Treatment of Fever (Takman)—Synopsis

[Note: For a detailed study, see the comparative study of Fever in the Atharvaveda]

Takman has been described vividly in Atharvaveda. It is a periodic fever with rigors and can be correlated with malarial fever. Its attacks are during summer, it is known as Graiṣmika, during the rainy season it is called Varṣika and in the autumn season, it is known as Śārada. The different types are Anyedyuṣka (Quotidian), Tṛtīyaka (Tertian) and Sadandi (remittent) etc. Arjuna, Añjana, Kuṣṭha used to treat Takman.

In the Atharvaveda fever is called Takman. But the term fever was never used^[1]. Due to Āmāśayastha Jāṭharāgni disorder, fever and other diseases occur. The Vedas describe various medicines for the treatment of fever, such as water therapy, solar therapy, wind therapy etc. The Atharvaveda speaks of the application of various herbs such as—Kuṣṭha, Jaṅgiḍa, gugala, Añjana, Śaṅkha, Pippalī, Soma, Dāsī, Śūdrā and yajña etc. The Kuṣṭha plant is effective against all kinds of fever^[2] and also Jaṅgiḍa^[3]. The Atharvaveda also mentions the application of Kuṣṭha, Khadira, Añjana maṇi, Jaṅgiḍa maṇi, Śatavāra maṇi to eradicate Viṣama—fever^[4].In the treatment of a patient suffering from Takman, he is washed with the water in which a heated axe is quenched by the practising priest while he recites.

According to Keśava and Sāyaṇa, this performance is undertaken—

“jvarabhaiṣajyam | nityajvarai velājvarai satatajvare ekāntikajvare cāturthikajvare ṛtujvare ca |”.

A different treatment is prescribed by the Kauśika Sūtra at 29.18: The Priest while reciting V.22 gives the patient a gruel made of roasted grain to drink. The dregs of the gruel, he pours from a copper vessel into fire derived from the forest fire. Again, at Kauśika Sūtra 32.17 appears an unusual account for curing fever: while reciting VII.116, he does as in the case of birds, he ties a frog that has stripes like reed upon his body using a blue and red thread, by the armpits to a low couch upon which the patient is made to sleep and sprinkles him.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

yadi śokoyadi vābhiśokoyadi vā rājño varuṇāsyāsi putraḥ |
hrūḍurnāmāsi haritasya deva sa naḥ saṃvidvān pari vṛṅ gdhi takman || (AV. –I/25/3); K. L. Joshi (ed.), Atharvaveda Saṃhitā -Vol. I, Delhi, Parimal Publication, 2015, p. 45.

[2]:

AV. –V/14/1-2; XIX/39.

[3]:

AV. –XIX/34; 35.

[4]:

AV. –IV/9/1-10, II/4/1-6, XIX/34/1-10, XIX/36/1-6; Veda Atharvaveda Saṃhitā, trans. Dilip Mukhopadhyaya, Kolkata, Aksaya Library, 2017, pp. 320-321; 226-227; 981-982; 988-989.