12.

Medicalization of Spirit-Possession

pp. 471-578

12.1

Disease-Producing

471-4

12.2

Bhuta-Vidya

474-508

12.2.1

Vaidik Daimonologies

474-9

12.2.2

Ayus-vaidik Daimonologies

479-83

12.2.3

Graha : Grasper

483-6

12.2.4

Samkhya Entities

486-7

12.2.5

Bhuta-Vidya Sections of Samhita-s

487-97

12.2.6

Psychodynamics of Bhuta-s

497-508

12.3

Other Daimonologies

508-25

12.3.1

Bower MS

509-10

12.3.2

Is`ana-s`iva-guru-deva-paddhati

510-14

12.3.3

Madana-maha-arn.ava

514-22

12.3.4

Bhuta-s of Varan.asi

522-3

12.3.5

Spirit-Possession among the Divehi

523-5

12.4

Pis`aca-mocana Temple

525-30

12.5

Pis`aca-gr.hita-bhais.ajya-m

530-5

12.5.1

Is`ana-s`iva-guru-deva-paddhati 41

531-3

12.5.2

Vis.a-nara-ayan.iya

534-5

12.6

Circulation of Knowledge

536-44

12.6.1

Early Ayus-vaidik Compendia

536-41

12.6.2

Cakra-datta

542-4

12.7

Exorcism in Contemporary Ayus-Veda

544-51

12.8

Diagnosing Spirit-Possession

551-78

12.1

Disease-Producing

471-4

p. 471

“The Caraka-Samhita, the oldest of the major ayurvedic texts, mentions [Caraka-Sutra-sthana 11:54; Caraka-Vimana-sthana 8:87] three kinds therapy (cikitsa) :

daiva[-]vyap[a-]as`raya (spiritual),

yukti[-]vyap[a-]as`raya (rational), and

sattvavajaya [sattva-avajaya] (psychological).”

p. 557, n. 12:2

“Caraka-sutrasthana … 11.54, Caraka-vimanasthana … 8.87; also As.t.angasamgraha-sutrasthana … 12.3; and Haritasamhita 3.2.3 for ... daivavyapas`raya and yuktivyapas`raya. On … sattvavajaya, see Murthy and Singh 1987, Shankar and Unnikrishnan 2004:168”.

p. 471

[quoted from (p. 557, n. 12:3) a “karma[-]vipaka[-]prayas`citta, or section on “expiation of ripened karma,” found in various … Dharmas`astra texts”] “When it takes the form of a disease, a moral transgression effected in another birth may be overcome through

rituals of pacification [s`anta],

medicines [aus.adha],

gift giving [dana],

repetition of the name of a god [japa],

fire offerings [homa], temple offerings [arcana], etc.”

p. 472

“This verse is used conventionally to explain daiva[-]vyapas`raya[-]cikitsa (treatment based on daiva or fate, “spiritual” treatment employed to alleviate the effects of karma or actions performed in past births).”

p. 557, n. 12:4

“Daiva, lit. “divine,” … has the extended (and usual) meaning “fate.” …

CaS`a 1.116 : “Action that a person performs in a previous body in known as daiva. In time this also becomes the cause of diseases”; also

CaS`a 2.44 : “That which is done in a previous birth is called daiva, while whatever action [karman] is seen in the present birth is called paurus.a. …””

p. 473

“[Spirit-]possession is regarded as … with “exogenous” (agantuka) causes … . In this way, it was regarded as … of divine origin (adhidaivika …), “effected by providential causes or acts of the gods … .” [Dash and Kashyap 1980, p. 1] This view is expressed consistently from the early compendia of Caraka, Sus`ruta, and Vagbhat.a, through the later commentaries and independent ayurvedic treatises”.

p. 558, n. 12:8

“For example, CaCi 9.33:93-94. Zysk (1985:63) ... distinguished ... madness caused by … external agents such as gods, sages, and deceased ancestors, and a variety of demons … are the primary agents of agantuka unmada.

Zysk states the general scheme as follows :

Causes of diseases are ... attributed to ... forces of a demonic nature who enter the body of their victim and produce sickness. ... The Vedic Indian's attitude toward disease, therefore, was dominated by the belief that evil spirits, demons and other malevolent forces invade the body and caused their victims to exhibit a state of dis-ease."

“bhutavidya developed … a demonology in which increasingly feral … nonhuman beings were identified and classified. This helped foster an environment of spiritual healing”.