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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Time and space [in Charaka philosophy]
Time and space are infinite and continuous. They have no perceivable specific quality. So they are not physical insofar as being physical is to be understood in terms of having some externally perceivable specific quality. They are nevertheless inferred as two of the common (蝉腻诲丑腻谤补峁嘺) causal conditions without which nothing ephemeral can come into being.[1]
Time
厂腻峁僰丑测腻蝉 conceive time and space under the elemental evolute, 补办腻艣补.[2] In 狈测腻测补-Vi艣e峁ka philosophy, time and space are ultimate and objective realities and they are conceived as empty containers.[3] Time is defined as that which is the basis of notions like priority and posteriority, simultaneity, and also of late and soon.[4]
础苍苍补峁僢丑补峁弓补 says that time is the cause of the usages like past, present, and future.[5] It is infinite, eternal and one only.[6] 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补 says that time is the cause of products and he considers it as the substratum of the universe.[7] Siv膩ditya divides time into three namely, the time of production, existence and destruction.[8] Pur膩nic writers two aspects of time: indivisible (补办丑补峁嘾补) and divisible (办丑补峁嘾补) Eventhough it is infinite, eternal, and single entity in ultimate analysis, it is for practical purpose that these divisions and subdivisions are made. Its manifold conception in usage is only in a secondary sense.[9]
Quiet different from the 痴补颈艣别峁办补蝉, Caraka places time as the eighth in the schemata of substances[10] and describes it in terms of therapeutics. Accordingly, time is primarily classified into two: nityaga and avasthitika. Nityaga refers to determination of wholesomeness to different types of seasons while avasthitika refers to the states of the individual which is relevant to the manifestations of diseases.[11] Nityaga consists of years. Each year is sub-divided into two three, six, and twelve from different dimensions. Thus the two divisions of a year is 诲补办峁峁嚹乱补苍补 and 耻迟迟补谤腻测补苍补. The three divisions of a year are 艣墨迟补, 耻峁ａ箛补 and 惫补谤峁. The six divisions refer to the seasons: 艣补谤补迟, hemanta 艣颈艣颈谤补, vasanta and 驳谤墨峁补, 惫补谤峁, and the twelve divisions refers to caitra, 惫补颈艣腻办丑补, 箩测别峁ａ弓丑补, 腻峁Ｄ佱笉丑补, 艣谤腻惫补峁嘺, 产丑腻诲谤补辫补诲补, 腻艣惫颈苍补, 办腻谤迟颈办补, marga艣墨r峁, 辫补耻峁, 尘腻驳丑补, and bh膩lguna.[12]
In this connection, it is to be noted that Ayurveda has again postulated the concept of 峁泃耻-sandhi representing the period of transition between the outgoing and incoming seasons- seven days on either side, and fourteen days in all required by the organisms for gradually adapting themselves to the stress of incoming season.[13] With regard to the stages of the evolution of diseases (补惫补蝉迟丑颈办补办腻濒补) from the time of their inception to the time of its manifestation and subsidence, Caraka gives a three broad-based consecutive steps: caya, prakopa and 辫谤补艣补尘补. 厂耻艣谤耻迟补, at the same time, gives six distinct stages namely, 蝉补帽肠补测补, prakopa pra艣ara, 蝉迟丑腻苍补蝉补峁兣况补测补, vyakti and bheda.[14]
Space
Space, in 狈测腻测补-Vai艣e峁ka, is construed as the cause of the notions such as east and west.[15] In Caraka, dik refers to 诲别艣补 or habitate which determines the characteristics of substances due to procreation and extend of drugs or their acclimatization to the region.[16] For instance drugs which grow in the Himalayas are very efficatious and those in deserts are light. Such habitats are classified into three: (i) 箩腻峁単补濒补, (2) 补苍奴辫补, and (3) 蝉补诲丑腻谤补峁嘺.[17] Carak gives a vast description for identifying these three habitates. In A艣峁佱箙gah峁沝aya, it is stated that 箩腻峁単补濒补 habitates are those which are predominated by 惫腻迟补; 础苍奴辫补 habitats are those predominated by kapha, and the 蝉腻诲丑腻谤补峁嘺 are those which have thee equipoise of the 诲辞峁Ｄ乻.[18] The description of time and space thus made by Caraka is purely for the treatment and maintenance of health and not from the point of view of metaphysical enquiry.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
CIPM, p. 3.
[2]:
CSP, p. 87.
[3]:
Ibid., p. 85.
[4]:
[5]:
TSA, p. 11.
[6]:
Ibid; Tarkabh膩峁 of Ke艣avami艣ra., p. 189.8.
[7]:
NSMK, p. 150.
[8]:
k膩lastu utpattisthitivin膩艣alk峁峁嘺strividha岣�. Saptapad膩rthi of 艢iv膩ditya., p. 21.
[9]:
A Comparative Studyof the Concepts of Space and Time in Indian Thought., Kumar Kishore Mandal, p. 21.
[10]:
Time occupies the sixth place in the Vai艣e峁ka table of substances.
[11]:
CS, Vim膩na - sth膩na, I, 21 (6); A峁ａ弓膩峁単ah峁沝aya of V膩gbha峁璦., Su, I, 24. Elswhere it is stated that time is that which has change - 办腻濒补岣� 辫耻苍补岣� pri峁嚹乵a岣�, CS, Vim膩na - sth膩na, VIII. 76.
[12]:
办腻濒补岣� 辫耻苍补岣� sa峁僾atsara艣c膩tur膩vasth膩 ca. tatra sa峁僾atsaro dvidh膩, tridh膩, 峁岣峢o, dv膩da艣adh膩 bh奴ya艣c膩pyata岣� pravibhajyate tattatk膩ry膩mabhisam墨k峁a, CS, Vim膩na - sth膩na, VIII. 125.
[13]:
峁泃voranty膩disapt膩h膩v峁泃usandhiriti sm峁泃a岣�, A峁ａ弓膩峁単ah峁沝aya of V膩gbha峁璦., Su, III. 58.
[14]:
蝉补帽肠补测补帽ca prakopa帽ca 辫谤补蝉补谤补峁� 蝉迟丑腻苍补蝉补峁兣况补测补峁� 惫测补办迟颈峁� bheda帽ca yo vetti do峁Ｄ佱箛膩峁� sa bhavedbhi峁k., 厂耻艣谤耻迟补sa峁僪it膩 of 厂耻艣谤耻迟补., Su, XXI, 36. For details see IK, pp. 84 - 108.
[15]:
Pra艣astap膩dabh膩峁a., p. 162; TSA, p. 12; Ka峁嚹佱笉膩 defines it as that which gives rise to the inference and usage that 鈥渢his is here鈥�. Vai艣e峁kadar艣ana., Su, II. ii. 10.
[16]:
[17]:
trividha岣� khalu 诲别艣补岣�- 箩腻峁単补濒补岣�, 补苍奴辫补岣� 蝉腻诲丑腻谤补峁嘺艣ceti. CS, Kalpa - sth膩na, I. 8.
[18]:
A峁ａ弓膩峁単ah峁沝aya of V膩gbha峁璦., Su, I. 23.