ROLE OF KHA VAIGUṆYA IN DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY AND LOCALIZATION: A CRITICAL ANALYTICAL REVIEW IN AYURVEDA

Kha Vaiguṇya is a key concept in Ayurvedic pathogenesis explaining the susceptibility and preferential localization of disease in a tissue, organ, or Srotas. Disease manifestation is not attributed solely to systemic Doṣa aggravation; localization occurs when aggravated Doṣas encounter a susceptible site. Classical descriptions in Caraka Cikitsā Sthāna and Suśruta Sūtra Sthāna associate Kha Vaiguṇya with the site where circulating pathological factors localize and produce disease. This review analyses Kha Vaiguṇya in relation to Sthānasamśraya, Doṣa-Dūṣya Sammūrchanā, Srotoduṣṭi, disease susceptibility, and localization, drawing on classical literature and selected contemporary sources for conceptual interpretation. Kha Vaiguṇya represents a condition of local vulnerability facilitating the establishment of pathology at a particular site. Its relationship with Sthānasamśraya explains the transition from generalized Doṣa disturbance to localized manifestation, and accounts for individual variation, since similar causative exposure may produce different manifestations depending on site susceptibility. Modern concepts such as tissue susceptibility, structural alteration, organ vulnerability, and altered local microenvironment offer conceptual parallels, though not direct biomedical equivalents. A clearer understanding of Kha Vaiguṇya may aid Ayurvedic disease prevention, localization, prognosis, and individualized management.