Nadi Pariksha

Nadi pariksha (नाड़ी परीक्षा) — pulse examination — is the traditional diagnostic art of Ayurveda and Siddha: reading the pulse at the wrist as the movement of the doshas (or the uydhal in Siddha), from which constitution, imbalance, and even organic condition are inferred.

Origins

The classical Ayurvedic trio (Charaka, Sushruta, Vagbhata) note pulse sparingly; the developed art descends from Sharngadhara Samhita (13th–14th c.) and the later pulse texts (the Kanada? — the nadi-vijnana literature of the medieval period); Siddha’s envagai thervu (the eightfold examination) gives naadi the first seat, with its own (naadi) manuals.

Methodology

Three fingers at the radial pulse correspond (in the standard Ayurvedic reading) to vata, pitta, kapha in sequence; the pulse’s rate, rhythm, depth, and “movement” (the classical likenings — vata like a serpent, pitta like a frog? — the traditional similes: serpentine, leaping, swan-like) are read through hours of trained attention. Siddha reading (naadi nool) maps more granular types; masters claim diagnosis of organ pathology from touch alone.

Modern status

Standard practice in Ayurvedic and Siddha clinics (the first diagnostic touch of the tradition); scientific validation is limited — studies show poor inter-practitioner agreement in controlled settings, and the encyclopedia notes the gap between traditional authority and controlled evidence.

Verification notes

• The textual lineage (Sharngadhara onward) and the Siddha eightfold exam are standard; agreement-study limitations are documented in the literature.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).