Unit 1 · Strī Viśiṣṭa Śarīra Vijñāna, Topic (a): Introduction to Prasūti Tantra and Strīroga

Unit 1 · Strī-viśiṣṭa Śarīra-vijñāna — Introduction to Prasūti Tantra & Strī-roga, Nirukti of “Strī”, and Vayobheden Strī-saṃjñā

Learning goals

By the end of this chapter you should be able to: (i) define Prasūti Tantra and Strī-roga within Aṣṭāṅga-Ayurveda; (ii) explain the nirukti (vyutpatti) of the word “Strī” using Sanskrit grammatical tradition; (iii) quote and interpret the classic verse on vayobheden (age-wise) strī-saṃjñā and relate it to Ayurvedic practice.

1) What are Prasūti Tantra and Strī-roga?

Ayurveda is traditionally organised into eight branches (aṣṭāṅga). Prasūti Tantra (obstetrics) and Strī-roga (gynaecology) are taught together as the science dealing with women’s reproductive health, pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium. Vagbhata enumerates the eight branches succinctly:

“कायबालग्रहोर्ध्वाङ्ग शल्यदंष्ट्रा जरावृषान् ।
अष्टावङ्गानि तस्याहुः चिकित्सायेषु संस्थिताः ॥”
kāyabālagrahordhvāṅga śalyadaṃṣṭrā jarāvṛṣān |
aṣṭāvaṅgāni tasyāhuḥ cikitsāyeṣu saṃśritāḥ ||

Here, bāla refers to Kaumāra-bhṛtya (paediatrics), vṛṣa to Vājīkaraṇa and so forth; Prasūti Tantra and Strī-roga are subsumed primarily under Kāyacikitsā and share interfaces with Kaumāra-bhṛtya, Rasāyana, and Bhūta-vidyā for psychophysical well-being.

Scope for the BAMS student:

• Normal and abnormal menstruation (ṛtucakra, artava), conception (garbhādhāna), antenatal care (garbhiṇī-paricaryā), labour and delivery (prasava-vidhi), puerperium (sūtikā-paricaryā), lactation (stanya-pravṛtti/dūṣṭi), and diseases of the female genital tract.
• Classical nosology connects each topic with doṣa–dhātu–mala–srotas and saṃprāpti, which is why the subject is placed early in 3rd BAMS.

2) Nirukti (vyutpatti) of the word “Strī”

In Ayurvedic writing we preserve Sanskrit technical terms. For academic rigour, nirukti must come from vyākaraṇa tradition—“from where and how the word is derived,” not merely its poetic meaning.

2.1 Dhātu and affixes involved

• Dhātu (verbal root): styai / ṣṭyai (śabda-saṅghātayoḥ — ‘aggregation/compaction’) given in the Uṇādi-sūtra tradition.
• Uṇādi affix: ḍraṭ is added to the root by the rule styāyater ḍraṭ (Uṇādi 4.167); by elision rules only r remains from ḍraṭ. Subsequent phonetic operations delete ai and y (rules ṭeḥ 6.4.143 and lopo vyor vali 6.1.66). Finally, the feminine affix ṅīp (Pāṇini 4.1.15 under the striyām adhikāra, 4.1.3) is applied, yielding the stem strī.

Summary derivation: styai + ḍraṭ → (phonetic elisions) → base with r → + ṅīp → strī.
Grammarians gloss it as “styāyate ’syāṃ garbhaḥ”—“in whom the embryo expands”—a semantic explanation attached to the grammatical derivation.

2.2 Notes from the grammatical tradition

• Many everyday nouns are explained only through Uṇādi-sūtras, an auxiliary to Pāṇini’s Aṣṭādhyāyī used to account for difficult derivations without forcing etymology.
• Pāṇini’s striyām (4.1.3) governs the use of feminine affixes; strī is a canonical example cited by commentators.

Exam tip: When asked “Strī-śabdasya niruktiḥ,” write the root styai/ṣṭyai, cite Uṇādi 4.167 (styāyater ḍraṭ), and mention application of ṅīp under striyām.

3) Vayobheden Strī-saṃjñā — classic age-wise nomenclature

Traditional sources give special names to a girl according to age, widely used in saṃskāra and vivāha literature. The most cited verse (attributed to Saṃvarta in Dharma Bindu compilations) reads:

“अष्टवर्षा भवेद् गौरी नववर्षा तु रोहिणी ।
दशवर्षा भवेत् कन्या अथोर्ध्वं रजस्वला ॥”
aṣṭavarṣā bhaved gaurī navavarṣā tu rohiṇī |
daśavarṣā bhavet kanyā athordhvaṃ rajasvalā ||

(*Variant readings replace “atho/ata” with “ata” and the last pāda with “कन्यादानं प्रशस्यते” in other compendia such as Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa Saṃhitā 1.513.55. For teaching in Prasūti Tantra, the above reading—ending with rajasvalā—is preferred when explaining age-bound female appellations.)

3.1 Explanation of the terms

Pedagogical note: This saṃjñā system is normative-cum-ritual; it is not a clinical claim about the biological age of menarche in all populations. In clinical Strī-roga, menarche is treated empirically, and Ayurvedic physiology explains artava as upadhātu of rasa with its own kāla and srotas. (See §4.)

4) Linking the saṃjñā to Ayurvedic physiology

1. Artava (Rajas) as upadhātu of Rasa
   Classical teaching (as preserved in standard treatises and commentaries) identifies Artava (Rajas) and Stanya as the two upadhātus of Rasa. This is consistently presented in modern scholarly summaries of the classics and is crucial to Strī-roga pathophysiology (vitiation of rasa → effect on artava/stanya).
2. Monthly artava flow
   The monthly accumulation and outward flow of rakta/artava from the uterus at a proper time is described by Vagbhata (Aṣṭāṅga Saṃgraha tradition) and echoed in compendia: in each month rakta gathers in the garbhāśaya and, at the due time, flows out—this physiologic rhythm is the basis for normal ṛtucakra and for garbhādhāna timing.
3. Clinical utility of vayobheden saṃjñā
   • Counselling & consent: Terminology helps frame age-appropriate counselling during ṛtumatī-onset education and menarche-related anxieties (rajodarśana guidance).
   • Doṣa-anubandha: Early menarche with ati-darśana may indicate pitta–rakta provocation; delayed menarche with alpādarśana may involve vāta–kapha and agni disturbances—tie your short notes to rasa/artava concepts for scoring.
   • Sāmprāpti-vighatana: After assessing āhāra–vihāra, correct agni and rasa-vaha srotas to normalise artava.

How to write a 10-marker: Quote the vayobheda verse; give 2–3 lines explaining each term; then connect to artava as rasa-upadhātu, srotas, and doṣa implications. Add one contemporary remark on menarche variability (without statistics) to show clinical maturity.

5) Key definitions you should remember

• Strī (स्त्री): styai/ṣṭyai + ḍraṭ (Uṇādi 4.167) + ṅīp → strī; woman—the person in whom the embryo (garbha) may expand (styāyate), per the grammatical gloss.
• Artava / Rajas: Menstrual blood and, by context, ovum; considered upadhātu of Rasa.
• Rajasvalā/Ṛtumatī: One who has the cyclic manifestation of artava (menstruation).
• Prasūti Tantra: Branch covering conception to puerperium; interfaces with Kaumāra-bhṛtya and Rasāyana.
• Strī-roga: Diseases of the female reproductive system including artava-vyāpada, yonivyāpad, vandhyatva, etc.

6) Worked exemplar — how to cite in your answer

If asked “Vayobhedena strī-saṃjñā vyākhyāyatām”, write the verse neatly, in Devanāgarī, then gloss:

गौरी (८ वर्षे): प्रौढत्वपूर्व अवस्था; रोहिणी (९ वर्षे): नववयस्का; कन्या (१० वर्षे): विवाह-पूर्वा; रजस्वला (अथोर्ध्वम्): artava-प्रादुर्भावानन्तरं। This nomenclature is from saṃskāra/vivāha literature (Saṃvarta, Dharma Bindu). Clinically, menarche marks entry into ṛtumatī stage; in Ayurveda, artava is rasa-upadhātu, so rasa-agni and rasa-vaha srotas status govern menstrual health.

7) Quick review (3–2–1)

• 3 takeaways: (i) Strī—derive it correctly from styai/ṣṭyai (Uṇādi 4.167) + ṅīp; (ii) Memorise the vayobheda shloka; (iii) Tie menarche to rasa–artava–srotas.
• 2 linkages: Prasūti Tantra ↔ Kaumāra-bhṛtya (continuum mother–child); Strī-roga ↔ Kāyacikitsā (systemic doṣa/agnī).
• 1 examiner’s favourite line: “Artava, as rasa-upadhātu, reflects rasa status; therefore correcting āhāra–vihāra–agni restores ṛtucakra.”

Self-assessment

A. Short-answer prompts

1. Write the nirukti of “Strī,” naming the dhātu and pratyaya used.
2. Explain Rajasvalā and relate it to ṛtucakra and artava physiology.
3. Enumerate the eight branches of Ayurveda with the exact Sanskrit half-verse.

B. MCQs (single best answer)

1. The Uṇādi rule cited for forming strī from styai/ṣṭyai is—
   a) jāgṛbhyo kvin (Uṇādi 4.55)
   b) styāyater ḍraṭ (Uṇādi 4.167)
   c) gamer iniḥ (Uṇādi 4.6)
   d) pātṝtudivaciricisicibhyas thak (Uṇādi 2.7)
   Ans: b.
2. In the vayobheda verse, Rohiṇī denotes a girl of—
   a) 7 years b) 9 years c) 10 years d) Above 10 years
   Ans: b.
3. The adhikāra sūtra of Pāṇini under which ṅīp is applied for feminine forms is—
   a) striyām (4.1.3) b) uraṇ raparaḥ (1.1.51) c) ṭeḥ (6.4.143) d) lopo vyor vali (6.1.66)
   Ans: a.
4. In Aṣṭāṅga enumeration, Vājīkaraṇa is indicated by the term—
   a) bāla b) graha c) jarā d) vṛṣa
   Ans: d.
5. According to classical teaching summarised in standard texts, Artava is an upadhātu of—
   a) Rakta b) Rasa c) Māṃsa d) Meda
   Ans: b.

References

Classical / primary

• Vāgbhaṭa, Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya, Sūtrasthāna 1 – enumeration of Aṣṭāṅga Ayurveda (cf. verse “कायबालग्रहोर्ध्वाङ्ग…”) with standard commentaries.
• Uṇādi-sūtra tradition (rule 4.167: styāyater ḍraṭ), with derivational steps for strī; Pāṇinian references 4.1.3 (striyām), 4.1.15, 6.1.66, 6.4.143.
• Saṃvarta-smṛti (as compiled in Dharma Bindu): Vayobhedena strī-saṃjñā verse—“अष्टवर्षा भवेद् गौरी… अथोर्ध्वं रजस्वला.”
• Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa Saṃhitā 1.513.55 records a close variant (“…कन्यादानं प्रशस्यते”).