Prognosis Signs Based On The Messenger – Doota Adhishtita Arishta

By Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S
Doota means messenger. In olden days the messengers from patient’s family used to come to the physician’s home to inform him about the illness of the ailing family member. They also would take the doctor with them to the patient’s home by carrying his medicinal kit and sometimes giving him lift in a cart or carriage and also drop him back. This was probably the first ever evidence of family doctor or ‘doctor’s home visit’.
Read – Arishta Lakshanas – Ominous Signs And Symptoms Indicating Bad Prognosis

Prognosis of patient’s condition and the disease can be made out by by seeing the condition of the messenger who has come to the doctor’s doorstep.

Physician – messenger

1. Prognosis based on the condition of the physician when the messenger arrives

  • Hairs scattered
  • Naked
  • Crying
  • Carelessly seated
  • Sleeping
  • Cutting or spitting something
  • Performing fire sacrifice or offering other sacrifices to his elders as per rituals
  • Telling or thinking something inauspicious
  • Speaking about death, burnt things or destruction
  • Doing some untoward activities

When the physician is doing one or more of the above said when the messenger visits him, he should not attend the patient because these are inauspicious and ominous signs which indicate that the patient is surely going to die sooner or later.
Read – Bad Prognosis Based On Smell, Touch, Taste, Colour And Voice

2. Prognosis based on the condition of the messenger who has come to the physician

Physician should not accompany the messenger in the presence of these ominous and inauspicious death indicating signs.

Messenger looks helpless, frightened, grief stuck and will look dirty in appearance.

He comes in the form of demoralized women, persons with triad of deformities i.e. lame, dumb and blind and an impotent person.

He is handicap, diseased or the one who is indulged in cruel activities.

Comes in the carts pulled by donkey or camel or riding on these animals.
Read – How To Make Prognosis Of Disease According To Ayurveda?

Messenger touches one or more of the below mentioned before meeting the physician –

  • mud cakes
  • husk
  • meat
  • bones
  • hairs
  • nails
  • teeth
  • broom
  • pestle
  • slippers
  • skin separated from the body
  • grass
  • stick
  • burning coal
  • earthen vessels or
  • pieces of stones

When messenger is narrating the incidents related to the patient, the physician happens to notice any inauspicious incidents.
Read – Best And Worst Things For Health And Disease – Charaka Sutrasthana 25

When physician observes any untoward scene or objects mentioned below while speaking to the messenger, he should not treat the patient since the death of the patient is supposed to be very near. They are as mentioned below –

  • blind, deaf or handicap person
  • dead body
  • coffins
  • garlands
  • flowers
  • broken or burnt material
  • destructed things
  • people speaking about the above said things
  • irritating smell
  • smell of decayed dead body
  • touch of any cruel or ugly things
  • seeing, feeling or touching any inauspicious things
    Read – 8 Physical Deformities As Per Ayurveda

Signs of a good messenger, signs that indicate good prognosis of the disease and recovery of the patient

  • He is good in conduct and character (readCode of Conduct in Ayurveda)
  • Has pleasantness of mind
  • All body parts are intact
  • He is successful and smart
  • Wears white dress (read – Impact of Cloth Colour And Material On Body And Mind)
  • Doesn’t have long or scattered hairs
  • Costumes and activities of the messenger will be in accordance to his race
  • Doesn’t come riding a camel or donkey
  • He has not come at evening or during inauspicious time of the day
  • He has not come in a time wherein there is inappropriate star alignment or during the presence of dhruva star, i.e. when the planets and stars in inappropriate positions as per astrology
  • He has not come on 4th, 9th, 14th day of lunar half of the month or on an inauspicious date
  • He has not come during noon, mid night, during earthquakes, solar or lunar eclipses
  • He hasn’t come from awkward place or sitting / waiting in awkward and inauspicious places
  • He doesn’t carry any inauspicious signs
  • He is not in panic or showing fear in his expressions or attitude
  • He is not worried or stressed
    Read – Anxiety Tips, Ayurvedic Treatment, Herbs, Home Remedies

When the messenger comes with the above said signs, the physician should consider that these are good signs. He can readily accompany the messenger and treat the patient.

Inauspicious events on the way

3. Prognosis based on the inauspicious events, signs and omens occurring while on the way towards the patient’s home

When physician is going to attend the patient, if he happens to see or experience some inauspicious omens on the way, he should terminate the idea of attending the patient considering that the patient is not going to survive.

  • Sneezing by somebody or sneezing sounds
  • Crying sounds
  • Self imbalance
  • Falling down
  • Shouting
  • Injury
  • Obstruction in the way
  • Sounds of sleep and snore
  • His clothes getting stuck and obstructed by thorns etc as if not allowing him to go or trying to avoid him from going to the patient’s home
  • His umbrella or sandals / footwear getting destroyed
  • Physician forgets wearing footwear in hurry to go
  • Physician sees the grief stricken relatives of the dead person or the relatives crying loudly
  • Sight of a chaitya i.e. a big tree in the village which the people believe to be the residence of some ghosts or gods
  • Sight of flags falling down suddenly in an unusual way
  • Sight of death of someone on the way
  • Hearing any untoward or awkward news
  • Seeing or hearing the people quarrelling
  • Body of the physician gets covered by dust or ash,
  • Physician sees a cat, dog or snake passing in front of him on his way
  • He happens to hear loud and disturbing sounds of animals and birds
  • He happens to see the cot, carts and seats kept in a vertical position
    Read – Achara Rasayana – Behavioral Therapy For Calm Mind And Long Life

Inauspicious events – patient house

4. Prognosis based on inauspicious events occurring in the patient’s house

On going to the patient’s home, if happens to see below mentioned inauspicious and ominous omens in patient’s house, he should not attend the patient.

  • Physician sees a pot filled up with water, fire, mud, seats, plough, ghee, bullock, Brahmin, gems, food and quartz coming out from the entrance of the house i.e. these things are brought out of  patient’s house in front of physician who is about to enter the patient’s house.
  • He sees breaking of the vessel consisting of fire.
  • He sees fire devoid of flames.
  • He sees the members of the patient’s family using materials which are perforated, broken, burnt, crushed or out-dated.
  • He sees the patient or patient’s family members abusing the cot materials, dress, vehicles, food etc.
  • He sees that the friends and beloved ones, the family members of the patient treating the cot, dress, vehicle and other materials belonging to the patient as those of the materials of the dead person, i.e. they are already considering the patient as equal to dead person.
  • He sees that the wholesome diet which is being prepared for the patient gets spoilt just before or even after it has been prepared.
  • Fire becomes diminished by itself or the fire on which the food is being prepared is put off by itself, even in the absence of excessive or moderate wind.
  • He observes that the vessels in patient’s house are continuously falling down from their places for no reason and are also getting broken.

Auspicious signs

Auspicious signs indicating good prognosis of the disease and recovery of the patient

Auspicious signs on the way to the patient’s home or in patient’s home

  • Curds
  • Holy colored rice
  • Brahmin
  • Bull
  • King
  • Gems (read – Use Of Gems In Ayurveda)
  • Water filled pot
  • White horse
  • Flags or banners having images of gods / goddesses
  • Fruits
  • Yavaka – drink prepared with half boiled barley powder
  • Young girl or boy
  • Tied animal
  • Land being ploughed
  • Lit fire
  • Sweets
  • White flowers
  • Sandalwood
  • Good, pleasant looking and tasty foods and drinks
  • Bullock cart filled with people
  • Cow with calf
  • Horse with its young one
  • Mother with her child
  • Birds like jeeva, jeevaka, siddartha, sarasa, priyavadi, hamsa, shatapatra, peacock,
  • Vision of fishes, goats, tusk of elephant,
  • Conch, ghee, rock salt, mirror, yellow mustard, urine of cow
    Read – 60 Benefits Of Ghee, Side Effects, Contra Indications

Signs of good health

Signs indicating good health of the patient

  • Good fragrance of perfumes or otherwise spread along the path leading to the patient’s home and in his home
  • White materials
  • Sweet juices, sweet tasting substances
  • Pleasant voice of human beings or pleasant sounds made by animals and birds
  • Spreading or flying, hoisting and appraisal of flags, roof or banners
  • Sounds of drums, percussion instruments and conch
  • Sounds of auspicious hymns and recitation of Vedas being heard
  • Pleasant and mild winds blowing from south
    Read – Sufferings And Health Of Spiritual People – Ayurvedic Analysis

Auspicious Signs seen in the home of the patient

When the physician happens to see one or more of the below mentioned things in the patient’s home, they shall be considered auspicious to the patient.

  • Proper behavior and culture of the patient and members in the patient’s family
  • Those people are dedicated, respectful and obedient
  • They are adjusting and compatible
  • They are well equipped with money and materials of need
  • They have wealth, pleasure and are happy
  • Those people obtain whatever pleases them or loved things effortlessly
  • They have medicines and medical plants, enriched with good qualities, taste and potency in abundance
  • The equipments and materials needed to convert the medicinal herbs into useful compounds are available at hand
    Read – Money, Ayurveda, Spirituality – How To Strike Perfect Balance?

Auspicious dreams

Auspicious dreams which indicate survival and recovery of the patient

When the physician sees the below mentioned in his dreams, it indicates that the patient is going to surely recover from his illness and survive.

  • Seeing himself riding / standing over a house, palace and mountain or riding elephant, bull, horse or human beings
  • Seeing moon, sun, Brahmins, cow and successful personalities in his dreams
  • Seeing himself swimming in ocean and reaching the shore
  • Dream of increase in wealth and population
  • Seeing oneself getting free from troublesome situations
  • Having conversation with gods and departed elders in a pleasant mood
  • Seeing white dresses
  • Lakes and ponds with clear water
  • Meat, fish, poison, wastes and excreta
  • Obtaining umbrella and mirror
  • White flowers
  • Travelling in horse wagons or bullock cart towards east or north direction
  • Weeping
  • Falling down and getting up by self
  • Defeating the enemies in dreams

Click to Consult Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ayu) – Email / Skype

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