Ayurveda

The origin of Ayurveda, the ancient system of Indian medicine, is shrouded in Indian mythology and history. 'Ayu' is a Sanskrit word that means age and 'Veda', another Sanskrit word, means a treatise; Ayurveda is therefore a treatise on longevity.

The literature referring to Ayurveda evolved through the writings of several knowledgeable authors who contributed profusely to the development of a system of medication and physical well being.

The language of ayurveda, as with any other old Indian literature, is Sanskrit, the oldest systematic language known to the world. To understand the true spirit of ayurveda a thorough understanding of Sanskrit is a must.

Ayurveda is centuries old

There is evidence to support the existence of ayurveda as a traditional healing system many thousands of years back.

Archaeological excavations of Kumarahar carried out in the capital of the eastern Indian state of Bihar, Patna (historically known as the city of Pataliputra), revealed the presence of extensive therapy centers called Arogya Vihaars (again both are Sanskrit words - 'arogya' meaning sickness, 'vihaar' meaning house) where serious patients were treated.

The nature of matter according to Ayurveda

Ayurveda recognizes the five elements - earth, water, fire, air, and sky - known as Prithvi, Aapa, Teja, Vayu, and Akasha (sky or space) respectively, the panchabhootas - as the fundamental elements of the physical world.

All matter is considered to be the result of different combinations of these elements. The predominance of one element over the other(s) decides the nature of the matter in the physical world.

A substantial portion of ayurveda is written in rhyming verses. This is because in the olden days, when history was more oral than written, i.e. in the times before the invention of writing aids and instruments, rhymes served as good memory aids.

Most of the ancient Indian literature followed the poetic style and was passed on from one generation to another thus.

Ayurveda Specializations

Within ayurveda, there are different branches - manava ayurveda pashu ayurveda, and vriksha ayurveda.

1. Manava ayurveda is for man ('manava' in Sanskrit means 'man')
2. Pashu ayurveda is for animals ('pashu' in Sanskrit means 'animal')
3. Viksha ayurveda is for the plants, shrubs, and trees ('vrisksha' in Sanskrit means plants, shrubs, and trees).

In the Vedic period, physicians would go from one village to another to treat patients. For these mobile physicians, there is a complete treatise called Vaidyakarana. It is believed that in the Charaka Samhita, Charaka encapsulated the traditions and practices of this kind of mobile health care.

History of Ayurveda >>