Author: Dr. Vinodkumar M V, Professor, Dept. of Samhita, Sanskrit & Sidhanta, VPAV Ayurveda College Kottakkal, Kerala

1. Evolution of the concept of
Guna in Ayurveda
Dr. Vinodkumar M V
Professor, Dept. of Samhita, Sanskrit & Sidhanta
VPAV Ayurveda College Kottakkal, Kerala
ayurvin@gmail.com

2. Stages of development
Vedic Daarsanic
Classical
Ayurveda
Neo-
Classical
Ayurveda

3. Transition periods (for Guna)
Vedic age
Darsanic
age
Classical
age
Susruta
Charaka
Nagarjun
a
Vagbhata
RVS
Hemadri
Classical
age
Neo-
classical
age
Post-
classical
age

4. Trend
Unknown
Philosophical
theories
Adaptation +
modification
Prioritizing
the
principles
Identifying
active
principles
Vedic age
Darsanic
age
Classical
age
Neo -
Classical age
Post- Classical
age

5. Vedic age

6. Vedic Age
 Early practice
 Basically Daivavyapasraya
 No visible logic; no relevance for principles
 Later practice
 Observation based; no inference, no derivations
 Only Pratyaksha; no Anumaana
 Dravya & Karma – no thoughts about Guna

7. Daarsanic age

8. Drasanic age
 Emergence of philosophy
 Deals with explanation related to
 Evolution
 Character of material world
 Secrets of life and birth
 Psycho-spiritual analysis
 Tries to describe and interpret natural phenomena
 Developed methodology for scientific enquiries

9. Guna comes in
 Sankhya – with reference to evolution
 Vaiseshika - with reference to material world
 Vedanta – illusion; ultimate reality is nirguna
 Saankhya & Vaiseshika – substantially different

10. Comparison
Saankhya Vaiseshika
Basically deals with living organism Deals with material world; living organism is one
among them
Guna indicates triguna Guna is one among six categories
Quality is the primary concern than
material
Material is of the prime concern than
Qualities
Explains homogeneity of the universe (ie,
everything in the universe is
trigunatmaka)
Explains heterogeneity of the universe
(ie, one substance is different from
other due to its gunas also)
Both physical & psychological at a time Physical & psychological (spiritual) gunas
separated
Gunas are mutually contributing,
supporting, limiting etc.
Gunas are independent
Gunas have direct role in evolution Gunas are secondary in the process of
creation
Concept of mutually opposite qualities in a single
entity
No concept of opposite qualities

11. Sankhya
 Trigunas are not the Qualities of Avyakta; but, avyakta itself is made
of triguna
 Importance to Guna (avyakta=pradhaana)
 Mutually dependent, but, opposite gunas
 First mention of physical characters (Laghu, Guru)
 Describing Qualities of Triguna –
 Satva - Laghu
 Rajas – Chala
 Tamas - Guru
 Guna = Dravya (or) Dravya is derived from Guna?

12. Vaiseshika
 Explaining the material world
 Guna – one among six padarthas
 Sattapadarthas
 Padarthas are mutually exclusive categories
 Understanding guna as
 one which qualifies Dravya,
 one which attracts towards Dravya
 One which is lesser important than Dravya

13. Development from Vaiseshika
Vaiseshik
a
• 17
PPB*,
Navyanyaya
• 24
Charaka
• 41
Vagbhata
• 20
*PPB = Prasastapada-bhashya

14. Vaiseshika
1. Rupa
2. Rasa
3. Gandha
4. Sparsa
5. Sankhya
6. Parimana
7. Prithakthwa
8. Samyoga
9. Vibhaga
10. Paratwa
11. Aparatwa
12. Sukha
13. Dukha
14. Itchha
15. Dwesha
16. Buddhi
17. Prayatna
Physical properties
Assumptive properties
Spiritual properties

15. Group of
Quality
(as per
Charaka)
Vaiseshika PPB,
Navyanyaya
Charaka Vagbhata
Artha Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha + Sabda 5 Nil
Gurvadi Nil Gurutva,
Dravatva,
Sneha
20 20
Atmaguna Sukha, Dukha
Itchha, Dwesha
Buddhi, Prayatna
+ Dharma,
Adharma
Sukha, Dukha
Itchha, Dwesha
Buddhi, Prayatna
Nil
Paradi Sankhya, Parimana,
Prithakthwa,
Samyoga, Vibhaga,
Paratva, Aparatva
+ Samskara + Yukti, abhyasa Nil

16. Vaiseshika
 Definition
 Dravyasrayee
 Agunavaan
 Samyoga vibhageshu akaaranam anapeksha
 Kant’hoktaguna – 17 (others not enumerated)
 Explain Gunas to describe materials
 All the Gunas can be identified through sense organs
 So, Physical Qualities

17. Identification through faculties
Identified through Qualities
Identified through single
faculty (Ekendriyagrahya)
Rupa, Rasa, Gandha, Sparsa
Identified through two
faculties (Dwindriyagrahya)
Sankhya, Parimana, Prithakthwa,
Samyoga, Vibhaga, Paratva, Aparatva
Identified through internal
faculty
(antarindriyagrahyaguna)
Sukha, Dukha, Itchha, Dwesha,
Buddhi,
Prayatna

18. Causal relationship
 Dravya is the cause for Dravya, Guna & Karma
 Samavayeekaarana
 Guna is the cause for Dravya, Guna & Karma
 Asamavayeekaarana
 Very much important in Ayurveda

19. Substance
Quality
Action
Substance
Quality
Action
Relation of categories
based on causality
1. Inherent cause
2. Non-inherent cause

20. Neo-Vaiseshika
 7 more qualities
 Sabda, Dharma, Adharma, Gurutva, Dravatva, Sneha, Samskara

21. Contradictory Mutuality in Ayurveda
 Adopted from Sankhya
 Panchabhautikatva
 Traigunya
 Tridosha
 Disagreement with Vaiseshika

22. Classical age

23. Ayurveda
Pure philosophy Practical
philosophy
Magic / intuition Logical practice
Chance Repeatability
Mystery (daiva) Logic (yukti)
Paradigm shift
Descriptive
approach
Biological
approach

24. Guna in Ayurveda
 The hidden principle behind ACTIVITY
 Core part of theoretizing drug activity
 Allowing dominance to anumaana than pratyaksha
 Not merely physical
 Three levels : physical, biological and pharmacological
 One among three domains to act Samanya & Visesha

25. Guna in Ayurveda
 Definition (Charaka)
 Samavayee ?
 Nischeshta kaarnam
 Enumeration –
 Added 17 qualities to Gurvadiguna
 Describes identification of Viseshaguna through a single
Indriya (tvak)

26. Classification
 Gurvadiguna – common basis to explain the mutuality
Sareera & Dravya
 Paradiguna – modifying factors
 Viseshaguna – minimum role in pharmacology (except
rasa)
 Atmaguna – identifying features of Living Organism

27. Vagbhata
 Prioritization of Gunas
 Categorization of Vimsatiguna
 Concept of Guna (as Veerya) & Gunaantara

28. Viseshaguna
 Vaiseshika concept of Pakajaguna -
 Any biological role (except rasa)?
 Follow samanya-visesha sidhanta?
 Charaka’s practical approach – Asadharanalin’ga – all
bhutas identified through skin

29. Rasa
 TS explains 6 tastes
 Prithwee-jalavritti (TS)
 Tatra dravyam apah` kshitistatha (Charaka)
 “Rasasidhanta” – explained in Ayurveda only
 Ayurveda takes Rasa as a tool to hypothesize drug action

30. Sparsa
 Ushna, Seeta, anushnaseeta (TS)
 Sparsa - Vayu – anushnaseeta (TS)
 Vata – Seeta (Ayurveda)
 Sparsapareeksha (Ayurveda)

31. Gandha
 Gandha – Surabhi,
Asurabhi
 Gandhapareeksha
 Diagnostic tool
 Visragandha
 Amagandhasyata etc.

32. Concept of Paaka
 Discussed in Vaiseshika in relation to Gunas
 Paka is defined as the combustion with extrinsic heat
resulting in the changes of color, smell, touch and taste.
 These changes happens in Prithvee only
 In Ayurveda, instead, concept of bhootagni explains
changes in all bhutas
 It considers the final effect only; that is, the effect after
digestion.

33. Gurvadi guna
 3 among 20 described in TS
 They also defined in relation to Movement (physical)
 In Ayurveda
 Gurvadiguna = karmanyaguna (active principles)
 Gurvadiguna = Sareerikaguna (biological qualities)
 Biological significance

34. Gurvadiguna
 Dichotomy - Dvandvaguna
 Not all are equally important
 Better to understand as a scale of range between two end
points
 Always comparative
 For accommodating different activities

35. Enumeration
 Not completed
 More gunas identified
 Can be understood with reference to the listed ones

36. Unlisted
 Vyavayee – sara (AS) ? – Sookshma, Teekshna
 Vikashee – Teekshna (AS) – Ushna, teekshna
 Aasukara – Chala
 Daaruna – chala
 Prasanna – sthoola (Hemadri)
 Bahala – Guru + Snigdha
 Sugandhi
 Visra

37. Reduction
 From 41 gunas
 20 gunas
 8 gunas as veerya
 6-7 gunas of dosha
 2 gunas in therapeutics (guru, laghu)
 2 gunas in pharmacology (ushna, seeta)
 2 gunas in body content (snigdha, rooksha)

38. Shadupakrama
 Guru - Brimhana
 Laghu - Langhana
 Ushna - Swedana
 Seeta - Stambhana
 Snigdha - Snehana
 Ruksha - Rukshana

39. Ushna
Seeta
Rooksha
Snigdha
Pitta
?
Kapha
Stability
Vaata
Mobility

40. Guna – Primary & Secondary
 Veerya (8) can be called Primary Gunas
 Others are secondary (Gunaantara)
 Most of the Gunaantaras can be described in terms of
Primary Gunas
 No drugs without any one of the primary gunas
 But, there can be drugs without secondary gunas

41. Secondary
Gunas
Primary Gunas associated
Mridu Snigdha + ushna
Kathina Ruksha+seeta
Slakshna Laghu + rooksha
Khara Snigdha+seeta+rooksha
Sandra Snigdha+Seeta
Drava Snigdha+ushna
Sara Snigdha+laghu+ushna
Sthira Snigdha+Guru+Seeta
Sookshma Ushna+teekshna
Sthula Seeta+Manda
Visada Laghu+ushna
Pichila Snigdha+seeta

42. Biological triad
Biological
mass
ActivityMaintainer
Seeta-
snigdha
Seeta-
rooksha
Ushna-
snigdha

43. Cause effect relationship between Guna
& Karma
Three rules
1. Quality dormant in normal state may become dominant in
abnormal state
2. Quality dormant in one activity may become dominant in
another activity in the same state of dosha
3. Quality dominant in one site/situation may be dormant in
another site/situation

44. Paradiguna
 Modifying factors in drug administration
 Mostly taken from TS, but, with modified definitions
 Applied definitions available
 Abhyasa, Yukti added

45. Paratva, Aparatva
 Dikkrita & Kalakrita (TS) – Temporal & Spatial
 Charaka – Desa, Kaala, Vayo, maana, Paaka, veerya, rasa
etc.
 Etc. includes all the variables associated with
treatment/drug administration which modify the drug
action.
 Environmental modifying factors

46. Yukti
 Yukti as a modifying factor of drug action
 Visha becomes amrita applied in a proper way
 Very important in drug administration
 Proper application

47. Sankhya
 Ekatvadi vyavahara hetu (TS)
 Ganitam (Charaka)
 Calculations

48. Samyoga-Vibhaaga
 Samyuktavyavaharahetu (TS)
 Yoga saha samyoga
 Combined doses
 Vibhaaga – Vibhakti, Viyoga, Bhagasa graha
 Divided doses

49. Prithaktwa (distinction)
 Asamyoga - lack of union
 Vailakshanya – difference of charaecteristic
 Anekata – multiplicity
 Differential usage of the same drug

50. Parimaana
 Measurement
 Posology
 Calculations regarding dose, time etc.

51. Samskara
 Three types – Vega, Bhavana. Sthitisthapakatva (TS)
 Gunaantaraadhaana
 Karana (charaka)
 Processing's

52. Abhayasa
 Abhyasana – repeated usage
 Can change drug action
 Eg: Drug resistance due to continuous use

53. Atmaguna
 Signals of life

54. Post classical age

55.  Hemadri
 Considering Gunas as active principles
 Explaining one activity each for gurvadi gunas
 Sarngadhara
 Defining individual activities

56. Gunas in
Pharmacodynamics

57. • Dravya
• Panchabhuta
Structure
• Guna
Property
• Karma
Function
Dravya
Rasapanchaka
Karma

58. Pharmacodynamics
Dravya Karma
Guna
Rasa
Guna
Veerya
Vipaka
Prabhava

59. Thank you