Hello Learners, Welcome to Sanskrit Gurukul Ashtang hridyam notes. In this blog post, we will explore various groups of food substance categories, as described by Acharya Vaghbhat in Ashtanga Hridayam. The name of the chapter is Annasvarupa vijnaniya adhyaya, or knowledge of food substances.
In this chapter, food substances have been classified into seven major food groups: cereals, pulses, food preparations, meats, leafy and green vegetables, fruits, and drugs.
Table of Contents
Shukar Dhanya Varga- Group of corn/ cereals with spikes
Rice is prepared and eaten in different forms in all cultures. From roasting on fire, making flour to make roti or dosa, used as a snack in the form of puff rice, flattened rice for poha, plain boiled, in biryani, risotto, paella, mandi, etc. There are several varieties available in the market, such as polished, unpolished, parboiled, basmati, etc.
Ayurveda provides a detailed analysis of the effect of both the variety and cooking method on individuals. In the following sholokas of Ashtanga hridayam, we can read about the various varieties of rice and their health benefits for us.
Type of rice
रक्तो महान् स-कलमस् तूर्णकः शकुनाहृतः ।
सारा-मुखो दीर्घशूको लोध्रशूकः सुगन्धिकः ॥ 1 ॥
पुण्ड्रः पाण्डुः पुण्डरीकः प्रमोदो गौर-शारिवौ ।
काञ्चनो महिषः शूकः दूषकः कुसुमाण्डकः ॥ 2 ॥
लाङ्गला लोहवालाख्याः कर्दमाः शीतभीरुकाः ।
पतङ्गास् तपनीयाश् च ये चान्ये शालयः शुभाः ॥ 3 ॥
- Rakta (red)
- Mahan ( big size)
- Kalama (thick steamed rice)
- Turnaka (a quickly matured variety of rice)
- Shakunahruta
- Saaramukha
- Deerghashukha (long)
- Sugandhika ( having a good smell)
- Rodhrashuka,
- Pundra ( white variety of rice)
- Pandu
- Pundarika
- Pramoda
- Gaura ( white rice)
- Sariva
- Kanchana ( golden color)
- Mahisha
- Shuka
- Dushaka
- Kusumandaka
- Langala
- Lohavala
- Kardama
- Sheetabheeruka
- Patanga
- tapaneeya ( bright red)
These varieties of rice are good for consumption.
Qualities and health benefits of rice:
स्वादु-पाक-रसाः स्निग्धा वृष्या बद्धाल्प-वर्चसः ।
कषायानु-रसाः पथ्या लघवो मूत्रला हिमाः ॥ 4 ॥
- Rasa (taste): Madhur ( sweet)
- Virya ( potency): cold ( shiit)
- Vipak ( after digestion): Madhur(sweet),
- Guna: snigdha (unctuous/oily), aphrodisiac (strength-promoting),
- Dosha: Balance vata and pitta, and increase kapha (if not old)
- Rice can cause constipation and make a small quantity of faeces, good for health, easily digestible, and diuretic (increases urine).
शूक-जेषु वरस् तत्र रक्तस् तृष्णा-त्रि-दोष-हा ।
महांस् तम् अनु कलमस् तं चाप्य् अनु ततः परे ॥ 5 ॥
Red variety of rice is the best quality. It relieves thirst and balances all three doshas. Next best is the Mahan ( big size rice) variety. Next is Kamala, and so on.
Yavaka and other varieties of shali Dhanya:
यवका हायनाः पांसु-बाष्प-नैषधकादयः ।
स्वादूष्णा गुरवः स्निग्धाः पाके ऽम्लाः श्लेष्म-पित्तलाः ॥ 6 ॥
सृष्ट-मूत्र-पुरीषाश् च पूर्वं पूर्वं च निन्दिताः ।
Yavaka, haayana, Paamshu, Vashpa, Naishadha varieties of rice are:
- Rasa: Sweet- Madhur
- Virya: Hot in potency- ushna
- Guna: Hard to digest- Guru, Unctuous/oily – snigdha
- Effect on dosha: Increase Kapha and pitta – shleshmapita
- Vipaka: Sour taste after digestion – amlapak
- Increase bulk and volume of faeces and urine- srushtamutrapureesha.
They are bad in reverse order.
Shashtika shali- paddy, which is mature in 60 days
स्निग्धो ग्राही लघुः स्वादुस् त्रि-दोष-घ्नः स्थिरो हिमः ॥ 7 ॥
षष्टिको व्रीहिषु श्रेष्ठो गौरश् चासित-गौरतः ।
ततः क्रमान् महा-व्रीहि-कृष्ण-व्रीहि-जतूमुखाः ॥ 8 ॥
कुक्कुटाण्डक-लावाख्य-पारावतक-शूकराः ।
वरकोद्दालकोज्ज्वाल-चीन-शारद-दर्दुराः ॥ 9 ॥
गन्धनाः कुरुविन्दाश् च गुणैर् अल्पान्तराः स्मृताः ।
Shashtika shali- the paddy which matures in 60 days is the best among all the paddy. It is:
- Rasa: sweet- Madhur
- Virya: cold in potency- hima
- Guna: unctuous/oily- snigdha, light- laghu, grahi- absorbent (useful in diarrhoea), stable- sthira
- Effect on dosha: balance all three doshas- tridoshaghna
There are two types- Gaura (white) and Asita-gaura ( blackish white).
Next inferior to shashtika is mahavrithi, krishnavrihi, other such as jatu mukha, kukkutandaka, lavaka, paravataka, sukara, varaka, uddalaka, ujvala, cina, sarada, dardura, gandhna, and kuruvinda.
स्वादुर् अम्ल-विपाको ऽन्यो व्रीहिः पित्त-करो गुरुः ॥ 10 ॥
बहु-मूत्र-पुरीषोष्मा त्रि-दोषस् त्व् एव पाटलः ।
The other types of rice are:
- Rasa: Sweet- Madhur
- Virya: Hot in potency- ushna
- Guna: heavy- Guru
- Effect on Tridosha: increases pitta, imbalance of tridoshas by patala variety
- Vipaka: sour-amlapak
It increases the volume of urine and faeces.
Truna Dhanya varga – a group of grains produced by grass-like plants.
image
कङ्गु-कोद्रव-नीवार-श्यामाकादि हिमं लघु ॥ 11॥
तृण-धान्यं पवन-कृल् लेखनं कफ-पित्त-हृत् ।
Kangu, Kodrava, Neevara, Shyamaka, and other grains are cold in potency, easily digestible, increase Vata, lekhana, and balance Kapha and Pitta.
भग्न-संधान-कृत् तत्र प्रियङ्गुर् बृंहणी गुरुः ॥ 12 ॥
कोरदूषः परं ग्राही स्पर्शो शीतो विषापहः ।
Of them, priyangu helps in fracture healing, is nutritive, nourishing and hard to digest (guru). Koradusha is grahi (absorbent), a coolant, and anti-poisonous.
रूक्षः शीतो गुरुः स्वादुः सरो विड्-वात-कृद् यवः ॥ 13 ॥
वृष्यः स्थैर्य-करो मूत्र-मेदः-पित्त-कफाञ् जयेत् ।
पीनस-श्वास-कासोरु-स्तम्भ-कण्ठ-त्वग्-आमयान् ॥ 14 ॥
Yava ( barely) is
- Rasa: Madhura – sweet
- Guna: rooksha (dry), Guru ( heavy to digest), sara ( promotes bowel movement).
- Virya: sheet (cold)
- Vit vat krut – it increases the bulk of faeces and causes flatus.
- Vrushya- natural aphrodisiac
- Stairyakrut- increase body stability
It is useful in
- Mutrameda- urinary disorder
- Pitta, kapha imbalance disorder
- Peenasa- running nose, rhinitis
- Shwasa- Asthma, breathing difficulty
- Kasa- cough, cold
- Urusthamba- thigh stiffness
- Kantha Roga- disease of the throat
- Twacha Rog- skin disease.
न्यूनो यवाद् अनु-यवो रूक्षोष्णो वंश-जो यवः ।
Anuyava (small size Barley) is inferior in quality to Yava. Venuyava ( seed of bamboo) is non-unctuous and hot in potency.
Wheat – Godhuma benefits
वृष्यः शीतो गुरुः स्निग्धो जीवनो वात-पित्त-हा ॥ 15 ॥
संधान-कारी मधुरो गोधूमः स्थैर्य-कृत् सरः ।
पथ्या नन्दीमुखी शीता कषाय-मधुरा लघुः ॥ 16 ॥
Wheat is
- Rasa: Madura – sweet
- Guna:guru- heavy to digest, snigdha- unctuous/oily, sara – promotes bowel movement, natural aphrodisiac – strength promoting
- Virya: sheet- cold
- Jivaniya – enlivening
- Effect on doshas: vatapittaha- balance Vata and pitta
- Sthairya Krut- increase body stability
- Pathya: can be had daily.
Nandimukhi variety of wheat is good for health. It is sheet (cold), kashaya (astringent), Madhura (sweet), and Laghu (light to digest).
Thus ends a group of cereals or corn with bristles. In the next post we will learn about legumes and others groups of food substances as described by Acharya Vaghbhat in chapter 6 of Ashtanga Hridayam.
