Book Review

Bhadanta Nagarjuna's Rasavaiseshika - Text with English Translation by Vaidyabhushanam

K.Raghavan Tirumalpad, Kottakkal Ayurveda Series – 86, Department of Publications, Arya
Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal 2010. Pp. 216+xii. Rs. 160.00

In Ayurveda, Dravyaguṇavijñāna (pharmacology) is an importanat aspect. Dravyas such as herbs,

minerals, metals, animal products are ingredients used in medicinal preparations. Each dravya is
embedded with five properties viz. Rasa, Guṇa Vīrya Vipāka and Karma. These are otherwise
known as rasapañcaka (pharmaco-dynamics) in Ayurveda philosophy. A Dravya can be food and
medicines as well. But some dravyas are toxic in nature, to evaluate their efficacy, a Vaidya should
know the dravya and its properties for proper application. This forms the subject matter of Bhadanta
Nagarjuna's Rasavaiseshika, written in traditional sūtra style, according to Indian shastric tradition.
The method of treatment of the subject is highly systematic and scientific.

With regard to the authorship, historically, four different Nagarjunas are popular in Sanskrit
literature. The first one is Acharya Nagarjuna, who is the great exponent of Rasavidya. The second
is the Buddhist Narajuna who wrote Madhyamika Karikas. The third Nagarjuna is the redactor of
Sushruta Samhita. And finally, it is the Bhadanta Nagarjuna (7 th A.D.), who has been attributed with
authorship of the present text. Bhadanta was a follower of Buddhist philosophy living in Kerala.

Sri Kolatteri Sankara Menon, the then director of Travancore state, had published Rasavaiseshika
with an introduction for the first time with Narasimha's commentary in 1928. The second version
came in 1976 that had been edited by N.E. Muthuswami and published from Trivandrum.
Aryavaidyasala has serialized English transaltion of this text in in its in house journal 'Aryavaidyan',
a few years ago. The gigantic task of translating this text has been taken up by Vaidyabhushanam
Raghavan Tirumalpad, one the of most respected scholars in Ayurveda and Sanskrit.

Rasavaiseshika consists 490 sūtras classified into four chapters. Dr. Raghavan Tirumalpad has done
an excellent job by translating this ancient text with Sanskrit annotations. He says that this text
might have been older than Caraka Samhita. With regard to justifying the title, he says – 'Elaborate
expositon of some subject is Vaiseshika. So, Rasavaiseshika means elaborate exposition of Dravya
and its properties'. In Charaka Samhita, one can see the striking correlation of theories and concepts
of Vaiseshika alongside a few Samkhya concepts.

Also, Rasavaiseshika apparently demonstrates Vaiseshika conepts. As the five qualities (Rasa,
Guṇa Vīrya Vipāka and Karma) exist in a dravya, guṇa, karma, sāmānya, viśeṣa and samavāya
also exist in the same. Since a dravya is made up of five gross elements, it inherits all the their
qualities, viz. śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa and gandha. A good amount of discussion carried out on
the evolution of indriyas accepted by Vedantins and Vaiseshikas at sūtra 2.112. Also, Rasavaisehika
states six pramāṇas (p. 212), where as sage Caraka has accepted three only.

The text started with the sūtra 'अथातः आरोग्यशास्त्रं वक्ष्यामः' । Here, the definition of ārogya has been
translated as "न रोगः यस्य सः अरोगः । अरोगस्य भावः आरोग्यम् । It is actually the positive condition of
one, who can not easily be effected by the disease, who is able to withstand adverse conditions" (p.
4). This text essentially helps us for a better understanding of early Acharyas in Ayurveda, being
considered a bit older to the texts of samhita period of Ayurveda, thus establishing its antiquity. As
per Ayurveda texts, food is the primary cause of health and disease. When it is eaten properly the
result is health and, when it is eaten improperly the result is disease. It is clear in the following

1
verse from Kasyapa Samhita -
न चाहारसमं िकिञ्चिञ्चिद् भैषज्यमुपलभ्यते ।
शक्यतेऽप्यन्नमात्रेण नरः किञ्चतुर िनरामयः ।।

Rasavaiseshika has done a fine exposition of 'prakṛti' (primordial cause) whereas other samhitas did
not concentrate enough on this philosophical concept advocated by Samkhyas. Every human being
is inherited with three doṣas (humors) – vāta-pitta-kapha. Considering the prakṛti (constitution) of
patient is must for a Vaidya. “Prakṛti denotes the constitutional peculiarities of the individual which
is the result of the condition of the sperm of the father and ovum of the mother at the time of
impregnation, and is influenced by the habbits and thoughts of mother, the claimatic conditions and
the food and medicine taken during the period of pregnancy” (p. 12). The same phenomenon has
been examined by sage Sushruta in the first chapter and termed it as 'janmabala pravṛtta'.

During the discussion on prakṛti, the translator has elucidated on prakṛtis of doṣas (vāta-pitta-
kapha) and guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas). Doṣaprakṛti mostly causes physical characteristics.
Guṇaprakṛti causes psychic characteristics. Authentic Vaidyas rely on pulse examination to
diagnose the situation, not only that, this great method of examination revels all the pleasure and
pain underwent by the patient, so far. If the life span of a person is 100 years, there will be several
changes at different stages of life. Accordingly, the dravyas should be applied according to the
generation and degeneration of tissues in the body.

Fundamentally, Ayurveda speaks of means to protect health and then only prescribes means to treat
disease. Rasavaiseshika lists four aspects of health and four aspects of disease which is quite
interesting (p. 5&7). The concept of Agni is an important aspect in Ayurveda as evident in the
saying 'अिग्निमूलं बलं पुंसां बलमूलं िह जीविवतम्' । The fire element in the body causes to digest and
assimilate the eaten food. If it's functioning is improper then there will be imbalance of health. It
has been referred thus - “The complications of Agni are of three kinds, slow (manda) with kapha,
fast (tīkṣṇa) with pitta, and irregular (viṣama) with Vāta. In mandāgni, the digestion is poor with
loss of hunger and appetite. Even food eaten properly though in time can not be digested. In
tīkṣṇāgni, the food is digested before time, causing excessive hunger and thirst. In viṣamāgni, it is
never regular; at times it is slow and at times, fast. It is samāgni, when food properly taken is well
digested at the right time, which ensures hunger and health” (p. 14). Also, Also, there is a clear
explanation of the distinction between inherited disease and prakṛti (p. 25).

There is a popular proverb in English - 'one man's food is another's poison'. But the question is why
it happens so? At this juncture, the author's view has been rightly interpreted by the translator.
“One's own poison (as the body is conditioned by the poison) does not harm oneself. Consuming
articles which an individual has got addicted to by constant use do not agitate the doṣas” (p. 28). A
'viṣakanyā' has been cited as a perfect example in the context. In the first chapter, sūtra 113,
describes various actions of rasas such as 'madhura', 'āmla' etc. In the next couple of sūtras, how
guṇas like 'tikta' etc. supercede rasas, has been detailed thoroughly.

But the actual discussion on dravya and its qualities is only evident from 1.163. The translator's
mastery over subject is discernible in third chapter while commenting on the permutations and
combinations of rasas. Some of the technical terminology of Ayurveda has got its modern
equivalents in translation. The able translator opines that Rasavaiseshika must be the third book of
Arogya Shastra; the first book being Doṣavaiśeṣika and the second is Lakṣaṇavaiśeṣika, the third
is Rasavaiśeṣika and the fourth in order is Puruṣārthavaiśeṣika. Contextually, Arogya Shastra may

2
mean Ayurveda, but no references were made to substantiate this opinion, in the translation.

Though this book is not devoid of a few spelling errors in Sanskrit and English, certainly it would
be a collector's delight. Bhadanta Nagarjuna's Rasavaiseshika proves as an effective basic material
not only for Ayurveda students but for all those interested in the ancient Indian science of life.

Dr.J.S.R.A.Prasad
University of Hyderabad