Bull. Ind. Inst. Hist. Mad. Vol. XVI pp. 11-18

HEALTH AND HYGIENE IN MEDIEVALANDHRA AND THE REMONSTRATION BY VEMANA

P. HYMAVATHI.

ABSTRACT

Vemana the revolutionary poet of medieval Andhra travelled

throughout Andhra observing the social customs and traditions. Hewarned the society against superstitious beliefs and customs with

regard to health and hygiene as in the case of other social evils andtried to divert the society into right path through his natural and easy

flow of verses in a simple lanq-raqe. He noticed that the people

were not able to understand the scientific way of treatment prescribed

in the medical texts and were blindly following the irrational traditional

methods which we'e full of misunderstandings and superstitious

notions. He warned the people that this kind of trend in the field of

medicine was very harmful and advocated that the diagnosis and

treatment should be done in a scientific way.

Vemana opposed the miraculous powers which are ascribed to

the mineral drugs and rasausadhas. He preached that those powers

are impossible to be achieved and should be regarded as mere

superstitions which would cause harm to the science of rnadicjne and

to the society. He refuted the use of lovepotions which was acommon practice especially among the womenfolk. He propagatedthat the people who took these medicines would definitely fall ill and

die on account of the unhygienic ingredients. In many of his verses,

Vemana stressed the importance of taking well-balanced diet. He

also preached some other fundamental things essential for livery body

to maintain one's own health. He suggests that the physicians

should treat the patients with compassion and mentions that the

phvsicians who dedicated their lives for social service would becomefree from karma and attain salvation Thus the references from the

verses of Vemana not only reveal his knowledge in medicine but also

give a glimpse into the beliefs. customs and practices with regard to

the maintenance of health hygiene and healing art of the people in

the then society.

Under the rule of Kakatiya, Reddy and Vijayanagara Kings, medievalAndhra region became famous as an abode of learning and prosperity.If the history of this period is observed keeping in view the royal courtand the cultural development. it seems to be regarded as a goldenperiod. At the same time, it seems to be an age of confusion and chaos

* Lecturer in History. A. B. Degree College, Warangal.

72 Butteun Ind. Inst. Hist. Med. Vol. XVI

in the context of common man's life in the janapadas. There are severalcauses for this contradiction. Especially it was a period which witnesseda wide gulf between the intellectual high caste and the illiterate lowcaste people. The 'three-crore deities' and many village goddesseswere driven on to the society by the preceptors and Pithadhipatis of theformer class and the Ganacarvas of the latter class respectively. Just asthe pious social principles had disappeared and the mean and narrowreligious traditions took their roots in the society, many irrationalpratices had developed in the field of medicine also. It was at this timethat Vemana, the great social reformer started his remonstration againstall the social evils. He travelled throughout Andhra observing the socialcustoms and traditions and repudiating in sharp terms what he hadconsidered not proper. He warn ad the society against superstitiousbeliefs and customs and tried to divert the society Into the right pathwith his natural and fluent verses in a simple language. He can beregarded not only as a great social reformer. a prophet or a great humanistbut also as a revolutionary poet who inaugurated the revolutionary formof poetry in Telugu literature.

In medieval Andhra many books were written in Ayurveda; not onlythe books on medicine but the general literary works of the period revealthe scholarship of the court poets in the science of medicine. Thecommon people also were proficient in the art of healing for their pettydiseases with the knowledge gllined out of previous experience. Butmanv superstitious customs had crept into this traditional system oftreatment. Vemana noticed that the people were not able to understandthe scientific way of treatment and were blindly following the irrationalmethods and their knowledge gained out of their experience was full ofmisunderstandings and superstitious notions. He warned the people thatthis kind of trend in the field of medicine was very harmful and advocatedthat the diagnosis and treatment should be done in a scientific way.'

Some ancient Indian physicians with the Rim of highlighting thevirtues of sorne medicines relating to kavacikitsa and rasavanatantra. ascribed miraculous powers to thelTl.2 Some people misunder-stood it ; nd tried to get kavasiddhi. adrsv akarani, akasagamana,karnarupa etc. It seems that they wandered in the forests eating leavesand roots, so that they could discover those herbs and get thoseextraordinary powers. Vemana refuted these and conveyed the peoplethat these were impossible things to be achieved and should be regarded

Health and remonstration by Vemana-Hvmavathi 73

as merely superstitions which would cause harm to the science ofmedicine and to the societv.!

According to Vernana, both living creatures and the medicinesconsisted of Sal dhatus.> He tried to prove the fact that it is irrationalto think that one mortal thing can make another an immortal.

He expressed similar opinion with regard to the mineral drugs. Amineral known as 'Kanta/aha' occupied an important place in the medicalfield. It is a good ressven« medicine. About it the tantrics say: Kartavyammantra ucyate. Arnrtodbhavava svaha ityanena loharnaranarn."

If the purification and calcination were done with the mantra, theKfwtabhasma would become equal to that of nectar. Another drug knownas Kantaslnrltlra is the best one among the rasayana medicines. Italleviates all the physical diseases and promises long life. And it wasbelieved that it was an aphrodisiac drug and would not allow old age toenter into one's life who used this medicine. This kind of propaganda tothe ressvene medicines led to the common belief that the intake ofrasayana medicines would result in getting super powers. In this contextVemana said that 'Kantasindura' cures only the diseases which happeneddue to the imbalance of vata and pitta and could promise neither long lifenor evergreen youth. In a verse he revealed the nature of power onewould get with the intake of mineral drugs thus: Ukku sunnamu dinanudugunu kastarnul. Ukku sunnamu dina nudugu k-avavu, Ukkusunnamu dina nurluquna Karmamul r.

The mineral drugs alleviate the body from pains and tiresomeness.They cure the diseases like rajavaksma, urahk-ata, anemia and strengthenthe body, but cannot remove the fate of the human beings. One shouldrealise the fact that birth and death are natural in this world and onecannot escape from them. The philosophy of Vemana implied in this verseis that births and deaths cannot be removed by the medicines. but canbe removed by the destruction of karma It can be achieved only bythe real knowledge i e. the realisation that the world is impermanent.

In the same way as in the case of mineral drugs, some scholars inthe science of medicine had attributed great powers to the ressvensmedicines. They said that by the use of rasayana medicines, one couldget the power of rnakinq miracles 7 Some writers of the medical texts in

14 Bulletin Ind. tnst . Hist. Med. VOl. XVI

the medieval period wrote that if one took in the ressvene medicine withthe mantras (prescribed)", he would be free from old age and would livefor 10,000 years and after that he would get divinitv''. In this way manymiraculous things were ascribed to the rasflyana medicines. Vemanaridiculed the physicians who were misled by these and tried to educatethe people thus in the following verse :10 Rasamu gandhakambu mesavidevatalaina, svargamela vere janamulara, bhuvini vaidyula gani divivaidyuledvaro.

In those days reseveds or alchemy was very popular and it Seemsthat many people tried to transmute the other basic metals into gold.Vemana ridiculed the people who were engaged in this pursuit andpreached that it was impossible to be achieved.t!

Vadamanjari and Nflgarjunatantra mentioned many tantras to achievesuversie tantra. M,my people who followed these tried in many ways tomake gold but did not succ eed in that. On seeing these, Vemana feltpity for the ignorance of the people . He said in a verse thus: II Uppucintapan.lu nurIir a nund anqa hemamunaku ne-Iturellajanulu.

He opined that people require salt and soup and not gold to survivein this world. He wondered why the people took pains to get gold whilesalt and tamarind were available in every village.

Philters were very much popular and in vogue in medieval Andhra-desa 12 Some prostitutes and maidens had great belief in these lovepotions which were intended to impart sex attractiveness. They used toemploy these potions through food or drink in various forms such aspowder, oil, paste etc.'? In the making of the paste of this kind, thesweat of the particular lady was also mixed!+, It seems that somehousewives who were neglected by their husbands used to employ thiskmd of medicines on their husbands. Vemana abhorred these practicesas evil and dangerous. He remontsrated that the people who ate thesemedicines would definitely fall ill and die on account of the unhygienicingredients of those rnedic ines.t"

The practice of worshipping deities to ward off epidemic diseaseswas very much common in those davs.!" Vemana mentioned in a versethat sheep were sacrificed to Arnrnavaru (goddess) to ward off cattlediseases such as domme, par/l etc. He abused these inhuman activities

Health and remonstration by Vemana--Hymavathi 15

and ridiculed the people that they would do such things with the intentionof eating those animals on the pretext of a sacrifice to the goddess.17

In his opinion, insects would cause the disease in the plants and trees.Likewise, animals also fall ill on account of the attack of some germsand insects. Hence Vemana made it clear that this kind of diseases ofanimals and plants should be cured with the help of medicines andpesticides respectively. IS

People believed that physical diseases were to be cured by Yogawhich would promote selt-control and self-concentration. Vemanasupported this and propagated that the exercises would give strength tothe body and mind, lustre to the skin and promote mental and physicalhealth. IS But these are, in his opinion, not useful to get mak-e as somepeople believe. In another verse he said that one could never get moksemerely by the physical exercises.s" He gave primary importance to self-concentration through right and proper knowledge and secondary tothat of physical exercises.

In many of his verses Vemana laid stress on the importance andnecessity of well-balanced food for every living being to get strength andlustre. He explained that the food which was pleasing in appearance andalluring to the person would act as a nectar>' whereas the food withopposite qualities would act like a potson.P Excessive intake of foodwould lead to death and lack of it also equ allv would effect the body.The food is capable of both giving life and killing a person."

Vemana abhorred in sharp terms the intake of food without ghee andcurry.24 He advocated the use of milk as diet because milk is an aphro-disiac and a good nutrient.2ft

Vemana denied the habit of strict fasting2r. If the digestive fire isnot supplied with food, it destroys (digests) the mala present in theintestines, resulting in the fasting person enjoying the mala instead offood.27

According to lengendary references, Vemana was said to have gainedknowledge in the art of alchemy, but failed to get swernssiddhi. Thoughhe failed in it he gained knowledge in the art of healing and propagatedthe principles of health and hygiene in the. society. He mentioned thatthe physicians who would serve the patients without expecting anyreward would be free from karma and attain salvation in the end.2s

16 Bulletin Ind. tnst. Hist . Med. Vol. XVI

Vemana is a unique reformer who observed the truths of life in aproper perspective and in all aspects. He repudiated the evil customsand advocated the rational outlook

Thus the reference from the verses of Vernana not only reveal hisknowledge in medicine but also give a glimpse into the beliefs, customsand practices with regard to the maintenance of health, hygiene andhealing art of the people in the then society. He led a remonstrationagainst the superstitions in this field and advocated the importance ofsocial service and humanitarian outlook needed in the medical ground.This kind of remonstration is necessary even in the present society toeducate the common-folk and to instigate the physicians to cultivatehumanitarian outlook.

REFERENCES

1. Vemana Padyamulu, edited by Nedunuri Gangadharam, Addepally &Co., 1960, V. 4346, 4343 & 4345.

2. Basavarajiyamu, Vavilla Ramaswami Sastrulu & Sons, Madras,Akshaya, p. 581.

3. Verses of Vemana, Collected by C.P. Brown, 111-173.

4. Ibid. 436

5. Vagbhata's Rasaratnasamuchchayamu, Ch. Satyanarayana Sastri,p. 114

6. Verses of Vemana with notes, VR Sastrulu & Sons, Madras, 1955,No. 1057

7. Sri Krishnarayandhra Vijnanasarvaswamu, by N. Krishna Rao, 1973,p. 471.

8. 'Om namo Amrta Sikhaya, amurtarupajivane danavendra nacajnata,amrtatvam delisvalea' Basavarajivarnu p. 575,

9. Ibid

10. Vemana Padyamulu, Gopal & Co., Madras.

11. Ibid

Health and remonstration by Vemana-Hymavathi 17

12. Raghunatharamayanamu, 2-153, Hamsavimsati, V-129 to 132

13. Hamsavimsati, V-152.

14. Ibid.

1[ii. SrI Krishnarayandhra Vijnanasarvaswamu, p, 463, Verses of Vemanawith notes, Madras, VR Sastrulu & Sons, 1955, V. 1035

16. Bulletin of Institute of History of Medicine, Vol. I, p. 46.

17. Verses of Vemana with notes.

18. Vemana Padyamulu, edited by Nedunuri Gangadharam, RajahmundryAddepalli & Co., 1960.

19. Verses of Vemana, CP Brown,III-176.

20. Ibid, 11-425

21. Vemana Padyamulu, edited by Nedunuri Gangadharam, RajahmundryAddepalli & ce.. 1960, V. 4254 & 4256

22. Ibid V. 4253

23. Ibid V. 156

24. Ibid 2852

25. Ibid 3132 & 3134

26. Ibid 981 & 983

27. Ibid 1439, Verses of Vemana, with notes 1065

28. Verses of Vemana, CP Brown '11-38.

18 Bulletin Ind. Inst Hist. Med. Vol. XVI

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