BASIC & FUNDAMENTA; TENETS OF AYURVEDA

The three diagnostic tenets, already described, signify the following facts.

1. VATA (Wind): Air and ether, the two combinations of universe, form basis of vata which forms an important part of the ‘Tridoshas’. Wind is of five kinds viz. Prana, Udan, Vyana, Samana, and apan. Now all the five subdivisions of Vata are briefly dealt with, as follows.
a) Prana vayu: it helps in breathing process, helps to swallow, digest and regulates and governs various cardiac (heart) functions. Its chief function lies in harmonious functioning and maintenance of heart, mind, arteries, intellect, veins and arteries, nerves and nervous system in order.
b) Udan Vayu: It is responsible for production of speech (vani) and various sounds (naad), to keep and maintain strength of the body and also to impart strength and sustenance to intellect, memory and mind.
c) Samana vayu: It helps to control equilibrium in production and distribution of flow of liquids in the body, to assist the digestive system by supplying requisite enzymes for digestion of food. It separates food particles – the useful ones being utilized by the body and the waste products are dispatched to intestines for expulsion. Urine flow, its secretion and excretion are also governed by it. In a nutshell, it regulates our entire digestive system, helps in expulsion of faecal and toxic matters.
d) Apan vayu: Entire excretory system of the body is controlled and governed by it. It completes the undone job of saman vayu. Apan vayu is situated in lower portion of digestive system. It controls, excretes and regulates expulsion, retention and production of faeces, urine and semen. It can hold back faeces, urine and semen for a specific period only but, after that, it helps these elements to get excreted through various openings (orifices) of the body. Apan vayu is very important as retention of such excretions can cause untold discomfort and disease to the body. It should as a rule, remain below the lower abdomen but, if it makes an upward move, it can depress the diaphragm.
e) Vyana vayu: It circulates throughout within the human body and nourished the body, by carrying various juices and blood to various organs of the body to enable it to function properly. It, in fact, controls motor (Mobile) functions of the body. It also causes the secretion of perspiration through pores of skin, helps closing and opening process of eye-lids alongwith movement of body organs.

2. Pitta (Bile): Like vata, Pitta has also subdivisions such as Pachak, Ranjak,
Sadhak, Bhrajak.
a) Pachak Pitta: Its main function is to help in the digestion of food. Its segregates the juicy and waste parts of food, thus helping the other parts of pitta to have normal functions.
b) Ranjak pitta: When the juice of food travels from stomach to liver, this (Ranjak) Pitta imparts colour to the former.
c) Sadhak pitta: of all the forms of Pitts, its is of the finest quality, and is seated in the heart, helping also intellect and memory to normally perform their functions.
d) Alochak Pitta: Normal vision in the eyes is maintained due to alochak pitta only. But for this kind (from) of pitta, our vision might have been adversely affected.
e) Bhrajak Pitta: It seat of action is skin which assumes its colour from Bhrajak Pitta only.
3. Kapha (phlegm): Like vata & Pitta, kapha is also another important humour and is sub-divided into kledaka, Avalambak, Bodhak, Tarpaka and Shushak (Phlegm) Kapha (s). Its salient and predominant feature is Agni or fire.
a) Kledak kapha: It moistens the food in the stomach, and its specific humid properties help other types of kaphas (Phlegms) to nourish.
b) Avalmbak pitta: It is seated in the thorax. It gives protection to heart from excessive heat, by its cooling effect and provides strength to the heart.
c) Bodhak Kapha: Its seat is from tip of the tongue to the throat. Any substance, coming into its contact, will be moistered by it, apart from determining and knowing taste of (the same) ingested eatable. It also helps to restore increase appetite.
d) Shushak Kapha: This humour is seated in major joints of the body and helps to keep them in mobility duly moistened. To our mind, synovial fluid in the joints is analogous to this form of pitta, the absence or lassitude of which takes away mobility of the joints and they crack and pain, on slightest motion even.
e) Tarpak kapha: It provides cooling effects to organs of the body, like sense of hearing and sight.