Atharvaveda and Charaka Samhita
by Laxmi Maji | 2021 | 143,541 words
This page relates ‘Treatment of Rudhirasrava (excessive flow of blood)’ 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 Rudhirasrāva (excessive flow of blood)
Atharva Veda is a charm against Rudhirasrāva. There is only one hymn in the Atharva Veda (I.17) which is used as a charm against “excessive flow of blood”[1]. According to Keśava, it is to be noted that—
“atha lohitaṃ vahati śarīramadhye bahiśca, rudhiravraṇe strīrajaso'bhipravartane ca bhaiṣajyam”.
On being attacked by weapons the body loses blood. Sometimes blood is lost in different ways. This flow is called Rudhirasrāva[2]. The treatments prescribed for Rudhirasrāva are water, mud and medicines etc. To stop the blood flow sealing the veins is considered a good remedy. Atharvaveda instructs the physician to seal the veins if there is a great loss of blood.
In Atharvaveda Āsrāvabheṣaja and two hymns, the soil of Valmīka are mention as having curative medicines[3]. Also, Cīpudru and Āñjana can stop blood flow. In the Vedas, certain medicines are said to be effective for stopping the flow of blood like Darbha, Muñja, Aśvattha, Arjuna, Arundhatī, Tejana, Lākṣā and Vaṃśa etc. The performance meant to check such a flow of blood is given by the Kauśika Sūtra. The Practising priest, as he recites I.17, strews sand and dust around the wound with a bamboo staff having five knots. Again, he strews sand and dust. The mud from the marsh is tied. A solution of it is given to the patient to drink, and also a mixture of curds and ground sesame together with four tips of millet grass[4].
In the treatment of Āsrāva, a stalk of Muñja reed with a cord made from the same plant is tied on the patient as an amulet. Having mashed up a natural lump of earth with earth from the ant-hill, he gives the resultant solution to the patient to drink. He then coats him with clarified butter and finally blows through his rectum, while reciting I.2 and II.2[5].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
śatasya dhamanīnāṃ sahasrasya hirāṇām |
asthurinmadhyamā imāḥ sākamantā araṃsata || (AV. –I/12/3; VI/105/1-3); Veda Atharvaveda Saṃhitā, trans. Dilip Mukhopadhyaya, Kolkata, Aksaya Library, 2017, p. 114; 490.
[3]:
[4]:
pañcaparvaṇā pāṃsusikatābhiḥ parikirati || armakapālikāṃbadhnāti || pāyayati || caturbhirdṛrvāgrairdadhipalalaṃ pāyayati || (Kauśika Sūtra-26.10-13); Atharvavedīya–Kauśika Gṛhyasūtraṃ (Dārilakeśavayosaṃ-kṣiptaṭīkaya sahitaṃ), trans. Udayanarayana Sinha, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series office, 2009, p. 59.
[5]:
vidmāśarasyādoyaditimuñjaśirorajvābadhnāti ||ākṛtiloṣṭavalmīkauparilikhyapāyayati ||sarpiṣālimpati ||
apidhamati ||(Kauśika Sūtra 25.6-9); Atharvavedīya–Kauśika Gṛhyasūtraṃ (Dārilakeśavayosaṃ- kṣiptaṭīkaya sahitaṃ), trans. Udayanarayana Sinha, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series office, 2009, pp. 55-56.