Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Acharya Vagbhata has mentioned ‘Chirat Pakam Vayasah’ among the five best benefits of Shodhana.
Ref – Ashtanga Hridaya Sutra Sthana, Chapter 18, verse 60 (A.Hr.Su.18/60)
Chirat = delayed
Pakam = maturity (in this context)
Vayasah = age
Chirat Pakam Vayasah – means ‘delayed maturity of ageing’. Shodhana brings about delayed ageing i.e. it acts as anti-ageing factor.
Rasayana like anti-ageing action – Rasayanas when administered would enrich all the tissues in the body and also keep them energetic and optimum. This impact is also brought about by Shodhana therapies. Therefore, Shodhanas bestow ‘Rasayana like action and benefits’.
Shodhana not only rejuvenates the entire system of ours but also enhances the longevity and functioning of each and every cell of the body and hence acts as Rasayana.
Reboot of the tissues by shodhana – The tissues, organs and organ systems cleansed regularly by administration of shodhana therapies will get rebooted and rejuvenated and will get fresh life and energy in them. It is like the entire system is taking a rebirth. Their functioning capacity multiplies many folds. Here, we can see that shodhana, by detoxifying and purifying the entire system and through the four benefits detailed earlier to this, establishes comprehensive body-mind-sensual health and thus acts as an anti-ageing process.
Importance of regular shodhana – Many people would not only feel young and fresh, but will also look younger after undergoing a course of shodhana. This is the greatest compliment and return gift that shodhana would bestow. This also shows how important it is to keep the body and mind and senses cleansed and pure, to enjoy a youthful, fit and energetic life. It also reflects how important it is to be aware about the importance of regular cleansing from the point of view of gaining comprehensive health.
Reverse engineering by shodhana – The anti-ageing effect of shodhana reflects why some people look aged beyond their biological age. It is the morbid doshas and malas, the toxicity generated in their cells by these doshas, the blocking of channels of circulation and transportation, the stress in each and every cell which makes a person look tired, aged, pathetic and diseased and lack-lustre. All these events can be reversed by shodhana.
Peeping into Pakam Vayasah Chirat – It reflects the process of Rasayana (and Vajikarana) happening in the body, post shodhana. This benefit reflects restoration and rehabilitation of the entire system, the perfect balance of dosha, dhatu, mala, agni, atma, indriya and manas that the body has earned putting the person in a position of satisfying the entire criteria of swastha purusha – perfectly healthy individual.
In actual terms there is no delaying or reversing of ageing that happens. It is only the person who looks younger in comparison to his or her age that makes us use the word ‘anti-ageing’. It is common to come across someone making remarks like ‘He is looking so young, cannot believe that he is 40, but looking like 25’ or ‘She looks so ageless, she has never changed a bit’ or ‘He is gracefully ageing, people of his age are looking 20 years elder to him’ or ‘She is not looking like a mother, but a sister to her daughter’.
Anyone would love to look young and beautiful and doesn’t like to look aged. We would have seen even the elders pampering themselves with beauty therapies.
A person looks good, healthy, fit and young not by the filters he or she applies to the actual self, but only when the interior of the body, mind and senses are cleansed of their impurities. Regular Shodhana taken by even healthy individuals will give a long time protection against diseases by keeping the system healthy and clean.
