Mrutyu (मृत्युः)

Mrtyu is the samskrit term used to denote death. Ayurveda is known as the system of knowledge about life. Thus that point at which one's life ends i.e. death is also critically studied and described in Ayurveda treatises. Ayurveda treatises have not only meticulously described the pattern of reducing life span over the ages but also discussed the causes of differences in life span of individuals, role of karma and types of death. Charaka samhita, the treatise on Ayurveda describes Mrtyu after the topic of Janapadodhwansa in Vimanasthanam.

Definition of Mrtyu

Mrutyu has been defined on the basis of events happening at the time of Mrtyu according to Ayurveda. Dalhana, the commentator on Sushruta samhita has defined Mrtyu as below,

मृत्युः शरीरेन्द्रियात्ममनसां वियोगः । (Dalhana, Su. su 1/25)

Meaning: Dissociation of link between Sharira, Indriyas, Atman and manas is called as Mrtyu.

In order to understand the concept of Mrtyu described in Ayurveda, one must first understand that how Ayurveda defines Ayu i.e. life. Ayu is the synonym for Jivitam or life. The union of shariram, indriyas, manas and atman is called as Ayu or life and thus Mrtyu is exactly the opposite of it. When this link is established and functional, the individual can interact with the outside world by gaining knowledge and responding appropriately. When the link is permanently broken, the individual can not interact with outside world and thus is called to have lost life.

The process of reduction in life span and dissolution of universe

Charaka Samhita, the treatise on Ayurveda, describes the process of reduction of life span of human beings and gradual reduction of quality of all living beings over the ages. At this point itself Charaka also mentions about the progression of this process ultimately into dissolution of universe that will take place gradually in this manner.

युगे युगे धर्मपादः क्रमेणानेन हीयते | गुणपादश्च भूतानामेवं लोकः प्रलीयते ||

संवत्सरशते पूर्णे याति संवत्सरः क्षयम् | देहिनामायुषः काले यत्र यन्मानमिष्यते ||

इति विकाराणां प्रागुत्पत्तिहेतुरुक्तो भवति || (Cha.Vi.3/25-27)

Meaning: With the passage of each yuga, righteousness or dharma gets reduced by a quarter, with similar reduction in the qualities of living beings, finally leading to dissolution of the universe. After completion of one hundred years in each yuga there is loss of one year in life span of living beings in respective age. Thus the initial origin of disorders is described. This association between causative factors and their effect of quality of living being is also applicable in todays time. The cause and effect relationship of lifestyle related factors and health has been put forward excellently. The qualities of living beings and their gradual degradation in yugas is described below

The reasons behind such degradation and this entire process has been systematically described by Acharya Charaka. He states the qualities of living beings in yugas starting from Satyayuga or Krtyuga and then Treta yuga. Various psychosocial factors that affected life of living beings and gave rise to various ailments have been chronologically explained. This cause-and-effect relationship between various factors has been critically studied and put forward as follows.

Virtues, qualities and life span of living beings before Satyayuga

• Human beings: Satyayuga or Krtyuga is known as the first yuga in order of yugas. In this yuga humans were gifted with vitality equal to those of devatas. They were tremendously pure and unhampered in their powers to perceive the Supreme. The firmness and stability of their bodies were comparable to essence of rocky mountains. They had clear complexion and senses. Their movement, strength and valor were like those of wind. They had the most desirable physical characteristics like handsomeness, body-size, cheerfulness and corpulence. They were devoted to truth, honest behavior, compassion, charity, self-restraint, moral discipline, spiritual endeavor, fasting, continence, and religious vows. They were free from fear, desire, aversion, infatuation, greed, anger, despondency, pride, disease, sleep, indolence, fatigue, languor, sloth and spirit of acquisition; and lastly they were bestowed with longevity.
• Crops and herbs: For the benefit of these people of noble minds, qualities and deeds, the crops grew with inconceivable rasa (taste), veerya (potency) and prabhava (specific effect), and the virtue of the earth during the dawn of this golden age was charged fully with all excellent qualities.

End of Satyayuga

At the end of the satyayuga, however, over-indulgence in food led to gaining heaviness in body in some affluent people. Consequently they started experiencing fatigue. Fatigue developed laziness and laziness in turn developed a tendency to accumulate things in them. The tendency of accumulation caused developed attachment for these things and it then gave rise to greed.

Virtues, qualities and life span of living beings in Tretayuga

• Human beings: The humans in Tretayuga had already developed greed which then generated malice. Malice caused falsehood which then led to development of passion, anger, vanity, hatred, cruelty, aggression, fear, grief, anxiety, distress and the like. In this way, in Tretayuga, one-quarter of Dharma or righteousness in human beings disappeared. Subsequently life-span of humans reduced by a quarter.
• Crops and other environmental constituents: Similarly, there was reduction in the attributes of earth, water etc., by a quarter. Because of the reduction of these attributes there was diminution by one quarter of the qualities of grains. In effect, this degradation impacted all aspects of living beings that were described to have existed in the Krtayuga or Styayuga.

Origin of diseases

The changes occurring in environmental factors and life qualities of human beings led to change in lifestyle practices. This caused significant impact on Agni (the entity responsible for maintaining homeostasis in body) and Vata (the chief controller of bodily functions). Disturbance in functions of Agni and vata ultimately gave rise to development of various diseases. Diseases further reduced the life span of human beings.

In this way, in every succeeding yuga, the righteousness or dharma has reduced and thus there is consequent reduction in quality of life of human beings and also quality of plants.

Mrtyu a type of disease

Acharya Sushruta has counted Mrutyu under Swabhavika vyadhi or roga. It means, Mrutyu can be looked at as a natural phenomenon for any individual but which is not desirable and thus called as vyadhi or roga.

Role of karma in deciding life span or death

It is said that the Ayu of living beings is based on yukti. The strength and weakness of yukti is a compound of Daiva and Purushakara. Daiva means one’s own deeds in the previous life while purushakara stands for one’s actions (deeds) in this life. Thus one's deeds in this as well as in previous life are considered to be the deciding factors of one's life span in this life.

तं भगवानुवाच- इहाग्निवेश! भूतानामायुर्युक्तिमपेक्षते| दैवे पुरुषकारे च स्थितं ह्यस्य बलाबलम्||२९||

दैवमात्मकृतं विद्यात् कर्म यत् पौर्वदैहिकम्| स्मृतः पुरुषकारस्तु क्रियते यदिहापरम्||३०||

Further, the 3 types of karmas have also been described in Charaka Samhita. Karma could be superior, medium or inferior in type. When karmas of previous as well as present life are superior in quality the result is long and happy life. On the similar lines, if ones karmas are of inferior nature, his life would be short, unhappy and the lifespan would be undetermined.

The interplay between Daiva, Purushakara and life span

दैवं पुरुषकारेण दुर्बलं ह्युपहन्यते||३३||

दैवेन चेतरत् कर्म विशिष्टेनोपहन्यते| दृष्ट्वा यदेके मन्यन्ते नियतं मानमायुषः||३४||

कर्म किञ्चित् क्वचित् काले विपाके नियतं महत्| किञ्चित्त्वकालनियतं प्रत्ययैः प्रतिबोध्यते||३५||

A weak daiva gets subdued by a strong purushakara. Similarly a strong daiva overshadows one’s purushakara and because of this, some scholars hold the view that the span of life is invariably predetermined. There are some powerful actions whose implementation takes place at a predetermined time, but there is another kind of action whose implementation is not predetermined and gets manifested in an appropriate atmosphere.

Indeterminate nature of life span

If the life span of humans beings would have been predetermined there would not have been the necessity for guidelines and instructions regarding healthcare practices. Thus Ayurveda believes that to obtain the desired life span one needs to keep a control on his karma performed in this life and adopt methods to protect his life from various injurious elements.

Types of Mrtyu

timely and untimely death

एकोत्तरं मृत्युशतमथर्वाणः प्रचक्षते ||६||

तत्रैकः कालसंयुक्तः शेषा आगन्तवः स्मृताः |७| (Su su 34/7)

Kala Mrtyu

causes

तथाऽऽयुः शरीरोपगतं बलवत्प्रकृत्या यथावदुपचर्यमाणं स्वप्रमाणक्षयादेवावसानं गच्छति; स मृत्युः काले| (Cha vi 3/38)

व्यासभट्टारकेणायुक्तं- “नाकाले म्रियते कच्चिद्विद्धः शरशतैरपि| कालप्राप्तस्य कौन्तेय! वज्रायन्ते तृणान्यपि”- इति| (Dalhana, Su su. 1/25)

Akala Mrtyu

causes

तथाऽऽयुरप्ययथाबलमारम्भादयथाग्न्यभ्यवहरणाद्विषमाभ्यावहरणाद्विषमशरीरन्यासादतिमैथुनासत्संश्रयादुदीर्ण- वेगविनिग्रहाद्विधार्यवेगाविधारणाद्भूतविषवाय्वग्न्युपतापादभिघातादाहारप्रतीकारविवर्जनाच्चान्तराऽसानमापद्यते, स मृत्युरकाले; तथा ज्वरादीनप्यातङ्कान्मिथ्योपचरितानकालमृत्यून् पश्याम इति|| (Cha vi 3/38)

मृत्युरप्यकालजः प्रतिकार्यः (Dalhana, Su su. 1/25)

“यथा वर्षमकाले च यथा पुष्पं यथा फलम्| यथा स्याद्दीपनिर्वाणमकाले मरणं तथा”- इति| व्यासवचनमप्यर्जुनप्रोत्साहकमकालमृत्युस्थापकं दृश्यते; तथाहि- “जलमग्निर्विषं शस्त्रं स्त्रियो राजकुलानि च| अकालमृत्यवो ह्येते तेभ्यो बिभ्यति पण्डिताः”- इति| (Dalhana, Su su. 1/25)