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INTRODUCTION

In the progressive days of Ayurveda, Physicians in this country were the foremost exponents and all round practitioners of their time, teaching and practicing all the eight
branches of the Science of Medicine. There is a recorded history that students from all parts of the Globe came to have their under-graduate as well as post-graduate studies in the Medical Faculties of some of the famous Universities of ancient India, namely, Taxila and Nalanda. Due to various reasons State patronage was withdrawn from Ayurveda and transferred to those systems of medicine which were of choice of the then rulers of the country. This led to stagnation, obstructed progress, stunted growth and partial functioning from the affects of which Ayurveda is still suffering. This period of decadence which can safely be said as the dark age for Ayurveda, has given birth to many misconceptions and often these are incorporated into the texts in various ways. Because of this confusion, one often overlooks the genuine concepts having scientific value and considers them as either wrong or commonsense and this deters him to find out the scientific validity of these statements.

There are many scientific concepts in Ayurveda which need detailed scrutiny to assess their utility in the field of science.
The concept of agni is one such factor, a study on which is attempted here.
Agni is one of the ten factors which are required to be examined before initiating the treatment of a patient. The role of agni in the animal body is very much emphasized.
It is stated that all internal diseases are caused by the vitiation of this agni. This is the pivot round which the remaining factors responsible for the maintenance of health and causation of diseases as well as decay revolve. Human body is considered in ancient Indian scriptures as a replica of the universe; whatever is available in the universe they are all represented in the human body, may be in a modified form. The physical agni(fire) is directly linked up with the biological agni inside the human body.

Samkhya, Nyaya-Vaisesika and other systems of natural philosophy deal with the fundamental principles of Ayurveda.
It is, impossible to explain or comprehend the biological phenomena described in Ayurveda without having a good background of the material objects enunciated in these ancient philosophical works. In fact a rational explanation of various aspects of agni can better be provided if its relation with
physical agni is elucidated. It is with this in view that in the section—l, agni as conceived in the Sanmkhya system of philosophy
is explained. The Parinamvada which is a logical corollary of Satkaryavfida explaining the theory of evolution of the universe provides a rational explanation for the evolution of rfipatanmutra in which rajas is patent, tamas is latent and sattva is sub-latent. It has been shown in the first section that the phenomena of rajas or agni represented in the forces or motion, radiation, heat, electricity and magnetism are implicit in the concept of and potential in the rajoguzta of
Mfilaprakrti.

In the section—ll of this work the concept of agni as developed in Nyfiya-Vais’egika system of philosophy is explained.
There is striking similarity in the concept of physical agni as expounded in this system of philosophy and biological agni described in Caraka. Agni according to Nyaya-

VaiSesika is divided into three categories, namely :

( i ) Bhauma or the physical fire;
( ii ) Divya or the celestial fire like the lightening, rays of the Sun, Moon and the Stars;
(iii) Audarya or the abdominal fire which is responsible for the digestion as well as metabolism and,
(iv) Zkaraja which is present in the metals such as gold and silver.

Combination of agni with a material object results in various types of transformations. In the Nyaya-vais’egika, there