Astanga
Hridaya
Sutra Sthan
Vagbhat
, Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
Chapter 1: Ayushkameeya आयु कामीयं Adhyaya
“Desire for long life”
1. Salutations
रागा द रोगान ् सततानुष तान ् शेषकाय सत
ृ ानशेषान ्औ सु यमोहार तदा जघान
यो अपूववै याय नमो अ तु त मै
Salutation to The Unique and Rare Physician, who has destroyed, without any residue all the
diseases like Raga (lust, anger, greed, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, ego), which are constantly
associated with the body, which is spread all over the body, giving rise to disease, delusion and
restlessness.
This salutation is done to Lord Dhanwantari.
2. Purpose of life: Essential quality to learn Ayurveda
आयु: कामायमानेन धमाथ सुखसाधनम ् । आयुवदोपदे शेषु वधेय: परमादर: ॥
āyu: kāmāyamānena dharmārtha sukhasādhanam | āyurvedopadeśeṣu vidheya: paramādara: ||
To achieve the purpose of life, that is
1. Dharma – following the path of righteousness
2. Artha – earning money in a legal way
3. Kama – fulfilling our desire
4. Moksha – achieving Salvation,
To achieve this purpose of life, one should concentrate on having a long life. To learn the science
of Ayurveda, which explains how to achieve this purpose, ‘obedience’ (Vidheya) is the most
important quality.
3. Origin of Ayurveda
मा मृ वा आयुषो वे दं जाप तमिज हे सो अि वनौ तौ सह ा ं सो अ पु ा दका मुनी ते
अि नवे शा दकां ते टु पथ
ृ क् त ा ण ते नरे
Lord Brahma, remembering Ayurveda, taught it to Prajapathi, he in turn taught it to Ashwini
Kumaras (twins), they taught it to Sahasraksa (Lord Indra), he taught it to Atri’s son (Atreya
Punarvasu) and other sages, they taught it to Agnivesa and others and they (Agnivesha and other
disciples ) composed treatises, each one separately.
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, Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
4 – 4.5. Funda of Ashtanga Hrudayam:
ते यो अ त व क य यः ायः सारतरो चयः यते अ टा ग दयं ना तसं ेप व तरम ्
From those Ayurvedic text books, which are too elaborate and hence very difficult to study, only
the essence is collected and presented in Ashtanga Hridaya, which is neither too short nor too
elaborate.
4.5-5.5 – Branches of Ayurveda
कायबाल हो वा ग श यदं ा जरावष ृ ान ् || अ टाव गा न त याहु: च क सा येषु सं ता |
kāyabālagrahordhvāṅga śalyadaṃṣṭrā jarāvṛṣān || aṣṭāvaṅgāni tasyāhu: cikitsā yeṣu saṃśritā |
1. Kaya Chikitsa – General medicine
2. Bala Chikitsa – Paediatrics
3. Graha Chikitsa – Psychiatry
4. Urdhvanga Chikitsa – Diseases and treatment of Ear, Nose, Throat, Eyes and Head
(neck and above region)
5. Shalya Chikitsa – Surgery
6. Damshrta Chikitsa – Toxicology
7. Jara Chikitsa – Geriatrics
8. Vrushya Chikitsa – Aphrodisiac therapy
These are the eight branches of Ayurveda.
5.5 – 6.5 Tridosha
वायु: प तं कफ चे त यो दोषा: समासत: ॥ वकृताऽ वकृता दे हं नि त ते व तयि त च ।
vāyu: pittaṃ kaphaśceti trayo doṣā: samāsata: || vikṛtā’vikṛtā dehaṃ ghnanti te varttayanti ca |
Vayu – Vata, Pitta and kapha are the three Doshas of the body. Perfect balance of three Doshas
leads to health, imbalance in Tridosha leads to diseases.
6.5-7.5 How Thridosha are spread in body and in a day?
ते या पनोऽ प ना योरधोम यो व सं या: ॥
वयोऽहोरा भु तानां तेऽ तम या दगा: मात ् ।
te vyāpino’pi hṛnnābhyoradhomadhyordhva saṃśrayā: ||
vayo’horātribhuktānāṃ te’ntamadhyādigā: kramāt |
The Tridosha are present all over the body, but their presence is especially seen in particular
parts. If you divide the body into three parts, the top part upto chest is dominated by Kapha
Dosha, between chest and umbilicus is dominated by Pitta, below umbilicus part is dominated by
Vata.
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, Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
Similarly, in a person’s life, day and in night (separately), the first part is dominated by Kapha,
second part is dominated by Pitta and third part is dominated by Vata. While eating and during
digestion, the first, second and third part are dominated by Kapha, Pitta and Vata respectively.
7.5 Types of digestive fires
तैभवे वषम: ती णो म द चाि न: समै: सम: ॥
tairbhavedviṣama: tīkṣṇo mandaścāgni: samai: sama: ||
There are four types of Digestive fires (Agni)
1. Vishama Agni – Influenced by Vata. A person with Vishama Agni will sometimes
have high appetite, and sometimes, low appetite.
2. Teekshna Agni - Influenced by Pitta. A person with Teeksna Agni will have high
digestion power and appetite.
3. Manda Agni - Influenced by Kapha. A person with Manda Agni will have low
digestion power and appetite.
4. Sama Agni - Influenced by perfect balance of Tridosha – Where person will have
proper appetite and digestion power. Digestion occurs at appropriate time.
8.5 Types of digestive tracts / nature of bowels
को ठ: ू रो मद ृ म
ु यो म य: या तै: समैर प ।
koṣṭha: krūro mṛdurmadhyo madhya: syāttai: samairapi |
There are three types of digestive tracts (Koshta):
1. Kroora Koshta – wherein the person will take long time for digestion. The bowel
evacuation will be irregular. It is influenced by Vata.
2. Mrudu Koshta – Sensitive stomach, has a very short digestion period. Even
administration of milk will cause bowel evacuation.
3. Madhya Koshta – Proper digestive tract, bowel evacuation at appropriate times. It is
influenced by Tridosha balance.
9-10 Types of Prakruti – Body Types
शु ातव थै: ज मादौ वषेणव
ै वषकृमे: ॥ तै च त : कृतयो ह नम यो तमा: पथ
ृ क् ।
समधात:ु सम तासु े ठा न या वदोषजा ॥
śukrārtavasthai: janmādau viṣeṇaiva viṣakṛme: || taiśca tisra: prakṛtayo hīnamadhyottamā: pṛthak |
samadhātu: samastāsu śreṣṭhā nindyā dvidoṣajā ||
Like the poison is natural and inherent to poisonous insects, similarly, the Prakruti (body type) is
inherent to humans. The body type is decided during conception, based on qualities of sperm and
ovum.
Vata prakruti – Vata body type is considered as low quality
Pitta Prakruti – Pitta body type is considered as moderate quality
Kapha Prakruti – Kapha body type is considered good quality.
Page No. 4 Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
Hridaya
Sutra Sthan
Vagbhat
, Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
Chapter 1: Ayushkameeya आयु कामीयं Adhyaya
“Desire for long life”
1. Salutations
रागा द रोगान ् सततानुष तान ् शेषकाय सत
ृ ानशेषान ्औ सु यमोहार तदा जघान
यो अपूववै याय नमो अ तु त मै
Salutation to The Unique and Rare Physician, who has destroyed, without any residue all the
diseases like Raga (lust, anger, greed, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, ego), which are constantly
associated with the body, which is spread all over the body, giving rise to disease, delusion and
restlessness.
This salutation is done to Lord Dhanwantari.
2. Purpose of life: Essential quality to learn Ayurveda
आयु: कामायमानेन धमाथ सुखसाधनम ् । आयुवदोपदे शेषु वधेय: परमादर: ॥
āyu: kāmāyamānena dharmārtha sukhasādhanam | āyurvedopadeśeṣu vidheya: paramādara: ||
To achieve the purpose of life, that is
1. Dharma – following the path of righteousness
2. Artha – earning money in a legal way
3. Kama – fulfilling our desire
4. Moksha – achieving Salvation,
To achieve this purpose of life, one should concentrate on having a long life. To learn the science
of Ayurveda, which explains how to achieve this purpose, ‘obedience’ (Vidheya) is the most
important quality.
3. Origin of Ayurveda
मा मृ वा आयुषो वे दं जाप तमिज हे सो अि वनौ तौ सह ा ं सो अ पु ा दका मुनी ते
अि नवे शा दकां ते टु पथ
ृ क् त ा ण ते नरे
Lord Brahma, remembering Ayurveda, taught it to Prajapathi, he in turn taught it to Ashwini
Kumaras (twins), they taught it to Sahasraksa (Lord Indra), he taught it to Atri’s son (Atreya
Punarvasu) and other sages, they taught it to Agnivesa and others and they (Agnivesha and other
disciples ) composed treatises, each one separately.
Page No. 2 Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
, Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
4 – 4.5. Funda of Ashtanga Hrudayam:
ते यो अ त व क य यः ायः सारतरो चयः यते अ टा ग दयं ना तसं ेप व तरम ्
From those Ayurvedic text books, which are too elaborate and hence very difficult to study, only
the essence is collected and presented in Ashtanga Hridaya, which is neither too short nor too
elaborate.
4.5-5.5 – Branches of Ayurveda
कायबाल हो वा ग श यदं ा जरावष ृ ान ् || अ टाव गा न त याहु: च क सा येषु सं ता |
kāyabālagrahordhvāṅga śalyadaṃṣṭrā jarāvṛṣān || aṣṭāvaṅgāni tasyāhu: cikitsā yeṣu saṃśritā |
1. Kaya Chikitsa – General medicine
2. Bala Chikitsa – Paediatrics
3. Graha Chikitsa – Psychiatry
4. Urdhvanga Chikitsa – Diseases and treatment of Ear, Nose, Throat, Eyes and Head
(neck and above region)
5. Shalya Chikitsa – Surgery
6. Damshrta Chikitsa – Toxicology
7. Jara Chikitsa – Geriatrics
8. Vrushya Chikitsa – Aphrodisiac therapy
These are the eight branches of Ayurveda.
5.5 – 6.5 Tridosha
वायु: प तं कफ चे त यो दोषा: समासत: ॥ वकृताऽ वकृता दे हं नि त ते व तयि त च ।
vāyu: pittaṃ kaphaśceti trayo doṣā: samāsata: || vikṛtā’vikṛtā dehaṃ ghnanti te varttayanti ca |
Vayu – Vata, Pitta and kapha are the three Doshas of the body. Perfect balance of three Doshas
leads to health, imbalance in Tridosha leads to diseases.
6.5-7.5 How Thridosha are spread in body and in a day?
ते या पनोऽ प ना योरधोम यो व सं या: ॥
वयोऽहोरा भु तानां तेऽ तम या दगा: मात ् ।
te vyāpino’pi hṛnnābhyoradhomadhyordhva saṃśrayā: ||
vayo’horātribhuktānāṃ te’ntamadhyādigā: kramāt |
The Tridosha are present all over the body, but their presence is especially seen in particular
parts. If you divide the body into three parts, the top part upto chest is dominated by Kapha
Dosha, between chest and umbilicus is dominated by Pitta, below umbilicus part is dominated by
Vata.
Page No. 3 Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
, Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
Similarly, in a person’s life, day and in night (separately), the first part is dominated by Kapha,
second part is dominated by Pitta and third part is dominated by Vata. While eating and during
digestion, the first, second and third part are dominated by Kapha, Pitta and Vata respectively.
7.5 Types of digestive fires
तैभवे वषम: ती णो म द चाि न: समै: सम: ॥
tairbhavedviṣama: tīkṣṇo mandaścāgni: samai: sama: ||
There are four types of Digestive fires (Agni)
1. Vishama Agni – Influenced by Vata. A person with Vishama Agni will sometimes
have high appetite, and sometimes, low appetite.
2. Teekshna Agni - Influenced by Pitta. A person with Teeksna Agni will have high
digestion power and appetite.
3. Manda Agni - Influenced by Kapha. A person with Manda Agni will have low
digestion power and appetite.
4. Sama Agni - Influenced by perfect balance of Tridosha – Where person will have
proper appetite and digestion power. Digestion occurs at appropriate time.
8.5 Types of digestive tracts / nature of bowels
को ठ: ू रो मद ृ म
ु यो म य: या तै: समैर प ।
koṣṭha: krūro mṛdurmadhyo madhya: syāttai: samairapi |
There are three types of digestive tracts (Koshta):
1. Kroora Koshta – wherein the person will take long time for digestion. The bowel
evacuation will be irregular. It is influenced by Vata.
2. Mrudu Koshta – Sensitive stomach, has a very short digestion period. Even
administration of milk will cause bowel evacuation.
3. Madhya Koshta – Proper digestive tract, bowel evacuation at appropriate times. It is
influenced by Tridosha balance.
9-10 Types of Prakruti – Body Types
शु ातव थै: ज मादौ वषेणव
ै वषकृमे: ॥ तै च त : कृतयो ह नम यो तमा: पथ
ृ क् ।
समधात:ु सम तासु े ठा न या वदोषजा ॥
śukrārtavasthai: janmādau viṣeṇaiva viṣakṛme: || taiśca tisra: prakṛtayo hīnamadhyottamā: pṛthak |
samadhātu: samastāsu śreṣṭhā nindyā dvidoṣajā ||
Like the poison is natural and inherent to poisonous insects, similarly, the Prakruti (body type) is
inherent to humans. The body type is decided during conception, based on qualities of sperm and
ovum.
Vata prakruti – Vata body type is considered as low quality
Pitta Prakruti – Pitta body type is considered as moderate quality
Kapha Prakruti – Kapha body type is considered good quality.
Page No. 4 Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan
