rogiparīkṣā: what the term means and how it is translated
rogiparīkṣā रोगिपरीक्षा (WHO prints रोगीपरीक्षा) is an Ayurvedic technical term. It is rendered into English in 4 different ways, which is the reason this page exists: the renderings do not agree, and the difference between them changes what the term is taken to mean.
| Transliteration | rogiparīkṣā |
|---|---|
| Devanagari | रोगिपरीक्षा (WHO prints रोगीपरीक्षा) |
| Also written | rogi pariksha, atura pariksha, dashavidha pariksha, dasavidha pariksha |
| Category, as gathered | pariksha |
| Grouped here under | Examination and treatment |
| Classical citations | 5 |
| Citations checked | 2026-10-07 |
How it is translated, and whether the translation holds
Each rendering is given with the source that uses it. The assessment is ours.
Patient examination
WHO International Standard Terminologies on Ayurveda (2022) · ITA-4.7.1 rogīparīkṣā (no description given); sub-entries ITA-4.7.2 trividhaparīkṣā 'Standard three-component examination', ITA-4.7.3 ṣaḍvidhaparīkṣā 'Six ways of clinical examination', ITA-4.7.4 aṣṭasthānaparīkṣā 'Eight methods of clinical examination', ITA-4.7.5 daśavidhaparīkṣā 'Ten domains of clinical examination' · comparator-standard
WHO's ten-domain description: '1. individual constitution; 2. morbidity; 3. excellence of structural components; 4. compactness of tissues or organs; 5. measurement of body constituents; 6. homologation; 7. psychic condition; 8. power of food intake and digestion; 9. power of performing exercise; 10. age.'
Reproduced unaltered and attributed from the WHO International Standard Terminologies on Ayurveda, which is what that licence permits. It is deliberately absent from the downloadable dataset, which is offered under CC BY 4.0 and invites the modification a NoDerivs licence forbids.
the patient should be examined in respect of his normal constitution in health, of the abnormal condition that has set in, of the predominance of some particular element in his constitution ... of his compactness or otherwise, the make of his proportions such as stature, &c., of what things are suitable to his constitution, of his mental disposition, of his power of eating of his power of exercise, and of his age
Kaviratna, Charaka Samhita Vi 8 (his aphorism 110 = standard 8/94) · p. 592-593 of Vimanasthana part · public-domain-translation
Kaviratna's ten: normal constitution, abnormal condition, predominance of element, compactness, proportions, suitability (sātmya), mental disposition, power of eating, power of exercise, age.
Examination of the patient (chapter title); 'A physician should first observe the vital condition (Ayu) of the patient...'
Bhishagratna, Sushruta Samhita Su 35 (Aturopakramaniya) · wisdomlib doc122935 · public-domain-translation
Sushruta's twelve-item list (āyu, vyādhi, deśa, kāla, agni, vayas, deha, bala, sattva, sātmya, bheṣaja, prakṛti) rendered by Bhishagratna as 'vital condition... nature of the disease, the country and season... state of digestion, age, body, strength, disposition, habit, previous medicine, natural temperament and the power of endurance'.
examination of the patient / tenfold examination
textbooks; Waghulade & Harit 2014 (PMID 26195895) 'Dashavidha Pariksha (tenfold examination)' · abstract · peer-reviewed/textbook
Routine.
The classical passages
Each citation gives its address so a reader can check it in a printed edition, our account of what the passage establishes, and the result of reading it against its source.
Charaka SamhitaVimanasthana 8 (Roga-bhishagjitiya):standard 8/94; Kaviratna's printed number appears as 110 (OCR '1I0J'; preceding paragraphs 108, 109) · checked against the source
Hence, the patient should be examined in respect of his normal constitution in health, of the abnormal condition that has set in, of the predominance of some particular element in his constitution (such as blood, or flesh, &c., of his compactness or otherwise, the make of his proportions such as stature, &c., of what things are suitable to his constitution, of his mental disposition, of his power of eating of his power of exercise, and of his age.
The daśavidha parīkṣā list. Sanskrit (siva.sh 8/94): 'तस्मादातुरंपरीक्षेतप्रकृतितश्च, विकृतितश्च, सारतश्च, संहननतश्च, प्रमाणतश्च, सात्म्यतश्च, सत्त्वतश्च, आहारशक्तितश्च, व्यायामशक्तितश्च, वयस्तश्चेति, बलप्रमाणविशेषग्रहणहेतोः ॥९४॥' at https://www.siva.sh/caraka-samhita/vimana-sthana/8/91-95. Note Charaka's stated purpose: to grasp the measure of strength (bala) and dosha.
Charaka SamhitaVimanasthana 8:standard 8/94 (opening sentence) · checked against the source
आतुरस्तुखलुकार्यदेशः। तस्यपरीक्षाआयुषःप्रमाणज्ञानहेतोर्वास्याद्, बलदोषप्रमाणज्ञानहेतोर्वा।
The patient (ātura) is the 'field of action'; his examination serves either to know the measure of life-span or the measure of strength and dosha.
Sushruta SamhitaSutrasthana 35 (Aturopakramaniya; wisdomlib chapter title 'Examination of the patient'):Sanskrit verse number not established (Bhishagratna prints none) · checked against the source
A physician should first observe the vital condition (Ayu) of the patient before commencing the medical treatment. After that, the nature of the disease, the country and season of the year in which it has made its appearance, as well as the state of digestion, age, body, strength, disposition, habit, previous medicine, natural temperament and the power of endurance of the patient, etc. should be observed and carefully examined.
Sushruta's patient-examination list begins with āyu (life-span).
Ashtanga HridayaSutrasthana 1:22 · checked against the source
दर्शनस्पर्शनप्रश्नैः परीक्षेत च रोगिणम्|
Vagbhata's three-method rogiparīkṣā.
YogaratnakaraPūrvārdha अथ रोगिणां अष्टस्थानानि लक्षयेत्:1 · checked against the source
रोगाक्रान्तशरीरस्य स्थानान्यष्टौ निरीक्षयेत् ।
The eightfold (aṣṭasthāna) scheme: nāḍī, mūtra, mala, jihvā, śabda, sparśa, dṛk, ākṛti.
Not to be confused with
- rogaparīkṣā
- Disease versus patient; AH Su 1/22 assigns different methods to each.
- daśavidha vs aṣṭasthāna vs trividha vs ṣaḍvidha parīkṣā
- Four different lists from four texts (Charaka Vi 8/94; Yogaratnakara; AH Su 1/22; Sushruta Su 10). They are often presented as one 'Ayurvedic examination' but have different items and purposes (Charaka's is explicitly for bala and dosha measure).
- Sushruta's twelve-item list (Su 35)
- Starts with āyu and includes deśa, kāla, bheṣaja, which Charaka's ten do not.
- ātura
- Charaka's word in Vi 8/94 is ātura ('the afflicted'), rendered 'patient'; rogi is Vagbhata's word.
Renderings that do not hold
- tenfold diagnosis. Charaka states the purpose as measuring bala and dosha, not diagnosing disease.
- 'homologation' for sātmya (WHO). Obscure English; Kaviratna's 'what things are suitable to his constitution' is clearer.
How to cite this entry
Age Ayurveda Nighantu, rogiparīkṣā
, https://nighantu.ageayurveda.com/lexicon/rogi-pariksha/, CC BY 4.0.
The whole lexicon is downloadable from the index.
Machine-readable source: Markdown.
Data exported 2026-10-08.
Educational reference only. A term entry explains what a word means and how it has been translated. Nothing here is advice, and nothing here describes how any condition should be treated.