Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study)
by G. D. Jayalakshmi | 2019 | 58,344 words
This page relates ‘Ayurvedic aspects of Act I� of the study on the Jivanandana (in English) which is a dramatic play written by Anadaraya Makhin in the 18th century. The Jivanandana praises the excellence of Advaita Vedanta, Ayurveda (medical science) and Dramatic literature as the triple agency for obtaining everlasting bliss.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Āyurvedic aspects of Act I
վñԲ (Ś) represents knowledge in the three vargas�dharma, artha and 峾. ñԲ (Ś) is knowledge and desire for ǰṣa (liberation). To win over Ჹⲹṣm, king of all diseases, ٰԲ or վñԲ is the prime requisite. Hence, the entry of վñԲ Ś; and the time is early dawn.
Early dawn, is right time to wake up as it helps to get long life says a well-known adage:
brāhme muhūrtte uttiṣṭhet svastho rakṣārthamāyuṣa� |
Also ī has to be woken up with his faculties on the alert, Hence, վñԲ Ś goes to wake up ī along with Buddhi, the queen. He says (I.17/18):
tadidānī� devyā prasannayā buddhyā saha pratibuddhya nivaset |
Queen Buddhi's attendant is ٳṇ� (retentiveness) who had been sent to spy on Ჹⲹṣm. This power of the human intelligence, is quite necessary for scientific knowledge (վñԲ).
Here, ٳṇ�, the spy has gathered and retained information about the enemy side–Ჹⲹṣm is very powerful and now is fully supported by his fearful team members who are�Jvara, ṇḍ, Prāmeha, ś, Śū, Gulma, Bhagandara, , , ī, ԲԾٲ, śī and հṇa (I.26):
ᱹ-ṇḍ-prameha-ārśaZ-śūla-gulma-bhagandarā� |
-ś-ātīsāra-sannipāta-āśmarī-vraṇāḥ ||
Apart from these, there are one hundred head diseases, ninety four eye-diseases, eighteen nasal-diseases, eighteen ear-diseases, seventy four oral-diseases, and five types of heart-diseases (I.27):
rogā mūrdhni śٲ� ٳܰԲپṣṇDzٲٳ �
pratyaṣṭādaśa karṇayorapi tathā vaktre catussaptati� |
paṣcaiva� hṛdi kiṃca santi � sarve'pyamī dustarā�
prāptau kalkakaṣāyalehyavaṭakaprāyauṣadhā峾pi ||
As she exits after providing the information, the minister soliloquises (I.31/32) on the medicinal efficacy of ٲ, Pitta and Kapha, the serious faults. Many are the methods in treating the bad impacts of these according to the seriousness of their attacking level.
Most of the diseases, which are ٲ-oriented can be treated with various oils prepared with selected medicinal plants:
ٲ� tu bahuvidhasnehaviśeṣaprayogeṇa vaśīkārya� |
Pitta oriented diseases can be controlled by medicinal sweet drinks duly prepared:
pittasya madhuropacāreṇaiva sukaro śī� |
For Kapha, the treatment of other two are not effective; only forcible means must be applied to control it.
ubhayaviruddho jaḍo ya� 첹� tatretaropāyasya āprasarāt tīkṣṇaprayogeṇaiva sa vaśamānetavya� |
When all these three are brought under absolute control, the other diseases basically born out of these three can also be totally treated (I.31/32):
eva� ca tattatsamucitairupāyai� sarvāmayanidāneṣu vātādiṣu svādhīneṣu tajjanitā-nāmitareṣāmunmeṣa eva dūrato āpāsta� ||
վñԲ also proclaims that to achieve all this, control of the mind is a must.
Mind which is fickle like the wind, can easily be guarded from the attacks of ۲ṣm and his group by diverting its attention upon practising Yoga (I.32):
sarvasmin viṣaye niraṅkuśatayā yaddurnirodha� Բ�
prāyo vāyuriva prakṛṣṭabalavat sarvātmanā caṣcalam |
tat kāmādibhiruddhatairupahata� saṃpreritairyakṣmaṇ�
tatsauhārdamupetya yadyapi punarna� prātikūlya� caret ||
ātastadapi mahādhikāreṇa śīṛtⲹ mahati 貹[1] viniyojya... |
ī being the king, the capital city is nothing but the body. Hence, the author has very intelligently made ʰṇa (life-breath) as the door-keeper, since ʰṇa activates the parts of the body, starting from the mouth.[2]
۲ṣm has declared that except the application of Rasa and Gandhaka none can conquer him (I.38/39):
rasagandhakaprayogamantareṇa saparivāro'ham ājayya� |
Hence, the king is advised by վñԲ to pray to Ś and ī to get from them, Rasa (the power of Ś) and Gandhaka (the power of ٱī) (I.39):
śambhorvīrya� raso 峾 śarvāṇyā 峾 Ի첹� |
tābhyāmeva prasannābhyā� tau grāhyāviti me پ� ||
Note: To obtain these, the king and queen are to go to ʳṇḍī첹ܰ which is nothing but the heart and it is in the shape of a lotus bud. ī has to meditate in this ṛdṇḍī첹, on the divine couple. The Ayurvedic aspects get blended with Advaitic aspects here.