Wednesday, 23 April 2025

Osteoarthritis History Taking: Knee Pain

Disclaimer: Consent obtained from patient. 

Osteoarthrosis is a degenerative disease. So the actual term is indeed osteoarthrOSIS. Osteoarthritis is always seen as a misnomer.

( latest studies show that osteoarthrosis is both degenerative and inflammatory though. Osteoarthritis is now used but remember that some senior examiners stick to osteoarthrosis. )

Details of patient. Before starting your History Of Presenting Illness ( HOPI ), mention these important points:

Purusha Suktam: Word to Word Meaning and Commentary


Introduction to Vedas

Sunday, 20 April 2025

Diabetic Foot Ulcer / Peripheral Arterial Disease History Taking and Examination


Diabetic Foot Ulcer is a triad of:

1.Peripheral neuropathy 

2.Vasculopathy ( microangiopathy )

3.Immunopathy ( infection )

This is called the 'devil's triad'

Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Sandhya Vandanam as Per Shaiva Tantra

Let us understand Sandhya vandanam itself in detail.

Firstly, what is Sandhya?

Sandhya is defined as the junction between two time period. When one period of time overlaps the other, that junction is sandhya.

Friday, 28 March 2025

History Taking for Fracture Case

This article is catered for medical students during the orthopaedics posting. The rationale is to understand the mechanism of fracture and to note relevant points in history to arrive at a proximate diagnosis prior to imaging modalities.

Details of Patient

  • Name ( Always address the patient with due respect. Use 'sir', 'mdm', 'gentleman' etc. They are not your servants to be addressed with name directly. )

  • Age: It is important to ask for age as it tallies with the mechanism of fracture. An old patient at their 7th decade of life would be having primary osteoporosis. A female patient beyond her 5th decade of life is probably post-menopausal. These are risk factors for pathological fractures. So you would anticipate a low-energy trauma from their history.

*Osteoporosis is the reduction of volume and density of the bones which otherwise have a normal histology. It has primary and secondary causes*
  • Occupation 

Saturday, 22 March 2025

Applying Vibhuti as Per Shaiva Tantra

The detailed explanation on bhasma application can be found in the snāna vidhiḥ of Kāmika Āgama, Pūrva pāda. For ritual purposes, bhasma must be adorned at at least 16 places.

Tuesday, 18 February 2025

5 Kala in Shaiva Tantra


Image source: himalayanacademy

This article is an expansion from the writeup on Tattvas in Shaivism. You will not understand this article without reading the mentioned article.

All the tattva-s in Shaivism come from the five kalā-s, which represent different states of consciousness and planes of existence.

Monday, 28 October 2024

Scriptural References for Deepavali


Dīpāvali (दीपावली) comes from the roots:

1. Dīpa (दीप) – From the root dīp (दीप्), which means "to shine" or "to illuminate."

2. Āvali (आवली) – meaning "a row" or "a series".

Tuesday, 20 August 2024

The 36 Tattvas of Shaivism


तत्त्वं यद्वस्तुरूपं स्यात्स्वधर्म प्रकटात्मकम्। तत्त्वं वस्तुपदं व्यक्तं स्फुटमाम्नायदर्शनात्॥ 3
tattvaṃ yadvasturūpaṃ syātsvadharma prakaṭātmakam। tattvaṃ vastupadaṃ vyaktaṃ sphuṭamāmnāyadarśanāt॥ 3

Meaning: The principle (tattva) that assumes the form of reality, manifesting its inherent nature, is called tattva. This principle is the manifest, clear expression of the underlying reality, as revealed by the scriptures

यदच्युतं स्वकाद्वृत्तात्ततः शाक्तवशं जगत्। ततमन्येन वा यत्स्यात्तत्तत्त्वं तत्त्वसन्ततौ॥ 4
yadacyutaṃ svakādvṛttāttataḥ śāktavaśaṃ jagat। tatamanyena vā yatsyāt tattattvaṃ tattvasantatau॥ 4

Meaning: When the immutable (acyuta) deviates from its original state and the world falls under the influence of Śakti, whatever form it may take thereafter, that is considered a tattva in the continuum of principles.

Mṛgendra Āgama, (Mataṅga Pārameśvaram Vidyā Pādaḥ 5th Paṭalaḥ) verses 3 & 4