Atharvaveda and Charaka Samhita
by Laxmi Maji | 2021 | 143,541 words
This page relates ‘Apasmara (epilepsy) according to Caraka’ found in the study on diseases and remedies found in the Atharvaveda and Charaka-samhita. These texts deal with Ayurveda—the ancient Indian Science of life—which lays down the principles for keeping a sound health involving the use of herbs, roots and leaves. The Atharvaveda refers to one of the four Vedas (ancient Sanskrit texts encompassing all kinds of knowledge and science) containing many details on Ayurveda, which is here taken up for study.
Apasmāra (epilepsy) according to Caraka
Apasmāra According to the medical scholars, ‘loss of memory’ is called epilepsy. ‘Loss of memory’, associated with a feeling of entering into darkness (unconsciousness). Awkward behaviour; due to derangement of intellect and mind are the signs of ‘Apasmāra’[1]. According to Western physicians, the patient falls suddenly with a scream. No other disease causes loss of consciousness and the patient falls with such a shout, and there is no throwing out of foam from the mouth. In Western languages, this disease is called epilepsy or falling fit[2].
Epilepsy is caused by: intake of unwholesome and unclean food; suppression of the sattva by rajas and tamas; occlusion of the heart by the aggravated doṣas; and affliction of the mind by worry, passion fear, anger, grief, anxiety etc.[3]
The pathogenesis and symptoms of epilepsy are—air-bile-phlegm -which when engulfs the heart, pain occurs in the heart. When a human being is afflicted with this form and then becomes stupid due to delusion, he sees all illusory forms, falls to the ground and gets tremors. His eyes and eyebrows are distorted. Afterwards, when the fits are over, he regains consciousness as if he were getting up from sleep[4]. The premonitory symptoms of epilepsy are as follows-the contraction of eye-brows; the irregular movement of eyes constantly; hearing of such sounds as are non-existent; excessive discharge of saliva and nasal-excreta; disinclination for food, anorexia and indigestion; cardiac spasm; distension of the lower abdomen with a gurgling sound; weakness, cracking pain in bones and malaise; unconsciousness, entering into darkness, fainting and giddiness, and the frequent appearance of scenes of intoxication, dancing, murdering, aching, shivering and falling in the dreams. Thereafter epilepsy[5].
There are four types of epilepsy, namely,
Vātika type of Apasmāra is characterized by trembling to gnashing of teeth, throwing out foam from the mouth and panting. The patient gets a visual aura of farms which are rough, pink or black[7]. According to Suśruta, all types of fainting have an extreme overdose of bile[8].
Paittika type of epilepsy is characterised by yellowness of the foam, limbs, face and eyes. He gets a visual aura of yellow or blood-red objects. He suffers from morbid thirst and heat. He visualises the whole world as if set in flames[9].
The Ślaiṣmika type of epilepsy are characterised by the white colour of the foam, body, face and eyes, feeling of cold in the body, horripilation and heaviness. The patient visualises the aura of white objects. He recovers from the fit after a long time[10].
In the Sānnipātika type of epilepsy, signs and symptoms of all the above mentioned three varieties are manifested. This type of epilepsy is incurable. Epilepsy, which occurs in emaciated person or which is of long-standing is also incurable[11]. The aggravated dosas cause attacks of epilepsy once in fifteen days, twelve days or a month. the attack may take place even within a short period after the previous attack[12].
The general treatment of epilepsy has been said to be as follows-the physicians should first of all restore the activities of the heart, vessels and the mind which are occluded by dosas by the use of strong remedial measures like emetic therapy etc. The patient suffering from Vātika, Paittika and Khapaja types of epilepsy are mainly be given medicated enema or Basti, purgation or Virecana and emetic or Vamana therapies. Depending upon the requirement of the patients, however, other therapies could also be administered[13].
According to modern medicine, there are many types of epilepsy. E.g., tonic phase; clonic phase; minor epilepsy, petit mal, little illness; psychic or psychomotor epilepsy; sleep epilepsy, narcolepsy; status epilepticus; nocturnal epilepsy; jacksonian epilepsy, focal or partial seizure; and cataplexy[14].
The following additions are used in epilepsy, namely, Pañcagavya ghṛta[15], Brāhmī ghṛta[16], Vacādya ghṛta[17], Jīvanīya yamaka, Kaṭabhyādi taila, Palaṅkaṣādya taila, Medicated oil for Inhalation, Kāyasthādya varti, Mustādya varti, garlic with oil, Śatāvarī with milk, juice of Brāhmī with honey, juice or decoction of Kuṣṭha with honey, and powder of Vacā with honey[18].
Apasmāra is a disease which cannot be cured. It stays for a number of years. Therefore, an Apasmāra patient should be regularly treated with necessary rasāyana. The patient suffering from Epilepsy and insanity should be especially protected from water, fire, trees, mountains and uneven places. These may cause the instantaneous death of the patient[19].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
smṛterapagamaṃ prāhurapasmāraṃ bhiṣagvidaḥ |
tamaḥpraveśaṃ bībhatsaceṣṭaṃ dhīsaṃttvasaṃplavāt || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.3); R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka Saṃhitā–Vol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, p.
[2]:
Baidyacharya Kalikinkar Sensarma & Ayurbedacharya Satyasekhar Bhattacharya (eds.), Caraka- Samhita–Vol. II, trans. Kabiraj Jasodanandan Sirkar, Kolkata, Deepayan Publication, 2013, p. 463.
[3]:
vibhrāntabahudoṣāṇāmahitāśucibhojanāt |
rajastamobhyāṃ vihate sattve doṣāvṛte hṛdi ||
cintākāmabhayakrodhaśokodvegādibhistathā |
manasyabhihate nṛṇāmapasmāraḥ pravartate || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.4-5); Caraka Saṃhitā Vol. II with elaborated Vidyotini Hindi Commentary, trans. Kasinatha Pandey & Gorakha Natha Chaturvedi, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, 2015, p. 328.
[4]:
dhamanībhiḥ śritā doṣā hṛdayaṃ pīḍayanti hi |
saṃpīḍyamāno vyathate mūḍho bhrāntena cetasā ||
paśyatyasanti rūpāṇi patati prasphu ratyapi |
jihvā'kṣibhrūḥ sravallālo hastau pādau ca vikṣipan || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.6-7); R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka Saṃhitā–Vol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, p. 442.
[5]:
bhrūvyudāsaḥ satatamakṣṇorvaikṛtamaśabdaśravaṇaṃ lālāsiṅghāṇaprasravaṇamanannābhilaṣaṇamarocakavipākauhṛdayagrahaḥ kukṣerāṭopo daurbalyamasthibhedo'ṅgamardo mohastamaso darśanaṃ mūrcchā bhramaścābhīkṣṇaṃ svapne ca madanartanavyadhanavyathanavepanapatanādīnīti || tato'nantaramapasmārābhinirvṛttireva || (C. Nidānasthāna–VIII.6-7); Brajendra Chandra Nag (ed.), Caraka Saṃhitā, (Vol. 2), Kolkata, Navapatra Prakashan, 1984, pp. 59-60.
[6]:
pṛthagdoṣaiḥ samastaiśca vakṣyate sa caturvidhaḥ || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.8); Caraka Saṃhitā Vol. II with elaborated Vidyotini Hindi Commentary, trans. Kasinatha Pandey & Gorakha Natha Chaturvedi, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, 2015, p. 229.
[7]:
kampate pradeśeddantān phe nodvāmī śvasityapi |
paruṣāruṇakṛṣṇāni paśyedrupāṇi cānitāt || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.9); R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka Saṃhitā–Vol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, p. 443.
[8]:
Suśruta Uttar–61; Suśruta Saṃhitā of Maharṣi Suśruta Vol. III, Anant Ram Sharma (ed.), Varanasi, Chaukhamba Surbharati Prakashan, 2018, pp. 496-503.
[9]:
pītaphe nāṅgavaktrākṣaḥ pītāsṛgrūpadarśanaḥ |
satṛṣṇoṣṇānalavyāptalokadarśī ca paittikaḥ || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.10); Brajendra Chandra Nag (ed.), Caraka Saṃhitā, (Vol. 3), Kolkata, Navapatra Prakashan, 1984, pp. 199.
[10]:
śuklaphe nāṅgavaktrākṣaḥ śīto hṛṣṭāṅgajo guruḥ |
paśyan śuklāni rūpāṇi ślaiṣmikomucyate citāt || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.11); Caraka Saṃhitā Vol. II with elaborated Vidyotini Hindi Commentary, trans. Kasinatha Pandey & Gorakha Natha Chaturvedi, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, 2015, p. 331.
[11]:
sarvairetaiḥ samastaistu liṅgairjñayastridoṣajaḥ |
apasmāraḥ sa cāsādhyo yaḥ kṣīṇasyānavaśca yaḥ || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.12); Brajendra Chandra Nag (ed.), Caraka Saṃhitā, (Vol. 3), Kolkata, Navapatra Prakashan, 1984, pp. 199.
[12]:
pakṣādvā dvādaśāhādvā māsādvā kupitā malāḥ |
apasmārāya kurvanti vegaṃ kiṃ cidathāntaram || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.13); Caraka Saṃhitā Vol. II with elaborated Vidyotini Hindi Commentary, trans. Kasinatha Pandey & Gorakha Natha Chaturvedi, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, 2015, p. 331.
[13]:
tairāvṛtānāṃ hṛtsrotomanasāṃ saṃprabodhanam |
tīkṣṇairādau bhiṣak kuryāt karmabhirvamanādibhiḥ ||
vātikaṃ vastibhūyiṣṭhaiḥ paittaṃ prāyo virecanaiḥ |
ślaiṣmikaṃ vamanaprāyairapasmāramupācaret || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.14-15); R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka Saṃhitā–Vol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, pp. 444-445.
[14]:
Baidyacharya Kalikinkar Sensarma & Ayurbedacharya Satyasekhar Bhattacharya (eds.), Caraka- Samhita–Vol. II, trans. Kabiraj Jasodanandan Sirkar, Kolkata, Deepayan Publication, 2013, pp. 464- 466.
[15]:
gośakṛdrasadadhyamlakṣīramūtraiḥ samairghṛtam |
siddhaṃ pibedapasmārakāmalājvaranāśanam || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.17); Brajendra Chandra Nag (ed.), Caraka Saṃhitā, (Vol. 3), Kolkata, Navapatra Prakashan, 1984, pp. 200.
[16]:
brāhmīrasavacākuṣṭhaśaṅ khapuṣpībhireva ca |
purāṇaṃ ghṛtamunmādālakṣmyapasmārapāpanut || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.25); Caraka Saṃhitā Vol. II with elaborated Vidyotini Hindi Commentary, trans. Kasinatha Pandey & Gorakha Natha Chaturvedi, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, 2015, p. 332.
[17]:
vacāśampākakaiṭaryavayaḥ sthahiṅgucorakaiḥ |
siddhaṃ palaṅkaṣāyuktairvātaśleṣmātmakeghṛtam || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.27); Brajendra Chandra Nag (ed.), Caraka Saṃhitā, (Vol. 3), Kolkata, Navapatra Prakashan, 1984, pp. 201.
[18]:
prayujyāttailalaśunaṃ payasā vā śatāvarīm |
brāhmīrasaṃ kuṣṭharasaṃ vacāṃ vā madhusaṃyutām ||
duścikitsyo hyapasmāraścirakārī kṛtāspadaḥ |
tasmādrasāyanairenaṃ prāyeśaḥ samupācaret || (C. Cikitsāsthāna–X.64-65); R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka Saṃhitā–Vol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, p. 456.