DASHA VIDHA VATA: THE ORCHESTRATORS OF HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL REGULATION

Ayurveda is based on the basic concept of Tridosha, where the basic driving force, or Tantra Yantra Dhara, is the Vata Dosha, which is the root cause for all the dynamic and neurological functions occurring in the body. Whereas the basic texts of the Brihat Trayi essentially discuss the Five Major Life-Force Energies (Prana, Udana, Samana, Vyana, and Apana) known as the "Pancha Maha Prana", the later texts, the Sharangdhara Samhita and Yogasutras, refer to the five accessory forces or "Pancha Upa Pranas" (Naga, Kurma, Krikara, Devadatta, and Dhananjaya), making up the "Dasha Vidha Vata" or the ten forms of Vata. This article tries to fill the gap between the physiological ideas of Ayurvedic thought and the advances that have been achieved in the field of Neurobiology. The "Maha Pranas" essentially regulate the process of "homeostasis" or respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and eliminative functions, and the "Upa Pranas" regulate the basic defensive reflexes like sneezing, yawning, and blinking and the integrity of the cell. This article, therefore, critically appraises the ten "Vayus" and tries to establish the linkage with the "Autonomic Nervous System, Brainstem Reflexes, and the Enteric Functions".