Astrology in Ayurvedic classics

Dr. Kotekal Guru Rajesh

Author of SARFAROSH

It is said that in ancient India ayurvedic physicians were having a good working knowledge of astrology while astrologers were well acquainted with the knowledge of ayurvedic principles. This indeed becomes evident when we carefully scrutinize the available ayurvedic and Jyotisha classical texts.

Besides the astrology proper, which takes into consideration the planetary positions in the heavens and their respective characteristics and special attributes to aid in interpretation, other methods are also employed in ayurvedic texts like interpretation of swapnaas or dreams and nimittas or omens, which form mainly a part of the samhita division of Jyotisha. The principles of Muhurtha branch of astrology is applied to find out the lunar asterism and the weekday during which the disease has manifested to know the duration of suffering. Karma siddhanta, the underlying principle of the Vedic way of life, takes the shape of karma vipaaka that deals with the sins committed in the previous lives that manifest as various diseases and also prescribes the remedial measures to be carried out to rectify the sins. The ancient ayurvedic classics include all these types of techniques in diagnosis and also in predicting the ultimate fate of the patient and the duration of the disease. The text ‘Veerasimhavalokanam’ extensively deals with the Karma vipaaka, Jyotisha and Ayurveda with equal emphasis on all the three and details out the karmic reasons and planetary configurations responsible for each disease suggesting the remedial measures and ayurvedic treatments.

Among the ayurvedic classical texts Hareeta samhita, Sushruta samhita, Ashtanga hrudayam, Bhela samhita, Sarngadhara samhita, Aarogya chintamani, Bruhadyoga tarangini, Kaasyapa samhita, Basavaraajeeyam and Chikitsa saara sangraham have been studied by me to extract the astrological information incorporated in these texts. The astrological material provided in the ayurvedic texts can be divided under the following topics:

•         Karma vipaaka – diseases arising as a result of the deeds of previous births
•    Nakshatra gnyaanam – or studying the asterism occupied by Moon and the weekday at the commencement of the disease
•         Doota lakshnam – interpretation from the characteristics of the messenger
•         Nimittaa – Omens on the way and within the house of the patient
•         Swapna – interpretation of the dreams
•         Arishta gnyaana – finding out the impending death
•        Deha subhaasubha lakshana – predicting the future through physiognomy

To discuss each of these topics in detail will be impossible in a single article and hence I would strive to present a summary of these details in this paper.

1. Karma Vipaka

Hareeta Samhita and Basavaraajeeyam deal with the past life deeds that cause serious diseases in this birth. They also suggest various remedial measures to cure the disease. Hareeta samhita says that there will be three kinds of diseases arising from the three types of sins committed in the previous lives. The sins committed unknowingly and for whose rectification the sinner has performed prayaschittas like Krichchya etc will be manifested as easily curable diseases. The sins that were committed knowingly and for whom prayaschittas were performed will take the shape of difficult but curable diseases. The sins committed knowingly and which were not countered by performing the required austerities will manifest as dreadful and incurable diseases.

Ten types of heinous sins are enumerated which result in ten types of terrible diseases. Killing of Brahmins causes panduroga (anaemia), killing of cows causes kushtha (leprosy), assassinating the ruler causes rajayakshma (tuberculosis), destruction of the dwelling of Brahmins and ascetics results in atisaara (diarrhoea), desecrating sacred waters causes meharoga (excess urination), destruction of lands will result in mutra roga (diseases of urinary tract), defiling others’ wives causes asmariroga (kidney stones), violating the bed of employer results in mutrakruchcha (painful urination or dysuria), violating the bed of one’s teacher will cause shoola (painful abdominal pain mainly caused due to vaata) and corrupting the modesty of pativratas will result in swasa kasa vrana rogas (difficulty in breathing, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases).

Stealing of various articles like gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, iron, milk, ghee, oil etc are said to cause ailments like disease of the nails, chitrakushtam, sidhmalam, facial diseases, paling of the body, atimootra, intestinal diseases etc. Donation of the respective goods is said to remedy their corresponding disease. The performance of austerities like krichchya, Ati krichchya, Chaandraayana etc is suggested for different diseases. Donation of cows, land and gold along with feasting of Brahmins and other destitute people is said to alleviate most of the diseases. The recitation of Rudra namaka chamaka, Vishnu Sahasranaama etc is also suggested. An interesting remedy of planting and watering trees can be noted that is said to alleviate the suffering caused by Visarpiroga (erysipelas or cellulitis) and various wounds or Vranas, which are caused by the destruction of trees and forests by fire, in a previous birth.

Basavarajeeyam extensively deals with the topic of karmavipaaka siting various sins and their resultant diseases. It also gives some planetary combinations responsible for certain diseases and proposes the required remedial measures.

2. Nakshatra gnyaanam

Hareeta samhita deals elaborately with this topic. The combination of certain asterisms and weekdays were explained as dangerous ‘Yamaghanta’ yoga and it is said that the person contacting any disease when this period is current will rarely escapes death. Similarly ‘Mrityu yoga’ and ‘Amruta yoga’ are explained caused by the combination of asterisms and weekdays. Combination of malefic yogas like Shoola, Vajra, Atiganda, Vyaaghaata, Vyateepaatha, Vishkambha with asterisms ruled by cruel deities will cause incurable diseases. It is also said that the inception of a disease when all the three of yoga, asterism and weekday are malefic will lead to the death of the patient. Also various yogas are explained that are conducive for starting treatment of diseases. It is said that the combination of Sunday with Magha, Monday with Vishaakha, Tuesday with Bharani, Wednesday with Ardhraa, Thursday with Moola, Friday with Krittika and Saturday with Hasta is not conducive for the treatment of pitta diseases.

Next, the asterisms are dealt exclusively and the curability or otherwise of a disease and its duration according to the asterism occupied by the Moon at the time of its inception was explained. Further, the extent of each asterism is divided into three components or amsas and the result of particular amsa of a nakshatra current when the disease has started is elaborated. The physician is suggested to perform remedial measures for the asterisms for the speedy cure of the disease.

This information offers a fertile ground of research for astrologers to check the theory with real life incidents.

3. Doota Lakshanam

It seems that there was a practice of sending some person as messenger to fetch the physician to the patient’s house. It is said that as the appearance of smoke from a distance will indicate the presence of fire, similarly the appearance and characteristics of a messenger will indicate the fate of the patient. Hence most of the classics have explained the results of various appearances, utterances and characteristics of the messengers. The information discussed in this topic can be conveniently applied in prasna astrology to predict the condition of the patient.

A messenger having the following characteristics is considered inauspicious: handicapped, lame, blind, deaf, mute, suffering with disease, children, women, untidy, tired, hungry, thirsty, wearing torn clothes, mentally imbalanced, indigent, wearing black or saffron robes, wearing wet clothes, with tonsured head, with turban on head, with tears in eyes, having eyes-head-hair similar to a monkey, having disfigured nose, harsh in speech and deeds, holding club or noose in the hands, talking insultingly with the physician, heading towards south, standing with crossed legs, coming with empty hands, walking briskly on the way, hurried in breath, sitting with head in his hands and legs wide spread, breaking sticks or grass or mud lumps etc, writing markings on the land with foot or hand, sleeping, coming by riding camel, buffalo or donkey.

Messenger with the following characteristics is considered auspicious: Persons belonging to the same community as the patient, wearing white clothes, holding auspicious things in hands like fruits, flowers, gold etc, chewing taamboola, coming from east, north or west, talking pleasantly, handsome in appearance, coming over a vehicle or by a bullock cart or by walk.

In these texts the condition of the physician when he is invited by the messenger for the first time is also explained to know the fate of the patient. If the physician is invited by a messenger when he is in the following conditions will not auger well for the patient: agitated in mind, angry, having his food, performing pitrukaarya, performing agnihotra, besmeared with oil, untidy in appearance, killing an animal, answering nature’s call, sweating profusely, sleeping, weeping, with dishevelled hair, naked, taking bath etc.

The time when the messenger approaches the physician is also considered to know the curability of the disease. The mid-nights, mid-days, sandhyas, shasti or chaviti or navami tithis, Sundays, Rahu-Ketu in the ascendant, Bharani, Krtittika, Ashlesha, Poorvaashaadha, Poorvaabhaadra, Pubba, Aardhra, Makhaa and Moola nakshatras – when these are current, the first invitation from a messenger will turn to be inauspicious.

Bruhadyoga Tarangini also gives a chakra called ‘Jeevanmarana prasna nirnaya chakram’ where certain numbers are allotted for the Sanskrit alphabets. These are used to derive the value for the names of both the messenger and the patient. If the value is greater for the patient he will be cured and if the value is greater for the messenger the disease will not be cured. When both values are equal the disease will remain for a long period.

4. Nimitta or Shakuna

All the ayurvedic texts referred by me have dealt this topic elaborately. The omens encountered by the physician on his way to the patient’s house and also in the patient’s house, both for the first time, will indicate the future of the patient.

Appearance of various animals, birds, articles, people are considered to indicate auspicious and inauspicious results. Their appearance on left or right side of the physician is also discussed at some places to result in contrary results. Besides the appearance, their cries, taking their names etc. are also interpreted.

Some of the auspicious omens are: sight of the king, Brahmins, elephants, peacocks, washer men, person wearing white clothes, woman carrying her child, prostitute, maiden, shakunta birds, silver, gold, milk, fish, raw flesh, blood, clean clothes, mirror, fruits, flowers, wines etc.

Some of the inauspicious omens are: sight of cats, mongoose, snakes, poisonous creatures, lizards, monkeys, owls, rabbits, pigs, bears, burning houses, broken pots, falling trees etc.

Hearing the following sounds is considered inauspicious: Taking the names of cats, monkeys, mongoose, lizards etc, hearing the cries of rabbits, monkeys, inauspicious words, sobbing, verbal fighting using harsh words etc.

The condition of physician on his way is also interpreted to know the fate of the patient. If the physician’s footsteps become unsteady, if his head reels, or if the clothe he wears falls down, or if he gets involved in a fight or debate on the way the patient will not be cured.

5. Swapna

Divining the future events with the help of dream interpretation is a ubiquitous aspect of all the ancient civilizations. The ayurvedic texts provide general interpretations of auspicious and inauspicious dreams seen by the patient and his relatives and there by predict the recovery or otherwise of the patient. Further Ashtaanga Hrudayam also predicts the nature of the disease a person will suffer in future based on the dreams he has seen. Sushruta Samhita explains various dreams that will prove fatal for patients of different diseases. Kaasyapa samhita explains various dreams that are experienced by the mother or caretaker of a child to interpret the various types of baala-graha’s torturing the infant.

Dreams are classified into seven types: 1. Drustha (seen), 2. Shruta (heard), 3. Anubhoota (experienced), 4. Prarthita (longed for), 5. Kalpita (created in thoughts) 6. Doshaja (caused due to the imbalances of the three humors) and 7. Bhaavita (other than the above six). Among the seven the first six types will be ineffective in giving their results. Similarly some texts say that a dream seen during a day time sleep will not be effective. A forgotten dream, a very big dream or a very small dream, or a dream followed by another dream of contrary indication will not give results.

The period of fructification of the dream is interpreted based on the time of its appearance. The nearer the dream to the sunrise the nearer will be its manifestation. If a patient dreams of the things similar to the humour of his disease then the dream should not be considered. For example if a patient of windy humour dreams of moving in the air, or of fiery humour dreams of burning fire, comets, thunderbolts etc, or if a patient of watery humour dreams of water bodies etc. these dreams will be ineffective.

Sight of the following animals, objects, men etc is considered as auspicious: cow, bull, elephant, king, gold, horse, climbing of high rise buildings, mountains, vehicles, besmearing the body with shit, weeping, seeing one’s own death, cohabitation with a forbidden woman, crossing the sea, lamps, brilliant fire, fruit bearing trees, maiden, wheel, flag post, eating raw human flesh, Solar or Lunar disc, bitten by a white serpent on the right hand, drinking wine or blood, wearing while garlands, dress etc, drinking fresh milk, seeing chairs, beds, vehicles, house and self on fire, eating curd or paayasam in a lotus leaf sitting in the midst of a lake etc.

Contrarily, the sight of the following articles, men, activities etc in dreams is considered inauspicious: falling of one’s own teeth or hair, seeing oneself being hunted by cruel animals bearing horns or fangs or by monkeys and pigs etc, besmearing one’s body with dust or oil or ghee or animal fat etc, seeing one’s own marriage at the end of a dream, sight of solar or lunar disc falling from the sky, seeing growth of bushes on one’s head or chest, tonsuring of head, sleeping in holes or caves or in cremation grounds, vomiting or passing of stools, missing footwear, being encircled by ghosts or goblins or  chandaalas etc.

If a patient suffering with fever dreams himself befriending a dog; if a patient of consumption dreams of befriending a monkey or a demon; if a patient of unmaada (insanity) dreams of befriending a bhoota (ghost); if a patient of urinary diseases or diarrhoea dreams of drinking water; if a patient of leprosy dreams of drinking oil; if a patient of gulma (abdominal tumours) dreams of growth of a tree from his stomach – in all these cases the patients will not recover and they will die soon.

After seeing an inauspicious dream the person should think of his family deity, preceptor and other divine entities and should repeat the ishta mantra for some time and sleep again. These dreams should not be revealed to others and the person should spend three nights in any temple and worship the deity enshrined there. By doing this the malefic effects will be nullified. The person having the vision of the dreadful dreams should donate black gram, sesame, iron and gold to the learned Brahmins and should repeat the venerable Gayatri.

6. Arishta gnyaana

Hareeta samhita and Bruhadyoga Tarangini treat this topic in detail. By studying some symptoms of the patient and also noting the inability of the patient in observing some phenomenon of nature the physician can confirm the imminent death of the patient. It seems that there is some physiological and pathological background behind the symptoms of death. For example if a person is unable to hear the ringing sound in the ears even after closing the ears; if a person sees flickering light even after closing his eyes; if a person suffers severe head ache during mornings and observes luminous parivesha around lighted lamps; if a person cannot experience the extreme tastes of bitter, sour etc; if a person cannot experience the extremes of heat and cold and if his body does not develop goose bumps when sprinkled with cold water; if a person, though healthy looking, breathes through his mouth, has reddish eyes and face, discoloured tongue and blackish teeth – all these persons are nearer to death.

Similarly, considering the natural phenomena: if a person fails to see the moon on the 2^nd day of the bright fortnight; if a person notices rainbow on all the directions though the sky is free of clouds; if a person fails to notice the aakaasha gangaa (the milkyway) or the dhruva star; if a person observes parivesha around the solar and lunar discs and sees smoky fog around the Sun; if a person fails to see his reflection in oil, water, ghee, mirror or in the eyes of other people – all these will perish shortly.

Bruhadyoga Tarangini also mentions an occult practice called as ‘Chaayaa purusha saadhana’ by which the practitioner will be able to know his own death and also of his near and dear ones.

7. Deha subhaasubha lakshana

The Kaashyapa samhita being a treatise on Kaumaarabhrutya or paediatrics has a chapter dealing with the characteristics of the body of a child and their indications about its future. This is akin to the samudrika branch of astrology dealt in most of the samhitas of Jyotisha.

The body parts of children starting from the nails of the feet, feet, heels, fingers, shanks, knees, thighs, buttocks, lower abdomen, reproductive organs, way of urination,  stomach, navel, chest, nipples, shoulders, hands, neck, lips, teeth, tongue, ears, eyes, eye brows, hair on the head, hair on the body, marks on the palms and feet, circles of hair on the body, moles on the body etc. are described with their auspicious and inauspicious interpretations.

Thus, the ayurvedic texts are embedded with rich information on astrological aspects that help in the diagnosis of the disease and also in finding out the fate of a patient. It is my humble opinion that an in-depth study of this information along with the medical aspects of Jyotisha classics and samhitas will provide us with rich dividends that help in the advancement and refinement of the subject of medical astrology.