Literary Review on the Concept of Agni and Kosthavadhata in Brihattrayee

Abstract

Ayurveda is the ancient Indian system of life sciences and Medicine, its historicity going back to the Vedas. Ayurveda has described an important factor of digestion and metabolism in our body as Agni. In Ayurveda, the Agni is also called  as “Kaya” means Shareera. The Ayurvedic principle of treating the disease is based on Agni. Agni is responsible for  strength, health, longevity, and vital breath and it determines the quantity of food to be consumed. Ingested food  is to be digested absorbed and assimilated, which is unavoidable for the maintenance of life and is performed by  Agni that mentioned in Ayurveda. The term “Agni” is used in the sense of digestion of food and metabolic products.  According to the functions and sites of action, Agni has been divided into 13 types, that is, one Jatharagni, five  Bhutagni, and seven Dhatvagni. These 13 types of Agni are further divided into four types on the basis of bal, that  is, tikhnagni, mandagni, visamagni, and samagni. About the importance of Agni, Acharya charak has mentioned  that after stoppage of the function of Agni, the individual dies, and when the Agni of an individual is sama, then that  person would be absolutely healthy and would lead a long, happy, and healthy life. however, if the Agni of a person  is vitiated, the whole metabolism in his body would be disturbed, resulting in ill health and disease. This deranged  (vikrita) leads to different type of diseases. Out of that Kosthavadhata, one of them Kosthavadhata means defecation  of hard stool with strain, it occurs due to excess vatavriddhi that Acharya charaka mention in grahani Dosha adhikar  that is included in vatajagrahani. Hence, Agni is said to be the base (mool) of life.