Pravrta Rtu (प्रावृट ऋतु)

Pravrta or Pravrsha in Samskrit refers to the rains. Rtu or Rutu or Ritu means season. Thus Pravrt or Pravrsh is the rainy season or monsoon in Bharata. In Ayurveda, along with the mention of 6 Rtus and their Rutucharya, Pravrt season has also been specifically mentioned and do's and dont's in this season have also been suggested by acharyas. Acharya Sushruta in Sushruta samhita has given this high importance and counted Pravta/pravrsha along with Varsha Rtu under the 6 seasons list while skipping Shishira rtu, one of the winter rtus quite similar to hemanta rtu. The seasons or Rtus have been listed and counted in accordance with their order of appearance and the dosha aggravation they cause. Every season affects the internal balance in the body and thus in order to remain fit and healthy, one is advised to adopt Rtucharya as a preventive healthcare measure in Ayurveda.

Months of Hindu calendar for Pravrt rtu

AS per Hindu calendar in Bharata, for every 2 months there is one season. Therefore for 12 months there are 6 seasons. However the seasons are listed with little variation in the names in 2 different cases. The list of season and months in Hindu calendar is given below,

Hindu calendar months and corresponding Rtus / seasons of the year

No.	Rtu list 1	Hindu calendar months	Rtu list 2	Hindu calendar months	Corresponding season
1	Shishira (शिशिरः)	Magha, Phalguna	---	---	Winter
2	Vasanta (वसंतः)	Chaitra, Vaishakha	Vasanta (वसंतः)	Falguna, Chaitra	Spring
3	Grishma (ग्रीष्मः)	Jyeshtha, Ashadha	Grishma (ग्रीष्मः)	Vaishakha, Jyeshtha	Summer
4	---	---	Pravrt / Pravrush (प्रावृट्/प्रावृष्)	Ashadha, Shravana	Early Monsoon
5	Varsha (वर्षा)	Shravana, Bhadrapada	Varsha (वर्षा)	Bhadrapada, Ashvin	Monsoon
6	Sharad (शरदः)	Ashvin, Kartika	Sharad (शरदः)	Kartika, Margashirsha	Autumn
7	Hemanta (हेमंतः)	Margashirsha, Pausha	Hemanta (हेमंतः)	Pausha, Magha	Winter or late autumn

Pravrt rtu appears in Ashadha and Shravana months as per Hindu calendar.

आषाढश्रावणौ-प्रावृट् (Sush. Samh. 6.10) प्रावृट् शुचिनभौ ज्ञेयौ....शुचिनभौ आषाढश्रावणौ| (Char. Siddh. 6.5)

प्रावृड्वर्षयोः को भेदः? Difference between Pravrt and Varsha Rtu

Varsha rtu is traditionally and popularly known to be the rainy season in Bharata. We also know that even Pravrt season indicates rains or rainy season. Thus there might arise a question about what is the difference in the pravrt and Varsha and why those have been counted separately. Commentator Dalhana of Sushruta samhita clarifies that, the first rains or the beginning of the rainy season is called as pravrt while its uninterrupted succession in later months should be considered as Varsha rtu.

प्रथमः प्रवृष्टेः कालः प्रावृड्, तस्यानुबन्धो वर्षाः| (Commentary of Dalhana on Sush. Samh. 6.10)

Therefore the commencement of the monsoons in Bharata is known as Pravrt while its continuation in later months is known as Varsha rtu. The Pravrt rtu has been specifically counted in the season list when the specific therapeutic regime or panchakarma is to be advised pertaining to the beginning of each season. When Ayurveda acharyas list the seasons to specify the dominant rasa and bala in that time of the year, the season list includes Shishira and Varsha while Pravrt is skipped. These details regarding the effect of every season or the changes occurring in human body with respect to the seasonal change are extremely important for any Vaidya to understand the disease processes and plan the proper treatment as well as the diet-lifestyle regime for an individual patient. As per the opinion of acharya Kashyapa, season counting and variations in it are dependent upon which part of the Bharata in are they counted. He says that on the south of the river ganga the rains stretch for a longer period during the year while in the northen part of river ganga, the winter extends for a longer period than rains. Therefore in south India the season are counted in a different way than seasons in the north India.

संज्ञाभेदं च देशभेदेनाह काश्यपः-"भूयो वर्षति पर्जन्यो गङ्गाया दक्षिणे तटे| अतः प्रावृट् च वर्षाश्च ऋतू तत्र प्रकल्पितौ|| तस्या एवोत्तरे देशे हिमवद्विन्ध्यसङ्कुले| भूयः शीतमतस्तत्र हेमन्तशिशिरावुभौ||" इति| दक्षिणदेशीयैर्वृष्टिसंबन्धिनोर्द्वयोः प्रावृड्वर्षाख्यत्वं कृत्वा, पारिशेष्याच्छीतसम्बन्धिनोर्द्वयोः शरद्धेमन्ताख्यत्वं कृतम्| उत्तरदेशीयैस्तु शीतसम्बन्धिनोर्द्वयोर्हेमन्तशिशिराख्यत्वं कृत्वा, पारिशेष्याद्वृष्टिसम्बन्धिनोर्द्वयोर्वर्षाशरत्संज्ञत्वं कृतमित्यर्थः| वृष्टिशीतबाहुल्योपन्यासस्तत्रान्वर्थसंज्ञार्थः , न च संज्ञासङ्करे लक्षणसङ्करः, दोषाणां दोषधातुमलसंज्ञावत्|

Potable water per season in Pravrt and Varsha Rtu

When the man used to drink the water from the natural sources of water as it is or at least without much processing on it, keen attention was paid towards the appropriate sources of water every season to get clean and potable drinking water. With years of observation and research Ayurveda recommended the best sources of water in each as follows,

तत्र वर्षास्वान्तरिक्षमौद्भिदं वा सेवेत, महागुणत्वात्; ............ प्रावृषि चौण्ट्यमनभिवृष्टं सर्वं चेति ||८|| (Sush. Samh. 45.8) Commentary- प्रावृषि चौण्ट्यमनवमनभिवृष्टं सर्वं चेति अनवं पुरातनं, तच्च सारसं ताडागं वा; अनभिवृष्टमनाभसं, तच्च कौपम्|

Under this topic, different source of water for each Pravrt and Varsha Rtu has been described by Acharya Sushruta. For Pravrt Rtu, water fetched from the well is recommended. Also the water from any source like pond or lake but which is not new or not collected from episodes of rain is recommended. Whereas, in Varsha rtu (which is believed to be the extension of the Pravrt rtu i.e. later months of rainy season) the water collected from rains or spring water can also be used which is believed to be of superior qualities.

प्रावृष्यान्तरिक्षं जलं परं वरं-अत्यन्तं पथ्यम्| नदीसम्भवं त्वपथ्यम्| (Asht. Hrud. 5.20)

Along with the potable water, the unwholesome water to be consumed in this season is also mentioned. It is said that, the water from rivers in pravrut and varsha is best to avoid.

Characteristics of Pravrt Rtu अव्यापन्नप्रावृडृतुलक्षणम

Certain changes take place in all the elements of the nature like land, air, sky, water when one season changes to the other. These changes in the nature represent a specific season and are responsible for the changes in bio-energies in human body in that season. Acharya Sushruta has beautifully described these changes in a normal Pravrut rtu as below,

प्रावृष्यम्बरमानद्धं पश्चिमानिलकर्षितैः | अम्बुदैर्विद्युदुद्द्योतप्रस्रुतैस्तुमुलस्वनैः ||३१|| कोमलश्यामशष्पाढ्या शक्रगोपोज्ज्वला मही | कदम्बनीपकुटजसर्जकेतकभूषिता ||३२|| (Su. su. 6.31-32)

Meaning: The sky in Pravrt rtu is cloudy. It is covered by the clouds brought together by the winds flowing from the west. From these clouds someyimes bolt of electricity are produced called lightning and the sound of thunder accompanies it. The land and the soil becomes full of newly grown tender grass. And in this damp and moist grass grow the cohineal insect making the entire land bright with their bright colours. Various trees like Kadamba (Anthocephalous kadamba), Neppa (Nypa fruticans), Kutaja (Holarrhena antidysentrica), sarja (Shorea robusta), Ketaka (Pandanus tectorius) decorate the land even more with their bloom and blossom.

The status of bio-energies in body in Pravrt

In Pravrt Rtu, first the sky becomes cloudy, dark and then the rain sets in. During formation of this background for rainfall in nature, significant shift from the summers to rainy season takes place. This change in outside environment affects the human bodies and leads to change in internal environment or bio-energies. Ayurveda acharyas have deeply studied this change and described the actual status of doshas, dhatus and agni in our body during Pravrt season.

आदानदुर्बले देहे पक्ता भवति दुर्बलः| स वर्षास्वनिलादीनां दूषणैर्बाध्यते पुनः||३३|| भूबाष्पान्मेघनिस्यन्दात् पाकादम्लाज्जलस्य च| वर्षास्वग्निबले क्षीणे कुप्यन्ति पवनादयः||३४||

तस्मात् साधारणः सर्वो विधिर्वर्षासु शस्यते| (Char. Samh. 6.33-34)

Meaning: The agni becomes weak due to weakness in the entire body (dhatus) developed due to adana kala (de-energizing period statring from harsh winters to harsh summer). In Varsha or Pravrt, all the 3 doshas become vitiated due to fumes coming out from rain drops falling on the hot surface of the ground, dark, cloudy, windy climate and the sour vipaka of the water. these vitiated doshas further vitiate already weakened agni. And due to weak agni again the doshas get vitiated. (This causes complete vicious circle which adversely affects the health and hence there are more chances to fall sick in early rainy season.)

Therefore it is clear that in Pravrt rtu, all the 3 doshas namely vata, pitta and Kapha are vitiated and agni has become weak and vitiated as well. All these 4 elements are the actual governing forces of human physiological systems and thus one has to be very cautious while taking food and following lifestyle so not to cause any added trouble to already weakened body systems.

In short the status of body elements is as follows as per Ayurveda,

The status of body elements in Pravrt Rtu

	Body element	Status in Pravrt
1	Doshas	Vitiated; Pitta accumulation, Vata aggravation
2	Agni	Weak and vitiated (शीतवातविष्टम्भिताग्नीनां)
3	Dhatus	Weak

Rtucharya for Pravrt

The vata accumulated in summers and aggravated in rainy season should be kept under control by following a specific regimen for Rainy season known as Pravrt Rtucharya or Varsha Rtucharya. The do's and dont's under this regimen are as follows,

What should be strictly avoided?

• River water (unfiltered water)
• Since the digestive strength is poor and Vata dosha is aggravated, one should avoid food items that are heavy on digestion and lead to flatulence.
• Food stuffs and drinks that are ruksha (dry) in property or impart dryness to body
• Sunrays or direct sun exposure or heat
• Exercise
• Daytime sleeping
• Frequent coitus
• New or fresh produced food grains
• cold water for drinking
• contact with dew, river water,
• Rain water obtained at this time is usually polluted with a lot of impurities from air and soil thus best to be avoided

What should be followed

• One should drink water which is collected form well or lakes and which is boiled and then cooled down.
• Old food grains like yawa (barley), shali (rice), godhuma (wheat).
• Different types of soups of legumes and broths prepare from jangala (of animals from jungle or having habitat in sparingly grown trees) type of meat should be taken. These should be seasoned with appropriate spices in order to make these easy to digest and taste.
• One should predominantly take sour, salty and unctuous food to alleviate vata.
• Make use of honey in food and drinks.
• Should avoid contact with outside environment and better to sleep or rest in house where there will be no exposure to direct wind
• Different types of arishtas, sidhu, maireyakas (old fermented alcoholic Ayurvedic medicinal preparations) once the food taken in digested well but should be avoided at night
• Practice dry massage and rub dry medicated powders on body and then one should take a bath with warm water.
• Cloths to be worn after taking bath should be light weight and clean.
• Reside at places with low humidity, use fragrances, flower garlands to keep the surroundings fresh and cheerful.
• Panchakarma procedures like Basti, Udwartana, swedana that help to reduce aggravated vata should be performed regularly.

Panchakarmas done in Pravrt Rtu

Pravrt rtu is considered as the sadharana rtu (moderate season in terms of heat, colds and rains). For conducting panchakarma procedures, sadharana rtus are considered the best. Thus Pravrt is one of the seasons of choice to perform Panchakarma in even a healthy individual to prevent the probable illnesses that might happen due to the season cycle. This is considered the ideal season for taking Basti which is one of the 5 types of Panchakarma treatments. Since Pravrt is the season of natural aggravation of vata dosha, basti, which is the prime and most effective treatment for imbalanced vata has been advised in Pravrt rtu.

Along with Basti, other procedures like Udwartanam-Pragharshana (rubbing dry powder on body) should be done. All these procedures help to alleviate the aggravated vata and other imbalanced doshas in Pravrt rtu.

Specifications related to Pravrt rtu described in Samhitas

In Ayurveda literature, at many instances Pravrt rtu has been mentioned. It is usually to indicate a specific characteristic, diet, lifestyle or a therapy related to this rtu. Following are some specifications,

• Snehapana or snehana is one of the 6 important modalities of treatment in Ayurveda. Sneha or a fatty /unctuous substance used for snehana is selected based on the season and dosha dominance. In Pravrt rtu oil is the sneha (unctuous substance) of the choice for conducting Snehana.
• The balam on individual in Pravrt season is poor. It indicates low strength, energy and immunity.
• The herbs procured in this rtu are not potent. The roots of the herbs are wet (thus cant be powdered easily) as well as low in potency. The fumes of water erupting from the shower of rains over hot surface of land are hot in nature which make the herbs growing in it vidagdha (acidic) in nature. Thus such herbs collected in pravrt rtu are of less potency and do not give sufficient results.
• In Pravrt Rtu if a person fall sick with Jwara without any apparent cause then it is called as Prakrt jwara of the season. And in this rtu the jwara is because of dominant vata followed by pitta and kapha dosha in lesser amounts.
• Pravrt is counted as one of the sadharana rtus in a year. Sadharana indicates a season that is moderate in heat, cold and/or rains. The other 2 are Sharada and Vasanta Rtus.
• 24 hours of the day have been divided into 6 rtus of the year based on the status of outside climate in the nature at that time of the day. According to it, Th afternoon time or last watch of the day is correlated with the Pravrt rtu while the evening time is equivalent to Varsha Rtu. This is of great help for a Vaidya to assess and decide the dosha imbalances in a human body based on daily routine of the individual.