Bhutagni
The term bhutagni (also spelled as ‘bhootagni’) is derived from two words: bhuta and agni and the word bhuta indicates five fundamental elements (mahabhuta). Agni means the factors responsible for digestion and metabolism. The human body is formed from five primordial elements. It naturally needs food for all these elements growth and development. Each of these elements needs bhutagni for their digestion and absorption. For example food containing parthiva part (earth element) is digested by parthivagni (bhutagni, which outlines prithvi elements of the food). Bhutagni is present in the gastrointestinal tract at the level of tissues in respective channels. [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 15/12-14]
Bhutagni is present in a fundamental element (mahabhuta). Each cell (dhatu paramanu) consists of these five fundamental elements (panchamahabhuta). All the nutrients we eat also consist of the same five elements with their respective agni. Five bhutagni digest their part of the element present in the food materials. After the digestion of food by bhutagni, digested materials containing elements and qualities similar to each bhuta nourish its bhautika element of the body. This article describes the actions of bhutagni, its role in digestion and metabolism.
| Section/Chapter/topic | Concepts / Agni/ Bhutagni |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bhojani M.K.1, Durga Rani1 |
| Reviewer | Basisht G.2 |
| Editor | Deole Y.S.3 |
| Affiliations |
1 Department of Kriya Sharira, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, India 2 Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. 3Department of Kayachikitsa, G.J. Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat, India |
| Correspondence email | meera.samhita@aiia.gov.in, carakasamhita@gmail.com |
| Publisher | Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India |
| Date of first publication: | September 30, 2022 |
| DOI | In process |
Five bhutagni
There are five mahabhuta and their five respective agni as follows:
- Parthivaagni (factors within the prithvi mahabhuta)
- Apyaagni (factors within the apa mahabhuta)
- Taijasa or agneyaagni (factors within the agni mahabhuta)
- Vayaveeyaagni (factors within the vayu mahabhuta)
- Akasheeya or nabhasaagni (factors within the akasha mahabhuta)[Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 15/13]
Concept of bhutagni
The initial digestion of food by jatharagni results in its breakdown into five distinct elemental groups: viz parthiva. apya, tejasa, vayavya and nabhasa. This classification is based upon specific physico-chemical properties or qualities of each mahabhuta. Jatharagni stimulates the agni present in each of the five elements .This agni digests and metabolizes the substance of that group. It assimilates and makes the food components adaptable to corresponding dhatu. The same portion is then subjected to the action of dhatvagni for further assimilation in the body. [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 15/13] [A.H.Sutra Sthana 9/6-8][1]
All the organisms are composed of five mahabhuta, and the food of a living being, necessarily partakes the qualities of its human components. The food, which consists of five mahabhuta is digested by the five bhutagni. Each principle proceeds to augment its homolog in the human organism. [Su.Sa.Sutra Sthana 46/526][2]
These events occur after the ingested food has been suitably dealt with in jatharagnipaka, reducing the basic foodstuff into their elemental forms.[Chakrapani on Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 15/13]
Location
The processes of digestion and metabolism by bhutagni (bhutagnipaka) take place in the liver (yakrit). The liver (yakrit) is functionally and anatomically related to the gut (antahkoshtha). Liver is the site of most of those reactions which involves alteration of foreign compounds which can be mobilized. Hence it can be stated that the bhutagni is located and works mainly in these parts. [A.S. Sharira Sthana 6/59-60][3], [A.H. ShariraSthana 3/59-61]
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- ↑ Vagbhata. Ashtanga Hridayam. Edited by Harishastri Paradkar Vaidya. 1st ed. Varanasi: Krishnadas Academy;2000.
- ↑ Sushruta. Sushruta Samhita. Edited by Jadavaji Trikamji Aacharya. 8th ed. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia;2005.
- ↑ Vridha Vagbhata, Ashtanga Sangraha. Edited by Shivaprasad Sharma. 3rd ed. Varanasi: Chaukhamba sanskrit series office;2012.