4.2. Diseases and Expiatory Rites

It was believed in very ancient times that diseases are the penalty of sins. The early writers on Dharma like Manu and Vasiṣṭa state that diseases and bodily defects that sinners suffer are the effects of their sins.^[1] In Āyurvedic tradition, some incurable and hereditary diseases are due to the sufferer’s previous Karma. Carakasaṃhitā detained the belief that diseases are the consequence of actions done in previous births.^[2] Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra says, a thief becomes a man with misshapen nails, a murderer of a Brahmin becomes a man with white leprosy, one who drinks liquor becomes a man with black teeth, and one who has sex with wife of his Guru becomes a man with skin diseases.^[3]

Prāyaścittasudhānidhi, a work attributed to Sāyaṇa,^[4] discusses 51 diseases and their remedies. The diseases are Rājayakṣma, Kārśya, Kuṣṭa, Visarpa, Dadru, Visphoṭa, Atisāra, Grahaṇī, Gulma, Mahodara, Viṣūcika, Apasmāra, Kāmila, Śūla etc. This text recommends various expiatory rites for the removal of these diseases. They are various types of Pūja, Homa, Dāna and Yajñas. For instance, the Prāyaścitta for Bahumūtraprameha is to gift a golden cow-icon to a priest and then to do fire-offerings.^[5] The remedy for Rājayakṣma is vows for twelve years and the donation of all properties of the ailing person (Sarvatyāga) to a Brahmin and going for a long journey.^[6] The expiatory rites for Kārśya disease is a gift of a golden icon to a Brahmin, and then perform Rudrapūja and Homa of Śiva. The concepts of diseases are related to the Karma and Punarjanma theory. By enticing and frightening the people, the priestly class always made use of this assumption to maintain their power in the society.