-: By Ayushi Kumari
Ayurveda is traditionally believed to be the science which uses natural and ancient techniques for treating diseases. Some Western physicians, like Jerrold Levy, even went ahead and called it redundant. Levy criticised Ayurveda, saying that it fails to make a distinction between physical and mental illness, lacks a detailed symptom analysis approach and is thus no more effective. Though there are other scholars like Obeyesekere who came up defending the ayurvedic practice, explaining how Ayurveda has a well-defined section dealing with mental illness that is famously called ‘Bhuta Vidya’.Use of the term ‘Bhuta’ automatically connects one’s mind to supernatural beings, and this was the reason why BHU faced so much backlash after introducing the study of ‘Bhuta Vidya.’Throughout this article, this preconceived opinion about Bhuta Vidya will be questioned, explaining what it actually means by taking direct evidence from Sushruta Samhita.
According to the Vedas, this world comprises two entities; some of these are Vyaktam, which can be seen and are tangible, but the rest are Avyaktam and thus intangible. Ayurveda’s Bhuta vidya deals with this avyaktam. Focusing on Sushruta Samhita, it would be realised that the terms like Bhuta, pishach and rakshas have been used multiple times in the Bhuta Vidya section and thus emerges the concept of Ancient Ayurveda dealing with demons, and Bhuta Vidya becomes synonymous with demonology. However, practitioners like Vaidya Rammanohar, who also happens to be the research director of Amrita School of Ayurveda, say that the word ‘Bhuta’ has several connotations. It could mean Panchmahabhoot or Past . Connecting it to the concept of mental illness, Dr Rammanohar goes on to describe Bhuta as living beings. This includes all living organisms, both macro and micro and thus brings in the concept of diseases caused by microbes.
Ancient Ayurveda has been classified into eight branches (Ashtanga) named as: salya (Surgery); Salakya (Surgery of the eye, ear, nose and throat); Bhuta Vidya; Kaumaranhrtya (Treatment for children); Agadatantra (toxicology); Rasayana (Elixir) and Vajikarana (Aphrodisiac). Dealing with Bhuta vidya, it is important to break this prevalent stereotype of Bhuta vidya being synonymous with demonology. According to Ayurveda, mental disorders happen due to an imbalance of the trigunas – Satva, Rajas and Tamas. The main aim of treating mental illness is to revert the rajas and tamas guna to their Satva stage, and thus all the treatments prescribed under Bhuta Vidya work with the same purpose.
Bhuta vidya deals with two kinds of Chikitsa paddhati. One of them is Graha, while the other one is Unmada. According to Shusharut Samhita, the diseases brought on by superhuman influences (Grahas) are called Amanusha-pratishedh. There are almost eight Grahas named as Devas(deities), Asuras, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Pitris, Bhujangas, Rakshasas and Pishachas .Different symptoms have been specified which occur after being stricken by Grahas. Most probable timings for being attacked have also been mentioned so that people can prevent these attacks. Modern-day Vaidyas consider these Grahas to be associated with personality disorders and not with fantasized ghosts. In fact, in the whole section of Bhut vidya, there has not been a single mention of Exorcism. Only herbal medicines have been preferred, and sometimes the godly element has been brought in to make the patient hopeful for strengthening the Satva guna. About three types of treatment have been mentioned in Sushruta Samhita to end sufferings caused by these mental illnesses. The first of them is Daivyapasrayam Chikitsa, which refers to the God oriented treatment . This includes mani chikitsa( ray radiation treatment in which rays emitted from jewels are used for treatment), Mantra Chikitsa (Sound vibration technique in which mantras are used) and Oshadhi Chikitsa (Arpana, Tarpana and Aaithiya), Bali, Uphara, Homa, Niyama, Upavasa, Vastu, etc.) . Yuktivyapashrayam Chikitsa is the second type of treatment that focuses on science-oriented solutions, especially diet, lifestyle, medicine and surgery. Lastly, there is Satvavayah Chikitsa that consists of Manohitebhyah (counselling-based treatment), Manoarthebhyah (realisation-based treatment) and Manonigraha (meditation-based Treatment).
| Grahas | Timing of Attack | Symptoms |
| Deva | Full Moon | Speaks in pure Sanskrit, little sleep, Grants boons, stares with a fixed gaze |
| Asura | Morning and Evening twilights | Speaks ill of Gods and Brahmans, knits his brow with arched eyes, has no fear, and becomes satisfied with all kinds of food or drink |
| Gandharva | Eighth day of the fortnight | Extremely happy, fondness for songs, flowers, and sweet scents |
| Yaksha | First day of the fortnight | Copper Coloured eyes, partiality for wearing red garments, taciturnity |
| Pitri | New moon day | Becomes calm and reserved, reverent towards Manes |
| Bhujanga | Fifth day of a new or full moon | Moves body on his breast along the ground like a serpent, always licking the corner of his lips with the tip of his tongue, becomes drowsy and shows marked predilection for honey, milk and Payasa |
| Rakshas | Night | Fondness for blood, extreme cruelty, irritability, and extraordinary strength |
| Pishacha | Fourteenth day of the fortnight | Haughtiness, emaciation, roughness of behaviour, fetid smell from the body, fondness for cold water and lonely places |
| Specific Religious Treatment of Grahas | Medical Treatment |
| Deva- Homas in the fire with offerings of kusa, svastika, cakes, clarified butter, umbrella and payas( Porridge)
Asur- Offerings made in the yard Yaksha-Offerings of a cake of kulmasha, blood and wine inside the house Pitri-Madhavi and Kunda flowers are offered on the banks of the river Rakshas- offerings in the forest Pishacha- Cooked or uncooked flesh offered in a lonely chamber |
Should be employed when religious treatments fail
Example of drugs which should be used- Gaja Pippali, Tri- katu, Amalaka, Sarshapa Special use of Matured Clarified Butter No hostile measures should be used in case of possession by a graha (an exception for Pishacha graha, which is powerful enough to kill both patient and physician |
After taking a bird’s view of Grahas, it is time to focus on two other illnesses mentioned in Sushruta Samhita- Apasmara Pratishedha and Unmada Pratishedha.
Apasmara Pratishedha is described as a disease which causes memory loss. Smara means memory, whereas Apa refers to Privation. In this disease, an individual loses the faculty of past cognition, and the word for this disease in Western terminology is Epilepsy. According to Sushrutaa, some causes of this illness include repression of any natural urges of the body, aggravation of Rajas and Tamas, going to a woman in her menses, fright, anxiety and partaking of filthy and impure articles. While suffering from this disease, the patient becomes unconscious, forgets his memories, gnashes his teeth with foam at his mouth, falls to the ground with open eyes and returns from unconsciousness a while later. Broadly, Apasmara is classified into four distinct types- Vataja, Pitaja, Kaphaja and Sannipataja.
| Vataja | Pittaja | Kaphaja | Sannipataja |
| The patient fancies a dark supernatural being coming after him. This results in the fainting of the patient out of fear, followed by lockjaw, laboured breathing and foaming at the mouth. | In the Pittaja type, the patient imagines being attacked by a yellow and fierce-looking being. Increased body heat, perspiration, nausea, sleepiness and vomiting of mucus are other symptoms of Pittaja. | Kaphaja is associated with an attack from a white being. Shivering, nausea, and sleepiness are some other symptoms. | Features of all the previous types of Apasmara manifest themselves in Sannipatika type. |
Sudden and spontaneous appearance of Apasmara has made the Vaidyas think about it being unrelated to Doshas. However, there are others who strongly hold doshas to be the main factor behind the occurrence of Apasmara. Examples of seeds growing at the suitable time are cited in Sushrutaa, explaining how the disease of Apasamara also requires a correct timing, making it short and transitory in duration. Thus, Apasmara is considered to be of idiopathic origin, which means that its origin is unknown.
| General Treatment | Specific Treatment | Siddharthaka Ghrita | Pancha-Gavya Ghrita |
| Use of matured clarified Butter
Oil duly cooked with s’igru, katvanga, kinna( wine sediment) and with the expressed juice of nimba barks, with cow’s urine weighing four times |
Clarified butter duly cooked with goat’s urine and with the decoction of kulattha, yava, kola, palankasha, etc. | Clarified butter cooked with sura druma, vacha, kushtha, siddhartha, vyosha, manjishtha, two kinds of Rajni and many more things. | Clarified butter cooked with kalka of das’a-mula, barks of indra-vriksha, murva, bhargi, triphala, sampaka, sreyasi, etc, and ultimately mixed with the liquid of cow dung. |
The second kind of mental illness discussed in Bhuta Vidya is unmada pratishedha, which in layman’s language is called insanity. This is a disease of Manas, and the Sushruta Samhita considers doshas to be the main reason behind the springing up of this disease. There are almost six types of unmada- Vataja, Pittaja, Kaphaja, Tri doshaja, Sokaja and Vishaja. There are specific symptoms mentioned about all these diseases-
| Vataja | Pittaja | Kaphaja | Tri doshaja | Sokaja | Vishaja |
| Shaggy appearance, use of harsh language, appearance of a number of Dhamanis, laboured breathing | Excessive thirst, perspiration, burning sensation, voracious eating, insomnia, desire for shade, cold, wind and walks on the banks | Vomiting, dullness of appetite, aversion to food, fondness for sexual propulsion, and stupidity | Exhibits all the symptoms of vata, pitta and kapha and is considered incurable | Sufferings or shoka caused by the loss of wealth or a loved one
Would talk incoherently, would sing stupid songs or laugh hysterically |
Caused by poisoning
Redness of eyes, dullness of complexion, diminution of bodily strength, blush on the face |
Vaidyas agree that Unmada occurs when a person’s Dhee, Dhriti and Smriti are affected. Collectively, these three entities are called Pragyopastambha and regulate our whole manas . Dhee refers to our ability to distinguish between things; Dhriti represents the capacity to make decisions, and Smriti is defined as the ability to recall memories. These three faculties are part of our Buddhi and are very crucial for mental performance. A rupture of these three leads to unmada.Like the treatments prescribed for the above illnesses, Sushruta Samhita also explains how Unmada can be dealt with . With the agency of herbs and some specified procedures, Unmada can be eased, but removing it completely is considered less possible. Sushruta says that in all forms of insanity, the restoration of the serenity of the mind should be first attempted. Mild and gentle forms of remedies should be resorted to in a case of Mada (preliminary stage of insanity).
Bhuta vidya has always been a topic of discussion, and all the mahavaidyas like Sushruta and Charak have talked about it in their respective books. Though there are references to Grahas and Doshas in the Bhuta vidya of Sushruta Chakra but taking them at face value will be a grave generalisation. Meanings of these words change, and to what extent the ancient meaning matches the present one needs to be strictly supervised. Though symptoms of Unmada and Apasmara match the present-day illness of insanity and Epilepsy, we have to keep in mind that the treatments prescribed in the Sushruta Samhita reflect the medicine availability at that time, and many of the herbal solutions mentioned in the article are really effective. Preconceived opinions display Ayurveda as something related to primitiveness(as was stated by Levy) and result in severe mocking, especially that of Gomutra use and solutions of Panchgavya. However, it has been scientifically tested that cow urine and clarified butter have lots of health benefits. Thus, it is very important to study medicinal practices without stereotypes so that a clear perspective can be attained, and Bhuta Vidya is a great example of how perceptions change the complete understanding of something!
References-
1.Sushruta Samhita- https://archive.org/details/englishtranslati00susruoft
2.https://www.jstor.org/stable/178239
3.https://jaims.in/jaims/article/download/2569/3722/
4.https://ijapr.in/index.php/ijapr/article/view/922
5.https://youtu.be/zQwEvzqCsLw?si=Xz027r1q8qoKSp44
