Chapter 5.1 - Anumana in Ayurveda

Ayurveda the traditional system of Indian medicine is a special branch of knowledge on life dealing the whole branches of life, the body and mind. The aim and objective for development of this system is described as ‘preservation of healthy people and curing persons suffering from disease. This system deals elaborately with measures or healthy living during the entire span of life and its various phases. It acts as a poultice to many diseases for which even the modern medical sciences has no better treatment to suggest. The word Ayurveda comes from two Sanskrit words ‘Ayush’ means life and ‘Veda’ means Knowledge or science. Ayurveda thus means ‘the knowledge of life or the “science of life”. Caraka the renowned Ayurveda scholar states that Ayu (life) comprises the mind, body, sense and the soul. The works of Caraka Shushruta and Vagbhata are considered canonical and reverentially called the Vriddha tray, the triad of ancients or Brihat trayi, the greater Triad. Caraka Samhita and Shushruta samhita bear testimony to the scientific research, patient investigation and experimentation which preceded them and served as works of references to students and research workers alike. Each of these Samhitas deals with among other subjects, anatomy, physiology, toxicology, psychic therapy, personal hygiene and medical ethics.

According to Darila Bhatta there are two kinds of diseases i.e., those that are produced by unwholesome diet and that produced by sins and transgression. Ayurveda is used for curing the former and Atharvaveda for the latter. Ayurveda has been following a curing system and reactionary discourse based on the pancabhutas. The three world concept of Vedas (earth, heaven and vayu) in the later years changed into pancabhuta. It can be said that the extensiveness of Vedic vision is seen in Ayurveda. It is both a science and a philosophy. It accepts the Vedic view that the individual and the universe are identical and that man is a miniature form of nature.

Inference (anumana) has a rollcall in the system of Ayurveda as this science of ancient medicare is solely depended on Nyaya sutras of Gautamacarya. According to Ayurveda the fundamental cause of diseases is the imbalance of the three doshas-vata, pitta and kapha.^[1] Ayurveda diagnoses diseases based on their constitution and then prescribe suitable treatment. The three fold examination or trividh pariksha consists of investigation which is carried out by the three methods: prashna, pratyaksha and anumana. Prashna is the stage in which the doctor questions the patient about his problems, ailments and symptoms. Pratyaksha is the direct objective examination of the patient by direct methods like checking the pulse, measuring the intensity of breathing etc. The third stage is Anumana. It is basically the objective examination of the patient by indirect or inferential methods. The goal or purpose of investigation is to obtain a clear conception of the status of one’s bodily strength including resistance (bala pramana) accurate pathological condition (dosha pramana) and one’s life term (ayushpramana). Anumana is an anticipation of the situation which lies beyond the perceptibility. Two important things considered are lingi (matter) and linga (property). By means of linga the lingi is identified. Linga and lingi here are intimately related. A practitioner takes into account several factors to diagnose the disease like: Strength is determined by the capacity for doing exercise; Sense organs by their ability of perception; Mind by the power of concentration; Passion by the strength of attachment; Infatuation by the lack of understanding; Anger from the actions of violence, etc.^[2]

It is evident from the above that anumana is used extensively in Ayurveda. Pratyaksha has got its limitations. The sense faculties are capable to cover only a limited area of the knowledge; whereas various causes of nonperceptibility can create abstractions in direct observation. In order to diagnose a disease appropriately, it is inevitable to collect many facts related with past and future and make a conclusion through inductive reasonings. It is anumana that help us to do such inductive reasoning and reach at a proper conclusion.

Anumana is reasoning based on sound observations. The patient’s capacity for understanding is revealed by their goals in life, their emotional state by the strength of their attachments, grief by despondency, joy by exhilaration, pleasure from the sense of satisfaction, fear from dejection, vitality by enthusiasm for understandings, faith by the opinions they hold, intelligence by their power or reason and recollection, character by their conduct and aversion by what they refuse to do. Latent disease can be revealed by testing with therapeutic or provocative medications.

Types of Anumana in Ayurveda

Caraka describes three types of anumana in Ayurveda.

a) Anumana of effect from the cause (past) It refers to past time action. For example: when one sees a bowl of rice, it infers the past act of cooking; as the inter relationship between rice and cooking is an established factor.

b) Anumana of the effect from the cause (future). Production of the fruits can be inferred from the seeds seen. Inference about the growth of a tree from a seed in itself may not bring about desired effect. But it becomes a reality (i.e., growth into a tree) in due course, when the seed is joined with other accessories like earth, irrigation etc. So it has been accepted as a type of inference.

c) Anumana in general (present). It is the inference based on mark or sign. For example, from seeing smoke one can infer the existence of fire.

Even though Caraka has not given particular names to these three types of anumana, it may be assumed that they represent the three types of anumana described by Nyaya school viz. puravat, sheshavat and samanyatodristam.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Frawley, David: Ranade, Subhash. Ayurveda, Nature’s Medicine. Lotus press, 2001.

[2]:

ibid.,