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,
| 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)[1]
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)[1]
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|
Asht. Hrud. Su. 16.12 - इदानीं कस्मिन्काले कस्य स्नेहस्योपयोगः शस्त इति दर्शयन्नाह - ] - - - - तैलं प्रावृषि, वर्षान्ते सर्पिरन्यौ तु माधवे|
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sushruta Samhita (Sutrasthanam Adhyaya 6 Sutra 10)