________________
334 Speculations in the Medical Schools (CH. in 111.4.80:"Some say that the constitution (prakrti) of the human body is elemental (bhautiki), the three constitutive elements being air, fire and water1." The advance of the medical schools of thought over these speculations and over others which consider the body to be a product of one bhūta or of many bhūtas is to be sought in this, that, besides allowing the material causes (upādāna) of the body to be the dhātus, they emphasized the necessity of admitting one or more inherent dynamic principles for the development and decay of the body. This explains how vāta, pitta and kapha are regarded both as dhātu and as dosa, as prakyti and as vikyti. Thus Caraka says, as has already been mentioned, that from the time of the formation of the foetus the vāta, pitta and kapha are working, but in more or less diverse ways and in diverse systems, with equal vāyu, pitta, mala and kapha (sama-pittānilakupha) or different degrees of predominance of them as vātala, pittala and śleşmalaa. Men of the śleşmala type are generally healthy, whereas vātala and pittala persons are always of indifferent health. Later on, when there is a disease with the predominance of that dosa which is predominant in man's constitution from his birth, the newly collected dosa produces morbidity on the lines on which the predominating doşa of his constitution is working; but this newly collected doșa does not augment the corresponding original doșa. The original doşa is never increased, and, whatever may be the predominance of a doşa due to any disease, the constitutional condition of the doșas remains the same. Thus a vāta-praksti person does not become śleşma-prakrti or pitta-prakrti, and viceversa. The doșas which are constitutional always remain as the
prakrtim iha narānām bhautikim kecid ahuh pavana-dahana-toyaiḥ kirtitās tās tu tisrah.
Susruta, III. 4. 8o. ? Caraka refers to a view that there are none who may be regarded as sama-vāta-pitta-śleşman (or having equal vāta, pitta and śleşman). Since all men take various kinds of diet (vişamāhāropayogitvāt), they must be either våtaprakrti, pitta-prakrti, or slesma-prakrti. Against this Caraka says that sama-vātapitta-śleşman is the same thing as health or freedom from disease (aroga). All medicines are applied for attaining this end, and there cannot be any doubt that such a state exists. Again, the terms vāta-prakti, pitta-prakyti and śleşmaprakyti are incorrect; for prakrti means health. What they mean by väta-prakyti is that vāta is quantitatively predominant (ādhikya-bhāvāt să dosa-prakytir ucyate), and quantitative predominance is the same as vikāra; so the proper terms are vātala, pittala, etc. When a vătala person takes things which increase vāta, his vāta increases at once; but when he takes things which increase pitta or śleşman, these do not increase in him as rapidly as vāta does. So in the case of a pittala person pitta increases rapidly when articles which increase pitta are taken, and so with regard to śleşman (Caraka-samhitā, 11. 6. 14-18).
