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Dr.P.I.Tarkas Biography

Dear friends,

I had posted this biography earlier too but inadvertently had forgotten to mention that this biography was written by Dr.Ajit Kulkarni MD(Hom.), Director, Homeopathic Research Institute, Satara, India. I am extremely sorry for this mistake as it has offended Dr. Kulakarni. Dr.Kulkarni was a student of Dr.Tarkas and is an international teacher on homeopathy and gives seminars in various countries.He has authored many books on homeopathy.

Rajiv

Dr P I Tarkas: Doyen of Homoeopathy. His life and living

By Dr. Ajit Kulkarni
www.ajitkulkarni.com

'Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.'

- Carlyle, Past and Present


I was numbed when the sad news of demise of Dr Tarkas pierced through on 20.07.2000. A man who worked like a Trojan throughout his life is no more. But the work he left to posterity will not go into oblivion. 'I shall light a candle of understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out' wrote Apocrypha, II Esdras, XIV, 25. Understanding Materia Medica and Repertory was the mission he took up in early 1950 and worked endlessly, selflessly for the sake of Homoeopathy for over 50 years.



Biography

Born on 8th September 1908 in a poor Gujarati family of Barhanpur, his brother was a famous freedom fighter and reporter, Krishnakant Tarkas. He was blessed with talent and sincerity. During the early 20th century, education was not given much importance. But Tarkas passed his matriculation from 'Robertson High School, Barhanpur with distinction. Whatever the cost, his parents decided to send Tarkas to the famous Benaras Hindu University. His highly erudite teachers Dr Anand Shankar Druv, Prof Agarkar, Dr Banerjee shaped his personality. Scholarship helped him complete his MA in Sanskrit with distinction. English was the optional subject as Shakespeare influenced him. Tarkas once wrote to me, 'The knowledge of English helped me to understand Homoeopathy in a better way, to dive deep into the core of our remedies and present them before the profession.'

From Benaras he went to Calcutta to study Tibetian language. Later he headed the project of making a dictionary of Tibetian language and on 'Relation between Sanskrit and Tibetian languages.' He also studied Bengali at Calcutta. Tarkas had the fascination for words and he was a voracious reader. Philosophy was his favourite subject. At Calcutta, he got acquainted with homoeopathy only as a patient.

In1938, Tarkas was re-called home by his elder brothers Govinddas and Dharamadas to start 'Nutan Printing Press' at Akola. To put his LLB to use Tarkas decided to start his practice as an advocate in addition to the press. However he soon closed this practice as 'it was impossible for me to take false cases.' Tarkas continued the press upto 1958. His command over languages (Sanskrit, Tibet, Gujarathi, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi and English), made him a famous 'proof-reader' and guide to every writer. He continued his advanced study of languages.

Tarkas was very principled, modest and kind-hearted and never chased money. This made him a very good man, but did not improve his financial condition, nor his relationship with his family, who had to suffer needs unfulfilled because of his nature. His modest income he spent on purchasing rare books. He had an extraordinary habit of collecting books from whatever source he used to get and had an extraordinary memory too.


Homoeopathy As A Mission

A severe attack of dysentery debilitated his already frail constitution. Homoeopathy through Dr Maganbhai Desai, the famous Homoeopath of Surat, rescued him. This was his 'turning point'. Homoeopathy, with its sheer logic, holistic philosophy and humane approach suited the make-up of Dr Tarkas. Homoeopathy became his mission.

He met Dr Sarabhai Kapadia and Dr Sarla Sonawala, two other disciples of Maganbhai, who urged him to come to Mumbai. Sarabhai would often say 'You come here at Mumbai.You will shine here in this cosmopolitan city.' Sarlaben called him a 'Diamond' in homoeopathy recognizable to only few genuine people.

Dr Tarkas started his project on Materia Medica and Repertory in early 1950. His work included

Correcting each standard work on Materia Medica and repertory viz. Hering, Kent, Boger, Boenninghausen, Clarke, Boericke, Allen etc.

Addition to the standard works.

Coining new words, sentences, rubrics, relations etc.

Compiling information about MM and repertory from national and international journals, case reports, etc.

Collating this information

Consolidating the cumbersome data of Materia Medica

To formulate pragmatic concepts out of the maze of symptoms

Organizing data to reach the heart of the remedies and lift the veil of mystery that enshrouds a remedy

Using various branches of medicine viz. physiology, pathology, biochemistry, psychology, psychiatry to erect the portrait of a remedy

Co-relating the material in the MM and Repertory with his own vast clinical experiences and adding the material therefrom.

Original thinking borne out of his talent and untiring efforts.

Literary Contribution Sarlaben, recognizing his potential and knowing the loss to the science when work is not penned down, as in Dr Maganbhai's case, encouraged Tarkas to write one remedy at a time and started the MM series for the Indian Journal of Homoeopathy, Mumbai which later continued in the National Journal of Homoeopathy.

This compulsory writing paid off! His articles were compiled and a book was borne through the efforts of Dr Ajit Kulkarni joined hiem to form the practical part of the duo and thus materialized 'A Select Homoeopathic Materia Medica Parts I and II' -now published works. Part I(500 pages) is in its 3rd edition and contains 60 remedies including polychrests, nosodes, hormones and some rare remedies. Part II in its 2nd edition of 300 pgs, covers 40 remedies.

His mode of work: Ponder over the entire data and then present with extensive co-relates and suggestions for practical uses. Each remedy had a novel presentation from start to finish. An illustration:

Under Sul-iod he begins, 'A Sul. more warm-blooded, more glandular, more hungry, more phthisical and more affiliated to Syph (Sul. is collateral to Med); although both have generally a dermic starting point. Its sweep is wide, covering all the four miasms (though with syphilis uppermost, like Syph), thus carrying further the work of Sul, Tub, and Syph. Sul-i and Syph may help a Sul. case out, just as X-ray may clear a Medo. case.

Tarkas' major contribution was 'renovated relationship'. He widened the concept of relations of remedies with the use of more than 50 words and coined many relations. Dr Tarkas clearly said 'We must take up only such medicines about which we have something fresh to deliver. We have not to carry coals to new castle. Why repeat what Boericke, Kent, Allen etc. have so ably done? Our MM should be a trendsetter and get a global reception. Everyone should find something new and enlightening here.'

It is my fortune that I was entrusted by Dr. Tarkas to revise, augment, edit and publish the work. Part I Tarkas did actively; after that he handed over his notes on remedies to me and decided to dive into 'Repertory'. The work on 'A Select Homoeopathic Materia Medica Part III' is under hibernation. My ambition is to bring out MM in five parts in future. The repertory work is gigantic. Almost every standard work on MM has been converted into rubrics by him single-handedly. This repertory needs publication.


The Style Of Work And Writing

Dr Tarkas was a perfectionist and highly methodical. I have seen very few persons of his caliber. While adding any information in MM or repertory, he will search for its reliable source and will add it only after he is convinced. Before publication of part I of MM, I had gone to Vadodara to show him my own additions, comments, relations etc. Dr. Tarkas went through every word, checked it with relevant sources and only then allowed the incorporporations. Tarkas wrote his notes on small chits with special markings; he was deadly against waste of paper While making a final draft of the remedy, he used to collect all chits and the special markings given enabled him to integrate the various pieces. His handwriting was neat but very small and we have to use magnifying glasses to read. He wrote to me hundreds of letters and every letter is on a post-card.(We at NJH have also received his post cards and his articles tied up with string wrapped in old note paper- but effective!)

His exceptional talent was abridgement of data. Due to his superb command over English, he had an unusual knack of precise and concise presentation. Many readers have termed 'A Select Homoeopathic Materia Medica' as 'Expanded Boger'. Dr Tarkas was a prolific writer and had a poetic character too. He was a man of profound ideas and depth. To illustrate his poetic imagination coupled with utility of Pulsatilla, Dr Tarkas wrote, 'A delightfully simple medicine, a polychrest of many uses, virtually a princess in the role of a maid servant; a kindly medicine to all: a boon to the unborn, a blessing to the new born, a comrade to the (growing) adolescent, a comforter to the advanced, a solace to the incurable, and when the end is near, a soother of the rattle; practicing well Osler's advice ' Aim to cure sometimes, to relieve often and to comfort always.'


Dr Tarkas: The Man And His Sense of Values

Dr Tarkas was a thorough gentleman, a saint or an evolved soul. Despite his greatness, he was very humble and kind. He was an 'unprejudiced' man in the true sense of Hahnemann, always ready to introspect himself. He always spoke positively about any colleague, author, relative or book etc. No bad opinion about anyone. Only after careful study he expressed his opinion. Post-publication of 'Part I A Select Hom. MM', we received many comments from seniors, juniors and students. About some superficial comments he wrote, 'As for reviews sent in your two letters my impression is that they defeat the purpose of our MM. A real review cannot be given before one year of intensive reading of our book and testing at bed-side. And, I would be grateful only if my attention is drawn to wrong statements, or a controversy is started. And this is not possible unless an intensive reading is done. I do not hope that our stalwarts-prestigewallah people will ever do that. We will get only formal goody-goody thanks. Many of us-esp. the senior ones-pardon me, are self-conceited and self-complacent, and a great blockage to the progress of Science'.

One senior homoeopath criticized MM even without reading the contents. He nicely presented himself as 'prejudiced' and hence as an anti-Hahnemannian. Dr.Tarkas answered back 'Detractors to any good work will always be there. One should not be irritated by unjust criticism. As Dr Johnson said, 'My critics are my best well-wishers'. At any rate one will evaluate a work in accordance to one's own accomplishments and bias. So let them alone. Our work should aim at providing material to those who may be willing to use it in practice and thereby heal people and restore health.'

Dr Tarkas made me to offer one page of MM for his quotation, 'Homoeopathy is a mission, not a career. It calls for a commitment, not a mere acquaintance. It lends a finger to the forlorn, forsaken, frustrated.'

Dr Tarkas practised homoeopathy for over fifty years. He had an extensive practice with a good rapport with patients. His extensive clinical records left behind need editing and publication. He was very polite and honest pure and simple. He once wrote to me, 'I closed down the windows of name, fame and money for the sake of homoeopathy. Had I paid attention to mundane materialism, I couldn't have done something for homoeopathy. And, whatever I have done is but a hundredth part of the task before us.' It speaks volumes of Dr.Tarkas' wisdom that he shut out all the entry points of name, fame and money and quietly went ahead about his mission.

For the book-release function of 'A Select MM Part I', I called him to Satara. He wrote, 'As for my presence at publication-function I must say: God willing; health permitting. My condition will be: no praise or felicitations to this humble self. I should be received as other spectators'. I requested him to take some money from books. He wrote, 'As for your offer for accepting a share from the profits, let me humbly say that I have yet to pay for the debt of homoeopathy in keeping this body and soul together for all these years to this frail born-sick person. This I am doing to repay not in terms of money, but by taking our science one step ahead.'

This most strikingly brings to the fore, his selflessness. He was a superb combination of hard work, perseverance, dedication and high talent. His feet firmly planted on the ground, he was deadly against personal glorification. He portraited 'Anhalonium-lewinii' so nicely that I sent him a letter of appreciation. He commented, 'Your each word of praise has a shrinking effect on me.' Here are some excerpts from his writings: 'Am neither any high or superb personality : of this I am certain, very certain. I have no delusion of grandeur. I am just an average human person with a feeling that I have been charged with the service/mission of pushing homoeopathy one step forward. This is to explain my labours thereon. My role is simply like a honey-bee : just a collector, analyser, abridger and digester- well, call me, if you please, a dictionary-maker.'

Once he sent me his philosophy of life through a child's poem


Good, better, best
Never let it rest,
Until the good is better
And the better best.

Views On Various Aspects Of Homoeopathy

Speculations

'As a practical homoeopathic therapeutician I do feel that we should not exhaust ourselves over pedantic formulations. Our revered Hahnemann has emphatically warned us against 'empty speculations.' Hence he could not have approved the present-day 'hair-splitting' bombasts of our homoeopaths. Let that not be an obstacle against popularization of our beneficial science.'


On Miasms

He had a different view about coining new miasms on the basis of diseases. He wrote to me, 'I agree that there are three fundamental miasms just as there is a play of triads in this universe set off by the Almighty. To give some examples of these three's: Gunas (Satvam, Rajas, Tamas), Dosh (Vat, Pitta, kapah), Colours (red, yellow, blue ), Season (hot, cold, wet ), activities (Hyper, Hypo, Neutral), Attitudes (Love, Hate, Neutral ), Chemical (Acid, Alkali, Neutral ) and so on. Yet there is no end to the permutations and combinations of these several triads. Similarly there can be as many combinations as persons and as remedies. Every person or medicine is thus a unique miasm (say a cocktail of two or more of these three miasms peculiar to oneself.) Our effort as a therapeutician is to honestly endeavour to match the miasms (group) of the patient with the miasms (group) of the remedy. This is how I understand the law of similars. I have yet to come across a patient or a remedy with a single (solo) miasm. In this light I consider the symptoms of miasms given to us by Hahnemann and other stalwarts as more or less 'speculations'.

And, if we regard TB-or pseudo-psora-as a fourth miasm, will not the claim of cancer be legitimate for 5th miasm ? Why should we then not add further ? So let us be 'empirical' as Hahnemann desired for us and remain content with considering TB, cancer or AIDS etc. as (each) incorporating certain combinations of the original three.'

On Heart of the Remedy:

Our remedies have several hearts, at least more than one; and our effort should be to discover these hearts and to add more 'hearts'. This view strikes a different note to the conception of our predecessors who sought to delineate on a single heart, image or soul. Our remedies are indeed multiphased and multifaceted, and consequently there are various make-ups for a single remedy. Thus we find (often) opposite modalities in the same remedy (cp Agar, Lyc ,Tub etc). So much so that our remedies may look even absurd.'

On Symptoms in Materia Medica

'All symptoms carry equal marks, no bold or capital. Author's strict classification mars the efficacy of our medicines, their very e'lan or raison d'etre. All symptoms are important when required. To exemplify: if only < least motion is emphasized, we forget > motion in Bry ( Bry has > motion : shaking limbs, hanging limbs, descending, continued walking (unsteadiness, nervousness), fibrous tissue pains and walking in open air (toothache). As a matter of fact, we have to see what is important in a patient and we have to go from patient to the remedy.'

On The Planes

'The treatment is 'a match played on an even ground.' It is an interplay of disease and drug. In intricate diseases-acute or chronic we have to behave as in a game of chess: our play is decided by the previous player, here disease (to break the metaphor). The concept of 'range' or 'plane' of the medicines is fictitious and do not exist in the medicines in essence, at least not in all medicines. At best it is a 'gocart' for the novice, for the adept there are no such restrictions. Witness : Acon has cured chronic gall-stone colic, Bell has cured renal calculi and inveterate eczema. Ars is much an acute of Lach as Lach. itself is of Ars. Acute and chronic are in many cases convenient symbols- crutches for our lame thought. But there should be no foisting them on medicines. Who are we to handicap the absolute sway of our medicines? Remember the power of disease to derange is limited, while that of drug to cure is unlimited.'


On the Theory of a Single Dose

'Some people labour under the notion of 'a single dose with no repetition as far as possible'. They think that the curative process starts directly with the very first dose of the indicated remedy, the vital force so armed doing the rest of the work. Note that failure to repeat is also one of the reasons of failure in practice. Look at our 'proving' process. Symptoms usually start upon a series of doses. If however proving starts forthwith (upon the first dose), the symptoms yielded are superficial. For a substantial portrait of the drug, a series of doses are to be given to a prover. We will drift away from the central tenet of individualization, if we follow single dose therapy in all patients and in all disease conditions.'


Sacrifice of self and time

'Great things are done when men and mountains meet :
This is not done by jostling in the street'

- William Blake


But for Dr Tarkas except for his wife 'Kantaben' to whom he dedicated the first volume of MM and whose early departure kept a lasting impression of being forlorn with nobody to support. The five D's for quality of work- Dedication, Devotion, Discipline, Discrimination and Determination-were his mountains which met with his inner man to explore the world of MM and Repertory. Dr Tarkas had to pay the price of his discipline and perfectionism. The last two decades indeed tested him. And strangely, the homoeopathic fraternity witnessed the blossoming of his creativity during this period.

Knowing that his life was to ebb away, he embraced death at a very ripe age of 93 years young through Prayopavasan (shutting out all food, water and medicines) displaying his determination and high rank.

A tribute from a disciple and an admirer:

Dr.Purushottam Ishwardas Tarkas used to call himself 'PIshwardas Tarkas', humbly holding that he is not 'Purushottam' and he is merely a 'das' of Ishwara. But he was a 'Purushottam' in the truest sense.

The man who strode like a colossus for five decades is no more. The man of an unparalleled performance, with an unending reservoir of love, respect, dedication towards homoeopathy and dynamism has made his exit, but the legend lives. We must understand that people like DrTarkas never die. They live on. And Dr.Tarkas shall live on forever in the hearts of innumerable serious minded homoeopaths who aspire to work for the cause of homoeopathy. When great men die, it is often said that the void will not be easily filled up. More often that not, the word sounds hollow. But in the case of Dr.Tarkas, the word fits. There can never be another Dr Tarkas again. If there is God, I will love to pray and beg: 'Give us dedicated homoeopaths like Dr Tarkas at least every five decades' as our homoeopathic science is in dire necessity of such people !

I delimit myself with Henry Longfellow's stanza

'Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And ,departing, leave behind us,
Footprints on the sands of time.'
 
  rajivprasad on 2006-11-27
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
Dear Rajiv

this is the url for the abovearticle.

http://www.njhonline.com/2000/jul_aug_vol2_no4/misc/dr_p_i_tarkas_doyen_of_homoeopathy.shtml

Murthy
 
gavinimurthy last decade

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