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Explain cotation no. 5

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Explanation of Sutra/Verse No. 5

The verse marked ॥५॥ (5) in this passage is a classical Ayurveda definition of चिकित्सा (Chikitsa – "treatment/therapy"). The Sanskrit sutra reads:
चतुर्णां भिषगादीनां शस्तानां धातुवैकृते। प्रवृत्तिर्धातुसाम्यार्था चिकित्सेत्यभिधीयते ॥५॥
Word-by-word sense:
  • चतुर्णां भिषगादीनां शस्तानां – "of the four [factors] headed by the physician, [when they are] excellent/competent" (this alludes to the classical "four pillars of treatment" - चिकित्सा चतुष्पाद: the physician/वैद्य, the medicine/द्रव्य, the attendant/परिचारक, and the patient/रोगी).
  • धातुवैकृते – "when there is vitiation/derangement of the dhatus" (the bodily tissues/elements).
  • प्रवृत्तिः धातुसाम्यार्था – "the activity/engagement undertaken for the purpose of [restoring] equilibrium (साम्य) of the dhatus."
  • चिकित्सा इति अभिधीयते – "that [activity] itself is called Chikitsa."
Meaning: When the body's dhatus (tissues/elements) become disturbed or abnormal, the coordinated effort of the four qualified factors of treatment (a competent physician and the rest) - directed toward bringing those dhatus back into balance - is, by definition, called Chikitsa (treatment).
The commentary directly below the verse (चिकित्सा की परिभाषा) restates this in Hindi:
"धातु के विकृत होने पर उन धातुओं में समता लाने के लिए उत्तम वैद्य आदि चिकित्सा के चार पादों की जो प्रवृत्ति होती है उसे ही चिकित्सा कहा जाता है।"
("When the dhatus become vitiated, the activity of the four limbs of treatment - an excellent physician and so on - aimed at restoring equanimity/balance in those dhatus, is itself termed Chikitsa.")
The विमर्श (critical discussion/gloss) that follows adds nuance:
  1. It notes this definition is corroborated later in the same treatise (16th chapter of this sthana), which states: "याभिः क्रियाभिर्जायन्ते शरीरे धातवः समाः। सा चिकित्सा विकाराणां कर्म तद्दोषजं मतम्॥" - "Those procedures by which the dhatus in the body become equalized - that is Chikitsa; action pertaining to disorders is considered dosha-born."
  2. It draws a subtle distinction: in the earlier sutra, the effort/activity toward equalizing the dhatus (regardless of whether dosha, dhatu, mala are actually balanced afterward) is itself called Chikitsa - i.e., the very act of treating counts as "chikitsa," not only the outcome.
  3. It observes that the word chikitsa thus carries two senses in classical usage: (a) the administration of medicine/procedure (औषधादि का देना), and (b) the removal of disease itself (रोग दूर करना) - and both meanings are validly covered under the term "chikitsa" as used in the treatise (यह चिकित्सा शब्द से अभीष्ट है).
In short, sutra 5 gives the formal Ayurvedic definition of "treatment": it is the goal-directed activity of the four qualified components of care, undertaken specifically to correct a derangement of the bodily dhatus and restore their natural equilibrium (dhatu-samya).
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