Chapter 8 - Imbalance Condition (Vaiṣamya)

[Full title: Imbalance Condition (vaiṣamya) due to Increase or Decrease (vṛddhikṣaya)].

Imbalance condition brought about by the increase or decrease of functional or structural system either in tempo or quantum is a simple pathological process mainly concerned with the particular system affected. It is of greater importance from the point of view of maintenance of perfect health. It results generally from errors of regimen of personal hygiene and it can often be rectified and certainly prevented by careful observance of rules of personal regimen (svasthavṛtta). If the, condition of imbalance is allowed to progress further, it will lead to the next stage of vitiation process. The causes of imbalance are mainly some faults either in the natural environments of man or some faults in the observance of personal regimen.

Caraka states in general the causes of balance and imbalance conditions as under:—

[Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 1.54.55]

“The complex of causes with reference to disease, psychic and somatic, is either erroneous, inadequate or excessive interaction of time, mind, senses and sense-objects.

The body and that which, is called the mind are both considered to be the abodes of diseases, likewise of well-being, right contact or interaction of the above is the cause of well-being. The cause of well-being is the harmonious or concordant interaction”.

Homologous environmental factors maintain health, any variation disturbs the balance constant.

1. kāla (climatic or seasonal environment)

The first factor is kāla i.e., climatic or seasonal environment.

India has three definite seasons in a year with specific characteristics of each (śīta, uṣṇa and varṣā) i.e. winter, summer and rainy season, with the dominance of cold, heat, and humidity respectively

The body has to adjust its balance-constant in conformity with this periodic climatic changes.

Thus imbalance can occur in two ways—

1. If climatic variations are not happening in a natural or normal way but become too intense or weak or perverted and the reserve power of the man’s constitution cannot cope with such variations and hence the balance of his body-constants cannot be steadied or stabilized, the condition of Imbalance occurs.

2. Or the condition of imbalance may occur even with normality of natural climatic environment if body vitality has been lowered by age, disease or any other factor.

2. buddhi (intelligence):

The second factor is buddhi i.e intelligence.

This is further expounded by Caraka as follows:

[Carakasaṃhitā Śārīrasthāna 1.109]

“Misunderstanding by the intellect and wrongful conduct are to be understood as ‘volitional transgression,’ because they-come under the ken of the mind”

[Carakasaṃhitā Śārīrasthāna 1.109, Cakrapāṇi commentary]

“Owing to the perception of things, in a manner that is contrary to their real state of existence, there result wrongful speech and conduct”, (commentary on the above verse by Cakrapāni)

Here the vital relationship subsisting between psychic and somatic life is clearly emphasized. Thus a somatic transgression has psychic repercussions and likewise psychic transgressions lead to somatic disturbances. Therefore volitional transgression (prajñāparādha) of either kind leads to disorders affecting the entire Psycho-somatic unit.

3. indriyārtha (sense-objects)

The third factor is indriyārtha i.e., sense-objects.

These sense-objects are items of diet and pleasures of the senses, involving the diet and behaviour of Man. The sense-object of taste is food, and those of sight, smell, hearing and touch constitute pleasures of art, beauty, music and love; in all these contacts, moderation and agreeability to one’s nature and capacity should be the guiding factors. Transgression of the bounds of moderation and agreeability relatively to one’s nature and capacity are bound to lead to psycho-somatic strain and discordance resulting in disease

Practical wisdom is discerned in the precept of Caraka who advises to prescribe personal regimen in accordance with individual constitution so that a person can ever maintain the absolute standard of perfect health.

[Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 7.41]

“Having regard to the rules of healthful living, in the case of those who are characterized by the predominance of one vitium, the use of things antagonistic in quality to that particular vitium is beneficial”.

The causes of increase and decrease of body-elements is given by Caraka as follows—

[Carakasaṃhitā Śārīrasthāna 6.10]

“In this very manner, there is increase of the tendencies of the body-elements by the accession of like factors and decrease by the accession of unlike factors”.

The mode of action of these causes of increase and decrease is described as follows—

1. [...] (by its qualities);
2. [...] (by the nature of substances);
3. [...] (by its specific action);
4. [...] (by its normal action);

All the functions and structures that sustain the body will be affected by this pathological condition of increase or decrease

The functions and body structures which sustain the body are described by Sushruta as follows:

[Suśrutasaṃhita Sūtrasthāna 15.3]

“The body indeed hag its root-support in the vitia, the body-elements and the excretory substance”

So there can be increase or decrease condition of any of them; and such change in turn will disturb the equilibrium between the various functional and structural systems of' the body and will cause Imbalance condition.

• The Dosas (doṣa) are three viz., Vata, Pitta, Kapha.
• The Dhatus (dhātu) are seven viz., Nutrient fluid, blood, flesh, fat, bone-marrow and semen
• The Mala are feces, urine, sweat, menstrual fluid, bile etc.

The signs and symptoms produced by these conditions of increase and decrease in each of them are carefully observed and described in great detail in the classics of Ayurveda and the therapeutic measures given to rectify each condition.

[Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 10.6]

“We replenish body-elements that have suffered decrease, and deplete those that have undergone increase”

The superb level to which the clinical science and practical therapeutics of the ancients had advanced becomes evident from the following verge of Sushruta:—

[Suśrutasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 15.32-33]

“The person whose vitia, body-elements, excretory matter and body-strength have suffered diminution, craves for such varieties of food as are the sources of these diminished objects. By satisfying the yearning for the type of food which supply those deficient constituents of the body, their diminution is corrected”

Vagbhata says—

[Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 11.42]

“Whatever type of food a person dislikes and whatever he craves for, by avoiding and satisfying these respectively should he correct the excess and paucity respectively of the body-constituents.”

That this Imbalance condition due to increase or decrease has greater importance in the maintenance of positive and perfect health becomes evident when we find the 15th chapter of Sutrasthana which is devoted to the description of the condition of (vṛddhi) and (kṣaya) by Sushruta, ends with the masterly definition of perfect health:—

[Suśrutasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 15.44]

“He that is possessed of the proper balance of the vitia, the metabolic heat, the body-elements and the excretory functions and who is possessed of absolute clarity of the spirit, the senses and the mind, is said to be enjoying perfect health.”