Pathogenesis in Ayurveda

Pathogenesis in Ayurveda:
To understand Pathogenesis in Ayurveda, one has to know all the variations which the Dosas and Dathus undergo during the day and night. Dosas and Dathus undergo 3 physiological changes viz. Chaya, Prakopa and Prashamana during the day and night depending upon the various causative factors.



The Tridoshas undergo the stages of accumulation, aggravation and pacification as a routine physiological activity which is also called diurinal variations. These 3 stages usually occur in the locations of the doshas itself. Because of various causative factor as mentioned earlier when the doshas does not undergo Prashamana stage after Chaya and Prakopa it results in pathological condition. i.e. they undergo pathological stages to create various disorders/diseases. It is the Tridoshas which cause various diseases by undergoing 6 stages of transformation called Shadkriyakalas (Pathogenesis). The six stages are viz., Chaya, Prakopa, Prasara, Sthanasamraya, Vyakthi and Bheda.

i) Chaya - Due to various causative factors as mentioned earlier, Doshas get accumulated in its own Sthana i.e. Koshta (hollow organs)

ii) Prakopa - Due to precipitative factors the accumulated doshas get aggravated and that also takes place in their own sthana.

iii) Prasara – When the same precipitative factors persists, the aggravated doshas expand, increase, and then overflow the limits of their respective places and moves to the neighbouring sthanas viz. Shakas.

iv) Sthanasamsraya - Thus overflowing doshas get embedded in the neighbouring sthanas because of the continuous indulgence in the causative factors by an individual, and produces certain mild signs and symptoms which is otherwise early demonstrable disease/ Purvarupa/premonitory symptoms of a disease.

v) Vyakthi – Even after observing the premonitory symptoms, if one does not stop from indulging in causative factors and have those Aharas and indulge in those activities which are similar to the qualities of disease causing dosha then actual disease occur with full blown signs and symptoms.

vi) Bheda - When the disease is full grown depending upon the dosha and dhathu involvement the signs and symptoms simply varies and leads to varieties of the same disease.

Thus, during the normal physiological activities doshas do not move from koshtas to shakas but during pathological condition, the doshas move from the koshtas to the shakas and treatment of such condition is nothing but bringing back the doshas which are embedded in the neighbouring/foreign area/shakas to their normal sthanas/koshtas.