Sadvrutta (सद्वृत्तम्)

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Sadvrtta (सद्वृत्तम्)

Sadvrtta is a code of good conduct expounded by Ayurveda Acharyas for personal as well as social health. Sadvrtta provides various guidelines regarding day-to-day activities and their throws light on their correlation with various aspects of health. This code of conduct is described under the section of preventive medicine in Ayurveda. It is believed that, when religiously observed, this code of conduct helps to balance one's physical, mental and social aspects of health. Thus, Sadvrtta can also be called as health promoting conduct.

Introduction

Ayurveda focuses on maintaining balanced state of body and mind. Ayurveda also believes that, not just the food we consume, but also each and every part of our lifestyle and behavior has definitive effect on our health and well-being. These day-to-day activities include, those related to general hygiene, food consumption, sexual intercourse, exercise and also communication or pattern of one's behavior while living in the society. All these factors directly or indirectly affect one's body, emotions, thoughts, actions and the feeling of well-being. One of the doctrines of Ayurveda also emphasizes on the necessity to control the impulses of emotions which are otherwise meant to cause the mental illness as well as distress in relationships and society. Therefore, Ayurveda provides a guideline on how these activities and behavioral patterns should be observed in order to have their only positive impact on health and well-being.

Correlation between Sadvrtta and health

The 3 main causes for development of any diseases are considered as Prajnaparadha, inappropriate exposure of sense organs to their objects and inappropriate occurrences of various seasons/ times of the year. Sadvrtta is a behavior that keeps individual from taking inappropriate actions resulting from Intellectual blasphemy. Thus, it is considered as the preventive aspect of health.

It is also believed that, by incorporating the ethical and moral values in daily activities one can avoid untoward consequences leading to stress, anxiety and emotional breakdowns and help prevent their negative impact on health. Good personal conduct provides good health and a control over individual senses and desires. Emotional imbalances caused due to Prajnaparada, interrupt the social conduct of a person leading to psychosomatic disease. Thus, it is required that, each and every part of the society follows this conduct in order to maintain one's own health as well as to help maintain peace, safety, stability in the society which is important for the welfare of the entire human race.

Etymology

Sad means good/moral/ethical

Vrtta refers to Behavior or conduct

Thus the term Sadvrtta means 'Good behavior or conduct'

References in Ayurveda SAMhita

1. Charaka Sutrasthana 8/19
2. Ashtanga hrudaya sutrasthana 3
3. Ashtanga samgraha Sutrasthana 5

Effect and importance of Sadvrtta

Acharya Charaka has highlighted the importance of following Sadvrtta. He says that if followed religiously Sadvrutta helps to conquer Indriyas, indicating control over senses and desires. Control over Indriyas confers prevention from diseases caused due to their excess, deficient or abnormal involvement in their objects of focus. This ultimately helps to prevent various diseases.

तद्ध्यनुतिष्ठन् युगपत् सम्पादयत्यर्थद्वयमारोग्यमिन्द्रियविजयं चेति (Char. Sutra. 8/18)

taddhyanutiṣṭhan yugapat sampādayatyarthadvayamārogyamindriyavijayaṁ ceti

Meaning : That (sadvritta), if practiced simultaneously fulfills two objectives – maintenance of positive health and control over sense organs.

Various components of Sadvrtta

Charaka Samhita expounds the following code of conduct to maintain positive health and have control over one's sense organs.

(Available from charakasamhitaonline.com)

• One should worship God, cows, Brahmins, preceptors, elderly persons, highly accomplished persons and teachers.
• One should honor fire with oblation, should put on auspicious herbs
• One should bathe twice a day, and one should clean his excretory passages and feet frequently
• Cutting of hair, shaving & nail cutting should be done thrice a fortnight
• One should always wear untorn clothes, should be cheerful, use flowers and fragrance. The attire should be gentle and style of hair should be as commonly in practice
• One should apply oil to head, ear, nose, and feet daily and should resort to (healthy) smoking
• One should take an initiative during discourses and remain pleasant faced.
• One should save persons in dire situations or distress
• Should offer oblation, perform religious sacrifices, donations, pay respect to road crossings, offer bali (religious offerings or ritualistic sacrifices)
• Should offer hospitality to guests, offer pindas (rice balls) to forefathers
• One should timely speak useful, measured, sweet & meaningful words
• Should be self controlled & virtuous
• One should be zealous to the cause but not be anxious about the result/outcome
• One should be free from anxiety, fearless, shy (from committing bad deeds), wise, highly enthusiastic, skillful, fore bearing, religious, with positive attitude
• One should be devoted to the teachers, accomplished persons and to those who are superior in modesty, intellect, learning, clan and age.
• One should walk with an umbrella, stick, turban & foot wear, and look six feet ahead
• One should adopt auspicious conduct, should avoid places with dirty clothes, bones, thorns, impure articles, hairs, chaff, garbage, ash, and skull and one should bathe & sacrifice
• Should discontinue exercise before feeling of fatigue.
• Should behave like brother to all living beings (i.e., should be compassionate), should pacify the angry and the discontent, and console the frightened
• Should help the poor, be truthful & peaceful.
• Should be tolerant of harsh words, and should curb the practice of intolerance
• Should always concentrate on the qualities of peaceful life and should be the remover of the causes of attachment and aversion.

The Forbidden Codes of Conduct

• One should not tell lies and should not take other’s possessions
• Should not covet other’s women or property
• Should not indulge in enmity, sinful acts, or be vicious (even to a sinner).
• Should not point out defects of others and should not try to know other’s secrets.
• One should not keep company of the unvirtuous, those hated by the king, insane persons, those not following social ethics, foetus killers, wretched and wicked ones.
• One should not ride on defective vehicles, sit on hard place of knee height, sleep on uncovered hard bed or having no pillow, not having sufficient dimensions or uneven.
• One should not move on uneven tops of the mountains, climb trees, and take dip in water with strong currents.
• One should not tread on the shade of a bank, or move around the place that are prone to fire hazards, should not laugh loudly, release flatus with sound, should not yawn, sneeze, or laugh with uncovered mouth, should not contort the nose, grind teeth, make scratching sounds using nails, strike the bones, scrape the earth, cut the grass, press the earthen lamp, perform any improper actions of body parts .
• One should not see light, undesirable, impure and inauspicious objects, should not produce any abnormally loud sound at the sight of corpse and tread on the shadow of sacred persons, teachers, revered ones or any such persons.
• One should not stay for long in the temples, sacred places, raised platforms, crossroads, gardens, cremation grounds & places of execution during nights, and should not enter a deserted house or forests alone.
• One should not be attached to women, friends and servants with sinful conduct, should not oppose or antagonize superior persons and be attached to inferior persons.
• One should not take interest in crooked things, take refuge of wicked persons and indulge in frightening/ terrorising acts.
• One should not indulge in undue courage or excessive sleep, night awakening, bath, drinks and food. One should not stay for long with knees up and approach fierce animals and those having prominent teeth and horns.
• One should not be exposed to easterly winds, the sun, dews and the strong currents of wind.
• One should not initiate quarrels.
• One should not do yajna (worship fire) in secluded place, should not keep feet close to fire, and should not wear spotted clothes. One should not take bath when tired and exhausted, and should rest and wash the face before taking bath. Should not touch the head with dirty clothes nor should strike at hair tips and should wear fresh clothes after bathing .
• One should not leave without touching the gems, ghee, the respectable, the auspicious and flowers.
• One should not pass the respectable and the auspicious on left and others on right side. [19]

Codes/Etiquettes for Eating

• One should not eat without wearing precious stones in the hand or without taking bath or while wearing torn clothes, without reciting mantras, without offering oblations to God, without offerings to the departed forefathers, teachers, guests and dependants.
• One should not eat without applying purifying fragrance and garland, without washing hands, feet and face, without cleaning the mouth, facing towards the north, with depressed /stressed mind, surrounded by the disloyal, undisciplined, unclean and hungry attendants, in unclean utensils or at improper place and time, in crowded surroundings, without first offering to the fire, without sprinkling with sacred water, without sanctifying it with mantras, with contemptuous disposition towards the food.
• One should not take contaminated meal or food which has been served by enemies or opponents.
• One should not take stale food (meat, salad, dry vegetables, fruit and hard eatables).
• One should not finish the all food (served in the plate) articles except the curd, honey, salt, roasted grain flour and ghee (these should be finished).
• One should not take curd at night. One should not consume roasted grain flour without mixing it with ghee and sugar, in the night, after meals, in large quantity, twice daily or interrupted with water intake or tearing with teeth. [20]

Codes for Passing Natural Urges

• One should not sneeze, eat and sleep in curved position.
• One should not be engaged in other works while urge for the natural urges.(One should pass natural urge first and then do other works).
• One should not spit out sputum, pass feces and urine in front of the winds, fire, water, the moon, the sun, Brahmins and the preceptors.
• One should not urinate on the road, in crowded (public) places and while taking food.
• One should not let out oral or nasal excreta at the time of recitation of mantras, oblation, studies, and sacrifice, religious and auspicious acts. [21]

Codes for Behaviour with Women

• One should not insult women, and should not place too much of faith in them. One should not disclose secrets to them nor should give authority indiscriminately.
• One should not perform sexual intercourse with a woman during her menstrual period, with a woman suffering from a disease, or one who is impure, inauspicious, with undesirable appearance, with bad behaviour/conducts and manners or with the one devoid of skills.
• One should not perform sexual intercourse with women who are not friendly, or one who is not having passionate desire or has passionate desire for some other person or is married to some other person.
• One should not perform sexual intercourse with other animal species except human being, and with other body parts except genitals.
• One should not perform sexual intercourse under holy trees, at sacred places, public courtyard, on a crossroad, in a garden, at cremation ground, execution place/ slaughter house, near water reservoir, in the medicine stores. Sexual intercourse is also prohibited in the houses of brahmins, teachers and in temples.
• One should not perform sexual intercourse during the dawn and dusk and on inauspicious days i.e. on full moon days and pratipadas, etc. One should not perform sexual intercourse if unclean, if not taken aphrodisiacs, without prior determination and desire, without having proper erection, without food or after excessive food intake, on uneven place, while under the urge of micturition or defecation, after exertion, physical exercise, during fasting, after exhaustion or in a place having no privacy .[22]

Behaviour Code with Preceptors

• One should not speak ill of noble persons and preceptors.
• One should not perform spells, worship of sacred trees and superiors, and studies while remaining impure. [23]

Code for Learning and Studying

• One should not study when there is unseasonal lightning, houses appear as if they are burnt, during outbreak of fire, earthquake, grand festivals, fall of meteors, eclipses (solar or lunar). One should not study on a new moon day, during dawn or dusk.
• One should not study without being instructed by preceptor. One should not pronounce words in low, high, weak or deranged voice, without proper accents and morphological symmetry, neither too fast nor too slow, nor with excessive delay and nor with too high or too low pitch of sound. [24]

Codes for Social Behavior

• One should not deviate from generally approved social practices and should not break any code of conduct.
• One should not move in the night or in an inappropriate place. One should not indulge in taking food, studies, sexual relations or sleep during the dawn or dusk.
• One should not make friendship with children, the old, the greedy, the fools, the persons under affliction and the eunuchs.
• One should not have interest in taking wine, gambling and making physical relationship with prostitutes.
• One should not disclose secrets and should not insult anybody. One should not be self conceited, unskilled, inexperienced and envious.
• One should not insult the brahmins nor should beat the cow with sticks. One should not abuse the old, the preceptors, the administrative class and the king.
• One should not speak too much nor treat kins, persons attached, that stood along in difficult times and the persons who know the secrets disparagingly. [25]

Codes for Maintaining Good Psyche in Society

• One should not be impatient, or overexcited/ over exhilarated.
• One should not be the person who does not support his attendants, confide in his kins, be happy alone and has unpleasant conduct, behaviour and attendance.
• One should not rely on everybody nor suspect all and should not be critical (too meticulous) at all times. [26]
  • One should not be in a habit of postponing things at the time of action.
  • One should not indulge in any activity without properly examining it.
  • One should not be submissive to his senses nor should let his fickle mind move around.
  • One should overburden his/her intellect or senses.
  • One should avoid procrastinating.
  • One should not do things in a fit of anger or rejoicing.
  • One should not be under continuous grief.
  • One should not be conceited over achievements or desperate in loss.
  • One should always remember his own constitution of mind (nature).
  • One should have faith in the correlation of the cause and effect that is good and bad deeds and their corresponding results and should always act on it.
  • One should not be despondent and assume that now nothing can be done.
  • One should not lose spirit (give up courage) nor should remember his insults. [27]

Auspicious Codes of Conduct

One who is desirous of one’s wellbeing should not offer oblation to the fire with cow ghee, whole rice grains, tila (Sesamum indicum Linn.), kusha grass (Desmostachya bipinnata Staff.) and mustard seeds while in impure condition. One should touch water, reciting- Agnirme na apa gachhet. After touching the lips and feet, one should daub water on all the orifices of the head (two nasal, one buccal, two auditory, and two ocular orifices), the seats of his soul (mentally), heart and head. [28]

ब्रह्मचर्यज्ञानदानमैत्रीकारुण्यहर्षोपेक्षाप्रशमपरश्च स्यादिति||२९||

Brahmacaryajñānadānamaitrīkāruṇyaharṣōpēkṣāpraśamaparaśca syāditi||29||

brahmacaryaj~jAnadAnamaitrIkAruNyaharShopekShAprashamaparashca syAditi||29||

One should follow the path of brahmacharya (celibacy), knowledge, charity, friendship, compassion, cheerfulness, detachment and peace. [29]

Personal

One's regime of bathing, cleaning of eyes, nose, ears, teeth, oral cavity, nails etc One should not pronounce words in low, high, weak, or deranged voice, without proper accents, neither too fast nor too slow, with excessive impotency and neither with too high nor too low pitch of sound. Psychological

Importance has been given to the company of a person as it affects the way of life of a person. One should not live under continued grief. One should not feel exhilarated in success and depressed in failure. One always keeps his constitution in mind. One should always be confident of the effect of cause and as such should always initiate the cause. One should not assume that now nothing is to be done, one should not give up courage nor should one remember his scandals.

Social

One should speak useful, measured, sweet and meaningful words should avoid places with dirty clothes, bones, thorns, impure articles, hairs, chaff, garbage's, ash, etc. One should behave kith and kin to all living beings, pacify the anger, console the frightened, help the poor, be truthful, peaceful, tolerated of others harsh words, remover of intolerance, One should not laugh loudly, release flatus with sound, set in yawning, sneezing, laughter with uncovered mouth, deform the none, grind the teeth, sound the nails, strike the bones, scrapes the earth, cut the grass, press the earthen lumps, perform any abnormal action in body parts. One should not use unwashed clothes, dirty or uncomfortable clothes, Clothes worn by others, not appropriate to the season, occasion or clothes made from unnatural fibre.

Emotional

One should be self controlled, self virtuous, jealous in cause and not in effect, free from anxiety, fearless, shy, wise, great, courageous, skilful, forbearing, religious, positive, devoted to teachers, accomplished person and who are superiors in modesty, intellect, learning, calm and age.

Religious

One should worship gods, cows, Brahmanas, preceptors, elderly people, accomplished and teachers. One should honour fire, one should put on auspicious herbs, one should have presence of mind even in difficult circumstances, should offer oblation, perform religious sacrifices, donate, pay respect to road crossings, offer Bali (religious offerings), entertaining guests, offers Pinda (rice balls) to forefathers. One should adopt auspicious conduct. One should not go through keeping the respectable and the auspicious on left and others on right side. One should not excrete sputum, faeces and urine in front of wind, fire, water, the moon, the sun, the Brahmanas, and neither preceptors nor one should urinate on road, in crowded places and while taking food.

Occupational conduct

Should always look at the qualities of peaceful life and should alleviate the causes of attachments and aversion. One should not tell a lie nor take others possession nor should desire for other women or other's property, should not be inclined to enmity, should not indulge in sexual acts, should not be vicious to sinners, should not speak out others defects, nor should try to know others secrets. One should not keep company of unvirtuous, hated by kings, lunatics, fallen person, foetus killers, wretched and wicked. The knowledge of authoritative instructions of Apta Purusha (noble person) and its right application are the two factors necessary for the prevention and cure of diseases.

Importance of Sadvrtta

Sadvrittas are regarded as one of the measures to prevent diseases. The role of Sadvritta is more of preventive in nature. It also plays a great stress on personal cleanness of body and mind. It acts as shield and strains of life under which we are constantly put in this world8. The activities as therapies which are adopted during the epidemics which can easily save life of individuals. Air,

Water, Place and Time are the epidemic producing factors being deranged. The persons managed with preventive therapy remain immune against the diseases. Truthfulness, compassion for living beings, charity, sacrifices, prayer to the gods, adoption of preventive measures, tranquillity, protections of the self by mantras etc. Search for the things as they are good for the self, residence in auspicious localities and observance of Brahmacharyas (celibacy). Serving to those observing Brahmacharyas, discussions of religious scriptures, great sages and who have self controlled and constant association with religious, Saattvika (great sages) and learned persons. This is the protection of life for those whose death is not certain during the Epidemics.

following which leads to prevention of psychological, physical & psychosomatic disorders. And all over, sadvritta play a vital role in preventing communicable diseases.