Atharvaveda and Charaka Samhita
by Laxmi Maji | 2021 | 143,541 words
This page relates ‘Treatment of Kasa (cough)’ 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.
Treatment of Kāsa (cough)
The synonyms for Cough in Atharvaveda are Kāsa, Kāsā, and Kāsikā, etc.[1] In one Sūkta Atharvaveda gives three hymns for curing cough like Mānasa-Cikitsā, Pārthiva-Cikitsā and Sāmudrī-Cikitsā. In Sāmudrī-Cikitsā, the foam of the sea is used to the healing of cough. Swami Brahmamuni has said–where the mucus collects and dries up there the mind is to be focused. If the mind can be focussing then the mucus can be melted[2]. In Bhāvaprakāśa seafoam can neutralize cough. A patient suffering from wet cough is advised by Atharvaveda to live on a hill covered in grass and trees. Then the patient will be cured[3]. Atharvaveda says pippalī is good for cough. Pippalī is called Atividdhabheṣajī and Kṣiptabheṣajī. In Yajurveda and Atharvaveda Māṣa or Uḍada cures headache and respiratory problems[4].
The treatment of Kāsa, that Śleṣmapatana and Ariṣṭa describe: the patient takes a few steps away from his house, having fed himself with a churned drink and porridge while reciting VI.105 and 107[5].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
muñca śīrṣaktyā uta kāsa enaṃ paruṣparurāviveśā yo asya |
yo abhrajā vātajā yaśca śuṣmo vanaspatīntsacatāṃ parvatāṃśca ||
yathā mano manasketaiḥ parāpatatyaśumat |
evā tvaṃ kāse pra pata manaso'nu pravāyyam ||
yathā bāṇaḥ susaṃśitaḥ parāpatatyaśumat |
evā tvaṃ kāse pra pata pṛthivyā anu saṃvatam ||
yathā sūryasya raśmayaḥ parāpatantyāśumat |
evā tvaṃ kāse pra pata samudrasyānu vikṣaram || (AV. –I/12/3; VI/105/1-3); Veda Atharvaveda Saṃhitā, trans. Dilip Mukhopadhyaya, Kolkata, Aksaya Library, 2017, pp. 114; 490.
[2]:
[3]:
muñca śīrṣaktyā uta kāsa enaṃ paruṣparurāviveśā yo asya |
yo abhrajā vātajā yaśca śuṣmo vanaspatīntsacatāṃ parvatāṃśca || (AV. –I/12/3); Veda Atharvaveda Saṃhitā, trans. Dilip Mukhopadhyaya, Kolkata, Aksaya Library, 2017, p. 114.