Diseases caused by Poorva Janma Karma – Part 3 (Rheumatism)

Blindness & leprosy and Sun worship

Discussion on Mrityu

Diseases caused by Purva Janma karma

Part 1 - General

Part 2 - Diabetes

Part 3 - Rheumatism

Part 4 - Skin related

Part 5 - Digestive system related

Part 6 - Head and face

Part 7 - Heart, Urinary and others        

Rheumatism is a general term for pain in joints and connective tissues, often related to arthritis. The related term for this in ancient medical texts is “Vaatha roga” (wind-disease). The common feature in all these diseases is ‘wind’ (Vaatha), a basic component (dhatu) in the body which, if vitiated causes Vaatha roga.

There are Poorva Janma causes listed for this disease in Prasna Marga and Veerasimhaavaloka (karma Vipaka text) which are reproduced below. While Prasna Marga uses the common term Vaatha roga, Veerasimhaavaloka makes a distinction between Vaatha roga and Vaatharaktham.

The symptoms of Vaatha roga are pain in joints and tissues thereby giving rise to difficulty in moving the limbs.

The symptoms of Vaatha raktham are swelling in joints (sandhi-veekkam), fluid accompanied with heat inside the body, suppuration, bursting of suppurative swellings etc.

There is yet another type of Vaatha roga, but not coming under the above set of diseases of rheumatism, as it is related to gastric troubles caused by indigestion. I will club it under stomach related diseases that will be written separately.

Vaatha Roga.

Source	Previous Karma	Remedy
Prasna Marga	Criticizing pious and respectable people         Hating parents and preceptors       Stealing food	Donation of the image of deer made of copper along with cloths        Donation of wholesome food       Recital of Vayu Sooktham and other Vayu mantras
Veerasimhaavaloka	Harming teachers       Stealing the property of temples and spiritual institutions       Giving trouble to lords (yajamana, meaning head of the family/ one who performs homas /employers / superiors )	Propitiation of Saturn and Ketu as they are the signifactors of Vaatha roga.       Homa for Saturn and Ketu by offering sesame, darbha grass and ghee in the sacrificial fire.       Gift of goat with gold.       Gift of she buffalo.  Worship and propitiation of of Sun.

Vaatha-raktham

Source	Previous Karma	Remedy
Veerasimhaavaloka	Copulation with a Savarna woman. {Savarna refers to upper strata and / or same clan / gotra.}	Propitiation of Mars in addition to Ketu, Saturn and Sun (mentioned above).       Homa for Mars and donation of items related to Mars.       Donation of the image of Lakshmi Narayana.

Worship of Lakshmi Narayana is the recommended for any auto-immune disease. Rheumatoid Arthritis being an auto-immune disorder, gift of the idol of Lakshmi Narayana is given as a remedy in Veerasimhaavaloka.

Rheumatism is often accompanied with difficulty in moving the limbs. Walking disability is also caused by this disease. The Poorva Janma karma for this is mostly to do with acts that have caused such difficulties to others. Suppose a person has harmed one in some way that caused the disability to move limbs, it returns to the person through diseases such as Rheumatism, giving the person the kind of pain and disability that was caused to others.

The best remedy in such cases is to donate aids that help in walking or moving their limbs. This is in addition to the remedies given above.