365bet娱乐

The body is Panchabhautika, but with this pentabhautika body is associated from its birth till death, the three entities Vayu, Pitta and Kapha. The body is derived from the five Bhutas, and still it is said that the cause of generation of the body is Vayu, Pitta and Slesman (i.e. Kapha) (Sushruta Samhita Su.21). This conception of the body as being caused by Vayu, Pitta and Kapha is unique and is peculiar to Ayrveda, and by this orginality Ayurveda stands apart from every other concept of Hindi Philosophy. The question now arises, why if the Panchabhautika theory was sufficient to explain everything, have these three entities been introduced in Ayurveda? What is the utility of acknowledging these three substances as seperate entities? Are they really seperate, i.e. distinct, apart from the five Bhutas?

251 The aim of Ayurveda is two-fold- to preserve the health of the body and to cure the patient of his disease. Any disturbance in the normal proportion of the five Bhutas which go to make up the whole body, constitutes a disease. But a change in this proportion may take place in an infinite number of ways, causing an infinite variety of diseases. On the other hand, there is an infinite variety of Panchabhautika matter, each different from the other. So it is certain that we can select a particular kind of matter to get rid of a particular kind of disease, because, for any abnormal proportion of the five Bhutas in the body, we can find out a particular substance in which the proportion of the Bhutas is just the opposite. This latter substance, when used as a medicine, which is used in the form of six Rasas which are also Panchabhutika, will bring about the normal condition again. We thus see that there is no substance in this universe which cannot be used as a medicine (Cf CS.Su.26:12). In practice, it is quite impossible to ascertain the numberless indirect causes that produce a disease, so the Ayurvedists adopted a similar method; they said that the body is composed of Dosa, Dhatu and Mala (SS.Su.15:3; Cf. Ashtanga Hridaya Su.11). The Dosasa are three namely Vayu, Pitta and Kapha. Without their association no disease is possible. The Dosas are, in fact, the direct cause of disease. It is the Vayu, Pitta and Kapha which are the causes of the production, preservation and destruction of the body.