Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Dinapaki Ajirna is one among the six types of Ajirna – indigestion of food – explained in Ayurveda.
Dina = day, next day in this context
Paki = getting digested
Ajirna = Indigestion
The food instead of getting digested today, if it gets digested the next day and if it does not produce any symptoms of digestion or produces mild signs and symptoms of digestion which are self-limiting, does not require any medicine or therapy and does not aggravate doshas, it is called Dinapaki.
It is a type of ajirna because of delay in digestion of food. In that ‘delayed period of time’ the food is still undigested. Therefore, it is called Dinapaki Ajirna.
Now let us catch up with some textual reference for this.
Dinapaki Ajirna
अजीर्णपञ्चमंकेचिन्निर्दोषदिनपाकिच।
Context
While explaining the types of Ajirna, the author of Madhava Nidana, after mentioning four popular kinds of ajirna according to Acharya Sushruta (Ama ajirna, Vidagdha ajirna, Vistabdha ajirna and Rasasesha ajirna), says that some other experts opine that there are two more kinds of ajirna, the fifth one is called Dinapaki Ajirna.
Ref – Madhava Nidana Chapter 6 – Agnimandhyadi Nidanam, verse 6 (MN.6/6)
Definition of Dinapaki Ajirna
In this type of indigestion, the food, instead of on the same day, gets digested on the next day and it does not cause any dosha i.e. it does not cause any difficulty in digestion nor produces any complications like adhmana – distension of abdomen etc. This kind of delayed digestion of food is called Dinapaki Ajirna.
He also mentions another type of Ajirna i.e. the sixth ajirna called ‘Prativasara Ajirna’ which is normal and happens on a daily basis (we shall discuss this in yet another article).
Why is it important to understand Dinapaki Ajirna?
Since Dinapaki Ajirna is just a delay in digestion process we may think ‘why should we even consider it?’.
अजीर्णं पञ्चमं केचिदित्यादि।
निर्दोषम् आध्मानादिदुष्टेरकारकम्।
दिनपाकि चेत्यहोरात्रेणाहारः पच्यत इत्युत्सर्गः, यत्र तु मात्राकालासात्म्यादिदोषादपरदिने पच्यते तद्दिनपाकि।
कालव्यतिक्रमेण पच्यमानमप्याध्मानादिकं न करोतीति पूर्वेभ्यो भेदः।
एतदभिधानस्य तु प्रयोजनं पाककालप्रतीक्षणं, नैशाजीर्णे भोजननिषेदात्।मधुकोष, (मा.नि.६/६)
The clarification has been given in the Madhukosha commentary of Madhava Nidana. Let us see what it has to say.
Generally, it is seen that the food we consume gets digested within the same day. So, it takes a day or a time period of 24 hours of the same day for the stomach to digest whatever we eat on that day. If the stomach and agni are healthy, this should happen as a rule. This is also a sign of proper digestion i.e. ‘the food taken on a day should get digested on the same day’.
Sometimes the food does not get digested on the same day i.e. within the 24 hours of the same day. This may happen due to the below mentioned reasons –
– Atimatra bhojana – if we have taken food in large quantities which is generally not the quantity we consume,
– Akala bhojana – eating at wrong times, which is not usual to us and to which we are not accustomed to
– Asatmya bhojana – eating incompatible or unwholesome foods or foods which our body is not accustomed to (foods which are not in our regular practice)
Due to these reasons, if the food does not get digested on the same day and if it gets digested the following day, it is called ‘Dinapaki Ajirna’.
Intention – The main intention with which this dinapaki ajirna has been explained is to indicate that –
– One should not panic if the food doesn’t get digested the same day, showing little and insignificant signs of indigestion (which are temporary)
– One should patiently wait for the food to get digested until next day, once it happens, the stomach will settle down and resume its normal activities – it is a temporary functional disturbance
– One should not consume food until the food is properly digested and signs of proper digestion are experienced the next day
How to prevent Dinapaki Ajirna?
The best way of preventing Dinapaki Ajirna is to keep away the causative factors, mainly those mentioned above – atimatra, akala and asatmya bhojana. If your stomach and gut health is good and if you consciously avoid these causes, you can never have dinapaki ajirna.
Does Dinapaki Ajirna need treatment?
If it occasionally happens in those having healthy stomach and gut and digestive affairs, waiting for the food to digest the next day and avoiding the causes by identifying them itself will be the treatment. Prevention is the long-term treatment.
If dinapaki ajirna becomes a regular affair due to one’s undisciplined approach towards eating foods, it may get chronic and habitual and should be treated on the lines of ‘ajirna chikitsa’.
Can Dinapaki Ajirna get serious and disturb our health?
In the long run, yes. Dinapaki Ajirna is just a temporary functional disturbance of the stomach due to the above said causes. But if the person practices indiscipline and bad approach towards foods and if he does not avoid the causative factors, delayed digestion becomes a practice for the stomach. With this it might get pathological over a period of time, since it is not natural to the system. It may also cause many digestive and systemic disorders, especially in those having weak stomach and gut or weak agni.
How is Dinapaki Ajirna different from the other forms of indigestion?
The term ‘nirdosham’ explains this condition and also differentiates it from other forms of ajirna i.e. ama, vidagdha and vistabdha ajirnas.
Nirdosham – means ‘in spite of delayed digestion by a day, dinapaki ajirna does not produce any complications or symptoms of ajirna, like adhmana – distension of abdomen etc nor it meddles with the digestion process for long time’. It is a self-limiting-condition, provided we have very good control over the causative factors and avoid them consciously.
