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But Cakrapani remarks that the earlier theory (kedari-kulya) is as good as the later one. For on that view also it might be held that by milk its special quality (prabhava) 1 There are two kinds of rasa, called dhdtu-rasa and posaka-rasa. See Cakrapani’s comment on Caraka-samhita, v1. 15. 14 and 15. 2 parindma-pakse, vrsya-prayogasya raktadi-riipapatti-kramendaticirena sukram bhavatiti; kstradayas ca sadya evavrsya drsyante, khale-kapota-pakse tuvrsyotpanno rasah prabhavac chighram eva sukrena sambaddhah san tat-pustim karotiti yuktam (Cakrapani on Caraka-samhitd, 1. 28. 3). Elsewhere (zbid. vi. 15. 32) it is said that those articles of food which stimulate semen (vrsya) are, according to some authorities, changed into semen in six days and nights, whereas in the ordinary course, as is said in Susruta, it takes a month for the transformation of ordinary articles of food into semen. But Caraka does not favour any time limitation and urges that, just as the movement of a wheel depends upon the energy spent _ on it, so the time that a particular food takes for getting itself transformed into semen or into any other dhdtu depends upon the nature of the food and the powers of digestion. 21-2 324 Speculations in the Medical Schools [cH. passed quickly through the various stages and became associated with the seminal fluid. Nor can it be said that according to the first theory every case of impurity of rasa (rasa-dustt) is also a case of impurity of blood (rakta-dusti), as is argued; for not the whole of rasa is transformed into blood, but only a part of it. So the rasa part may be impure, but still the part that goes to form blood may be pure; thus both theories are equally strong, and nothing can be said in favour of either. In Caraka-samhita, V1. 15. 14 and 15, it is said that from rasa there is rakta (blood), from rakta flesh, from flesh fat, from fat bones, from bones marrow, from marrow semen. The two theories above referred to deal with the supposed ways in which such transformations occur. In addition to the seven dhaius, or body-constituents, spoken of above there are ten upa-dhatus, which are counted by Bhoja as Sira, snayu, ovarial blood and the seven layers of skin!. Caraka says in VI.15. 15 that from rasa is also produced milk, and from milk ovarial blood; again, the thick tissues or ligaments (kandara) and siras are produced from blood, and from flesh are produced fat (vasa) and the six layers of skin, and from fat (medas) are produced the five tissues. The chyle, or rasa, becomes tinged with red by the heat of bile. The blood, again, being worked upon by vayu and heat, becomes steady and white, and is called fat (medas). The bones are a conglomeration of earth, heat and air and therefore, though produced from flesh and fat, are hard. They are made porous by vayu running through them, and the pores are filled in by fat, which is called marrow. From the oily parts of marrow, again, semen is produced. Just as water percolates through the pores of a new earthen jug, the semen percolates through the pores of the bones, and there is also a flow of this seminal fluid through the body by way of its own ducts. By the rousing of desires and sex joy and by the heat of the sex act the semen oozes out and collects in the testes, from which it is ultimately liberated through its proper channel?. * Cakrapani on Caraka-samhita, vi. 15. 14 and 15, a quotation from Bhoja. Ojas is counted as an upa-dhatu. * Caraka-samhitd, V1. 15. 22-29. XIII] Vayu, Pitta and Kapha 325 Vayu, Pitta and Kapha. The qualities of the body are briefly of two kinds, those which make the system foul, the mala, and those which sustain and purify the body, the prasada. Thus in the pores of the body are formed many undesirable bodily growths which seek egress; some constituents of the body, such as blood, are often turned into pus; the vayu (air), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm or lymph) may become less or more than their normal measure (prakupita), and there are other entities which, existing in the body, tend to weaken " or destroy it; these are all called malas. Others which go towards the sustenance and the growth of the body are called prasada!. But vayu, pitta and kapha are primarily responsible for all kinds of morbidities of the body, and they are therefore called dosa. It must, however, be noted that the vayu, pitta and kapha and all other malas, so long as they remain in their proper measure (svamana), do not pollute or weaken the body or produce diseases. So even malas like vayu, pitta and kapha, or sweat, urine, etc., are called dhdatus, or body-constituents, so long as they do not ex- ceed their proper measure, and thus instead of weakening the body they serve to sustain it. Both the mala-dhatus and the prasada- dhatus in their proper measure co-operate together in sustaining the bedy?. When various kinds of healthy food and drink are exposed in the stomach to the internal fire of the digestive organs, they become digested by heat. The essential part of the digested food is the chyle (rasa), and the impurities which are left out and cannot be assimilated into the body as its constituents are called kitta or mala. From this kitta are produced sweat, urine, excreta, vayu, pitta, slesman and the dirt of ear, eye, nose, mouth and of the holes of the hairs of the body, the hair, beard, hair of the body, nails, etc. The impurity of food is excreta and urine, that of rasa is phlegm (kapha), that of flesh bile (pitta) and that of fat (medas) sweat*. This view of vdyu, pitta and kapha seems to indicate that these are secretions, waste-products (hitta), like the other waste-products of the body. But the theory of waste- products is that, when they are in their proper measure, they serve to sustain the body and perform important functions, but, when 1 Caraka-samhitd, 1v. 6. 17. 2 evam rasa-malau sva-pramanavasthitav Gsrayasya sama-dhator dhatu-sam- "yam anuvartayatah (ibid. 1. 28. 3). 3 Ibid. 1. 28. 3. & [bid V1. 15. 30. 326 Speculations in the Medical Schools [cH. they exceed the proper limit or become less than their proper measure, they pollute the body and may ultimately break it. But of all waste-products vayu, pitta and kapha are regarded as being fundamentally the most important entities, and they sustain the work of the body by their mutual co-operation in proper measure, and destroy it by the disturbance of balance due to the rise or fall of one, two or all three of them. As has already been said, the body is composed of certain constituents, such as vasa and rakta. The food and drink which we take go to nourish the different dhatus. Not all the food and drink that we take, however, can be absorbed into the system, and conse- quently certain waste-products are left!. The question arises, what is it that sustains the system or breaks it? It has already been noticed that the due proportion of the dhdtus is what constitutes the health of the body. This due proportion, however, must, as is easy to see, depend on the proper absorption of food and drink in such a way that each of the dhdtus may have its due share and that only, neither less nor more. It is also necessary that there should be a due functioning of the causes of waste or accretion, working in a manner conducive to the preservation of the proper proportion of the constituents with reference to themselves and the entire system. Deficiency or excess of waste-products is there- fore an invariable concomitant of all disturbances of the balance of dhatus, and hence the deficiency or excess of waste-products is regarded as the cause of all dhatu-vaisamya. So long as the waste-products are not in deficiency or excess, they are the agents which constitute the main working of the system and may them- selves be therefore regarded as dhatus. It is when there is excess or deficiency of one or more of them that they oppose in various ways the general process of that working of the system and are to be regarded as dosas or polluting agents. There are various waste-products of the body; but of all these vayu, pitta and kapha are regarded as the three most important, being at the root of all growth and decay of the body, its health and disease. Thus 1 Sarngadhara (rv. 5) counts seven visible waste-products which are different from the three malas referred to here as vdyu, pitta and kapha. These are (1) the watery secretions from tongue, eyes and cheeks, (2) the colouring pitta, (3) the dirt of ears, tongue, teeth, armpits and penis, (4) the nails, (5) the dirt of the eyes, (6) the glossy appearance of the face, (7) the eruptions which come out in youth, and beards. Radhamalla, in commenting on this, refers to Caraka-samhitd, VI. 15. 29-30, in support of the above passage of Sarngadhara. Most of the malas are chidra-malas, or impurities of the openings. XIII] Vayu, Pitta and Kapha 327 Atreya says in answer to Kapyavaca’s remarks in the learned dis- cussions of the assembly of the sages, ‘‘In one sense you have all spoken correctly; but none of your judgments are absolutely true. Just as it is necessary that religious duties (dharma), wealth (artha) and desires (kama) should all be equally attended to, or just as the three seasons of winter, summer and rains all go in a definite order, so all the three, vata, pitta and slesman or kapha, when they are in their natural state of equilibrium, contribute to the efficiency of all the sense-organs, the strength, colour and health of the body, and endow a man with long life. But, when they are disturbed, they produce opposite results and ultimately break the whole balance of the system and destroy it!.” There is one important point to which the notice of the reader should par- ticularly be drawn. I have sometimes translated mala as ‘‘ polluting agents or impurities”?