Rasāyana therapy plays an important role in maintaining and promoting positive health by promoting the body’s resilence, i.e. giving ‘immunity’ against disease. With the help of rasāyana therapy, prevention and cure of diseases is possible. In this article, a historical review of types of rasāyana therapy with information regarding kutīpraveśikā is given.
Over the past few decades, there is a change in lifestyle as more and more people climb to a higher socio-economic status. People are eating more fat, carbohydrate, animal proteins as well as preserved canned food. Physical activity has decreased due to availability of cars, buses etc. In addition, stress has become common in daily life. The urban lifestyle adopted for personal comfort, enjoyment and happiness is proving haz-ardous and hastens early ageing.
Āyurveda, the ‘science of life’, has two objectives:
1. To maintain and promote positive health.
2. To cure disease.
Prāṇaiṣaṇā i.e. ease of prāṇa is primary because the other two can be achieved only if prāṇa persists. Ācārya Caraka (3) has aptly said in Sūtrasthāna that,
”With the ending of life, all ends” (p. 68).
Long life can be achieved by following the rules for healthy living and by prompt attention to the treatment of diseases if they occur.
In Āyurveda, importance is given to svāsthya-pālana (healthy living) (4). An individual is said to be svastha or healthy when the doṣas (humors), dhātus (elements), malas (excretions) and agni (fire) are functioning normally creating a tranquillity of mind, soul, sensory as well as motor organs (5).
Dhātusāmyatā (a balance of all dhātus) can be secured by cikitsā (treatment) (6). This is classified into bheṣaja (with medicine) and abheṣaja (non-medicinal). Under the category of treatments improving vitality (svasthasya ūrjaskara) the bheṣaja type is sub-classified into rasayāna and vājīkaraṇa (7). These two methods chiefly improve the life-force.
Rasāyana or jarā cikitsā is one of the eight branches of Āyurveda practised extensively and effectively for a long time. Though chiefly concerned with improving a person’s youthfulness and lifespan, rasāyana is also used as an effective treatment.
Etymology of rasayāna
The word rasayāna consists of two parts:
1. Rasa – in the present context of rasāyana, the word ‘rasa’ is used in the sense of the end-products of digestion.
2. Ayana – In the present context of rasāyana, the word ‘ayana’ means the attainment of good quality of ‘rasa’.
Nirukti (derivation) of rasayāna
Rasa is in reference to rasa-raktādi dhātus. The means of purifying rasa-raktādi dhātus (elements of the blood and digestive processes) is termed as rasāyana (8).
Dalhana opines that rasāyana is the one in
which digested food juice (rasanam) nourishes the rakta dhātu (9).
What is rasāyana?
Dalhana further adds that rasāyana stabilises youthfulness and prolongs life with activities through its rasa, vīrya etc. (10).
Arundatta states that rasāyana is one by which rasa, raktādi dhātus benefit through proper nourishment. The Kairali commentary of Aṣṭaṅga Hṛdaya defines rasāyana as one that transforms dhātus from rasa to śukra (11).
The one which cures jarā (age) and vyādhi (illness); stabilises youthfulness; increases acuity of cakṣu (vision), indriyas (senses), etc.; nourishes the whole body; and is an aphrodisiac is known as rasāyana.
Gangadhara while commenting on Kairali says that rasāyana is one which causes continuous nourishment to rasa, dhātus, etc., thereby replenishing them (12).
Ācārya Caraka simply defines rasāyana as the means by which one gets excellence of rasa, dhātus, etc. Psychic excellence such as a sharp memory, etc. are also endowed by this treatment, asserts Cakrapāṇi.
Classification of rasāyana tantra
Rasāyana tantra is one of the clinical disciplines of Aṣtāṅga Āyurveda. (Eight-fold Āyurveda).
Two types of procedures have been mentioned in rasāyana tantra:
(i) Kutīpraveśikā
(ii) Vātatapikā (13)
Kutīpraveśikā (meaning literally, entering a hut) is one where rasāyana is given with the person staying inside a closed kutī (cottage) whereas vātatāpikā is where rasāyana is administered with the patient exposed to vāta and aṭāpa (the elements). In other words, Kutīpraveśikā is an indoor procedure, while vātatāpikā is an outdoor administration of rasāyana.
kutīpraveśikā rasāyana
It has three steps — pūrva, pradhāna and paścāt karma (14).
Kutī nirmāṇa (Building the cottage)
A specially built trigarbha kutī, is constructed in a beautiful, peaceful location free from dangers, where the required appliances can easily be procured.
This cottage should face east or north. It should be spacious and have a high roof. It should have three concentric units furnished with narrow ventilators. Its walls should be thick and it should be pleasant to reside in, in all seasons. It should be well-lit and pleasing to the mind, free from undesirable noise, etc. It should be equipped with every required equipment for rasāyana treatment. Physicians, medicines and brahmins should also be readily available here (15).
Collection of useful material
Materials like beds, āsana (sitting mats), saṃśodhana dravya, rasāyana drugs, emergency drugs and medicines to treat complications, if any, should be collected and kept in the cottage (16).
Selection of rasāyana drugs
Rasāyana drugs are selected according to the age, individual constitution, adaptability, digestive capacity, metabolic status and the state of body tissues. Āyurveda advocates the use of different rasāyana drugs for persons of different age-groups and different constitutions.
Preparation of the patient
A. Yogya-ayogya vicāra (Indications of treat-ment)
1. Rasāyana therapy for ageing should be administered to those of early to middle-age (17).
2. To those who have undergone oleation, blood-letting and purification therapies.
3. To those free of all encumbrances and who can afford it.
B. Rasāyana sevana yogya kāla (Time of treatment)
A suitable kāla (time) for carrying out the rasāyana therapy is also described by Ācāryas (wise teachers). The śarata (autumn), vasanta (spring), and prāvṛṭ (rainy) ṛtu (seasons) are supposed to be the best periods for administration of rasāyana therapy because these ṛtus provide samaśītoṣṇa kāla, i.e. a period neither too hot nor too cold (18).
C. Mātrā nirdhāraṇa (dose assessment)
Ācārya Caraka has emphasised that the dosage of the rasāyana drug should be decided according to the agnibala (strength) of the patient. He further clarifies that a dosage not interfering with the patient’s routine diet is ideal. Arunadutta has emphasised that a patient’s nocturnal diet (dinner) should not be disturbed by his intake of rasāyana drugs (19).
Others are of the opinion that the rasāyana drugs should be administered in the morning in such an amount which can be digested by lunchtime. But in case of vardhamāna rasāyana, similar doses of the rasāyana drug can be administered to different types of people, e.g. pippalī vardhamāna rasāyana.
D. Rules for kutī praveśa (entering the cottage)
1. A person wanting rejuvenation therapy should enter the cottage on an auspicious day with an auspicious nakṣatra* and favoured muhūrta (auspicious time) during the uttarāyaṇa (sun’s northern course i.e., from about 14 January to 16 July) in the lighted half of the month (śukla pakṣa) (20).
