Key Takeaways
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When you visit a doctor for a health problem, you may expect questions about your symptoms first. An Ayurvedic doctor may go a little further and ask about your usual appetite, body build, sleep, bowel habits, strength, food habits and how long you have had the problem.
This is where Dashavidha Pariksha and Trividha Pariksha come in. They are two ways described in Ayurveda to examine a patient and understand what is happening. Dashavidha Pariksha looks at ten aspects of the individual, while Trividha Pariksha focuses on how the doctor gathers information through observation, examination and questions.
What Is Dashavidha Pariksha in Ayurveda?
Dashavidha Pariksha means tenfold examination of the patient. It is described in Charaka Samhita as a way to understand the patient’s constitution, present condition, strength and other factors before treatment is planned.
The ten factors are Prakriti, Vikriti, Sara, Samhanana, Pramana, Satmya, Satva, Ahara Shakti, Vyayama Shakti and Vaya. Together, they help the doctor understand the person who has the disease. (Ankita et al., 2025)
You may have two people with the same complaint, such as weakness or poor digestion. Their treatment may still need to be different because their constitution, strength, digestion, age and other health factors may not be the same.
That is one of the reasons Dashavidha Pariksha remains relevant during an Ayurvedic consultation.
Want to Know What Your Ayurvedic Health Assessment Looks At?
What Are the 10 Factors of Dashavidha Pariksha?
Each part of Dashavidha Pariksha tells the doctor something different about you.
1. Prakriti
Prakriti refers to your natural constitution. It is assessed in relation to Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Your Prakriti helps the doctor understand your usual physical and functional tendencies. It also gives a baseline against which present changes can be considered.
2. Vikriti
Vikriti refers to the changes or imbalance present at the time of examination.
This distinction can be useful during a consultation. Your usual appetite may have always been light, but if it has recently become much lower, your doctor needs to know that change.
3. Sara
Sara refers to the quality or strength of the body’s tissues.
The doctor observes different physical features to understand the overall state of the tissues and the person’s strength.
4. Samhanana
Samhanana refers to the compactness and build of the body.
The doctor considers the way different parts of the body are formed and how well developed the body structure appears.
5. Pramana
Pramana relates to body measurements and proportions.
Your height, body measurements and overall proportions may be considered as part of this examination.
6. Satmya
Satmya refers to what suits your body and what you have adapted to.
Your usual food, habits and environment can be relevant here. A food that suits one person may not suit another in the same way.
7. Satva
Satva relates to mental strength and the way a person responds to situations.
Your doctor may consider your ability to cope with illness, stress and changes in daily life as part of the assessment.
8. Ahara Shakti
Ahara Shakti refers to your capacity to take and digest food.
Your appetite and ability to handle meals can give the doctor useful information about your digestive strength.
9. Vyayama Shakti
Vyayama Shakti refers to your capacity for physical activity or exercise.
Your doctor may ask how much activity you can comfortably do and how your body responds to exertion.
10. Vaya
Vaya refers to age.
Age matters because physical strength, digestion, tissue condition and the body’s response to treatment can vary across different stages of life.
These ten factors are looked at together because each one tells the doctor something different about you. They can also be considered along with other Ayurvedic examinations such as Ashtavidha Pariksha, which includes observations such as the tongue, pulse, urine and stool. This gives the doctor more information to work with when understanding your present health and deciding what needs attention. (Sarnaik et al., 2021)
Why Does Ayurveda Look at Prakriti and Vikriti Separately?
This is one of the most useful parts of Dashavidha Pariksha.
Suppose you have always had a light appetite. Your doctor may consider this part of your usual constitution. But if your appetite has recently changed and you now feel full after eating very little, that is a new finding.
So the doctor asks a simple question. “What is normal for you, and what has changed?”
| Prakriti vs Vikriti Prakriti helps describe your usual state. Vikriti helps the doctor understand the present change. |
Looking at both can make the assessment more personal. It also helps the doctor understand the disease in relation to your own baseline.
What Is Trividha Pariksha in Ayurveda?
Trividha Pariksha means threefold examination.
In the context of patient examination, the three commonly described methods are Darshana, Sparshana and Prashna.
Darshana means observation. The doctor carefully looks at visible signs before asking questions or examining through touch. The tongue is a good example. During Jihva Pariksha, the doctor observes its colour, white coating, moisture, shape and surface.
Sparshana means examination through touch. Depending on the health concern, the doctor may assess areas of the body through touch or palpation.
Prashna means questioning. This is where your doctor asks about your symptoms, food habits, bowel movements, sleep, daily routine, medical history and other details.
These three methods work together. Ayurvedic clinical examination has traditionally used observation, touch and questioning to gather information about the patient’s condition. (Kurande et al., 2013)
How Are Dashavidha and Trividha Pariksha Different?
The easiest way to understand the difference is to think about what is being assessed and how the information is collected.
| Pariksha | What it focuses on |
| Trividha Pariksha | Observation, touch and questioning during clinical examination |
| Dashavidha Pariksha | Ten aspects of the person’s constitution, condition, strength and functional capacity |
They are not competing methods. A doctor can use what is seen, felt and discussed during the consultation and then consider those findings along with the ten factors of Dashavidha Pariksha.
For example, a person may come with tiredness. The doctor may observe the person’s appearance, ask about sleep and appetite, and assess physical strength. The doctor can then consider age, Prakriti, Vikriti, Satva, Ahara Shakti and Vyayama Shakti to understand the complaint in greater detail.
Take another example. If you come with heaviness after meals and a recurring white coating on your tongue, the doctor may observe the tongue under Darshana, ask about your appetite and bowel movements through Prashna and examine the relevant physical findings through Sparshana. The doctor may also use Nadi Pariksha to examine the pulse and add another set of observations to the assessment.
This is how these examinations can come together during a consultation. One finding leads to another question, and the doctor gradually gets a clearer understanding of what you are experiencing.
How Does Dashavidha Pariksha Help With Disease Assessment?
Ayurveda does not look at the disease completely separately from the person who has it.
Your symptoms tell the doctor what you are experiencing. Your examination gives more information about your present condition. Your Prakriti, strength, digestion, age and other factors help the doctor understand how the problem is affecting you.
“A patient may come to me saying, ‘I feel weak all the time.’ I want to know what that weakness looks like for that person. I ask about food, sleep, digestion, daily activity and how long they have felt this way. I also look at their age, body strength and constitution. Those details often tell me much more about the complaint.”
– Dr. Cinni Vijay Pandey, Regional Medical Head, Madhavbaug
This can also help when planning treatment. A person with good physical strength may be assessed differently from someone who is older or has lower exercise capacity. The same disease may also present differently in people with different constitutions.
Dashavidha Pariksha is therefore used to understand both Rogi Bala, the strength of the patient, and Roga Bala, the strength or severity of the disease. This understanding can support treatment planning and assessment of prognosis. (Sarnaik et al., 2021)
How Does Dashavidha Pariksha Support Personalised Ayurvedic Care?
There is no single way a health problem affects everyone.
Your age, constitution, digestion, strength, food habits and daily routine can all be different from another person’s. Dashavidha Pariksha gives the doctor a structured way to consider these differences before deciding how to approach your care.
Research reviews describe Dashavidha Pariksha as a method that can support diagnosis, prognosis and individualised treatment planning. (Ankita et al., 2025)
The value lies in the complete assessment. One finding may not tell the whole story. Several small findings can become much more useful when they fit together.
| Clinical Insight “In clinical practice, I do not start by looking only at the disease. I first want to know the person in front of me. Their age, strength, digestion, constitution and present complaints all tell me something about how I should approach their care.” Dr. Gurudatta Amin, BAMS, MD, PGDEMS 19+ Years of Clinical Experience, CMO, Madhavbaug |
Can These Ayurvedic Examinations Be Used During Follow-Up?
During a follow-up, your doctor can use the same Ayurvedic examinations to see what has changed since your earlier assessment.
Your appetite may have changed. Your exercise capacity may be better. Your sleep may have improved. Some symptoms may have reduced while others may still need attention.
Your doctor can compare these changes with your earlier assessment and see how the condition has developed over time. This also connects with Nidana Panchaka, which helps an Ayurvedic doctor look at the cause of a problem, its early signs, symptoms, progression and other factors related to the condition.
For example, if your digestive complaints were linked with a change in appetite and heaviness after meals, your doctor can ask whether these symptoms are still present and whether anything new has appeared. The answers can help the doctor understand how the condition is changing and whether your care needs to be adjusted.
This is why follow-up matters in Ayurveda. Your present symptoms are considered along with what you had earlier, what may have contributed to the problem and how you have responded to care.
How Does Madhavbaug Use Ayurvedic Patient Assessment?
At Madhavbaug, Ayurvedic assessment is doctor-guided and based on your individual health concerns.
During your consultation, the doctor may discuss your symptoms, food habits, digestion, daily routine and other health factors. Ayurvedic examination methods can then be considered along with modern diagnostic tests when required.
The purpose is to understand what you are experiencing and decide what should be assessed next.
If you want to discuss your health concerns with an Ayurvedic doctor, you can find your nearest Madhavbaug clinic or hospital and schedule an assessment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dashavidha Pariksha in Ayurveda?Dashavidha Pariksha is a tenfold examination of the patient. It considers Prakriti, Vikriti, Sara, Samhanana, Pramana, Satmya, Satva, Ahara Shakti, Vyayama Shakti and Vaya.
What is Trividha Pariksha?Trividha Pariksha is a threefold method of clinical examination commonly described through Darshana, Sparshana and Prashna, meaning observation, examination through touch and questioning.
What is the difference between Dashavidha and Trividha Pariksha?Trividha Pariksha describes three ways of gathering clinical information. Dashavidha Pariksha looks at ten aspects of the person, including constitution, present condition, strength, digestion, exercise capacity and age.
Why is Prakriti assessed in Ayurveda?Prakriti helps the doctor understand your natural constitution and provides a baseline for considering changes in your current health.
What does Vikriti mean in Ayurveda?Vikriti refers to the present changes or imbalance seen during the assessment. It helps the doctor understand what has changed from the person’s usual state.
Is Dashavidha Pariksha enough to diagnose a disease?It is one part of Ayurvedic assessment. The doctor considers your symptoms, examination findings, health history and other relevant investigations before deciding on your care.
How does Dashavidha Pariksha help with treatment?It gives the doctor information about your constitution, strength, digestion, age and other factors that can be considered when planning individualised care.
References
Ankita, Prakash, V., Marolia, P. and Thalore, R. (2025) ‘A Scientific Review on Dashavidha Atura Pariksha: The Tenfold Examination in Ayurveda’, Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences, 10(5), pp. 117–119.
Sarnaik, S.P., Shirke, J.M., Deshmukh, R.A. and Shirke, U.J. (2021) ‘Review of Dashavidha Pariksha and Its Practical Applicability in Ayurveda’, Drugs and Cell Therapies in Hematology, 10(3), pp. 435–442.
Kurande, V., Bilgrau, A.E., Waagepetersen, R., Toft, E. and Prasad, R. (2013) ‘Interrater Reliability of Diagnostic Methods in Traditional Indian Ayurvedic Medicine’, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, Article 658275.
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