Āyurveda

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term, made up of the words "ayus" and "veda." "Ayus" means life and "Veda" means knowledge or science. The term "ayurveda" thus means 'the knowledge of life' or 'the science of life'. According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu" comprises the mind, body, senses and the soul.

It is Widely regarded as the oldest form of healthcare in the world, Ayurveda is an intricate medical system that originated in Bharat thousands of years ago. The fundamentals of Ayurveda can be found in the Vedas contains a series of prescriptions that can help humans overcome various ailments.

The aim of this system is to prevent illness, heal the sick and preserve life. This can be summed up as follows:

1. To protect health and prolong life ("Swasthyas swasthya rakshanam")

2. To eliminate diseases and dysfunctions of the body ("Aturasya vikar prashamanamcha")

Ayurveda is based on the premise that the universe is made up of five elements: air, fire, water, earth and ether. These elements are represented in humans by three "doshas", or energies: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When any of the doshas accumulate in the body beyond the desirable limit, the body loses its balance. Every individual has a distinct balance, and our health and well-being depend on getting a right balance of the three doshas ("tridoshas"). Ayurveda suggests specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to help individuals reduce the excess dosha.

A healthy person, as defined in Sushrut Samhita, one of the primary works on Ayurveda, is "he whose doshas are in balance, appetite is good, all tissues of the body and all natural urges are functioning properly, and whose mind, body and spirit are cheerful..."

In Ayurveda we need to remember five fundamental points. Firstly, everything that exists outside of ourselves has its counterpart inside. A microcosm always exists in relation to a macrocosm. In this instance the microcosm is a human body covered with skin. We tend to see the skin as the boundary between the microcosm and the macrocosm, our skin somehow separating us from life. Some of us might define the limit as being a little further out, perhaps in our subtle bodies, but wherever it is, there is a limit somewhere. Then there is the macrocosm which continuously comes in and touches the microcosm, and the microcosm continuously goes out and touches the macrocosm. That is the relationship. We are impinged upon constantly and then we impinge back.

In the process of being impinged upon, we use our organs of perception, the gyanendriyas. We feel the pressure of life and the heat of life on our skin, we see the light of life through our eyes and its sounds through our ears. We get messages, signals coming in all the time. Then we react to life; we impinge back through our karmendriyas, our organs of action, hands, feet, tongue, etc. We react to the world in as appropriate a way as we can. This is the first principle of Ayurveda.

Secondly, there are five elements or tattwas: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Of these tattwas, water, fire and air are the most important to Ayurveda, because the human body is severity to eighty percent water. Heat is also important, as are temperature and air. The third point is that like increases like. If I burn my hand and then go into the sun, the sun will increase the temperature of the burn. So I put it into ice because I want to decrease the fire.

Ayurveda is not an intellectual science. It is a science which builds certain simple, commonsense precepts into a basic framework on which we can structure our understanding of life. So the first principle is that there is a microcosm interacting with a macrocosm. The second principle is that of the five elements we really only need to remember water, fire and air. The third is that like increases like. The fourth is that food is medicine and medicine is food. The fifth is that whatever affects the body affects the mind and vice versa. These are the five tenets of Ayurveda.

Ayurveda also talks about our individual nature, because even though we are all composed of five elements, we are all different in some way. I may have more earth or water in my nature and some people may have more air. In Ayurveda the key to health is understanding your constitution, knowing how much of each element you have in your nature. Diagnosing the human constitution takes training, time and experience, but in brief, we can divide human nature into three basic constitutional types, vata, pitta and kapha. The vata constitution has a lot of air and space. The pitta constitution has more fire and water and the kapha has more earth and water.

Air is light, it moves quickly and is generally cool. Vata people tend to be cool and dry, with dry skin, nails, hair and internal organs. Because vata has both air, and Space, vata people get easily spaced-out, but they are very quick thinkers. They can be very spontaneous and creative but if the elements of their nature become unbalanced, they will suffer from anxiety, fear and insecurity. They will not feel grounded because they do not have enough earth to feel grounded and solid.

Kapha people are the opposite. They are the most solid dosha and show strength and stamina, loyalty and patience. They have watery constitutions and do not like the cold or damp. If their constitutions become unbalanced they can become lethargic and over-weight.

Pitta people are fiery types and tend to be blonde and blue-eyed. They have a lot of heat in their systems. They are very concentrated types and if their pitta is not balanced they can become obsessive and fixed. They have a medium constitution and tend to be muscular. They like to move but not as much as vata. They have tremendous powers of concentration and very good digestion. Because they are fiery types, their digestive fire is very powerful.

In Sanskrit dosha means waste. As the human body takes in food and other substances to digest, it produces waste. In the vata person it produces a lot of wind in the organs. Vatas have a dry, airy nature and a tendency to anxiety. A pitta person will tend to suffer from inflammation and heat. They will tend to have digestive troubles, with too much heat and bile and will tend to get fevers and inflammation in their internal organs. Kapha people will tend to get an excessive build-up of mucus in various parts of the body, blockage and stagnation of various organs and build-nip of fat in the arteries.

To use Yoga and Ayurveda in a therapeutic way, we look at someone and say, "This person's nature is predominantly of this tattwa, or this dosha is operating. How can we improve that person's constitution and balance the doshas?" There are two important ways of balancing the doshas. One. is by living a certain lifestyle that is in tune with our nature. For instance, if I am a vata person I should not stand in the dry wind for too long because like. increases like. If I am cold, I should not be in the cold. If I am hot I should not be in the sun. I need to be aware of my nature so that I can be self-regulating.

The second way to balance the doshas is to improve our digestion, in the broad sense. As a microcosm in relation to a macrocosm, I am not just taking in food. I am taking in air, water, relationships, emotions, intellect, psychic vibrations, spiritual things. How many can I take into my body and assimilate? That is the key question. How much goes in and then gets constipated? Not only food gets constipated but also emotional experiences and intellectual processes- Our ideas get stuck. Or it can be a psychic problem, attitudes we take in and hold onto such as, "I do not like myself", or "I do not like the world In some way or another." These ideas get stuck inside us and we do not digest and eliminate them.

Digestion of life is the key. When you digest something you assimilate it and make it part of yourself, whether it is food, an idea or an emotion. So you need to digest it well otherwise it will get stuck somewhere and surface as something you do not want, such as disease or anxiety, fear, hatred or sadness.

The key to good digestion is agni. Agni is the transformative power that causes digestion to work. Agni is the flame of consciousness, a flame which ignites Itself and which does not need any outer cause. The flame of agni allows you to hear and digest information, to take in emotions, digest them and excrete them, to get rid of all the toxins which are poisoning the mind and body. So, maintenance of agni is very important. It also has to be brought into balance and harmony with the other doshas, vata, pitta arid kapha. One way we can do this is through our yoga practices.

What do we generally do in our meditation practice? The first step is to ground ourselves back into the earth, into the body, into the. essential nature. To do that we become aware of the body and relax it. Then we won k with the breath and settle the prana down so that our minds become calm. Then we can focus on the agni in whatever form we choose. We can see it as consciousness, or as our psychic symbol and p]ace it at the third eye, in the throat, the heart, the belly or the pelvis. Working with the body, the breath and visualisation we come into tune with agni and start to balance the three doshas. As we tune into the doshas we gain a direct perception of our essential nature. Then we start to notice that we have too much mucus and need to do kunjal, too much bile and need to do shankaprakshalana, too much wind and need to do yoga nidra, or to practise pranayama in a certain way. Yoga techniques are for self-regulation, and by using them in this way we can develop autonomy.

Ayurveda & Modern Science: 

Disease-free condition is the best source of virtue, wealth, gratification and emancipation, while the diseases are destroyers of this (source), welfare and life itself
Charaka Samhita 4: 15-16

Unlike the various systems of medicine, like allopathy or homeopathy, Ayurveda is not a system of medicine but a science of life and longevity (Ayurveda= ayus: age, life, longevity, and veda: knowledge). The concept of Ayurveda is based on a combined study of body (sharira), sense organs (indriyas), mind (manas) and soul (atman). Equilibrium of these is related to health and their dysfunction is equated with death. Homeo-stasis of the internal milcu (dhatusamaya), or equilibrium of the various dhatus, is considered essential for absence of disease. The modern definition of health according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is 'the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not necessarily the absence of disease and infirmity'.

Ayurveda defines health as:

Abnormality (disorder) is disequilibrium of the dhatus and their equilibrium is normalcy (health) . Health is known as happiness while disorder is unhappiness. 

Knowledge of Ayurveda is eternal, starting with creation; we do not know when it was not there. The origin of disease and disability must have been about the same time as the origin of life itself. The fight between the disease-creating elements and the disease-curing or disease-preventing systems must have been going on since Lord Brahma's day, as Brahma is considered to be the creator of the universe. The exact origin of Ayurveda cannot be dated precisely, but the original text is believed to have been written in ten million verses in one thousand chapters. The knowledge of Ayurveda then gradually descended through several sages, including Bharadwaja, Aitreya, Agnivastha, and finally Charaka and his students who compiled the text known as Charaka Samhita, which dates between 600 and 1000 B.C.

Charaka's description of Ayurveda is very systematic and in many ways it surpasses the modern system of medicine, because Ayurveda has a health-oriented approach, while modern medicine has largely had a disease-oriented approach. Modern medicine is only now stressing to some extent the role of mind in health and disease while in Ayurveda the basic approach incorporates body (sharira), mind (manas) and soul (atman).

Although the Rigveda and Atharvaveda are regarded as great treatises, Ayurveda is considered to be higher as it deals with life, health and longevity, and it is through the healthy body only that one can achieve all righteous tasks in life:

The approach in Ayurveda is wide and wholesome (holistic), while in modern medicine it is largely limited and materialistic (quick relief from disease and not much emphasis on promotive or positive health of mind and body). The mistake often made is when we equate Ayurveda with ayurvedic medicines. Although Ayurveda lays emphasis on both the preventive and curative aspects, its stronghold has been the former, its is clearly enunciated by Charaka. Therapeutics of two types have been described in the ancient Indian literature:

Therapeutics are of two hypes: (1) that which promotes strength. in the healthy (prevention of disease), and (2) that which alleviates disorders.

Charaka Samhita 3:4

One of the lengthiest chapters in Charaka Samhita is on longevity and the role of promotive health care:

From promotive treatment, one attains longevity, memory, intelligence, freedom from disorders, youthful age, excellence of lustre, complexion and voice, optimum strength of physique and sense organs, successful words, respectability and brilliance. Rasayana (promotive treatment) means the way to attain an excellent life.

Charaka Samhita 4: 7.8

Ayurveda is not just another system of medicine, but a science of total health care based on the strong pillars of positive health incorporating the role of the following four aspects: (i) character - achaar, (ii) thought or mind - vichaar, (iii) interpersonal relations - vyavahaar. and (iv) diet - altar.

Mind self and body these three make a tripod on which the living world stands The (living body) is purusha (person) sentient and location of this Veda (4yurveda). For him alone, this Veda is brought to light.

Charaka Samhita 6: 46-47

Charaka Samhita is the most complete text on health care and longevity, i.e. the Ayurveda contemporary surgical text has been dealt with separately in the Sushruta Samhita. A Charaka Club was established in New York in 1898, to honour the great Indian physician. Persian and Arabic translators of the Charaka Samhita had appeared in the 10th century A.D., and a first English translation appeared in the 19th century. Compared to the biblical human lifespan of 70 years (three score and ten), Ayurveda's figure for the human lifespan was given as 100 years, which was divided into four ashrams or phases of life: (i) brahmacharya: up to 25 years, (ii) grihastha: 25-50 years, (iii) vanaprastha: 50-75 years, and (iv) sannyasa: 75-100 years.

Charaka Samhita contributions: 

The ten commandments propounded by Charaka for the study and advancement of medicine are as follows:

1. Advancement of basic concepts of life: physiological and pathological phenomena; dhatusamay - equilibrium of dhatus, homeostasis.

2. Rational attitude: treatment with knowledge and practical skills, not with blind belief. rukti (rational) approach was recommended instead of daivya (supernatural) therapy. The wise man, desiring health and long life, should not take any medicine prescribed by irrational physicians.

3. Organisation of symposium: presentation of works/papers on therapy. Lord Aitreya has been mentioned as presiding over one such meeting.

4. Psychosomatic approach: deha manasa (psycho-somatic) concepts of disease treatment of the purusha (person) were stressed instead of organic systems.

5 Individual constitution prakriti (individual psyche/nature) was considered important in the prescript ion of medicines; basis of anaphylaxis allergy idiosyncrasy.

6. Expansion of discipline: (i) nidana - etiology, (ii) samprapti - pathologenesis, (iii) purvarupa - prodroma, (iv) rupa - signs and symptoms, and (v) upasaya - therapeutics.

7. Scientific method of diagnosis: first study the patient, then study the suitable drug, and watch for interactions, results and side effects.

8. Importance of nature: drugs and dietetic measures used to aid nature to fight/prevent disease: swanbhavoparama - recession of disease by nature.

9. Emphasis on promotive and preventive aspects: Charaka Samhita starts its first chapter on the longevity of life in which the practice of rasayana (promotive health care) , aachar (conduct) and lifestyle are given importance.

10. Scientific study of drugs: analytical study of medicinal plants in the vedic period. The Rigveda and Atharvaveda mention aushadhi sukta drugs which are divided into 50 groups, according to their pharmacological action, based on: rasa, guna, virya, vipatka and prabhava (effects).

Charaka's Quadruple: 

Fully realising the importance and contribution of the physician, the attendant (nurse), the patient and the drug, in the treatment of the sick, Charaka defined all the four as follows:

Physician, drug, attendant and patient, this is the quadruple which, if endowed with proper qualities, leads to time alleviation of disorders (3)

Physician:
Excellence in theoretical knowledge, experience, dexterity and cleanliness - this qualities of a physician. (6)

Attendant (nurse):
Knowledge of attendance, dexterity, loyalty and cleanliness:

these are the four qualities of an attendant. (8)

Patient:
Memory, obedience. fearlessness and providing all information about time disorder - these are the qualities of a patient (9)

Drug:
Abundance, effectively, various pharmaceutical forms and normal composition - these are the four qualities of drugs. (7)

Employment of all the excellent four - physician, attendant, patient and drug. in case of disorder of the dhatus, with the object of (re-establishing) their equilibrium, is said to be therapeutics. (5)

Preventive approach to positive health: 

This is only a glimpse of what Ayurveda offers, and if this is what Ayurveda is, then it certainly is much more than just a system of medicine. Dr. Dean Ornish, a well-known American cardiologist, has recently propounded that it is possible to reverse atherosclerosis (narrowing of the blood vessels) by the following regime:

1. Balanced diet, consisting mainly of vegetables and fruits;
2. Regular physical exercise, and

3. Practice of mental relaxation through Yoga and meditation.

The major thrust in Ayurveda is on prevention of disease through diet, physical exercise and Yoga which includes several ways of mental relaxation. Drugs prepared from herbs, plants and animal products, including the milk of various animals, ghee and honey, have been used in Ayurveda for the treatment of different diseases. In the chapter on heart disease, the Charaka Samhita mentions at several places the reasons for cardiac problems and the means of prevention.

Cardiac disease of the kapha is born from the intake of fatty meals, overeating, and also from excessive indulgence in sleep, sedentary habits and carelessness.

Even wholesome food taken in proper quantity does not get digested due to anxiety, grief, fear, anger, uncomfortable bed and vigil.
Charaka Samhita 311 :9

The person desiring to protect himself from adverse ejects upon the heart) coronary blood vessels and the contents thereof should particularly avoid all the causes of mental affliction.
Charaka Samhita 30:53

Similarly, the lifespan of the body of a person comes to an end after the normal limit Such death is known as timely. Just as the same axle gets destroyed on the way, due to overload, uneven road, want of road, breaking of wheels, defects in the vehicle or driver, separation of the bolt, lack of lubrication, and throwing about, similarly, the lifespan of a person comes to an end in the middle due to over exertion, diet which is not in accordance with one's nature, and irregular meals...

Samhita, sixth century B. C.