Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Janmabala Pravritta Vyadhis comprises a group of diseases which are categorized under a bigger group called Adhyatmika Vyadhis.
Ref – Sushruta Sutra Sthana, Chapter 24, verse 6
Janmabala Pravritta Vyadhis: Part of Adhyatmika Vyadhis
Adhyatmika Vyadhi itself is one among the Trividha Vyadhi – threefold broad classification of diseases done by Acharya Sushruta, which includes every single disease that we encounter in our lifetime. The other two among the threefold classification are – Adidaivika Vyadhi and Adibhautika Vyadhi.
Related Readings
– Trividha Vyadhi
– Adhyatmika Vyadhi
– Adidaivika Vyadhi
– Adibhautika Vyadhi
So, Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis are also Adhyatmika Vyadhis. They will have their special features which would designate them as being Janmabala Pravrtta (described later in this article) and also would bear and follow the flag features of Adhyatmika Vyadhis.
In this article we shall study about Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis and their sub-classification.
Janmabala Pravritta Vyadhis
जन्मबलप्रवृत्ता ये मातुरपचारात् पङ्गुजात्यन्धबधिरमूकमिन्मिनवाननप्रभृतयो जायन्ते तेऽपि द्विविधाः- रसकृताः. दौहृदापचारकृताश्च। (Su.Su.24/5)
Meaning of Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhi
– Janmabala Pravrtta – occur and present in child, right from the beginning i.e. conception or birth
– Vyadhi – diseases
Definition of Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhi
Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis are those diseases which occur in the child due to –
– improper dietetic regimen and practices of mother, not conducive to the child, during conception and at various stages of development of the foetus
– improper lifestyle practices and habits followed by the mother, which are not conducive to the developing child, during conception and at various stages of development of the foetus
In short, the diseases which are caused in the child by improper conduct of the mother are known as Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis.
Examples of Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis
– Pangu – lameness
– Jatyandha – blindness right from the birth,
– Badhirya – deafness,
– Mukatva – dumbness,
– Minminatva – stammering speech,
– Vamanatva – dwarfism etc.
There are two different ways in which these diseases manifest.
a. Improper or abnormal development of the child – like
– having more organs,
– more or less fingers or toes,
– improperly / inadequately developed organs,
– having excessive fat in the body / obese,
– cleft lips / palate
– absent anal orifice,
– heart placed more to the right instead of to the left,
– liver placed more to the left rather than right
– shape and structural deformity of organs and body parts, etc.
b. Diseases occurring in child due to maternal infections – example – typhoid, syphilis etc.
Birth traumas, infections etc occurring in the infant during the process of its birth can also be considered under the umbrella of Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhi.
Types of Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis
According to Acharya Sushruta, Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis are of two kinds. They are –
1. Rasakrita Vyadhis
Rasa means taste.
Krita means caused.
Vyadhi means diseases.
According to Ayurveda, foods of all kinds of rasas – tastes should be consumed by all persons. This also comprises of ‘balanced food’ as per Ayurveda. Consuming any one rasa in excess is contraindicated. This is because, that one rasa might lead to many diseases by disturbing the equilibrium of doshas and also dhatus. Many diseases may also occur due to inadequate consumption of other rasas in the food.
The diseases caused in the child due to consumption of any one taste or food of any one taste or any one kind of food in excess by the mother / pregnant woman are called as Rasakrita Vyadhis.
Diseases produced in the child due to insufficient supply of rasa – nutrient fluids by the mother can also be included here. They will cause ‘nutrition deficiency diseases’ in the child.
Let us see some examples of such diseases.
| Taste consumed in excess by the pregnant woman or ‘mother to be’ in the food | Rasakrta Vyadhi – diseases produced in the child |
| Only Madhura rasa – sweet taste | Prameha – diabetes, urinary disorders,Mukata – dumbnessSthoulya – obesity, overweight, etc. |
| Only Amla rasa – sour taste | Raktapitta – bleeding disordersNetra roga – eye disorders,Twak roga – skin diseases etc. |
| Only Lavana rasa – salt taste | Vali – wrinkling of skin,Palita – premature greying of hairs,Khalitya – premature baldness etc. |
| Only Katu rasa – pungent taste | Alpa shukrata – deficit production and store of semen, sterility, oligospermiaSantana hani – frequent miscarriages, abortions etc. |
| Only Tikta rasa – bitter taste | Shosha – wasting diseases, depletion of tissues, consumption, tuberculosis, extreme dryness of the body and tissuesDaurbalya – loss of strength and endurance, extreme weakness etc. |
| Only Kashaya rasa – astringent taste | Karsnya – blackish discoloration of the body,Anaha – flatulence, flatulent dyspepsia,Udavarta – abnormal upward movement of vata and diseases / complications caused by it etc. |
Similarly, excessive consumption of madya – alcoholic drinks by the mother will cause diseases like Trishna – thirst, smriti nasha – memory loss, unmada – psychoses / insanity etc. in the child.
2. Dauhrida Apachara Krita Vyadhis
Dauhrida means ‘having two hearts’. The mother will have two hearts in her, one of her own and the other heart of the child developing in her womb. Therefore, she is called ‘Dauhrida’ – the one with two hearts. This is an extra responsibility for her since she needs to take care of two lives and two hearts, also two emotions bound in one. It is a delicate phase and needs to be sensibly handled. The physical, mental and emotional health of the mother and her practices in relation to foods, lifestyle practices and habits will also have an impact on the developing child.
When the heart of the child manifests and starts functioning, the desires and wishes of the child are manifested through the mother. They are called as ‘pregnancy longings’. The mother / pregnant woman may express desires for some foods or any other interests, many of them may be strange and those which she might have not liked or desired before that point. These are not her wishes, these are the wishes of the child.
Acharyas insist to fulfil all the demands and cravings put forth by the mother in Dauhrda stage. If these wishes are not fulfilled, they will cause physical and mental disorders in the child, since the things that the mother asks for are very essential for all round development of the child. The pregnancy longings is the unheard voice of the child in the womb.
These diseases caused in the child due to the non-fulfilment of desires and wishes of the mother during pregnancy are called as Dauhrda Apacharaja Vyadhis.
Modern thoughts
Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis can be correlated to the congenital disorders or anomalies. They are birth defects which occur due to problems with the mother or defects in the child.
Prevention and Cure
We need not even speak about the cure in Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis because ‘prevention’ of these diseases is very much possible. This can be done by awareness. The mother and father of the ‘would be child’ should know even the minutest aspects of ‘pregnancy care’. Nowadays there are special classes conducted to train the couple. The oldest institutions are the elders in the family. The woman may also carry her experiences of the previous pregnancy to the next one, and improvise over it.
Knowledge of Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis call for –
– proper pregnancy care by the mother herself and good people, family and friends and support groups in and around her – in terms of diet and lifestyle management and also mood and behavioural management
– pregnant woman to focus on balanced nutrition and also see that the child is supplied with the same, by consuming foods of all rasas and abstain from using any one in excess or intake of any one kind of food in excess
– fulfilment of ‘pregnancy longings’
All these would help in proper healthy and all-round development of the child in the womb of the mother and will also help in preventing the Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis.
If Janmabala Pravrtta Vyadhis occur due to not following the above said principles, they needed to be treated accordingly, as and when they manifest.
