent and astringent tastes mitigates Kapha and increases Vata
Astringent, bitter and sweet taste mitigates Pitta. Sour, salt and pungent tastes increase Pitta.
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