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THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA.
[ Chap. XLVI.

of an astringent, pungent, or bitter taste, or by chewing a betel leaf prepared with broken areca nut, camphor, nutmeg, clove, etc., or by smoking, or by means of anything that instantaneously removes the viscidity in the cavity of the mouth, and permeates it with Its own essence.

Then the eater should take rest, like a king, till the sense of drowsiness incidental to eating is removed. After this he should walk a hundred paces and lie down in a bed on his left side. After eating, a man should enjoy soft sounds, pleasant sights and tastes, sweet perfumes, soft and velvety touch, in short anything that ravishes the soul and enwraps the mind with raptures of joy, since such pleasurable sensations greatly help the process of digestion. Sounds, which are harsh and grating, sights, which are abominable, touches, that are hard and unpleasant, smells, which are fetid and dis-agreeable, encountered after a meal, or the eating of impure and execrable boiled rice, or a loud side-splitting laugh after a meal is followed by vomiting.

The after-meal siesta should not be long and continuous; basking before a fire, exposure to the sun, travelling, driving in a carriage, swimming, bathing etc., should be avoided just after the close of a full and hearty meal. A diet which abounds in fluid courses should be refrained from. Only a single taste should not be enjoyed in the course of a meal.