Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Acharya Charaka enlists sure meals and likewise bodily and psychological practices / habits which should be all the time averted or stored away by these searching for complete well being and likewise to keep up the identical.
Really, he has defined this within the second pada (quarter) of Rasayana Chapter (Charaka Chikitsa Sthana Chapter 1, quarter 2, verse 3). The context and intention of Acharya Charaka to elucidate this within the context of Rasayana is to inform that ‘..these searching for Rasayana Remedy’ ought to keep away from taking these meals and practices in order to acquire the most effective advantages of Rasayana.
However he begins the reason by quoting – ‘Sarve Sharira Doshaa Bhavanti…’ which suggests ‘….all these would worsen or trigger dosha enhance within the physique or trigger ailments within the physique….’. So, we will take Acharya Charaka’s rationalization of those contraindications as ‘basic contraindications’ for all individuals, together with wholesome people.
Frequently following these ideas and retaining away the contraindicated meals, habits and practices will hold away the ailments from manifesting and would assist us to keep up a balanced well being in the long term.
Such unhealthy and unwholesome meals which deserved to be stored away all the time are often known as Gramya Ahara. Acharya Charaka mentions an inventory of meals and meals associated practices which should be thought of as Gramya.
What’s Gramya Ahara?
Gramya Ahara means meals that are unhealthy and unwholesome and therefore should be omitted from the meals schedules.
These meals are chargeable for vitiation of all doshas and dhatus. They’re the foundation sources of dosha aggravation and manifestation of many ailments. Observe of such meals recurrently will make one prone to many sorts of ailments.
The phrase Gramya is derived from its root phrase Grama – which suggests village or settlement or a small dwelling place having individuals who have settled with their households and cattle. Herein, individuals eat and drink no matter is obtainable or no matter they develop. They comply with the ideas that solely they know. The evolution of meals habits and dwelling situations just isn’t there. So, what they eat and the way they stay is in keeping with the norms they know and inside sure bracketed limitations. So, the meals they take will not be wholesome or healthful and are additionally not balanced or nutritious. Their bodily and psychological habits and practices are additionally the identical. The identical practices are handed on all the way down to their successive generations. They’re additionally indifferent, unaware, ignorant or much less educated concerning the medical methods of wholesome meals consumption and excellent methods of main a wholesome life with wholesome habits and life-style practices.
So, to be wholesome and match, one want to come back out of those gramya or domesticated meals and life-style habits and undertake various wholesome methods of weight-reduction plan and life-style practices that are medically proper.
Acharya Charaka not solely mentions the unwholesome meals but additionally mentions unwholesome and unhealthy actions and habits associated to physique and thoughts. They are often thought of as Gramya Vihara (unwholesome actions and habits) and Gramya Vichara (unwholesome ideas and thoughts actions), although not talked about precisely as such.
The important thing for good well being is to steer clear of gramya ahara, vihara and vichara.
Now, allow us to see what these ‘hold aways’ are.
Causes for aggravation of doshas and manifestation of all ailments in everybody
Beneath talked about are the primary causative components for aggravation of the doshas in our physique and likewise for manifestation of all ailments in all of us. So, the individuals who would want to take pleasure in a complete state of balanced well being, endurance and immunity ought to keep away from this stuff in the long term and likewise make a aware apply of the identical.
The under talked about are these ‘to be stored away’ causes –
सर्वे शरीरदोषा भवन्ति ग्राम्याहारादम्ल लवण कटुक क्षार शुष्क शाक मांस तिल पलल पिष्टान्न भोजिनां विरूढ नव शूक शमी धान्य विरुद्धासात्म्य रूक्ष क्षाराभिष्यन्दि भोजिनां क्लिन्न गुरु पूति पर्युषित भोजिनां विषमाध्यशन प्रायाणां दिवास्वप्न स्त्री मद्य नित्यानां विषमाति मात्र व्यायाम सङ्क्षोभित शरीराणां भय क्रोध शोक लोभ मोहायास बहुलानाम्;
-
Gramya Ahara – avoidable meals, meals habits and meals patterns
Extreme and common consumption of
– bitter, salt, pungent and alkaline meals
– dry greens
– meat,
– sesame,
– paste of sesame seeds and
– pistanna – pastries
Extreme and common consumption of –
– Virudha dhanya – germinated cereals and pulses
– Nava shooka dhanya – freshly harvested corns with bristles
– Nava shami dhanya – freshly harvested pulses
Viruddha Ahara – extreme and common consumption of mutually reverse / antagonistic meals or improper and unwholesome meals combos
Asathmya ahara – common and extreme consumption of uncongenial meals
Extreme and common consumption of –
– Klinna bhojana – excessively moist and softened meals
– Guru bhojana – heavy to digest meals,
– Puti bhojana – putrid or foul-smelling meals (which has decayed or rotten)
– Paryushita bhojana – stale meals
Vishama Ashana – irregular and erratic consuming habits, consuming meals at random instances and in random portions
Adhyashana – consuming meals even earlier than the beforehand taken meals is digested correctly
-
Gramya Vihara – Avoidable habits associated to actions
Extreme and repeated / ordinary or day by day indulgence in –
– Day sleep
– Sexual activity / actions
– Alcoholic drinks
– Irregular or extreme / obsessive workout routines and exercises
– Over-work
-
Gramya Vichara – Avoidable habits associated to actions
Extreme and common indulgence in –
– Concern and panic
– Anger
– Grief
– Greed
– Infatuation
Impact of Gramya Ahara, Vihara and Vichara
अतोनिमित्तं हि शिथिलीभवन्ति मांसानि, विमुच्यन्ते सन्धयः, विदह्यते रक्तं, विष्यन्दते चानल्पं मेदः, न सन्धीयतेऽस्थिषु मज्जा, शुक्रं न प्रवर्तते, क्षयमुपैत्योजः; स एवम्भूतो ग्लायति, सीदति, निद्रा तन्द्रालस्य समन्वितो निरुत्साहः श्वसिति, असमर्थश्चेष्टानां शारीरमानसीनां, नष्ट स्मृति बुद्धिच्छायो रोगाणामधिष्ठानभूतो न सर्वमायुरवाप्नोति | तस्मादेतान् दोषानवेक्षमाणः सर्वान् यथोक्तानहितानपास्याहार विहारान् रसायनानि प्रयोक्तुमर्हतीत्युक्त्वा भगवान् पुनर्वसुरात्रेय उवाच–||३||
Impact of dangerous meals, bodily and psychological habits:
Extreme, repeated and common indulgence within the above mentioned gramya ahara, vihara and vichara would trigger the under talked about adversarial results / problems –
– The muscular tissues of the physique grow to be weak, lax, flabby and fragile
– The joints of the physique grow to be loosened, weak and dislocated
– The blood turns into vitiated and burnt out
– The fats tissue which has gathered in extra will get liquified and vitiated
– The bone marrow doesn’t stay intact contained in the hole parts of the bones as they need to be
– There is no such thing as a ejaculation of semen
– The Ojas – which is an essence of all of the tissues within the physique, which represents the general immunity of the particular person undergoes diminution
Such an individual suffers from a number of of the under talked about situations –
– Exhaustion
– Languor
– Sleepy
– Drowsy
– Lazy
– Lack of enthusiasm
– Dyspnoea
– Lack of capability to do any form of bodily or psychological work / exercise
– Lack of reminiscence
– Lack of mind
– Lack of complexion
With these signs, the particular person turns into an abode of ailments and thus fails to take pleasure in a full span of life.
Conserving these miseries, problems and untoward / undesired adversarial results, one ought to quit every kind of gramya ahara, vihara and vichara and may bear Rasayana Remedy. Rasayana Remedy would carry again the tissues to a state of stability and would re-establish well being, endurance and immunity.