Treatment of Urinary Disorders (Mūtrakṛccha)

The Atharvaveda initially mentions the treatment of Mūtrarodha or Mūtrakṛccha^[1]. The best way to get rid of various impurities in the body is to pass urine out smoothly. All the toxins in the body combine with the urine and come out of the body with the urine. In this way, the body stays healthy. But when the urine gets stuck inside and the urine poison spreads inside the body, various diseases arise as a result. When the prostate glands are enlarged, the urinary tract becomes blocked and the urine does not come out. This is called urinary tract disease or urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is a terrible disease, which results in death. Therefore, in the Vedas, provision has been made to keep the two kidneys (kidneys) transparent^[2]. The Atharvaveda speaks of four types of treatment for urinary tract infections. Namely—Medicinal treatment, śalakā application, surgery, treatment and divine or Daivī treatment.

Śara, Muñja or Tejana, etc., have been suggested to be used as medicine in the treatment of urinary tract diseases. The Ṛgveda says that water should be filtered and dunk by Muñja. According to the Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā, Muñja has a lot of power. The second way to get rid of urinary tract disease is to insert the shoots of Muñja grass or Iṣīkā into the urinary tract. This causes urine to come out^[3]. The word Iṣīkā is used in two places in the Atharvaveda. It is known from this that Iṣīkā is applied for urinary incontinence.

In modern times it is an iron whip or catheter. The third rule is surgery or operation. This causes the urine stuck in the uterus and kidney to be excreted by surgery. The word mehana in mantra prevents prostate gland operation^[4]. The fourth rule is Daivī treatment. The Atharvaveda mentions Parjanya (cloud, rain), Mitra (soul), Varuṇa (water), Moon and Sun in the Daivī treatment. Parjanya means that rainwater is the purest. If you drink it regularly, all the faults of the body are excreted through urine. Description of Mūtraghāta (retention of urine) and its treatment by catheterisation is also found in Atharvaveda. The Atharvaveda mentions many medicines to cure urinary tract infections, which are beneficial. Namely—Darbha, Apāmārga, Madugha, Kiṃśuka, Kuśa, Āsrāvabheṣaja, Dūrvā, Pītudāru, Punarṇavā, Bisa, Māṣa, Muñja, Yabāṣa, Varaṇa, Vetasa, Śara, Śāṇḍadūrvā, Śigru, Sahadevī, Srekaparṇa.

If the patient is suffering from “retention of urine” and “constipation”, the practising priest ties substances like Harītakī (gall-nut) or Karpūra (camphor) which promote micturition, while reciting I.3. Then he gives the patient a decoction of earth from a mole-hill, Pūtikā, pulverized Pramanda, each mixed with wood shavings. Then while reciting the last two stanzas of I.3 he gives the patient enema and makes him take a ride in a vehicle. He then shoots an arrow and finally opens the urethra by probing the bladder with a copper instrument. After the operation is over, the priest pours twenty-one barley grains upon the affected parts of the body. A decoction of Āla (a creeper), lotus root and Ula (musk) are given to the patient to drink”^[5].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

vidmā śarasya pitaraṃ parjanyaṃ śatavṛṣṇyam |
tenā te tanve śaṃ karaṃ pṛthivyāṃ te niṣecanaṃ bahiṣṭe astu bāliti || (AV. –I/3/1-9); Atharva-Veda-Saṃhitā along With Sāyaṇabhāṣya–Vol.–1, Ramswaroop Sharma Gaud (ed.), Varanasi, Chowkhamba Vidyabhawan, 2011, p. 139-151.

[2]:

asadan gāvaḥ sadane'paptad vasatiṃ vayaḥ |
āsthane parvatā asthuḥ sthamni vṛkkavatiṣṭhipam || (AV. –VII/96/1); K. L. Joshi(ed.), Atharvaveda Saṃhitā–Vol. II, Delhi, Parimal Publication, 2015, p. 111.

[3]:

yatheṣukāparāpatadavasṛṣṭādhi dhanvanaḥ |
evā te mūtraṃ mucyatāṃ bahirbāliti sarvakam || (AV. –I/3/9); Acarya Vedanta Tirtha (ed.), Atharvaveda–Vol. 1, Delhi, Manoj Publication, 2012, p. 34.

[4]:

pra te bhinadmi mehanaṃ vartyaṃ veśantyā iva |
evā te mūtraṃ mucyatāṃ bahirbāliti sarvakam || (AV. –I/3/7); K. L. Joshi(ed.), Atharvaveda Saṃhitā–Vol. I, Delhi, Parimal Publication, 2015, p. 7.

[5]:

sarpiṣā limpati || apidhamati || vidmā śarasyeti pramehaṇaṃ badhnāti || (Kauśika Sūtra 25.8-10); Atharvavedīya–Kauśika Gṛhyasūtraṃ (Dārilakeśavayosaṃ-kṣiptaṭīkaya sahitaṃ), trans. Udayanarayana Sinha, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series office, 2009, pp. 55-56.