You and me everyone is made up of specific Punchmahabhootas and particular percentage of the TriGunas. That is why when we need to do anything to our body we will have to find the truth about the composition of ours. It is easy to talk in such a way but when it comes to do practically it becomes hard for all of us. This all is like it that we are having a blood sample in our hand and we will be asked to report about the sugar and cholesterol percentage in the sample. Ayurvedic scholars perhaps faced the same problems while doing their job on human body……..this was the time when they marked specific traits of our two basic materials in our body and then started to analyze them again and again. These were tested on time and concepts became principles and then theories reached to us. Main theme of Ayurveda think pool is the theory of
BIO-REGULATORS these are the three smart experts of bio science who work all the works for our body. They are responsible for the normal actions on one side on other side they are similarly responsible for the abnormalities in any action of the body. Their role fluctuates between personalities of a hero and a villain. It is important to know that how they are evolved so according to their parent traits, their characters will be, let's find the truth and know that who regulates us and how they do so!!!!!!
Evolution of Tridoshas
Vayu + Aakash = Vaata
Rajas = Vatta
Agni + Jal/ Ap = Pitta
Sattva + Rajas=Pitta
Jal / Ap + Prithvi = Kapha
Tamas= Kapha
This is a transition of medical philosophy in to a medical science, a complete medical evolution. It was hard to understand the Mahabhootas and TriGunas in a human body due to their subtle level. Ayurvedic scholars developed the Tridoshas doctrine by the blend of the TriGunas and Punchmahabhootas. Tridoshas are blend of physics-chemistry and psychology. Where physics and chemistry are controlled by Mahabhootas and TriGunas play for psychology. When it comes to understand the living animals- their physics, chemistry and psychology, without any doubt these Tridoshas play an important role and it is easy also. Perhaps they can do it with Punchmahabhootas but they were aware about the psychological effects of TriGunas also as, along with the physiology, psychology is also important. So doctrine of these bio-regulators came forward, these bio-regulators by Punchmahabhootas and TriGunas. They named these three factors Vaata, Pitta & Kapha. These are also described in text according to their sign-symptoms and actions. These are easy to understand and to find in the body as their properties are understandable by experience and learning. Scholars of Ayurveda compiled all the knowledge about this Triad and symptoms of their increase and decrease in available text wit full details.
Types of Doshas
All creations and destructions are controlled by these bio-regulators inside the body. Doshas are numbered three as the word Tri tells about them. These three are responsible for all the bio actions and reactions. Not only in the body but concept of these bio-regulators can be discussed in any condition of the universe. Fact, that these three are developed only as a result of Punchmahabhootas and TriGunas tells that these are universal particularly for bio-science these are developed differently.
This classification is similar to the concepts of chemistry and physics' involvement in medical science. Today medical science is also concentrating on this concept and studies are going on to understand the bio-chemistry and bio- physics. Ayurvedic scholars were well aware about “this human – universe” relationship that is why they developed concept of Tridoshas to full fill and understand the “human-universe relationship”. This is the reason why Ayurveda is too close to the nature.
To understand the concepts of Tridoshas lets discuss any phenomenon of the body. Concept of metabolism will best for this .Metabolism is a combination of Anabolism and catabolism. One stores energies i.e. endothermic in nature and other one librates energy i.e., exothermic in nature. Anabolism stores energy and cabalism excretes it. And the power between anabolism and catabolism is the third factor, which is named as Vaata in Ayurveda. The cold factor which stores energies is Kapha and last exothermic is Pitta.
This is just an example; all the processes in the body are directed in the same way. And in all places these three do their proper jobs. For more details know about doshas more appropriately.
Know about Doshas
Body humors, traits, pillars of the body and many more they are known as. These three fellows where on one hand handle all the body works; opposite o it, they are also the main cause of any of the diseases. Hero cum villains, one can say.
- Vaata:-
Combination of Aakash and Vayu Mahabhootas and a representative of these two inside the body. This trait is dry and light like its parental Mahabhootas, has a tendency to absorb the fluid from any where
letting the space dry and rough just like its own tendencies. In energy
level this is neither hot nor cold, plays role of a neutral one which is
hot with Pitta and cold when accompanying Kapha. This provides all kind of movements in the body. These movements may be in the cell fluid or by the muscles even. Due to its pain causing tendency this trait is co-related with the neural factors of the body. When increased in the body causes extra ordinary movements and wastage of energy.
- Pitta :-
Hot due to her mother Agni and fluid due to its father Jal this is like liquid acid or alkali. This factor works to produce energy in the body by catabolism and digestion of the foods in the body. This energy is given to the Vaata to perform its functions and to the Kapha for storage purpose. It is sharp and burning. When it is increased in the body it secrets the bitter and burning sensations. When it is in lesser quantities in the body, body suffers from lack of energy and thermoregulatory system of the body get disturbed.
- Kapha :-
Thickest of all these three as this is having the binding factor of Jal and solidity of the Prithvi. So this is least free in nature. Along with this it's cold in characteristic that is why; this factor has a tendency to store the energy. When it increases in the body it makes body dump. Due to lesser viscosity it has a tendency to block the channels anywhere in the body. Just like Pitta it has a tendency to secrete the fluids but opposite to Pitta these secretions are neither acidic nor alkali. These are neutral in nature.
Properties of Tridoshas:-
All these three are awarded with few specific properties which decide their strength in body and their abilities to perform different jobs attributed to them. These are as follows.
| Vaata |
Pitta |
Kapha |
| Laghu- causes lightness |
Drava-fluid in nature |
Guru- produces heaviness |
| Sheet- absorbs heat |
Ushan-produces heat |
Snigdha-thick and oily |
| Ruksha-makes body dry |
Sneha-oily in touch |
Mand-slow activity |
| Suksham-enters all channels |
Sar-movement occurs |
Sthir-stable |
| Chal- causes movements |
Tikshan-fast acting |
Sheet-absorbs more heat |
| Khar- makes body rough |
Amal- corrhessive |
Pichill- highly viscous |
With the help of these few characteristic features of Tridoshas work in a bio rhythm, and answer of the question why these Doshas increase or decrease due to a specific food or routine, lies in these specific features of the Tridoshas. Anything which will increase a specific character will increase the Dosha in same fold. So it is very easy for anyone of us that this Dosha is increased in the body, but in above seven fold manner if we want to know the increase or decrease it needs a proper training and experience.
Doshas and our Body
Tridoshas are a triad of three humors which work like a pivot in the body, around which all the processes like, physiological, psychological, pathological and all other biological traits of the body move in a particular direction. These are called Doshas as they are responsible for the diseases. Without their involvement no diseases can occur in our body. Beside this, these also work as the basic units of the working of the body. These unite together and make all the workings of the body possible. Each of these three contributes in all these workings. How much percent any Dosha is involved in any process will decide the fate of that process inside the body. This working triad of Doshas is decided in early age of a human being as Prakruti - the bio-constitution of the body.
Dance of Doshas: Bio-Rhythm
Which specific character is increased at a particular time makes Doshas to work in a rhythm according to the age, season and the different times in a single day. Along with this they are also related with the ingestion, digestion and evacuation of food from G.I.T. a brief knowledge of this is here below…
Vaata – Old age, last 1/3 rd of day and night and last period of digestion of our foods
Pitta – Middle age, mid of the day and night and just in the middle of our food s
Kapha – Starting age, first 1/3 rd of the day and night and just in the start of the digestion of food.
These are also affected by natural ups and downs also. That is with each change of the season these got- accumulated, vitiated and pacified. Behavior of these three with nature is as it follows in the table…….
| Name of the Dosha |
Accumulation |
Vitiation |
Pacification |
| Vaata |
Summer |
Rains |
Autumn |
| Pitta |
Rains |
Autumn |
Early winter |
| Kapha |
Late Winter |
Spring |
Summer |
One should always care about the levels of these three Doshas in the body to remain healthy in all conditions. If ones
Doshik Prakruti and season are alike, then one should be more careful in that season. If Virginia is Vaatik Prakruti than she will surely feel pains and all other problems related with Vaata Dosha especially in Rainy or even cloudy season as coldness and dryness are there in weather during these seasons. Fast blowing air adds all possible features in the nature which will increase the Vatta Dosha. When Virginia knows about his Prakruti she will be on safe side by avoiding the foods which will help Vaata . In other words if she will take a food to pacify Vaata she will be able to enjoy the pleasure of clouds as Peter does without any problem.
Use of Tridoshas in Medical sciences
These are the three factors of our body which decide our physiological and pathological fate of our bio-systems. The properties of these Doshas and their up and down in the body is clear from the discussion above. Now this is of importance for a physician to know the qualitative and quantitative knowledge of a particular Dosha in the body. Treatment will be dependant on this calculation only. How much a physician can know about a Dosha and how accurately he can do this decides his success in the field of Ayurveda. After the knowledge of the Doshas in the body, one would be provided with the food of the opposite characters and properties from a particular Dosha and Prakruti of an individual. By keeping these three things in mind one can access the Doshas in the body easily…..
- Prakruti of an individual
- Seasonal specialization in accordance to a particular Dosha.
- Which trait of a Dosha is increased in the body?
After above analysis one can choose the proper drug for the treatment of a particular disease.
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