included within the category of, mental (Manasa) distempers; whereas hunger, thirst, decrepitude, imbecility, death, sleep, etc. are called the natural (Svabhavika) derangements of the body. The Mind and the Body are the seats of the abovesaid distempers according as they are restricted to either of them, or affect both of them in unison.*[1]
Samshodhanam (Cleansing), and Samshamanam (Pacification of the deranged or agitated bodily humours giving rise to the disease), and the regimen of diet and conduct are the four fectors which should be duly employed in order to successfully cope with a disease.†[2]
Food is the principal factor which materially contributes to the strength, complexion and vitality (Ojah) of animated beings. Food consists of six different tastes
- ↑ *The Self or the Jeevatma of a person is above all human concerns and, as such, can never be affected by any disease.
- ↑ †Cleansing (Samshodhanam) is of two kinds, viz. External and Internal. External purification consists in employing such measures as surgical operations, cauterisation of the affected part or organ, external use of alkaline preparations and medicated plasters, the internal one including such measures as exhibition of purgatives and emetics, application of intestinal enemas (Asthapanam) and blood-letting. Diet comprises four different factors such as, food, drink, lambative, etc., which, for the purposes of the Ayurveda, are again grouped under three different heads, such as the pacifier of the deranged bodily humours (Dosha-prashamanam), therapeutical (Vydhi-prashamanam) and health-giving (Svastha=Vrittikara). Achara (conduct) appertains to three different factors, such as the body, the speech, and the mental acts. The abovesaid measures, duly employed, are potent enough to combat all sorts of bodily distempers, if the special exigencies of each case are carefully taken into consideration.
