Sushruta Samhita Sutrasthana Chapter 31: Chaya Vipratipatti Adhyaya (Fatal signs of complexion)

The 31st chapter of Sutrasthana of Sushruta Samhita is named as Chaya Vipratipatti Adhyaya. This chapter deals with Fatal signs of complexion.

अथातश्छायविप्रतिपत्तिमध्यायं व्याख्यास्यामः ॥१॥
यथोवाच भगवान् धन्वन्तरिः ॥।२॥

Now, we will expound the chapter by name Chaya Vipratipatti – fatal signs are regarding shade / complexion; as revealed by the venerable Dhanvantari.

Chaya prabha Rishta: Fatal signs of shade

श्यावा लोहितिका नीला पीताका वाऽपि मानवम् ।
अभिद्रवन्तियं छायाः स परासुरसंशायम् ॥३॥

The person is definitely going to die if abnormal shades like black, red, blue or yellow shades quickly manifest in him (his body) without any other cause.

ह्रिरपकमते यस्य प्रभास्मृतिधृतिश्रियः ॥
अकस्माद्यं भजन्ते वा स गतासुरसंशयम् ॥४॥

Below mentioned persons (both types) should be considered as ‘undoubtedly going to die soon’ if –

–       he loses shyness, lustre, memory, courage and wealth and other desires
–       he attains all these virtues mentioned above without any reason

Sharira Lakshana chesta arista: Fatal signs of features and activities of body parts

यस्याधरौष्ठह् पतितह् क्षिप्तश्चोर्ध्वं तथोत्तरः ।
उभौ वा जाम्बवाभासौ दुर्लभं तस्य जीवितम् ॥५॥
आरक्ता दशना यस्य श्यावा वा स्युः पतन्ति वा।
खञ्जनप्रतिमा वाऽपि तं गतायुषमादिशेत् ॥६॥
कृष्णा स्तब्धाऽवलिप्ता वा जिह्वा शूना च यस्य वै।
कर्कशा वा भवेद्यस्य  सोऽचिराद्विजहात्यसून ॥७॥
कुटिला स्फुटिता वाऽपि शुष्का वा यस्य नासिका।
अवस्फूर्जति मग्रा वा न स जीवति मानवः ॥८
संक्षिप्ते विषमे स्तब्धे  रक्ते स्रस्ते च लोचने ।
स्यातां वा प्रस्त्रुते यस्य स गतयुर्नरो ध्रुवम् ॥९॥
केशाः सीमन्तिनो यस्य संक्षिप्ते  विनते भ्रुवौ।
लुण्डन्ति  चाक्षिपक्ष्माणि सोऽचिराद्याति मृत्यवे ॥१०॥

Fatal signs related to lips – the person will surely die soon if his –

–       lower lips droop down and the upper lip is lifted up or
–       both his lips appear like a ripe Jambu fruit having bluish black colour

Fatal signs related to teeth – The person should be considered as dead (i.e. his life span has been completed) if his –

–       teeth are either red or black in colour
–       teeth fall off without any reason
–       teeth become blue in colour resembling the colour of Khanjana bird

Fatal signs related to tongue – The person is going to die quickly if his tongue is –

–       black
–       static / immobile
–       coated or furred
–       swollen or
–       very rough / coarse in appearance

Fatal signs related to the nose – The person will not live if the nose of the person is –

–       irregular,
–       cracked,
–       dry,
–       makes sound – nasal sounds or
–       depressed – gone deep inside

Fatal signs related to the eyes – The person should be considered to die soon if his eyes –

–       have become constricted,
–       have become crooked / irregular
–       have become stiff – with absence of movements,
–       are blood red,
–       drops down or
–       drops outwards or
–       has tearing

Fatal signs related to hairs – The person is going to die if his –

–       hairs become parted,
–       eyebrows are constricted
–       eyebrows are drooping down,
–       eyelashes are constantly moving / throbbing or the person keeps plucking his eyebrows constantly

नाहरत्यन्नमास्यस्थं न धारयति यः शिरः ।
एकाग्रदृष्टिर्मूढात्मा सद्यः प्राणान् जहाति सः ॥११॥
बलवान् दुर्बलो वाऽपि संमोहं यो७धिगच्छति ः ।
उत्थाप्यमानो बहसस्तं पक्व भिषगादिशेत् ॥१२||
उत्तानः सर्वदा शेते पादौविकुरुते  च यः ।
विप्रसारणशीलो वा  न स जीवति मानवः ॥१३॥
शीतपादकरोच्छवासश्छिन्नोच्छवासश्च  यो भवते।
काकोच्छवासश्च यो मर्त्यस्तं धिरः  परिवर्जयेत् ॥१४॥
निद्रा न छिद्यते यस्य यो वा जागर्ति सर्वदा।
मुह्येद्वा वक्तुकामश्च प्रत्याख्येयः स जानता॥१५
उत्तरौष्ठं च यो लिह्यादुत्कारांश्च करोति  यः ॥
प्रेतैर्वा भाषते सार्धं प्रेतरूपं तमादिशेत् ॥१६॥

The person is said to die immediately if –

–       he cannot swallow the food after keeping it in his mouth,
–       he cannot keep his head straight,
–       he has his gaze fixed at one point,
–       he has lost his consciousness

A person who often becomes unconscious even after being awakened (made conscious) in spite of he being a strong man or a weak man should be understood as ripe for death (i.e. nearing to death).

The person who lies (sleeps) with his face up (looking up) always, makes vigorous leg movements or is unable to contract his legs will not survive for long.

The patient having the below mentioned signs should be rejected by a wise physician –

–       if the feet, hands or expiration (breath) has become cold,
–       if he has interrupted breathing
–       if he breathes with wide open mouth, like a crow

A wise physician should reject (should not treat) a person who –

–       has uninterrupted sleep or
–       is always awake, or
–       becomes unconscious when he desires to speak

The person who sucks or licks his upper lips, and belches often or talks to the pretas (ghost or dead persons) should be considered to have acquired the form of preta (dead).

Roga Lakshana Arista

खेभ्यः सरोमकॄपेभ्यो यस्य रक्तं प्रवर्तते ।
पुरुषस्याविषार्तस्य सद्यो  जह्यात् स  जीवितम् ॥२७॥
वाताष्ठीला  तु हृदये  यस्योर्ध्व मनुयायिनी।
रुजान्नाविद्वेषकरी स परासुरसंशयम् ॥२८॥
अनन्योपद्रवकृतः  शोफः पादसमुत्थितः ।
पुरुषं हन्ति नारीं  तु मुखजो, गुह्यजो द्वयम् ॥१९॥
अतिसारो ज्वरो हिक्का छर्दिः शूनाण्डमेढ्रता।
श्वासिनः कासिनो वाऽपि यस्य तं क्षीणमादिशेत्॥२०॥
स्वेदो दाहश्च  बलवान् हिक्का श्वासश्च मानवम् ।
बलवन्तमपि प्राणैर्वियुञ्जनि  नं संशयः ॥२१॥
श्यावा जिह्वा भवेद्यस्य  सव्यं चाक्षि निमज्जति।
मुखं च जायते पूति  यस्य  तं परिवर्जयेत् ॥२२॥
वक्रमापूर्यतेऽश्रूणां  स्विद्यतश्चरणावुभौ।
चक्षुश्चाकुलतां याति यमराष्ट्रं  गमिष्यतः ॥२३॥
अतिमात्रं लघूनि स्यूर्गात्राणि  गुरुकाणि वा।
यस्याकस्मात्  स विज्ञेयो गन्ता वैवस्वतालयम् ॥२४॥
पङ्कमत्स्यवसातैलघृतगन्धांश्च ये नराः ।
मृष्टगन्धांश्च ये वान्ति गन्तारस्ते यमालयम् ॥२५॥
यूका ललाटमायान्ति  बलिं नाश्नन्ति  वायसाः ॥
येषां चापि  रतिर्नास्ति यातरस्ते यमालयम्॥२६॥
ज्वरातिसारशोफाः स्युर्यस्यान्योन्यावसादिनः।
प्रक्षीणबलमांसस्य नासौ शक्यश्चिकित्सतम् ॥२७॥
क्षीणस्य यस्य क्षुत्तृष्णे हृद्यैर्मिष्टैर्हितैस्तथा।
न शाम्यतोऽन्नपानैश्च  तस्य मृत्युरुपस्थितः ॥२८॥
प्रवाहिका शिरः शूलं कोष्ठशूलं च दारुणम् ।
पिपासा बलहानिश्च तस्य मृत्युरुपस्थितः ॥२९॥

The person in whom bleeding from different orifices of the body i.e. mouth, ear, nose, eyes, rectum, urethra, vagina and also hair follicles occur in spite of not suffering from the effects of any kind of poison is going to die immediately.

The person undoubtedly should be considered to be dead or closer to death if he develops pain similar to Vataja Asthila (stony growth or enlargement caused due to aggravation of vata) in the heart, which is stony hard, radiating upwards and producing severe pain and aversion to food.

The swelling commencing from the feet, which has developed independently and not produced as a complication of another disease, is definitely going to kill the male patient.

Similar type of swelling which commences from the face kills the female patient. Similar type of swelling which develops from the genital organs would kill both male and female patients.

The patient suffering from dyspnoea or cough is considered as losing his life in quick time if he also has association of the below mentioned conditions –

–       diarrhoea
–       fever
–       hiccup
–       vomiting
–       swelling of the scrotum / testes and penis

Below mentioned conditions undoubtedly take away the life of even a strong person when he suffers from –

–       too much perspiration
–       too much burning sensation
–       powerful bouts of hiccup and
–       severe dyspnoea

The patient should be rejected (should not treat) a person whose tongue becomes blue black, left eye sinks (goes deep inside) and the mouth emits foul smell.

The person should be considered to be going to the kingdom of Yama – lord of death if –

–       his face is filled with profuse tears,
–       he has profuse sweating on his feet
–       his eyes become turbid i.e. full of dirt
–       his body becomes very light or heavy without any reason
–       he emits smell of slush, fish, muscle fat, oil, ghee or even mixture of smells i.e. smell of mixture of many things
–       lice move about on his forehead,
–       crows do not eat the oblations offered by him,
–       he does not find comfort or happiness in anything

The person cannot be absolutely treated if –

–       he suffers from fever, diarrhoea and oedema (dropsy), each condition complicating each other,
–       he has very less strength and weak muscles

Death is very near to the emaciated person whose hunger and thirst are not satiated in spite of he consuming pleasant, sweet and healthy foods and drinks.

Death is near to the person who has severe dysentery, headache, and pain in the abdomen, thirst and loss of strength.

विष्मेणोपचारेण कर्मभिश्च पुराकृतैः ।
अनित्यत्वाच्च जन्तूनां जीवितं निधनं व्रजेत् ॥३०॥
प्रेताभूताः पिशाचाश्च रक्षांसि विविधानि च ।
मरणाभिमुखं नित्यमुपसर्पन्ति मानवम् ॥३१।
तानि भेषजवीर्याणि प्रतिध्नन्ति जिघांसया।
तस्मान्मोघाः क्रियाः सर्वा भवन्त्येव गतायुषाम् ॥३२॥

Life becomes non-existent due to –

–       vishama upachara – improper administration of treatment,
–       karma – actions of the previous life and
–       anityatva – non-eternal nature of living beings

The Pretas, Bhutas, Pisacas, Raksasas etc of different kinds keep wandering near and around the dying person, always. Desirous of killing them, they destroy the potency of medicines. Therefore, all kinds of treatments (and medicines) become futile in a dying person.

Thus ends the Thirty first chapter by name Chaya Pratipatti in Sutra Sthana of Susrutha Samhita.