The Nature of Marma Points
The seventeenth-century text, Bhav Prakash, describes the nature of marmā in Garbaprakarana, verse 223:
marmāni tesu tisthanti prānāh khaluh visesatah |
In the marmā points, prāna lives; prāna is established in the marmā points.
Bhav Prakash gives us a concise and meaningful definition. A more technical and medically precise definition is given by Sushruta in his surgical treatise dating to the 6th century B.C.E.:
सोममरुत तेजांसि रजःसत्वतमांसि च।
मर्मसु प्रायशः पुंसा भूतात्मा चावतिष्ठते॥
somamarūta tejāṁsi rajaḥsatvatamāṁsi ca|
marmasu prāyaśaḥ puṁsā bhūtātmā cāvatiṣṭhate||
Soma, marut, tejas (or agni), sattva, rajas, tamas and jivātman have their seats in the marmas.
In these verses, Sushruta is describing how various energetic, mental, and humoral aspects of the human physiology intersect at marma points. Sushruta’s statement is not made in passing, as he also classifies marma points based on their tissue depth, doshic function, and degree of vitality. Sushruta also discussed the implications of marma points for surgery stating that incisions should not be made in these locations due to the concentration of life-energy in these points. This understanding proceeds from the literal meaning of marma as “vulnerable point”. Sushruta’s caution may be a reason why Ayurveda did not develop insertive needling techniques in the treatment of marma points.
Sushruta describes a total of 107 marma points; Dr. Vasant Lad describes 117 marma points; and Vaidya Mishra describes 134 marma points (many of which he said were preserved in the oral tradition of his family lineage). This variance is point numbers comes as no surprise to those familiar with Chinese acupuncture, where different lineages present additional points and locations.
Dr. Lad beautifully summarizes the power of marma therapy in this excerpt from his book, Marma Points of Ayurveda:
In ancient Vedic times, marma points were called bindu--a dot, secret dot or mystic point. Like a door or pathway, activating a marma point opens into the inner pharmacy of the body . . . Marma points are an important element of Ayurveda's healing power. Developed in India centuries ago, these energy points profoundly affect the body, mind and spirit and facilitate the deepest levels of healing. Prana is the current of energy that infuses every cell within the body. Stimulating marmani (energy points) directly taps into this reservoir of energy and promotes health.