Philosophy of Charaka-samhita
by Asokan. G | 2008 | 88,742 words
Ayurveda, represented by Charaka and Sushruta, stands first among the sciences of Indian intellectual tradition. The Charaka-samhita, ascribed to the great celebrity Charaka, has got three strata. (1) The first stratum is the original work composed by Agnivesha, the foremost of the six disciples of Punarvasu Atreya. He accomplished the work by coll...
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Spiritual attributes (膩tma-gu峁嘺s)
A separate group of ten attributes are described as the absolute marks for inferring the existence of the self.
- desire (颈肠肠丑腻),
- aversion (诲惫别峁),
- pleasure (sukha),
- pain (dukha),
- volition (prayatna),
- consciousness (肠别迟补苍腻),
- fortitude (诲丑峁泃颈),
- knowledge (buddhi),
- memory (蝉尘峁泃颈),
- 鈥淚 consciousness鈥� (补丑补峁僰腻谤补).[1]
These attributes are again described (in a different order) as being produced in the foetus by the self.[2] If prayatna appears in the middle of the first articulation, it appears only at the end of all attributes in the second. So, it leads to confusion as to which group Caraka refer to as 鈥渢he attributes ending with volition鈥�. 颁补办谤补辫腻峁噄 takes into consideration the first articulation and recognizes the first five, namely desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, and volition as the intended attributes in the group ending with volition (辫谤补测补迟苍腻苍迟补蝉). He states that the last five attributes told in the articulation are the varieties of buddhi itself.[3] Accordingly, the spiritual attributes which belong to the self are only five and they are desire,[4] aversion,[5] pleasure,[6] pain,[7] volition,[8] and knowledge. In addition to these, merit (dharma), demerit (adharma), and impression (产丑腻惫补苍补) are regarded as the attributes of the self by the 狈测腻测补-痴补颈艣别峁办补蝉.[9] Even though Caraka speaks of merit and demerit, he does not categorically say that they are attributes. More over, he does not make any mention of mental impression.
Thus, Caraka's list of attributes is a large one which contains fortyone attributes. From the above description it is clear that though the majority of terms used are those used by 碍补峁嚹乨补, they are mostly different in sense. In fact, Caraka has given his own schemata in order to suit the purpose of 膧测耻谤惫别诲补.
The knowledge of the attributes, particularly the general physical attributes and rasa have a vital role in determining the physical, chemicophysical and pharmacological properties of substances and in ascertaining etiology, symptomatology and treatment of diseases. The essential knowledge in this respect is that of 惫墨谤测补, 惫颈辫腻办补, and 辫谤补产丑腻惫补. The theory of rasa has deeper reaches in 膧测耻谤惫别诲补 and it is not possible to describe them in detail here since it is beyond the scope of the present study.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
颈肠肠丑腻 诲惫别峁岣� 蝉耻办丑补峁� dukha峁� prayatna艣cetn膩 诲丑峁泃颈岣� buddhi岣� 蝉尘峁泃颈raha峁僰膩ro li峁単膩ni param膩tmana岣�. CS, 艢腻谤墨谤补 - sth膩na, I. 72.
[2]:
鈥�.......sukhadukhe 颈肠肠丑腻诲惫别峁u 肠别迟补苍腻 诲丑峁泃颈rbuddhi岣� 蝉尘峁泃颈raha峁僰膩r岣� prayatn膩艣ceti (膩tmaj膩ni)鈥� CS, 艢腻谤墨谤补 - sth膩na, III, 10.
[6]:
The experience of all with agreeable feelings is called pleasure, Ibid; p. 57.
[7]:
The experience of all with disagreeable feelings is called pain, Ibid., p. 58.
[8]:
Pra艣astap膩da divides action into two: (1) caused by vital energy (箩墨惫补苍补辫奴谤惫补办补) and (2) due to desire and aversion (颈肠肠丑腻诲惫别峁p奴rvaka).
[9]:
buddhy膩dayo bh膩van膩nt膩 膩tmagu峁嚹佱弗, Ny膩yakandal墨 on Pra艣astap膩dabh膩峁a., p. 229.