What Is Alochaka Pitta?

Alochaka Pitta is the form of Pitta seated in the eyes, governing sight. It receives and processes light, giving the perception of form and colour. As the fire of vision, it transforms the light of the world into the images the mind can see. It is one of the five divisions of Pitta.

The meaning and seat of Alochaka Pitta

The name Alochaka means the one that perceives or sees, from alochana, perception, and Alochaka Pitta is the form of Pitta that governs vision. The classical texts place its seat in the eyes, the organs of sight, where it receives the light of the world. Of all the transformations attributed to Pitta this is among the most subtle, the turning of outward light into inward perception, so that the eye becomes a place where fire meets fire, the fire of the sun without and the fire of Alochaka within. The tradition holds that vision depends on this meeting, and it treats the clarity and brightness of the eyes as a sign of well ordered Alochaka. It is the fire by which the world is seen.

What Alochaka Pitta governs

Ayurveda assigns to Alochaka Pitta the whole work of sight. It receives light through the eyes and processes it into the perception of form, shape and colour, so that the images of the world are made available to the mind. In the classical scheme the senses each have their organ and their governing principle, and for the eye it is Alochaka that presides, the fiery element being suited to the perception of light and colour. Through it the eye discriminates brightness and hue, distance and form. The tradition connects the sharpness and clarity of sight, and the lustre of the eyes, with the sound working of this Pitta, and it treats the eye as one of the special seats where the transforming fire is at work in a refined form.

Alochaka Pitta and sight

The link between Alochaka Pitta and light is central to its nature. Because Pitta is of the nature of fire, and light is fire’s own quality, the tradition holds the eye to be the sense organ most governed by Pitta, just as the ear is tied to space and the nose to earth. This is why the perception of colour and brightness is treated as the special work of Alochaka. It receives the impression of light and passes it inward, where it is taken up by the reception of the senses that belongs to Prana Vata, described in the article on Vata dosha characteristics, so that seeing is a shared work of the fire that perceives and the air that carries perception to the mind. The clarity of the eyes is thus a meeting of several principles well ordered together.

Alochaka Pitta in balance and disturbance

In balance, Alochaka Pitta shows as clear, bright and comfortable sight and lustrous eyes. When it is disturbed, the hot and sharp qualities of Pitta come forward in the eyes. The classical texts describe heat, redness or a burning sensation in the eyes, sensitivity to bright light, and a sense of strain, since the eyes, being a seat of Pitta, readily show its excess. Because Alochaka is seated in the eyes, its disturbance is felt there rather than elsewhere in the body. These are described as classical tendencies of aggravated Pitta in the eyes, to be weighed by a trained eye alongside other signs, and they are not names of medical conditions or diagnoses.

Alochaka Pitta among the five Pitta subtypes

Alochaka Pitta is the fourth of five divisions of Pitta, each seated in a region and governing a transformation. Pachaka digests food at the centre, Ranjaka colours the blood, Sadhaka serves the mind at the heart, Alochaka governs sight in the eyes, and Bhrajaka governs the complexion and the skin. Like the other Pittas, Alochaka is supplied and strengthened by the digestive fire at the centre, so that the tradition connects the health of the eyes with sound digestion and well nourished tissue. The wider nature of Pitta is set out in the Pitta dosha article, and the ordering of all three doshas is described in the tridosha theory.

Supporting Alochaka Pitta

Because Pitta is hot, sharp, light and slightly oily, the classical rule of opposite qualities settles it with coolness and calm. For Alochaka Pitta the tradition favours cooling and nourishing food, rest for the eyes, and the avoidance of excessive heat, glare and strain, since the eyes are a delicate seat of Pitta. Coolness applied gently to the eyes and adequate rest are traditional comforts, and since all the Pittas draw on the digestive fire, keeping digestion even is held to support the eyes as well. Where the eyes are persistently hot, strained or uncomfortable, the classical counsel is to consult an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner rather than to self-treat, since the eye is a delicate organ and its care belongs to a trained observer.

This article describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of Alochaka Pitta and is offered for education, not as medical advice.