Siddha-Basic Concepts and Principles

Introduction

The Siddha system of medicine, mainly practised in the Southern part of India, is one of the earliest traditional medicine systems in the world and deals with physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being of an individual. The roots of this system are intertwined with the culture of ancient Tamil civilization.

Basic Concept

In the Siddha system of medicine, man is viewed as a microcosm and the universe as a macrocosm. In other words, man is a miniature universe in himself. The whole universe is believed to be constituted of five primordial elements (Panchabhootham) viz. Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space and so is man. The Five-Fold Combination (Pancheekaranam) theory of Siddha explains the origin and formation of these basic elements as well as the role of these five elements in the formation of every substance both in the universe and in humans.

According to the Pancheekaranam theory, each of these five elements is said to possess two properties viz. subtle and gross. These elements always act in mutual co-ordination and can never act independently. The various proportions in which they combine gives rise to different substances. Thus, this theory proposes that 96 basic factors exist, which is the basic concept underlying this holistic medical science.

The human body formed by these 96 basic factors is conditioned mainly by:

1) The three humours or Uyir Thaathukkal (also called Mukkutram) which are Vali, Azhal and Aiyam.

2) The physical constituents - the seven tissues or Udal Thaathukkal which are Saaram, Senneer, Oon, Konzhuppu, Enbu, Moolai and Sukkilam.

The 96 factors include physical, physiological, psychological, intellectual aspects of every human. The five primordial elements manifest themselves as a human through these 96 basic factors.

 

Relationship between the basic elements (Panchabhootham), five sense organs (Pori) and functions of these sense organs (Pulan) is described below:

It can be deduced from the above table that the sense of smell perceived by the sense organ nose, is due to the action and properties of the element, ‘earth’.

Three Humours (Mukkutram/ Uyir Thaathukkal)

Uyir Thaathukkal literally means ‘life force’. In Siddha, Vali, Azhal and Aiyam which are the three humours, are responsible for the creation, preservation and destruction of human body and health. When they are in the state of equilibrium (4:2:1-the ratio in which they exist) our body remains in a healthy state while any disturbance in this ratio leads to diseased state or death.

Vali

Vali represents the elements ‘air’ and ‘space’. It is responsible for all movements of mind and body. Motor, sensory activities are governed by Vali. Although Vali is present all over the body, it predominates in the region below navel. Based on its function, it is classified into the following ten types:

Roughness, dryness, lightness and mobility are certain attributes of Vali. It also strengthens the five sensory organs, and regulates respiration, the functions of physical constituents (Udal thaathukkal) and physiological reflexes (Vaegangal).

Azhal

Azhal represents the element-‘fire’ (thee) in our body and is responsible for the preservation of health. It maintains the body heat for normal physiology and dominates the chest and abdominal area. It exhibits itself in five forms within the human body. They are:

Aiyam

Aiyam is formed by the elements ‘earth and water’. It is responsible for strength, joint movements, body built and endurance. It dominates the head and neck region. There are five forms of Aiyam as follows:

Physical constituents (Udal Thaathukkal)

The human body is constituted of seven tissues as its physical constituents, which are known as the Udal Thaathukkal.

Each of the above physical constituent is responsible for certain functions: