Sharangadhara’s Nadi Pareeksha and its implications in Ayurveda

Abstract

Ever since man has started colonising the knowledge for survival and dependence over each other made him social animal. But aggregated knowledge and added wisdom transformed such colonisation in to civilizations. Ayurveda is said to be Upanga of Atharvanaveda. The mythological connection yielded the Ayurveda in Triskanda Ayurveda but the amassing the doctrines of Indian philosophy made it to today’s Living sciences the Ayurveda. By 2nd BC the classical works of Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita is believed to have been written. The trend of writing such voluminous work even extended upto 6th AD believed to be the period of Astanga Hrudaya Samhita. The upsurge of Rasa Shastra and the geopolitical changes happening in India had almost pull stopped the progress of Ayurvedic Literature for further 6 centuries. But it was post Shoddala period that is 12th century AD onwards, we find with the specific intent and with a particular domain literature emerged which we call period of Laghutrayee. The same post Shoddala period we find some serious, literary mammoth works in Ayurveda came in the form of commentaries. Dalhana, Chakrapaniduta, Arunaduta and Hemadri commentaries even today believed to more authentic came in this period for the Brihatrayee. This exploration of Sharangadhara in to the Nadi Pareeksha is one such add on with a specific reason addressing the entrance level teaching so that the system become more simpler and approachable. In the article an attempt is made to exhibit need specific moulding of Nadi Pareeksha which was imported from neighbours is specifically blended; not only to the basics of Ayurveda but was practised as a tool of a) diagnosis, b) prognosis c) treatment and d) even death was determined by it.