🔘 Shat Kriya Kala

Shat Kriya Kala

Description -

The three vital doshas of our body are Vata,pitta,kapha whose equilibrium maintains health of the body. Any disturbance in equilibrium causes ill health of an individual. Doshas undergoes abnormality due to intake of apathya ahara and vihara which again in turn bring abnormality in dhatus thereby producing disease. From the healthy state of an individual to disease condition is known as satkriyakala. 

The word satkriyakala itself expresses it’s meaning sat means six and kriyakala means action and time respectively . 

Acharya Sushruta while explaining the definition of bhisak said the person who has complete knowledge of all the stages of satkriyakala is  perfect physician. And has explained all this stages of satkriyakala in sutra sthana chapter 21.By knowing all the stages of satkriyakala it makes easy for physician to treat patient and give us the idea whether the disease is curable or not. Poor knowledge of satkriyakala may result in failure of treatment.

Vitiation of doshas is  mandatory for the onset of disease. The disease occurs in progressive stages. Initially, exposure or consumption of nidan – vitiation of doshas- spreading all over the body- doshas invading and getting localised in weak dhatus ( tissues) – damage of tissues – occurrence of disease – complications. Disease is a game of doshas. In short it is a combination of doshas which takes place in various stages. In the beginning the doshas gets aggravated at their own sites and later trespass to other sites , tissues,organs. Spread throughout the body in search of weak dhatus ( tissues) . They get loged their and damage the tissues. When the condition gets severe occurrence of disease take place with blown signs and symptoms. Further if it is not treated the disease progresses towards complications.

Kriyakala is of 2 types 

1. Rutu kriyakala

2. Vyadhi kriyakala

1. Rutu kriyakala

The word rutu means ‘season’ as the weather changes there is slight disturbance in equilibrium of doshas. These daily changes happening in particular rutus ( season) has three stages – chaya,prakopa,Prasanna. The cycle of changes in rutu goes on naturally, similarly the cycle of doshas changes. But this changes doesn’t produce any drastic effect on body because the degree of vitiation of doshas are mild,body becomes habitual to natural seasonal conditions occurring year after year. Through the mildly vitiatied doshas revert back to normal condition automatically. This kriyakala is called Prakurt or rutu kriyakala.

Next thing I want to include is about rutu sandhi the last seven days of previous season and first seven days of coming season is called rutu sandhi or seasonal junction. During this season the person should gradually give up the regimen of previous season and adopt the regimen of coming season. Sudden withdrawal or adoption of regimen leads to disease.

2. Vyadhi kriyakala:

“ Vikaro dhatu vaishammayamm samyam prakruti ruchyate “

                               (  Ca.Su.1/4)

The stage of imbalance in doshas and dhatus is called vikara.

The word vyadhi represents ' disease' means abnormal changes taking place in doshas due to the consumption or exposure to nidan and these changes are very effective, powerful, unusual to human body and shows drastic effect on body. The doshas  may not revert back on their own and continue to gives rise to disease. If not treated,it creates complications and endanger the life. It is considered as vikrut and requires remedial measures. 

Pathogenesis gives us the exact idea of development of disease and the way the doshas travel at different sites in disease process. The development of disease is described under six stages.

- Chaya

- Prakopa

- Prasara

- Sthana samshraya

- Vykati

- Bheda

1. CHAYA

It is the first stage of satkriyakala in which doshas start accumulating in their own place . Just like Vata sanchaya in Grisma rutu,pitta sanchaya  in vrasha rutu and kapha sanchaya in Sisira rutu. In this stage the pathology of disease is just intiated. There is no complete manifestation of disease. The 2 main ashyas for sanchaya of doshas are amashaya and pakwashaya. 

In clinical view,in Vata chaya fullness of stomach,in pitta chaya discoloration of skin,in kapha chaya heaviness of body. It develops aversion towards the aetiological factors for eg. Intake of Madhur ahara in excess produces aversion towards Madhura ahara. And automatically cures kapha chaya. If doshas are alpa  laghana is best treatment if  in Madhyam Matra than langhanpachana and if in Uttam Matra than samsodhana is best line of treatment. In chaya stage doshas constitute the seeds of the disease if not treated it goes to further stages.

2. PRAKOPA

In this stage the doshas gets provoked it is next stage after sanchaya. If proper nidan is not done  in sanchaya avastha it progress to prakopa stage. Such as Vata  prakopa in Varsha rutu,pitta prakopa in sharad rutu and kapha prakopa in Vasant rutu. It is swabhavik prakopa. But if person take  apathya  ahar, vihar,etc. Than that is aswabhavika prakopa.

In Vata prakopa symptoms occurs are kosthatoda etc. In pitta prakopa symptoms are daha,pipasa,and in kapha prakopa symptoms are annadwesha. In this treatment given is according to the dominance of doshas the are more powerful are treated first. If all the doshas are aggravated than vata is treated first ,than pitta and than kapha.

3. PRASARA

The next stage after prakopa is prasara avastha when doshas increased in their own sites they leave their original places and spread to other sites of the body either through adho – urdhwa marga, from kostha – Sakha , through marma- asthi – sandhi.

• Urdhwa gati – In this doshas tend to move in upward direction in diseases like Chardi,apasmara,shwasa,kasa etc.

• Adho gati – doshas tend to move in downward  direction in diseases like atisara,shilpada etc.

• Tiryak gati – doshas tend to move to sidewards and causes diseases like charma vyadhi ( skin disease), sirapurana etc.

Symptoms of Vata are atopa,pitta are daha,kapha are avipaka.

In this stage hetu viparita ahara is the best upashaya.

4. STHANA SAMSHRAYA

The next stage after prasara is sthana samshraya where the vitiatied doshas circulate throughout the body in association with Vata dosha and doshas gets localised where there is kha  vaigunya.  Kha vaigunya is main cause for the formation of disease without it vyadhi formation becomes difficult.It is also called purvarupa stage. If doshas get confined to guda than bhagandar,arsha occurs. In this the line of treatment given should be considering local doshas first keeping in mind that the causative doshas is not aggravated.

5. VYAKTA

If proper  nidan  is not done than the disease progresses towards the next stage that is vyakta. This is also called the Rupa of the vyadhi. Actual symptoms of the vyadhi appears.

The dosha- dushya sammurchana gets completed. For example in jwara santapa lakashna,in atisara dravamala lakshana. If all the symptoms of purvarupa are seen in Rupa than the disease becomes asadhya.

6. BHEDA

It is the last stage of satkriyakala where the process of pathogenesis completes and patient develops vyadhi. If in this stage if the patient is not given treatment than the disease may be asadhya and also we come to know the type of disease for example - vataaja jwara,pittaja jwara,kaphaja jwara if not treated it may become yapya or asadhya.

Relation of satkriyakala and  nidan panchak: 

Nidan – Initially person starts hetu Sevan ahara , vihara, so sanchaya of doshas occurs.

  Still nidan Sevan is continued than doshas get prakopa and moves to next stage that prasara.

For example – If the patient eats ice cream  sanchaya of kapha dosha occurs if continues to eat ice cream than doshas get aggravated and start spreading .

Than the increased doshas leave their own sites and move to other sites suppose kapha dosha gets aggravated due heavy intake of ice cream it moves towards srotas and causes kasa .

Purvarupa are seen like hoarseness in voice , headache, heaviness in throat  that is sthanasamsraya avastha.

Rupa – lakshana are seen such as  frequent bouts of coughing with pain in chest,pain in throat and chest,Redding of eyes with increased lacrimal secretions ,troubled and obstructed speech this is vyakta avastha.

If still the treatment is not given it proceeds to either vataaja kasa ,pittaja kasa, kaphaja kasa,dwandaja kasa, sannipatika kasa that is bheda avastha.

Upashaya – If patient follows pathya ahara than disease becomes sadhya . 

The process for selecting ahara,vihar and ausadh is Viparita – hetu ,vyadhi,ubhaya.

Viparita arthakari – hetu,vyadhi,ubhaya.

Anupashaya - If follows apathya ahara than disease may proceed to asadhyata.

Samprapti – In this stage  come to know  the complete pathogenesis of disease by knowing the pathology we can determine the stage of the disease and sadhyata and asadhyata.