Features of ideal bīja

i. Śukra
Perspective of Āyurveda Dīpikā along with Caraka Saṃhitā
Retas and śukra are used as synonyms. The eight doṣas of retas described in sūtra sthāna
and the features of duṣtaśukra enumerated in cikitsā sthāna are same.1,2 From this fact it can
be said śukra and retas is the same entity with different name. The śukra which is ejaculated
during copulation as a result of excitement is regarded as bīja.3 It facilitates avyakta ātmā to
be manifested as vyakta śarīra.4 As it helps in manifestation it is known rūpadravya.5Ārtava
also act in same direction.6 Śukra is also known as Indriya.7

The characteristics of phalavat śukra (able to impregnate) are

 Physical attributes Bahala (Thick)

Snigdha (Unctuous)
Guru (Heavy)
Picchila (Slimy)
Bahu (Abundant)
Śukla (White - milky)
 Color
Madhura (Sweet in taste)
 Taste
Avisra (Devoid of bad smell)8
 Smell

Perspective of Nibandha Saṅgraha along with Suśruta Saṃhitā

Ācārya Suśruta had also used śukra and retas as alternative words.9,10

1
अ टौरे तोदोषाइ ततनश
ु ु कंफे नलम वेतंपू य त प छलम यधातूप हतमवसा दच।C.S Sū-19/4.
2
व यामी तद ु टं शु ं व या म धरा वय म त धरयु तम ्।शु ा भधान स गा वशु शु ल णमाह-
ि न ध म या द।C.S Ci-30/139.
3
बीजंय मा यवाये तह
ु षयो नसमुि थतम ्।शु ं पौ ष म यु तंत मा व या मत छृणु।।C.S Ci-30/133.
4
एतेन, अ य त या मनो य तशर र नव ृ तौशु ं हे तु र यु तंभव त। C.K. on C.S Ci-2/4/50.
5
अ टा य ए योहे तु यःशु ं दे हात ् स यतेचरतो व व प य प यंयद ु यते। C.S Ci-2/4/50.
6
तेनआतवम या मनो प यं ेयम ्। C.K. on C.S Ci-2/4/50
7
इि य म तशु म ्। C.K on C.S Ci-30/133.
8
बहलंमधुरंि न धम व ंगु पि छलम ्।शु लंबहुचय छु ं फलव तदसंशयम ्।। C.S Ci-2/4/50.
9
तय योनावयोनौच ा तशु वधारणम ्।--रे तस चा तमा ंतुमूधावरणमेवच। S.S.Ci - 24/119-20.
10
उपदं श तथावायोःकोपःशु यच यः।उ चा रतेमू तेचरे तस च वधारण।å। S.S.Ci - 24/128.

1
  Physical attributes Sphaṭikābha (Rock crystal like)
Tailakṣaudranibham ( Oil and honey like appearance)
Drava (Liquid in nature)
Snigdha (Unctuous)
Madhura (Sweet in taste)
 Taste
Madhugandhi (Honey like)11
 Smell

ii. Śoṇita
iii. Śoṇita is the synonym of ārtava.12
iv.
Perspective of Āyurveda Dīpikā along with Caraka Saṃhitā
The raja which is accumulated after evacuation of purana rajas is ideal for
conception. 13 The features of ārtava which flow in every month have following
features
 It is neither less nor more in amount.
 During flow it is neither slimy nor associated with clinical features like dāha
(burning sensation), ārti (pain) etc.
 The flow continues for five days.14
 Its colour is like guňjā fruit, or padma (lotus flower) or alakta (lac) or like insect
Indragopa. 15

Perspective of Nibandha Saṅgraha along with Suśruta Saṃhitā

The ārtava which is like the blood of a rabbit and like lākṣārasa (lac extract), does not
stain the cloth is ideal.16

11
फ टकाभं वंि न धंमधुरंमधुगि धच।शु म छि त, के च तुतैल ौ नभंतथा।।S.S.Śā -2/11.
12
शो णतश दोऽ ातवशो णतेवतते। DL on S.S.Śā -2/33
13
पुराण इ त ऋतक ु ाला त मसि चते। नवे चावि थत इ तवचनेन नवेऽ यनवि थते गभकारण वं ना ती त दशय त।
C.K. on C.S.Śā-4/7.
14
मासाि नि प छदाहा त प चरा ानब
ु ि ध च।नैवा तबहु ना य पमातवं शु मा दशेत ्। C.S Ci-30/225.
15
गु जाफलसवण च प ाल तकसि नभम ् ।इ गोपकस काशमातवं शु मा दशेत ्। C.S Ci-30/225.
16
शशासृ तमंय तय
ु वाला ारसोपमम ्।तदातवं शंसि तय वासोन वर जयेत ्।।S.S.Śā -2/17.

2
 Applied aspect

i. If bīja is vitiated by doṣas like vāta, pitta, kapha, śoṇita etc. separately or in combination
then it loses its bīja property and is not able to produce garbha. 17,18,19
ii. Less quantity of bīja (śukra and śoṇita) give birth to different type congenital sexual
deformity like āsekya.20
iii. Improper pre-conceptional regimen causes some structural deformities like vikṛta dṛṣṭi
(defective vision), kunakhī (bad nails), śyava dantoṣṭha tālu jihva (black colour teeth,
lips, palate and tongue) etc. are due to excessive cry, paring of nails, too much laughing
etc respectively.21
iv. Selection of wrong time period for copulation for example earlier three days of menstruation
cycle causes still born or death in early hours or incomplete development of body parts.22
These are due to improper union or performance by the respective bījas.
v. Normal and abnormal status of bīja is responsible for typical and atypical features of
individual as result of status of implanted bīja .23

Nidāna sevana causes vitiation doṣa / doṣas. These vitiated doṣa spread all over the
body and thus reach to bīja (śukra, śoṇita). By these vitiated doṣa, bija get afflicted in two
ways i.e. complete and incomplete. Complete vitiation lead to infertility / sterility where as
incomplete vitiation develops different types of hereditary deformity. If śoṇita is vitiated
incompletely than there are possibilities of deformities of different mātṛja avayava and for
śukra, deformities are seen in pitṛja derivatives.24 The part of bīja get afflicted by doṣa, the
shoot up of that part acquires deformities.25

17
वात- प त- ले म-कुणप( ’कुणपगि ध’इ तपा.; ) - ि थ-पू तपूय- ीण-मू पुर षरे तसः जो पादनेनसमथाभवि त।
S.S.Śā -2/3.
18
एव भूतरे तसःपु षागभ प तौन माभव ती त प डाथः।DLon S.S.Śā -2/3.
19
आतवम प भद षैःशो णतचतुथःपथ
ृ व वैःसम तै चोपस ृ टमबीजंभव त। S.S.Śā -2/5.
20
प ोर य पबीज वादासे यःपु षोभवेत ्। S.S.Śā -2/38.
21
रोदना वकृत ि टः, ----- नखापकतना कुनखी,----हसना यावद तौ ठतालुिज वः।S.S.Śā -2/25.
22
त थमे दवसेऋतुम यांमैथुनगमनमनायु यंपुंसांभव त,त ाधीयतेगभःस सवमानो वमु यते। वतीयेऽ येवंसू तकागहृ े
वा; तत
ृ ीये ऽ येवमस पूणा गोऽ पायुवाभव त। S.S.Śā -2/25.
23
यथा ह बीजमनुपत तमु तं वां वां कृ तमनु वधीयते ी हवा ी ह वं यवो वा यव वं तथा ीपु षाव प यथो तं
हे तु वभागमनु वधीयेते। C.S.Śā – 8/18.
24
नचका यनशो णतगभाशयौदष
ू यि त,तदे यंगभलभते ी;तदात यगभ यमातज
ृ ानामवयवानाम यतमोऽवयवो वकृ
तमाप यतएकोऽथवाऽनेके। C.S.Śā – 4/30.
25
य यय य यवयव यबीजेबीजभागेवादोषाः कोपमाप य ते, तंतमवयवं वकृ तरा वश त। C.S.Śā – 4/30.

3
 Spreading of
Nidāna Vitiation of
vitiated doṣa
sevana doṣa/ doṣas
all over body

Bīja get afflicted

by vitiated doṣa

Complete vitiation of bīja Incomplete vitiation of bīja

No conception Fertilization takes place

Abnormal or
unhealthy progeny

[These abnormalities are known as kulaja vyādhi

(Genetic disorder)]

Few examples of incomplete vitiation of bīja are given below.

If vitiation take place in the part of bīja which is responsible for formation of bīja of
offspring (śoṇita / śukra), then depending on the degree of vitiation of bīja there are
appearance of different intensity of abnormalities. While the part of śoṇita which is
responsible for maturation of garbhāśaya and ārtava of the to be born offspring get afflicted

4
in total, in that case it gives birth of vandhyā (sterile / infertile) offspring.26,27. Equivalent
circumstances in case of male it is called vandhya.28

Dūṣtabījāṃśa
Nidāna Incomplete Deformities of mātṛja/
sevana vitiation of bīja pitṛja avayava
(śukra/ śonita) (Offspring)

X part Complete
Vandhya/
vitiation
of part X vandhyā
Vitiation of specific
part of bīja responsible
for sex characters (X) Partial Pūtipraja/
vitiation
pūtiprajā
of part X

Specific part X' area

of X (X')
responsible for Vārtā/
appearance of Tṛṇaputṛka
secondary sex
characters
Applied aspect of bījāṃśadūṣṭi

Say, the responsible part for maturation of garbhāśaya and ārtava is marked as ‘X’.
When the part of ‘X’ gets afflicted by doṣa then there is birth of pūtiprajā offspring. 29
Pūtiprajā gives a picture of the offspring that the offspring is living but being about to die or

26
य यय य यवयव यबीजेबीजभागेवादोषाः कोपमाप य ते,तंतमवयवं वकृ तरा वश तयदा य याःशो णतेगभाशयबी
जभागः दोषमाप यते, तदाव यांजनय त।C.S.Śā – 4/30.
27
गभाशयजनकोबीजभागोगभाशयबीजभागः; कं वागभाशय यतथाबीज यचातव प यजनकोभागः। C.K. on C.S.Śā-
4/30.
28
एवमेवपु ष ययदाबीजेबीजभागः दोषमाप यते, तदाव यंजनय त।C.S.Śā – 4/31.
29
यदापुनर याःशो णतेगभाशयबीजभागावयवः दोषमाप यते, तदापू त जांजनय त।C.S.Śā – 4/30.

5
body parts and subparts of the body is fetid. 30 Whenever ‘X’ represents the male
corresponding part then the offspring is considered as pūtipraja.31

When the specific part of ‘X’ [say X'] which is especially responsible for the female
sex characteristics such as appearance of stana (breast), upastha (external genitalia), lomarājī
(female type of body hair) etc. get vitiated, then the offspring will be incomplete female
named as vārta.32,33 Here the offspring will be visualised as in female body frame but with
absence of sex characters. Parallel state of affairs in male it is categorized as tṛṇaputrika.34

30
पू त जा म त यमाणाप याम ्; अ येतुि ल ना ग य गांपू तमाहुः। C.K. on C.S.Śā-4/30.
31
यदापुनर यबीजेबीजभागावयवः दोषमाप यते, तदापू त जंजनय त।C.S.Śā – 4/31
32
यदा व याःशो णतेगभाशयबीजभागावयवः ीकराणांचशर रबीजभागानामे कदे शः दोषमाप यते,
तदा याकृ तभू य ठामि यंवातानामजनय त, तां ी यापदमाच ते।C.S.Śā– 4/30.
33
ीकराणांशर रबीजभागाना म त ी व य जक तनोप थलोमरा या दजनकबीजभागानाम ्।। C.K. on C.S.Śā-4/30.
34
यदा व यबीजेबीजभागावयवःपु षकराणांचशर रबीजभागानामेकदे शः दोषमाप यते,
तदापु षाकृ तभू य ठमपु षंतण
ृ पु कं नामजनय त।C.S.Śā – 4/31.