Child Afflicted With Putana Graha And Sheeta Putana Graha

By Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S

Grahas are psychosomatic diseases afflicting children due to evil forces. Graha is a name given to the planets or unseen organisms. It was believed that some unknown and invisible entities would produce a few diseases and they were called Graha’s.
When compared with the modern day diseases the Graha’s can be compared to the micro-organisms  like viruses, bacteria etc. Graha’s were said to bother the children more than the adults.

Signs and symptoms of Putana Graha

  • Vomiting
  • Tremors
  • Stupor
  • Child keeps awakened at nights / sleeplessness
  • Hiccough
  • Distension of belly
  • Diarrhea
  • Thirst
  • Obstruction to passage of urine
  • Looseness of the body parts
  • Stiffness of the body
  • Goose bumps
  • Foul smell resembling that of a crow emanating from the body of the afflicted child

Signs and Symptoms according to Master Sushruta

  • Looseness of the body parts
  • The child sleeps comfortably during the day time, but not at night
  • Diarrhea
  • Smell of the body is similar to that of a crow
  • Troubled by vomiting
  • Goose bumps
  • Thirst

Symptoms mentioned in Yogaratnakara treatise –

Sanskrit Verses

Modern Correlation

The symptoms found in the child afflicted by Pootana Graha resemble those of epidemic diarrhea in children. Diarrhea is anyways mentioned by all authors. The other symptoms seem to be the symptoms of dehydration.
Read – 37 Ayurveda Home Remedies For Diarrhea And Dysentery

Ayurvedic Treatment

1. Internal medication

Madhura Dravya Siddha Ghrita Pana – Ghee processed with sweet tasting herbs should be given for oral consumption.

Tugakshiryadi Ghrita Prashana – Ghee processed with the below mentioned ingredients should be given for drinking –

  • Tugakshiri – Bambusa arundinacea
  • Kushta – Saussurea lappa
  • Talisa patra – leaves of Abies webbiana
  • Khadira – Acacia catechu
  • Sandalwood – Santalum album
  • Syandana – Ogeinia dalbergioides
  • Madhura Varga Dravya – herbs belonging to sweet tasting herbs

2. External measures

a. Anointment

Hingvadi Kalka Lepa – Paste of the below mentioned ingredients should be applied on the body of the afflicted child –

  1. Hingu – asafetida
  2. Vacha – Acorus calamus
  3. Kadamba – Neolamarckia cadamba
  4. Kushta – Saussurea lappa
  5. Ela dwaya – big and small varieties of cardamom
  6. Devadaru – Cedrus deodara

b. Massage

Kushtadi Taila – Oil processed with the below mentioned ingredients should be used for giving massage –

Vachadi Taila – Oil prepared with the below mentioned herbs should be used for providing massage to the body of the afflicted child –

c. Parishechana – showering

Kapitthadi Kwatha – Decoction prepared with the leaves of the below mentioned herbs should be added with fragrant herbs and used for showering and bathing the child –

  • Kapittha – Limonia acidissima
  • Shirisha – Albizia lebbeck
  • Nyagrodha – Ficus bengalensis
  • Bilwa – Aegle marmelos
  • Eranda – Ricinus communis
  • Bakula – Mimusops elengi
  • Dhava – Anogeissus latifolia
  • Vamsha – Bambusa bambos
  • Agnimantha – Clerodendrum phlomidis

Kapotavankadi Kashaya – Showering should be done with the decoction of the below mentioned herbs –

  • Kapotavanka – Bacopa monnieri
  • Shyonaka – Oroxylum indicum
  • Varuna – Crataeva nurvula
  • Paribhadra – Erythrina indica
  • Sariva – Hemidesmus indicus

Read – Digestion Problem In Babies: Treatment And Remedies

d. Fumigation

Eladi Dhupa – Fumigation should be given with the below mentioned herbs

  • Ela dwaya – big and small varieties of cardamom
  • Kushta – Saussurea lappa
  • Vacha – Acorus calamus
  • Hingu – asafetida
  • Devadaru – Cedrus deodara
  • Kadamba – Neolamarckia cadamba

Gandha Nakulyadi – Fumigation with below mentioned ingredients taken together

  • Gandhanakuli – Rauvolfia serpentine / Pluchea lanceolata
  • Kumbhika – Careya abrorea
  • Badara majja – fruit pulp of Indian jujube
  • Karkatasthi – shell or crust of a crab
  • Sarshapa – mustard
  • Ghrita – ghee

Read – Which Ayurvedic Medicines Are Not Safe For Children? How To Know?

3. Ritualistic measures

a. Bheshaja Dharana – wearing / tying medicaments

The below mentioned herbs shall be tied to the arms, waist, neck or head of the afflicted kid –

  • Kaka tinduka – Diospyros malabarica / Strychnos nuxvomica
  • Indravaruni – Citrullus colocynthis
  • Ivy gourd – Coccinia indica
  • Gunja – Abrus precatorius

b. Bali – Snana – Sacrifice and bathing

Various kinds of garlands, fish, cooked rice, soup of sesame, ground sesame should be sacrificed. The same things should be kept in a vessel and thrown in a deserted house.

In the deserted house itself, the child should be bathed with water sipped by someone else and the above said hymn should be chanted.

Sheeta Putana Graha

Signs and symptoms

  • Frightened
  • Repeated and excessive tremors
  • Child weeps a lot
  • Child remains detached
  • Sleeps a lot or appears sleepy always
  • Sounds from the abdomen
  • Frequent diarrhea

Symptoms as said in Ashtanga Sangraha

  • Tremors
  • Excessive weeping
  • Oblique gaze
  • Thirst
  • Sounds from abdomen
  • Diarrhea
  • Smell of meat or muscle fat emanated from the body of the child
  • One side of the body is cold whereas the other side of the body is hot
    Read – Ayurvedic Care Of The Neonate: Initial Four Weeks

Symptoms enumerated in Yogaratnakara

  • Tremors
  • Cough
  • Emaciation
  • Eye disorders
  • Meaty smell from the body
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Sanskrit Verses

Modern Correlation

Shitapootana Graha is closely compared to choleric diarrhea. We can see that diarrhea has been mentioned by all authors in the description of the symptoms of the mentioned graha.

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea. This eventually leads to dehydration. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.(Read more)

Ayurveda treatment

1. Internal medication

Rohinyadi Ghrita – Ghee processed with below ingredients is given orally

  • Rohini – Picrorhiza kurroa / Mallotus philippensis
  • Sarja – Vateria indica
  • Khadira – Acacia catechu
  • Palasha – Butea monosperma
  • Arjuna – bark of Terminalia chebula
  • Milk

Kashmaryadi Ghrita – Ghee processed with below ingredients is given orally

2. External measures

a. Anointment

Putana Grahokta Lepa – Paste prepared from the herbs mentioned in Putana Graha treatment shall be used as anointment in Sheeta Putana also –

Hingvadi Kalka Lepa

b. Parishechana – showering

The child should be given with shower using the decoction prepared with the below mentioned herbs –

  • Kapittha – Limonia acidissima
  • Suvaha – Operculina turpethum / Adiantum lunulatum / Vitex negundo
  • Bimbi – Coccinia indica
  • Bilwa – Aegle marmelos
  • Prachibalam
  • Nandi – Spathodea campanulata / Lagerstroemia microcarpa
  • Bhallataka – Semecarpus anacardium

Varunadi Kwatha

Decoction of the leaves of the below mentioned herbs may be used for sprinkling / showering and bathing the child –

  • Varuna – Crataeva nurvula
  • Kapittha – Limonia acidissima
  • Tulasi – Ocimum sanctum
  • Vamsha – Bambusa bambos
  • Bilwa – Aegle marmalos
  • Patala – Stereospermum suaveolens
  • Nandi – Spathodea campanulata / Lagerstroemia microcarpa?
  • Bhallataka – Semecarpus anacardium

c. Massage

Mustadi Taila – Massage should be given with oil prepared from the below mentioned ingredients –

  • Musta kalka – paste of Cyperus rotundus
  • Devadaru kalka – paste of Cedrus deodara
  • Kushta kalka – paste of Saussurea lappa
  • Sarpagandha kalka – paste of Rauvolfia serpentine
  • Cow’s urine
  • Goat’s urine
    Read – Uses Of Animal Urine As Per Ayurveda

The same oil has been mentioned in Sushruta Samhita. Sarvagandha has been mentioned instead of Sarpagandha in this reference. Sarvagandha means all fragrance bearing herbs.

d. Fumigation

Grudhradi Dhupa -Fumigation should be given with the below mentioned ingredients –

  • Feces of vulture
  • Feces of owl
  • Bastagandha – clove basil
  • Skin of snake
  • Neem leaves
  • Licorice

3. Ritualistic measures

a. Bheshaja Dharana – wearing / tying medicaments

Lamba i.e. kind of bitter gourd or cucumber, Gunja and Kakatinduka i.e. Strychnos nuxvomica / Diospyros malabarica should be tied around the arms, wrist, neck or head of the afflicted child.

b. Tarpana – sacrifice

Dish prepared with green gram should be sacrificed in the flowing river to please Sheeta Putana Graha.

After offering the sacrifice, the above mentioned hymn should be chanted.

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