Dashanan’s wife, Mandodari was bearing his child in her womb, and under terrible pain, when she asked him, ‘Oh Lord of three Worlds, with your grace, no asur or sorrow or even death can touch me, yet I am in so much pain.’ Please tell me a remedy such that my baby grows healthy and yet there is no pain. Dashanan then told her, the gyan of aushadhis (medicinal herbs) as received by him from Devi Parvati herself.
What remains as a result of combination of similarity of rasa, guna, etc, that is being described. The equal parts of rasa of chitrak and vajradanti is a laxative. Combining dakh (raisins) with madhu (honey) or with milk & ghee, makes it a deepan.Equal parts of rasa of amla (gooseberry) and kathal (jackfruit) helps alleviate all 3 doshas.
Certain dravyas show an effect by their very nature. For example, fever comes down just by tying the root of sehdeyi on hair and the radish formed in the pushya-nakshatra helps alleviate the problems relating to blood.
The production of dravyas is in five forms – kalka (viscous sediment), choorna (powder), rasa (fluid), taila (oil) and arka (distillate), in increasing quantity of gunas. Kalka and choornaare used in different ailments; rasa in Sannipata (conglomeration of vitiated tridosa); taila in combination of doshas; and arka in incurable diseases. These are used in accordance with predominance of time and agni. Kalka has all the gunas, choorna has relatively less gunas, rasa has the quality of speed and taila has no dosha. Arka is free from all doshas and illuminates all the gunas. It is extremely potent.
In the next article we will delve deeper on the topic of arka.
