Rajayakṣmā-Pratināyaka

Pulmonary tuberculosis is Yakṣmā which is also called kṣaya and śoṣa (decreasing and wasting). As rightly named as the king of diseases, this Yakṣmā is followed by many diseases and it overpowers or subdues all diseases.

In Rājayakṣmā, digestive fire becomes mild and these doṣas are highly aggravated, with the Kapha predominating and controlling others. By this, all the openings of channels are obstructed and the fire in the body elements (dhātus) becomes mild. Consequently rasadhātu is subjected to inadequate transformation (metabolism) and remaining in its own place causes several complications. Blood moves upwards without transforming into the next body element māṃsa (muscular tissue) and others. The food gets digested only in the alimentary tract by the digestive fire and hence creates more waste and does not nourish the body elements, being incapable of it. When rasa is not able to nourish blood, it can not nourish other tissues.

If a patient with very few and mild symptoms, is very weak and unable to bear the strength of the disease as well as medicine, treatment to him will lead be a failure. Contrarily, if the patient is strong enough to withstand it, he can be treated even if all these symptoms are present.

In Jīvānandana Nāṭaka the author is quite aware of the fact that Yakṣmā is followed by many diseases and so he has called him the eader of diseases’.

Hence he is known as Rogarāṭ (king of diseases) and Rājayakṣmā (VI. 76)^[1] :

ānekarogānugato bahurogapurogamaḥ |
rājayakṣmā kṣayaḥ śoṣo rogarāḍiti ca smṛtaḥ ||

Rājayakṣmā is the main cause for the malfunctions of the limbs of the body and hence he is Kṣaya. He dries the liquid parts of the body and therefore he is Śoṣa.

Since he makes other types of the diseases to effectively function in the body, he is the king of diseases (VI.78):

deheṣu yaḥ kṣayakṛteḥ kṣayastatsaṃbhavācca saḥ |
rasādiśoṣaṇācchoṣo rogarāḍrogaraṣjanāt ||

Due to the curse of Dakṣaprajāpati, this Kṣayaroga caught hold of Candra (moon) who is king (rāja) of the nakṣatras and also the dvijas. Since he caught hold of Candra, he is known as Rājayakṣmā (VI.77):

nakṣatrāṇāṃ dvijānāṃ ca rājābhūdyo vidhuḥ purā |
taṃ prajagrāha yakṣmāsau rājayakṣmā tataḥ smṛtaḥ ||

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Verses VI.76-8 are from the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya (Nidāna.1).