The word ‘srota’ has been used frequently in the preceding pages related to the channel systems of the body. Many of the srota systems are equivalent to the physiological systems of the body like the digestive, respiratory and nervous systems. It should be clear by now that a clean and healthy srota with the proper flow of energy is necessary for a healthy body. Srota systems are as important as the dosas, malas and dhatus. Srotas and their functions are briefly described in Table 10.
All body parts that are hollow (dominated by the space element), which carry water, food, mala, dhatu, sound and nerve impulses are called ‘srota. ‘They also transport essential materials like the dhatus from one part of the body to another. Since they circulate various substances throughout the body, they are termed ‘srotas’ or the channels’2*. These hollow body parts have different shapes and sizes. Some are tubes, others are long, thin and wide and others have a complex system of branches, much like creepers. Some srotas are visible to the naked eye, while many others are not. They are usually of the same color as the substances that they carry.
(carries nutrients that nourish bones)
marrow by crushing,
compression
