JRAMS

### ABSTRACT

**Background:** *Samskāra* is a fundamental principle of Ayurvedic pharmaceutics describing qualitative modification of a substance through specific pharmaceutical processing. The classical concept *Samskāro Hi Guṇāntarādhānam* indicates that processing can alter or facilitate specific properties of a *Dravya*.

**Objective:** To critically review *Samskāra* as *Guṇāntarādhāna* and correlate classical pharmaceutical processes with contemporary concepts of physicochemical transformation.

**Methods:** Classical Ayurvedic literature concerning *Samskāra*, *Bhāvana*, *Śodhana*, *Mardana*, *Agni Samskāra*, *Puṭa*, and related processes was reviewed along with relevant published analytical and experimental studies.

**Results:** Pharmaceutical procedures such as *Bhāvana*, *Mardana*, and *Śodhana* can modify physicochemical characteristics, particle properties, chemical composition, and toxicity of processed materials. Thermal procedures such as *Agni Samskāra* and *Puṭa* may produce further physicochemical transformations. These findings provide contemporary support for the classical concept of *Guṇāntarādhāna*.

**Conclusion:** *Samskāra* represents a systematic pharmaceutical principle that can influence the quality and functional characteristics of Ayurvedic medicines. Its interpretation as *Guṇāntarādhāna* provides a conceptual link between classical Ayurvedic pharmaceutics and contemporary pharmaceutical science. Further standardized analytical studies are required to establish process–property relationships.

Keywords: Samskāra; Guṇāntarādhāna,Rasashastra,Bhaishajya Kalpana; Bhāvana; Śodhana; Ayurvedic pharmaceutics

Samskāra; Guṇāntarādhāna; Rasashastra; Bhaishajya Kalpana; Bhāvana; Śodhana; Ayurvedic pharmaceutics; Pharmaceutical processing.

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Dr Pradeep Agnihotri Agnihotri (docagni@gmail.com)