Netra Tarpana

Overview

Netra Tarpana is the Ayurvedic treatment that bathes the eyes in warm medicated ghee. Netra means eye and tarpana means to satisfy or to nourish, and that is the plain aim of the procedure: to feed and settle the eyes.

It belongs to a small family of eye procedures the texts call netra kriyakalpa. Among them, tarpana is the gentle, nourishing one. Rather than wash the eye or apply a drop, it surrounds the eye in a warm bath of ghee and lets it soak.

Ayurveda places the eyes under the care of Pitta, the warm, sharp principle, in a form named alochaka Pitta that governs sight. Ghee is the classic foil to that warmth: cool, soft and nourishing, with a particular affinity, the texts say, for the fine tissues. That pairing, a cool nourishing fat held against the warm sharp eye, is the heart of the treatment.

The medicated ghee

The substance held over the eye is almost always a Ghritham, a ghee that has been simmered with herbs until it carries their qualities.

The most often named is Triphala Ghritham, made with the three fruits, amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki, which the tradition holds dear for the eyes. Brahmi Ghritham is another, built on brahmi, the herb long valued for the nerves and the senses. Which ghee is chosen depends on the person, the season and their constitution. The classical writers are firm that the ghee be of good quality and fresh, since the eye is among the body’s most delicate tissues and will not forgive a spoiled or rancid fat.

How it is done

The procedure is careful work and is done by a trained hand. The person lies back with the head supported and the eyes closed to begin.

A small wall is built around the eye socket from a soft dough, usually of black gram flour, pressed gently onto the skin to form a watertight ring that stands clear of the eyelid edges. Warm ghee, neither hot nor cold but a little above body warmth, is then poured slowly inside this wall until it covers the closed lashes. The person is asked to open the eyes within the pool of ghee and to move them softly, up and down and side to side, so the warm ghee bathes the whole surface.

The ghee is held there for a measured time, often a few minutes up to a quarter of an hour, judged by the comfort of the person and the practitioner’s reading of them. Then the dough wall is opened, the ghee is let out, and the eyes are wiped and rinsed with lukewarm water or a mild decoction. Afterwards the eyes are rested, kept from bright light and screens, and not strained for a while.

Suited to the person and the season

Like all Ayurvedic treatment, tarpana is fitted to the individual. For a Pitta person, whose eyes run warm and tire easily, the cooling ghees are favoured. For a Vata person, whose dryness shows in the eyes, a more nourishing, slightly warming preparation suits. A Kapha person is given a lighter ghee and a shorter time, so the heaviness of the dosha is not fed.

The season is read too. In the warm months, when Pitta naturally rises, the cooling preparations come into their own; in the cold, dry season the choice leans toward the more nourishing ghees that answer the dryness of the time.

When it is set aside

The tradition holds tarpana back in certain states: when the eye is sore or swollen, when there is fever or a bad headache, and when a person cannot rest still and follow the simple instructions the procedure needs. The classical view is that the treatment should soothe a quiet eye, not be pressed onto a troubled one.

This entry describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of the treatment. It is not medical advice. Tarpana belongs in the hands of a qualified practitioner, and anyone with an eye complaint should see a suitable professional.

Frequently asked

Why ghee, and not a drop or a wash? Because tarpana is the nourishing eye procedure, and ghee is the classical nourishing fat for the eye, cool and soft with an affinity for delicate tissue. A drop treats; tarpana feeds.

Does the ghee go into the open eye? Yes, gently. The warm ghee is held over the open eye inside the dough wall, and the eyes are moved softly within it so the whole surface is bathed. It is kept at a mild warmth, never hot.

Is it a daily thing? No. It is given as a short course or at the change of seasons, judged by a practitioner. The texts set no single fixed schedule and ask instead that each person be read on their own terms.