Lesson-2-Ashtanga.pdf

ASHTANGA HRIDAYA FOR A
🌿Long Healthy Life🌿
From Acharya Vagbhata ~ Lesson Two, Verse 10.5 - 12
All rights reserved ~ Dr. Raju’s Institute of Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. - Drraju.com

THE VAIDYAS BEGIN BY ANSWERING QUESTIONS
From Lesson One
All rights reserved ~ Dr. Raju’s Institute of Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd.

ASHTANGA HRIDAYA ~ LESSON TWO
THE THREE DOSHAS - NATURE & QUALITIES OF VATA, PITTA & KAPHA
The Building Blocks of Creation
.
Ashtanga means 8-limbed and Hridaya means the heart.
Hri means to take and Da means Dhana - giving. IN means Ayana - continuous process.
So Ashtanga Hridaya is the heart which is pumping to all the eight limbs continuously.
This book is the knowledge of all the eight limbs of Ayurveda centered as a heart.

PANCHA MAHABHUTAS ~ THE FIVE ELEMENTS
If you want to understand the nature of something: how it behaves & how it responds
You have to know what it’s made of ~ its essential qualities
Prithvi (earth), Jala (water), Tejas(ﬁre), Vayu (air), Akasha (space/ether)
are the ﬁve fundamental elements of creation.
Our bodies are 5-elemental, the earth is 5-elemental,
all the planets, sun, stars, and galaxies, are 5-elemental.
Even the mind is 5-elemental (thoughts are physical impulses).
Ayurveda has simplified these five into three:
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are the three Doshas which combine to give form & function to
everything. Each Dosha consists of two elements with different qualities.

● The Doshas derive their nature & qualities
from their elements (two for each Dosha).
● The qualities of the Doshas and state
(balanced or imbalanced) determine their
behavior & predominance in the environment
and in us.
● All qualities of the Doshas do not show
equally, but all will be there in different
amounts..
● Everything in the macro (outside) is reflected
in the micro (inside) ~ going with Nature is
easy. Going against Nature is very difficult.
● Micro also influences macro ~ we affect Nature
through the collective consciousness.
PERSPECTIVES IN THIS LESSON

DOSHAS IN THE BROADEST SENSE
CREATION IS VATA: Va means to move, inform, impel ~ Vata makes things to move & learn.
Knowledge perception is through Vata which is a creation itself. Vata is also Vayu ~ air.
TRANSFORMATION IS PITTA: The root Tapa means to nurture & heat. Samtapa is heat
transformation, so Pitta is the factor for transformation. This is why Pitta is involved in Paka ~
digesting & breaking down (changing the form) of substances for nourishment. Decomposed
organic matter goes back to the Earth to nourish the soil.
MAINTENANCE IS KAPHA: Kapha is also called shelshma/mucus. So Kapha is having the
ﬂuid substance and nourishment. The word Shelshma means “hugging” - that which binds &
connects. So the coherence & connectivity everywhere come through Kapha.

Verse 10.5. Qualities of Vata
Vata is made of space & air so by nature it has these qualities.
tatra rūkso laghuh śitah kharah sūksmaścalo ‘nilah(a) (11)
Rooksha – dryness, Laghu – Lightness, Sheeta – coldness, Khara –
roughness, Sookshma – minuteness, Chala – movement.
These are the qualities of Vata.

VERSE ELEVEN MAIN POINTS: The Qualities of Vata
Vata is consisting of Akasha (space) & Vayu (air)
1. Ruksha means dryness. Air is always dry ~ without air you cannot dry anything.
2. Lagu is light. Air is very light, so naturally air rises.
3. Sheeta is cold so by nature air is cold.. Hot air is not the natural state.
4. Khara is rough. When dryness is there for a long time dryness builds up and
becomes rough,
5. Sukshma is minute/subtle. Air is sukshma because air can enter into any place. If
air is not there it is a vacuum/space. Space is the most subtle element and is found
everywhere in the universe.
6. Chala means moving. Air moves inside us when we breathe and circulates all over
the body. Similarly air & wind circulate all over the planet.

VATA INSIDE & OUTSIDE / MICRO & MACRO
Ruksha/dry, Laghu/Light, Sheeta/cold, Khara/rough, Sukshma/minute/subtle, Chala/moving.
- Ruksha/dry: Dryness increases with age. The body is 70% water in a baby / 50% at age 50. Over 70%
of the earth is usually covered by water..
- Lagu/light: Atoms, humans, and the universe are mostly empty space.
- Sheeta/cold: Vayu (air) is naturally cold - body has to maintain its temperature & needs protection
(clothing/warmth). Big shifts (day/night/seasons) have a big impact so the body has to adapt more.
Ignoring/not protecting from cold increases Vata a LOT ~ especially for head, brain & memory.
- Khara/rough: Dryness that stays for a long time builds up so soft baby skin becomes rough as we
age. So oleation is very important. Without moisture the land will dry up and become desert (rough).
- Sukshma/subtle: The Prana (life-force/energy). “Energy is everywhere” Maharishi.
- Chala/moving: The body has to move to live. Inertia is opposite to life. The mind is especially Chala
(thoughts move in an instant). Electrons are Chala (fast enough to circle the earth in 18 seconds!).

WHEN VATA IS THERE ~ THE LIFE IS THERE
THERE IS A SHLOKA IN SHARANGADHARA SAMHITA THAT SAYS:
Without Vata, Pitta is limp & cannot move and Kapha is also limp.
And all the Dhatus (tissues) & Malas (wastes) are limp.
For all these things, Vata is the only factor that can move. Like the clouds move with the
help of the wind, Vata is the agent for the movement of everything. Without Vata the rest
are all useless ~ only when Vata is there can the body move and live.
This is why the importance of Vata is primary. In the treatments also, if we treat Vata
most of the necessary things are accomplished. Vata is like the software in a computer ~
doing everything and managing everything.

Verse 11. Qualities of Pitta
Pitta is mainly ﬁre & water so by nature it has these qualities.
pittaṃ sasneha tiksnosnam laghu visraṃ saraṃ dravam //
Sasneha – slightly oily, unctuous,
Teekshna – piercing, entering into deep tissues,
Ushna – hotness, Laghu – lightness,
Visram – foul smell, Saram - slippery, Dravam - liquid

VERSE ELEVEN MAIN POINTS: The Qualities of Pitta
Pitta is consisting of Tejas (heat) & Jala (water)
1. Pittam Sasneha means a little unctuous/slightly oily. Fire has this characteristic.
2. Tishna means sharp, intense ~ fire is bright, sharp & strong.
3. Ushna is hot ~ Fire can heat the whole house and cook the food with its energy. Digestion is
a fiery process and “cooks” the food again to make it digestible.
4. Laghu is light - It makes things move up, not down. So heat rises & fire flows up.
5. Visram/foul smell ~ Pitta has Paka to break things down & digest. So with decomposition
the smell will be there. When fire burns the chemical reaction releases the gasses.
6. Saram is fast moving & slippery ~ like catching a fish is difficult. Fire is hard to catch (put
out) and can spread very quickly due to Saram.
7. Dravam is liquid, fluid - Like petrol. All the strongly combustible things are fluids.

PITTA INSIDE & OUTSIDE / MICRO & MACRO
Sasneha/slightly oily/unctuous, Tikshna/sharp/piercing deeply, Ushna/hot, Laghu/light,
Visram/foul smell, Saram/slippery, Dravam/liquid
Like how the fire outside burns everything, similarly if the Pitta inside is too much it will
burn/inflame everything inside the body. And how the flame outside will cook the food
when it is properly monitored & controlled, similarly in our body when we maintain good
Agni, Pitta’s fire will cook the food properly so digestion and absorption are good.
Because the body is always decaying we require fuel. But the food we eat is in the macro
condition. So for food to become the tissues and nourish on cellular level, further
transformation is required. This is the metabolic function of Pitta (Agni) which must be
strong to transform the food completely & regenerate the body well.

Verse 12. Qualities of Kapha
Kapha is mainly earth & water so by nature it has these qualities.
snigdhaḥ śīto gurur mandaḥ ślakṣṇo mṛtsnaḥ sthiraḥ kaphaḥ //
Snigdha – oily/unctuous, Sheeta – cold, Guru – heavy, Manda – mild/slow, Slakshna
– smooth/clear, Mrutsna – slimy, like jelly, Sthira – stable/immobile,
are the qualities of Kapha.
saṃsargaḥ saṃnipātaś ca taddvitrikṣayakopataḥ //
The increase or decrease of individual Doshas, or imbalance of a couple of these Doshas is
called as Samsarga. And imbalance of all the three Doshas together is called as Sannipata.

VERSE TWELVE MAIN POINTS: The Qualities of Kapha
Kapha is consisting of Prithvi (earth) & Jala (water)
1. Snigdha is oily/unctuous. It lubricates & connects ~ The earth is connected, bound together
2. Sheeta is cold - water element is naturally cold. (Hema is very cold - frozen).
3. Guru means big/heavy. The earth is very big & very heavy. Guru also means teacher who is
big because Guru gives the knowledge ~ everything. Above the heart is the main place of
Kapha. Too much Kapha here brings pressure/heaviness in the chest & difﬁculty breathing.
4. Manda is slow. For heavy things movement is difﬁcult, so slow movements will be there.
5. Slakshna is smooth/clear, like smooth water in a clear lake. Or smooth, clarity of the eyes.
6. Mrutsna is slimy, like jelly, sticky like sap, and not clear. Mrutsna holds things together.
7. Sthira is stable ~ lie on the earth and you will feel its stability. Kapha people can sit for hours
quiet, stable & listening. Vata people will always be moving.

KAPHA INSIDE & OUTSIDE / MICRO & MACRO
Snigdha – oily/unctuous, Sheeta – cold, Guru – heavy, Manda – mild/slow, Shlakshna –
smooth/clear, Mrutsna – slimy, like jelly, Sthira – stable are the qualities of Kapha.
For Kapha we see how the unctuous things happen outside in nature ~ like in the monsoons with
the heavy moisture/humidity in the air. Or the weight of gravity keeping us connected to the
earth. If we see closely, Kapha is exactly opposite to Vata. So if Vata means movement, air and
change, with Kapha it is opposite ~ everything slow, stable, sticky, and heavy like that.
To treat Vata we need to increase Kapha. If Vata is in excess, increasing Kapha will introduce the
opposite qualities which are needed. like for a machine, with roughness in the bearings, we apply
the grease. So if the body has a lot of dryness we apply some oil. Oil is Snigda, unctuous, which is
opposite to Vata & reduces Vata. In the macro, humidity (less air) & not much sun creates a little
sluggishness. So that will create sluggishness in the body (micro) and slow functioning because
one of Kapha’s qualities is Manda, slow.

Jai Guru Dev

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Wishing you a long, healthy, happy life & blessings always
Jai Guru Dev, The Raju Family - Drraju.com
The knowledge of Ayurveda comes from the Vedic Texts, which form the basis of a system of natural health care enjoyed by individuals &
families throughout India since ancient times. The information you find here is for the purpose of balancing the Doshas (mind/body factors in
Ayurveda) to increase good health and is not a replacement for any diagnosis or treatment advised by your home health care provider.
Ayurveda is consciousness-based health care. The Raju family recommends the daily practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM), as taught by
His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to release stress and unfold the inner Smriti ~ the memory of wholeness, Self & health. See
http://www.tm.org/ to find the nearest location worldwide.

Lesson-2-Ashtanga.pdf

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