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Atharvaveda and Charaka Samhita

by Laxmi Maji | 2021 | 143,541 words

This page relates ‘Treatment of Panduroga (Hariman)� found in the study on diseases and remedies found in the Atharvaveda and Charaka-samhita. These texts deal with Ayurveda—the ancient Indian Science of life—which lays down the principles for keeping a sound health involving the use of herbs, roots and leaves. The Atharvaveda refers to one of the four Vedas (ancient Sanskrit texts encompassing all kinds of knowledge and science) containing many details on Ayurveda, which is here taken up for study.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Ṛgveda and Atharvaveda use the term Hariman for ṇḍܰDz[1]. ṇḍܰDz is also called -roga. In this disease, the body, eyes, excreta, nails, face etc. turn yellow or orange. The Vedas speak of three kinds of treatment for this disease–treatment with Sunlight, treatment with cow milk and treatment with medicine[2].I/22, Charm against jaundice and related diseases–this is addressed to the patient wherein some remedial procedures are mentioned. First, it is said that patients suffering (heartache) and jaundice shall leave him and go up to the sun. That is to say, Hārimā can be correlated with 峾 (Jaundice) in which the yellowish colour of the body is seen and can be treated with morning Sunrays. In Ṛgveda and Atharvaveda, the Sunlight treatment is given great emphasis. The patient is required to strip and sit in the light of the early Sun facing east so that the sunlight falls on his body properly. Sunlight of the morning is beneficial for 峾-roga and Cardiac diseases. Atharvaveda gives two meanings for ‘Gorohitasya� (gorohitasya)–Sunlight and cow.

Secondly, red cow's milk is said to be efficacious in treating Hārimā or ṇḍܰDz[3]. It produces purple colour by removing green and yellow colours in the body. To cure Harima. the patient is given water to sip which is mixed with the hair of a red bull, i.e., having first poured water upon the back of the bull, he lets the patient drink it. He then ties on an amulet steeped in cow's milk anointed with dregs of ghee while the patient sitting on the skin of a bull. The doctor lets the patient sit on the skin of a bull which is pierced using pegs. The patient is afterwards given milk to drink and porridge of to eat. He is anointed with the remnant of the porridge and additional untouched porridge is placed on his couch. Three yellow birdsŚܰ첹�, “Ropaṇākā� and ‘Hāridrava� are tied to the foot of the couch by their left legs. The patient is washed off upon these birds. He is then given a stirred drink and made to step forward and asked to address the birds. Finally, the amulet of hairs from the breast of a red bull, glued together with lac and covered with gold is tied upon the patient[4].

Also, in the Atharvaveda, the holding of ñᲹԲ ṇi and Jaṅgiḍa ṇi is said to be useful in the case of ṇḍܰDz. The drug ñᲹԲ is said to be efficacious in treating Hārimā or ṇḍܰDz. Besides, the following medicines have been said to be beneficial in cases of jaundice, namely -Punarṇavā, Vanaspati, ʾ貹ī and Hāridrava or Haridru. The Atharvaveda gives scant regard to life that is non-human preferring that the sufferings of humans be transposed to them.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

udyannadya mitramaha ārohannuttarā� divam |
hṛdroga� mama sūrya harimāṇa� ca nāśaya ||
(ṚV. -I/50/11); Acharya Vedanta Tirtha (ed.), Ṛgveda–Vol. 1, Delhi, Manoj Publication, 2012, p. 121.
anu sūryamudayatā� hṛddyoto harimā ca te |
gorohitasya varṇena tena tvā pari dadhmasi ||
(AV. –I/22/1); Acarya Vedanta Tirtha (ed.), Atharvaveda–Vol. 1, Delhi, Manoj Publication, 2012, p. 51.

[2]:

sanemi sakhya� svapasyamāna� sūnurdādhāra śavasā sudaṃsā� |
amāsu cid dadhiṣe pakvamanta� paya� kṛṣṇāsu ruśad rohiṇīṣu ||
(ṚV. -I/62/9); Acharya Vedanta Tirtha (ed.), Ṛgveda–Vol. 1, Delhi, Manoj Publication, 2012, p. 144.

[3]:

yo rohiṇīrdevatya gāvo yā uata dzṇīḥ |
rūpa� rūpa� vayovayastābhiṣṭvā pari dadhmasi ||
(AV. –I/22/3); Veda Atharvaveda ṃh, trans. Dilip Mukhopadhyaya, Kolkata, Aksaya Library, 2017, p. 156.

[4]:

anusūryamiti mantroktasya lomamiśramācamayati || pṛṣṭe īⲹ || śa� kudhāna� carmaṇyāsīnāya dugdhe sampātavanta� badhnāti | pāyayati || haridraudanabhuktamucchiṣṭānucchiṣṭenāprapadātpralipya mantroktānadhastalpe haritasūtreṇa savyajaṅghāsu baddhāvasnāpayati || prapādayati || vadata upasthapayati || kroḍalomāni jatunā saṃdihya jātarūpeṇāpidhāpya || (ś첹 Sūtra-26.14-21); Atharvavedīya–ś� Gṛhyasūtra� (Dārilakeśavayosa�-kṣiptaṭīkaya sahita�), trans. Udayanarayana Sinha, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series office, 2009, pp. 63-65.

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