MANASमनः

Nirukti मनु अवबोधने । The entity which makes a

person knowledgeable is manas or mind.

It originates in intra-uterine life in the 3rd month.

Atindriya अतीन्द्रि��यम् पुनम�नः सत्वसंञकं, चेतः

इत्याहुरेके,तदर्थाा�त्मसंपदायतचेषं्ट चेष्टाप्रत्ययभूतमिमन्द्रि��याणाम।

अतितक्रा�तमिमन्द्रि��यमतीन्द्रि��यम। Mind is a tool for sense organs to

perceive, hence it is called atindriya.It is also called satva. Cheta is one of the synonyms of mind.Mechanisms of sense organs are complete with mind correlating soul & perception of sense organs.

Versatility of mind स्वार्था+न्द्रि��यार्था�संकल्पव्यभिभचरणाच्यानेकस्मिस्मन् पुरुषे

सत्वं, रजस्तमः सत्वगुण्योगाच्च न चानेकत्वम् नह्येकम् ह्येककालमनेकेषु प्रवत�तेः तस्मान्नैककाला सव+न्द्रि��य प्रवृभि<ः॥

Even if every individual lodges only one mind, it takes up all colours & shades of work & emotions. It is wondered therefore, whether there is more than one mind.Verse above strongly postulates the theory of only one mind with various kinds of presentations.

The Eleventh Indriya उभयात्मकं मनः। सां.का. It is a tool for both sense organs as well as

organs of functions. It is considered as both ; sense organ as well as

organ of function. Hence it is eleventh indriya. Besides controlling and coordinating the sense

impressions from the external world , the mind functions as a motor organ – enabling activities through speech & other actions. Thus mind is both a sensory as well as a motor organ(Frawley 1998).

The senses act only when the mind exists or directs the other organs: The Brahadarnyaka upanishad put it as: “If the mind is else where, I do not see; I do not hear.”

In Ayurveda the body is the realm of molecules while the mind is the field of thoughts.

इन्द्रि��येणेन्द्रि��यार्था+ ति? समनस्केन गृह्यते। कल्प्यते मनसा तूर्ध्वव� गुणतो दोषतो अर्थावा॥ जायते तिवषये तत्र या बुध्दिर्ध्वदर्निनEश्चयात्मित्मका। व्यवस्यतित तर्थाा वकंु्त कतुI वा बुध्दिर्ध्वदपूव�कम॥

Functions of Mind When the mind keeps itself in association with

special senses, sensory organs convey the stimuli. These stimuli reach their ‘centres’ and interpretation of these stimuli takes place in centres. This interpretation takes place on the basis of previous experience of the same kind of stimulus. Mind tries to analyze whether previous experience was for benefit of body or for harm of the body.Buddhi or intelligence, after going through this analysis made by the mind, takes final decision about perceived object with the help of previous experience.

The functions of the mind are: इन्द्रि��याभिभग्र?ः कम� मनसः स्वस्थ तिनग्र?ः। ऊ?ो तिवचारश्च ततः परं बुध्दिर्ध्वदः प्रवत�ते ॥ चिच�द्यम् तिवचारम् ऊह्यम् च र्ध्वयेयम् संकल्पमेव च यत्

तिकञ्चिPचत् मनसो ञेयं, तत् सव�म् ति? अर्था�साधाकं॥ To keep control on all organs.(इन्द्रि��याभिभग्र?ः) To keep control on self.(स्वस्थ तिनग्र?ः) To judge.(उह्यं य यत् संभावनया ऊह्यते) To think.(तिवचार)

Charaka states that:मनसास्तु चिच�त्यमर्था�ः।Mind is what thinks , it is its very nature to

think; its field of roaming about is what the senses feed it upon.

इन्द्रि��यभिभग्र? कम�ः मनसः स्वस्थतिनग्र? ऊ?ो तिवचारं च ततः परं बुन्द्रिQ प्रवत�ते॥

Qualities of Mind अणुत्वमर्था चैकत्वम् द्वौ गुणौ मनसः स्मृतः॥ अणुत्वम् & एकत्वम् are the two qualities of

mind, अणुत्वम् is the existence of mind at the cellular level in the form of neurons. एकत्वम् is the perception of one indriya at a particular instant of time.

Position of mind तव्दत् अतीन्द्रि��याणाम् पुनः सत्वादीनां केवलं चेतनावत्

शरीरं अयनभूतं च।Entire body is location of manas.Earlier writings held the heart to be the seat

of mind. चिशरस्ताल्व�तरगतम् सव+न्द्रि�दयपरम् मनः । (भेलसंति?त)However Bhela, considered the brain as the

centre of mind which he said is the highest of all senses & has its seat between the head & palate.

Cerebrum & Limbic system

Cerebrum It is the seat of intelligence. Centre for the perception of senses. Memory:prefrontal cortex plays an

important part in processing short-term memories and retaining longer term memories which are not task-based.

Recollection Imagination: The ability to imagine things

that have never existed.

Eleven areas of the brain are showing differential activity levels in a Dartmouth study using functional MRI to measure how humans manipulate mental imagery.(imagination). Researchers measured the participants' brain activity with functional MRI and found a cortical and sub cortical network over a large part of the brain was responsible for their imagery manipulations. The network closely resembles the "mental workspace" that scholars have theorized might be responsible for much of human conscious experience and for the flexible cognitive abilities that humans have evolved.

Limbic system : The emotional Brain

The limbic system : structures on the inner border of cerebrum & diencephalon.

It includes:i. Corpus callosumii. Parahippocampal & cingulate gyriiii. Dentate gyriiv. Amygdalav. Septal nucleivi. Mamillary bodies of the hypothalamusvii. Anterior nucleus of the thalamusviii. Olfactory bulbix. Fornix, Stria terminalis, Stria medullarisx. Medial forebrain bundlexi. Mammillo thalamic tract

The limbic system plays a primary role in a range of emotions, such as pain, pleasure, docility, affection & anger.

Hippocampus important role in memory consolidation & spatial navigation. An injury can cause the loss of memory.

Limbic system functions in emotional aspects of behaviour related to survival.

Marmas Seemanta(5)(kaalaantara praana hara

marma) Srngaataka(4)(sadya praana hara

marma) Adhipati(1)(sadya praana hara marma) Matrika (8)(sadya praana hara marma)

Matrika marma

It includes 8 marmas , As they are all close together, the marma is often treated as one overall region.

It is a Sira marma, 4 anguli in size. It is a sadya Pranahara Marma. Anatomical structures: Branches of common

carotid artery, front and back of neck, face, side of head, meninges , middle ear, thyroid, tongue, tonsils, internal ear. Internal juglar vein receiving from the face, neck & thyroid. Vagus & phrenic nerves.

Symptoms if injured : Injury to blood vessels will cause severe haemorrhage, collapse & death.

Trauma to Matrika marma : A recent example

Srngaataka Marma

न्द्रिजह्वाभिYनाचिसकाश्रोत्रखचतुष्टयसङ्गमे। तालु�यास्यातिन चत्वारिर स्रोतसां तेषु मम�सु॥

तिवर्ध्वदः श्रृङ्गाटकारर्थाेषु सर्ध्वयस्त्यजतित जीतिवतम।

Srngaataka is a sira marma, 4 in number, 4 anguli in size.

Anatomical structures : It includes the supraorbital artery, frontal diploic vein & superior sagittal sinus, occipito frontalis muscle, ophthalmic nerve.

It is a sady pranaharana marma Symptoms if injured : Disorientation of

senses, haemorrhage & possible death.

Seemanta Marma

कपाले सन्धयः पPच सीम�तास्मिस्तय�गूर्ध्वव�गा। भ्रमो�मादमनोनाशैस्तेषु तिवर्ध्वदेषु नश्यतित॥

Seemanta marma includes 5 marma regions on the skull. It is 4 anguli in size.

It is a sandhi marma.It is kalantara pranaharana marma.

Anatomical Structures : It includes Parietal-frontal,parietal-temporal & parietal-occipital joints.Occipito-frontalis muscle & epicranial apponeurosis. Opthalmic & maxillary nerves and second and third cervical nerves.Anterior & posterior superficial temporal and occipital arteries.Occipital diploic vein,posterior parietal,anterior parietal & frontal parietal veins.

Symptoms if injured: Injury may cause paralysis haemorrhage or sudden death.

Adhipathi Marma

आ�तरो मस्तकस्योर्छ्वंवI चिसरासत्मिन्धसमागमः। रोमावतeअमिधपो नाम मम� सर्ध्वयो ?रत्यसून॥

Adhipati is located just behind the frontanelle, 1 marma point. ½ anguli in size.

It is Sandhi marma .It is a sadya pranaharana marma.

Anatomical structures : Occipito-parietal joint, occipital and parietal bones.Occipital artery, posterior diploic vein and occipital sagital sinus.

Symptoms if injured : Loss of consciousness, coma, injury to brain.

Significance of mind in Ayurveda Caraka suggests that he who has his

mind under control does not contract any disease.

The entire approach of Ayurveda to the problem of health & disease is strongly psychosomatic in nature with a greater emphasis on the phenomenon of mind than that of body.

Significance of mind in modern medicine Modern neuroscience research indicates

that all mental functions are the projections of brain functions(Kendal 1998).

Dichotomy of Body & mind.

Drawbacks of Body – Mind Dichotomy

Langley & Brand (1971) have discussed the problem of body-mind relationship, and have criticized the dicot concept of the body & mind.

The body & mind are not two separate entities. They are part & parcel of the same organism.

The current trend is to identify Every element of the mind in terms of bodily molecules. Thus no human study is complete without the implication of both these components the body & the mind.

On the other hand several modern studies have failed to establish an explainable correlation between the features of the mind & the body.

However it is generally believed that the man is a composite psychosomatic organism & accordingly he has to be studied or classified on one parameter which of course has to be comprehensive enough to implicate both the body & mind.

Psychosomatic Disorders Man being a psychosomatic organism is

naturally prone to psychosomatic disorders.

Though in general every disease is psychosomatic in nature but in limited terms a psychosomatic disease is one whose main cause is in the psyche & manifestations are predominantly visible in the body. Stress of kind has a central place in causation of psychosomatic disease.

Reference Sarira-Kriya-Vidnana – Dr.Nandini Dilip

Dhargalkar AshtangaHrdayam Shareerasthanam Ayurveda and marma therapy – Dr.David

Frawley,Dr.Subhash Ranade & Dr.Avinash Lele Mind in Ayurveda – A.Venkoba Rao Indian

Journal of Psychiatry (2002) Ayurvedic Concept Of The Psychosomatic

Basis Of Health & Disease – R.H. Singh & B.N. Sinha

Ayurvedic Anatomy – Dr. C.R.Agnives Sharira Rachana Vigyan – Prof. D.G.Thatte*******************THANK YOU**********************