Desha in Ayurveda (आयुर्वेदे देश:)

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The term 'Desha' literally means country, site, location, land or region. In Ayurveda, 'Desha' refers to the site, area of residence or location of a person. It also refers to the body and mind of a person which are the sites of diseases. Ayurveda scholars have deeply studied the effects of the climate and other environmental factors of the region where a person resides on his/her health. Therefore, Desha has been considered as an important concept in Ayurveda which is taken into accounts while making a diagnosis, assessing strength and planning a treatment.

Introduction

Desha is one of the very important criteria used in the assessment of any patient in Ayurveda. In Ayurveda this term Desha has been applied and described in two dimensional way. Bhumi Desha (Specific part of land or geographical part) and Atura Desha (the site of disease  body  and  mind) are the 2 different entities referred by the term Desha.  In  reference  of  place of residence, architecting, collection of  drugs,  quality  of  river  water, property of air etc. Bhumi Desha is indicated.  Whereas, in terms of examining a patient, locating the sites of assessment of patient, Atura desha is indicated. Hence Desha is the concept in Ayurveda which is used when a specific area needs to be located or identified since, it shares a definitive relationship or association with the disease under investigation or the health of the person.

निरुक्तिः Etymology

The term Desha is derived from the root term Disha (दिश). Disha  is  further described as ‘Dish  Nirdesh’ (दिश निर्देशे) . It  has been  considered  in  nine ‘Karana Dravyas’ (कारण द्रव्याणि) in the Bharatiya Shastras, Darshanas and Ayurveda.

दिश्यते निर्द्दिश्यते इति । दिश निर्द्देशे + कर्म्मणि घञ् ।) भूगोलभागविशेषः । (Shab. 2.747)

Disha (direction) denotes Desha also which is directed or divided from one part to other.

देशः पुनः स्थानं; स द्रव्याणामुत्पत्तिप्रचारौ देशसात्म्यं चाचष्टे (५)|२२| Cha. vi. 1.22

Classification of Bhumi Desha (Area of residence/ geographical land)

Bhumi desha or the geographical area in which a person resides significantly affects the overall health and strength of the person. Grossly this land is categorized into 3 types by Ayurveda scholars.

त्रिविधः खलु देशः- जाङ्गलः, आनूपः, साधारणश्चेति| Cha. Kal. 1.8) https://niimh.nic.in/ebooks/ecaraka/?mod=read&h=sAdhAraNa

Jangala desha (arid and dry land), Anupa desha (marshy, humid land) and Sadharan desha (land with everything in moderation) are the 3 types of desha. Each of the 3 has peculiar characteristics in terms of sun exposure, heat, dryness, humidity, rains, type of trees and animals residing in it etc. The weather and environmental factors affect the health and well being of the person, the details of which discussed briefly hereafter.

Jangala Desha ( Dry/arid land )

Characteristics

• Dry land or arid land. land surface is rocky,  sandy  with  full  of  stones. Mirages  can be seen on such land in  summer,.
• Water bodies like ponds,  lakes are small. Rainfall is scanty.
• Open spaces are abundant. Dry winds and arid desert are seen predominantly. Weather is hot.
• Plants are less and mostly  thorny bushes.  Trees  like  Khadira  (Acacia  catechu), Aswakarana  (Dipterocarpus  alatus),  Sallaki  (Boswellia serrate),  Aswatha  (Ficus  religosa),  Vata  (Ficus benghalinses),  Amalaki  (Emblica  officinalis), Sami (Prosopis  cineraria),  Arka  (Calotropis  procera),  Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), etc. are common.
• Abundant crops like Cotton  (Gossypium  herbaccum),  ground  nut,  Bajra (Pennisetum  glaucum),  etc are  prevalent. 
• Plenty of antelopes, deer’s, bucks and donkeys are found in this region

People of Jangala desha

• Humans residing in such Desha have Vata and Pitta dominant constitution.
• They are harsh, strong and rough in nature and are more prone to Vata- Pitta dominant diseases.

Anupa Desha (Marshy land)

Characteristics

• Marshy land is moist & humid. Mostly such land is evident in coastal areas and regions with heavy rainfall for most of the period of year.
• It is the land where many rivers reach the sea. Sea coasts or river banks  are  full  of  trees. 
• The mountains are densely covered with the trees or forest. The land is deeply covered from above with the trees so that barely sunrays can penetrate and reach the ground. In  between  the  forests  many flowering climbers  are  found. Plenty  of  trees with  more flowers,  green vegetation full of fruits, yield of different kinds of paddy, plantains, sugarcanes
• Trees like Hintal  (Date  palm),  Tamala  (Garcinia  sps.),  Narikela (Coconut tree), Kadali (Banana tree) are abundant in this region.
• Reservoirs  of  water  (ponds, lakes  etc.) have abundance of lotus flowers, swan, crane, goose, lark , duck  and other such birds. Animals like the rabbit, bear, buffalo, deer etc are found.
• Cold wind blows in this region which is moist.

People of Jangala desha

• Humans residing in Anupa  Desha  exhibit Kapha and Vata  dominance in overall health. 
• They are usually delicate, beautiful and gentle in nature and are more prone to Kapha and Vata dominant diseases

Sadharana  Desha  (Moderately Dry  and  Marshy  land)

The term Sadharana is described as the one with no extremes of cold, heat and rains.

साधारण इति अनतिशीतोष्णवर्षः| Cha vi 8. 125

That means where heat, cold and rains all are in moderation that land or part of the country is known as Sadharana desha. Such type of land is said to be most desirable or ideal for residence since it keeps bio-energies in balance.

Characteristics

• In this region, Mixed characteristics of both Jangala and Anup Desha are found .
• Proper balance of dry land and moist season, open spaces & forests is seen
• The animals and crops have the combined characters of Jangala and Anupa Desha.

People of Sadharana Desha

Since all the environmental factors are in balanced proportions in this region, they lead to balance of doshas or bio-energies in human body. Hence health and stregth of people in this region is usally good.

स्थिरसुकुमारबलवर्णसंहननोपपन्नसाधारणगुणयुक्तपुरुषः साधारणो ज्ञेयः||८|

• People have steady balance of bio-energies
• They possess moderate strength and tolerance.
• Complexion, strength and endurance is steady and moderate.

Other subtypes or combination lands like Anupa-Sadharana and Jangala-Sadharana desha are also discussed at relevant places by Ayurveda scholars.

Classification  of  Desha  on  the  basis  of Panchamahabhuta

Panchamahabhutas are the basic elements from which the entire nature is created. Each of them have specific characteristic which is reflected in the properties of the matter which has dominance of that mahabhuta. Acharya Susruta has categorized desha on the basis of dominant mahabhuta (element) in the environment. This is done and explained on the basis of overall appearance of that area. The 5 types are as follows,

1. Parthiva  Bhumi  Desha- Dominant Prthvi mahabhuta. Rocky area, greyish  or blackish soil and huge trees are present.
2. Apya Bhumi  Desha-Dominant Jala mahabhuta. Multiple water reservoirs and grass, delicate trees and whitish soil are present.
3. Agneya Bhumi Desha-Dominant Agni/Teja mahabhuta. Soil of varied colours, smaller  trees  are  present. 
4. Vayaviya Bhumi Desha-Dominant Vayu mahabhuta. Rough land, ash coloured stones, plenty of dry small trees with holes/ uneven surface? are found.
5. Akashiya Bhumi Desha- Dominant Akasha mahabhuta. The land is even with holes in it and is having tasteless huge trees and mountains. The colour of the soil is greyish black in colour.

Relation  between  Janpadodhwamsa  (epidemics)  and Desha

In Janpadodhwamsa chapter, Desha is considered as one of the important environmental factor  responsible for the  causation  of  epidemic  diseases which  inflicts  the person having dissimilar constitution, food, body, strength, suitability, mind and age simultaneously.  Therefore when the place is  having normal features then epidemics do not occur but  the place when get polluted  by any means the epidemic diseases are occurred. When an epidemic disease breaks out in a region, it affects a large number of people in the community, who are not similar in all respects. Such diseases are very powerful; their mode of spread very quick and their source is common. Ancient scholars of Ayurveda recognized that such epidemics are due to use of contaminated air, water, land and season because these four factors are common to all in a community. The impact on health of incident in Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan and Bhopal gas tragedy also in India is known to the entire world. People of these regions are still suffering from various genetic disorders.

वैगुण्यमुपपन्नानां देशकालानिलाम्भसाम्|

गरीयस्त्वं विशेषेण हेतुमत् सम्प्रवक्ष्यते||९||

वाताज्जलं जलाद्देशं देशात् कालं स्वभावतः|

विद्याद्दुष्परिहार्यत्वाद्गरीयस्तरमर्थवित् ^[१] ||१०||

वाय्वादिषु यथोक्तानां दोषाणां तु विशेषवित्|

प्रतीकारस्य सौकर्ये विद्याल्लाघवलक्षणम्||११|| Cha vi 3

The specific Desha has specific type of climate and dietic culture which becomes as specific cause of specific disease as

The people of the eastern side and Chinese use excessively Kshara which produces injurious effect on hair, eyes, heart and virility. People of villages, towns, cities and countries, where this is used in excess, suffer from blindness, impotency, baldness, grey hair and heart disease characterized by sawing pain.30 The people of Balhika, Saurastrika, Saindhava and Sauviraka Desha are in habit of

excessive use of lavana which it produces fatigue, lassitude and weakness in the body. People of villages, towns, cities and countries, where it is used in excess people suffer various health problems. So all these aspect important to understand the cause of disorders according to the Desha in the individual.31This is a unique contribution of Kasyapa Samhita about the treatment of Amlapitta according to Desha. In human beings, this disease (Amlapitta) often develops in Anupa Desha (marshy place) that is why it should be treated with the medicine growing in Jangala Desha (arid zone). If it does not get pacified with this, the person should go to other place, because a particular Desha (region) is known as good where people live with disease free State.32 The diseases are also categorised on the basis of Desha and Disha. In Madhava Nidana it is stated that the Shlipada (filariasis) occurs specially in those places, where there is always a collection of stagnating water and dampness round the year. These types of places are termed as Anupa Desha (marshy place) and the peoples residing in these places are more prone for filariasis.33 Raktapitta (bleeding disorder) as Urdhwa, Adhoga and Tiryaka due to direction of bleeding from the body.

Collection of herb from type of desha

तत्र देशे साधारणे जाङ्गले वा यथाकालं शिशिरातपपवनसलिलसेविते समे शुचौ प्रदक्षिणोदके श्मशान-चैत्य-देवयजनागार-सभा-श्वभ्राराम-वल्मीकोषरविरहिते कुशरोहिषास्तीर्णे स्निग्धकृष्णमधुरमृत्तिके सुवर्णवर्णमधुरमृत्तिके वा मृदावफालकृष्टेऽनुपहतेऽन्यैर्बलवत्तरैर्द्रुमैरौषधानि जातानि प्रशस्यन्ते||९|| Cha ka 1. 9

देशसात्म्येन च देशविपरीतगुणं सात्म्यं गृह्यते; यथा- आनूपे उष्णरूक्षादि, धन्वनि च शीतस्निग्धादि, ओकसात्म्यं तु उपयोक्तृग्रहणेन गृहीतम्|| Chakrapani Cha. vi. 1.22

Desha and the principles of management of disease

देशसात्म्येन च देशविपरीतगुणं सात्म्यं गृह्यते; यथा- आनूपे उष्णरूक्षादि, धन्वनि च शीतस्निग्धादि, ओकसात्म्यं तु उपयोक्तृग्रहणेन गृहीतम्||

Acharya Susruta stated that disease originated in Anu Desha (marshy place) and shifted to Jangala Desha (arid zone or Vice versa) they lose their severity also. The Doshas, accumulated in its native place may not aggravate in another. If appropriate regimen is followed, there is no fear of disease caused by place. In spite of innate qualities of the place, one should take precaution in diet, sleep, activities etc. 41 The balance state of Doshas is known as health. The first and foremost principles are avoidance of the cause of diseases. Therefore if someone takes Dravy( Ahara / Aushadh) of similar quality of Desha, Doshas will be alleviated leading to diseases. The scholars of Ayurveda have directed to use Ahara (diet) and Vihara (life style) opposing to Desha. There is a specific concept in Ayurveda entitled Viruddha Ahara which indicates various type of Viruddha Ahara. One of them is Desha Viruddha according to that the Ruksha Ahara in Jangala Desha is Desha Viruddha because if natures of both are similar it will aggravate Doshas. The diet should also be taken against Prakriti (constitution). The similar type of diet in specific Desha will aggravate the Dosha strongly and diseases born by it will be severe and acute. The quality of drugs are also described according to Desha and the collection of the drugs are described keeping the View of different Dishas also.