History of ayurveda

Ayurveda is the oldest surviving complete medical system in the

world. Derived from its ancient Sanskrit roots - ayus' (life) and ved'
(knowledge) and offering a rich, comprehensive outlook to a healthy life,
its origins go back nearly 5000 years.
To when it was expounded and practiced by the same spiritual
rishis, who laid the foundations of the Vedic civilisation in India, by
organising the fundamentals of life into proper systems. The earliest
concept of Ayurveda was put into writing by VedaVyasa, the famous sage
and shaktavesha avatar of Vishnu, Dhanvantari in Atharvaveda, which is
one of the four most ancient books of Indian knowledge, wisdom and
culture.
Eight disciplines of ayurveda treatment, called ashtangas are:
1. Kaya Chikitsa (Internal Medicine): Kaya means living human body. This
treatment includes all diseases situated in the body.
2. Shalya Tantra (Surgery): Describes about pre-operative procedures,
general procedures, post-operative procedures, anesthesia and marma`s
(vital points). It also describes about bandages, shastra (sharp
instruments), yantras (blunt instruments) and sutures (stitches).
3. Bhuta Vidya (Psychiatry): Deals with spiritual healing.
4. Shalakya Tantra (Treatment of diseases above the clavicle): It`s a
division of otorhinolaryngology (ENT) and ophthalmology.
5. Agada Tantra (Toxicology): Deals with treatment for food poisoning,
snake bites, insect bites, dog bites etc.
6. Kaumarabhritya Tantra (Pediatrics): Deals with health and diseases
related to children.
7. Vajikarana (Purification of the Genetic Organs): Deals with male and
female genetic organs.
8. Rasayana Tantra (Health and Longevity): Deals with prevention of
diseases and improving immunity and rejuvenation.
There are three main Ayurvedic texts Charak Samhita, Sushrut
Samhita and the Ashtangha Hridaya Samhita. Sushrut Samhita, the most
authentic compilation of Sushrutas teachings contains 184 chapters and
description of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from
mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources. Charaka

Samhita, written by Charaka is arguably the principal classic reference. It

gives emphasis to the triune nature of each person: body care, mental
regulation, and spiritual/consciousness refinement. The third major
disquisition is called the Ashtanga Hridaya, which is a concise version of
the works of Charaka and Sushruta.
The main source of knowledge in this field therefore remain the
Vedas, the divine books of knowledge they propounded, and more
specifically the fourth of the series, namely Atharvaveda that dates back
to around 1000 BC. Of the few other treatises on Ayurveda that have
survived from around the same time, the most famous are Charaka
Samhita and the
Sushruta Samhita which concentrate on internal
medicine and surgery respectively. The Astanga Hridayam is a more
concise compilation of earlier texts that was created about a thousand
years ago. These between them forming a greater part of the knowledge
base on Ayurveda as it is practiced today.
The art of Ayurveda had spread around in the 6th century BC to
Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea and Sri Lanka, carried over by the Buddhist
monks travelling to those lands. Although not much of it survives in
original form, its effects can be seen in the various new age concepts that
have originated from there.
No philosophy has had greater influence on
Ayurveda than
Sankhayas philosophy of creation and manifestation. Which professes
that behind all creation there is a state of pure existence or awareness,
which is beyond time and space, has no beginning or end, and no
qualities. Within pure existence, there arises a desire to experience itself,
which results in disequilibrium and causes the manifestation of the
primordial physical energy. And the two unite to make the "dance of
creation" come alive.
Imponderable, indescribable and extremely subtle, this primordial
energy which and all that flows from it existing only in pure existence
is the creative force of all action, a source of form that has qualities.
Matter and energy are so closely related that when energy takes form, we
tend to think of it in terms of matter only. And much modified, it ultimately
leads to the manifestation of our familiar mental and physical worlds.
It also gives rise to cosmic consciousness, which is the universal
order that prevades all life. Individual intelligence, as distinct from the
everyday intellectual mind, is derived from and is part of this
consciousness. It is the inner wisdom, the part of individuality that
remains unswayed by the demands of daily life, or by Ahamkara, the
sense of `I-ness.

A Sanskrit word with no exact translation, Ahamkara, is a concept

not quite understood by everyone as it is often misleadingly equated to
`ego. Embracing much more than just that, it is in essence that part of
me which knows which parts of the universal creation are me. Since I
am not separate from the universal consciousness, but I has an identity
that differentiates and defines the boundaries of `me. All creations
therefore have Ahamkara, not just human beings.
There arises from Ahamkara a two-fold creation. The first is Satwa,
the subjective world, which is able to perceive and manipulate matter. It
comprises the subtle body (the mind), the capacity of the five sense
organs to hear, feel, see, taste and smell, and for the five organs of action
to speak, grasp, move, procreate and excrete. The mind and the subtle
organs providing the bridge between the body, the Ahamkara and the
inner wisdom, which three together is considered the essential nature of
humans.

The second is Tamas, the objective world of the five elements of

sound, touch, vision, taste and smell the five subtle elements that give
rise to the dense elements of ether or space, air, fire, water and the earth
from which all matter of the physical world is derived. And it is Rajas, the
force or the energy of movement, which brings together parts of these
two worlds.
It is worth noting that even at the stage of the dense elements the
philosophy of creation which according to Sankaya is now and in the
present, without any past and any future is still dealing with aspects of
existence beyond our simple physical realms. The point of contention
being that we are the first and foremost spirit experiencing existence. To
use Ayurveda in daily life, one has neither to accept nor even understand
this philosophy. But it does provide a deeper insight into how Ayurveda
works towards betterment of your health.
Ayurveda therefore is not simply a health care system but a form of
lifestyle adopted to maintain perfect balance and harmony within the
human existence, from the most abstract transcendental values to the
most concrete physiological expressions. Based on the premise that life
represents an intelligent co-ordination of the Atma (Soul), Mana (Mind),
Indriya (Senses) and Sharira (Body).
That revolves around the five dense elements that go into the making of
the constitution of each individual, called Prakriti.

Which in turn is determined by the vital balance of the three physical

energies - Vata, Pitta, Kapha and the three mental energies - Satwa,
Rajas, Tamas.
The Hindu God of creation revealed the science of ayurveda to the sage
Atreya
Ayurveda thus offers a unique blend of science and philosophy that
balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components
necessary for holistic health.
Ayurveda is an ancient system of life (ayur) knowledge (veda)
arising in India thousands of years ago. Ayurveda theory evolved from a
deep understanding of creation. The great rishis or seers of ancient India
came to understand creation through deep meditation and other spiritual
practices. The rishis sought to reveal the deepest truths of human
physiology and health. They observed the fundamentals of life, organized
them into an elaborate system, and compiled India's philosophical and
spiritual texts, called Veda of knowledge.
Ayurveda was first recorded in the Veda, the world's oldest existing
literature. The three most important Veda texts containing the original and
complete knowledge of Ayurveda, believed to be over 1200 years old, is
still in use today. These Ayurvedic teachings were customarily passed on
orally from teacher to student for over 1000 years. The wisdom of
Ayurveda is recorded in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India that
reflects the philosophy behind Ayurveda and the depth within it.
Ayurveda greatly influenced health care practices in the east and the
west. By 400 AD Ayurvedic works were translated into Chinese; by 700 AD
Chinese scholars were studying medicine in India at Nalanda University.
Chinese medicine, herbology and Buddhist philosophy were also impacted
by Ayurvedic knowledge. Having passed the test of experience it remains
essentially the same now as at its inception, although numerous
commentators over the centuries have added insight with their analyses.
The philosophy of Ayurveda teaches a series of conceptual systems
characterized by balance and disorder, health and disease. Disease/health
results from the interconnectedness between the self, personality, and
everything that occurs in the mental, emotional, and spiritual being. To be
healthy, harmony must exist between the purpose for healing, thoughts,
feelings and physical action.
Ayurveda is a careful integration of six important Indian philosophical
systems, many physical/behavioral sciences, and the medical arts. One
verse from an ancient authority says Ayurveda deals with what is good life

and bad life, happiness and misery, that which supports or destroys, and
the measurement of life. It works to heal the sick, to maintain health in
the healthy, and to prevent disease in order to promote quality of life and
long life. Health is defined as an experience of bliss/happiness in the soul,
mind, and senses and balance of the body's three governing principles,
seven tissues, three wastes, digestion, and other processes such as
immune functioning. Health is not the absence of symptoms. Ayurveda
has objective ways to assess each of these, pulse assessment being the
primary means.
Its central tenet is that life is a combination of body, mind, senses, and
spirit (more than a mind-body system). Nothing exists but for the preexistence of and working of a Supreme Intelligence/Consciousness an
elemental, all-powerful, all-pervading spirit-energy that expresses Itself
through and in the creation. Ayurveda seeks to know this aspect of life,
the subjective (internal) as well as the objective (outer).
It is central to Ayurveda that the functioning of all creation, the mineral,
plant and animal kingdoms, can be understood as the interactions of three
fundamental energy complexes (erroneously called doshas). The three
energies are vata, pitta and kapha signifying the dynamic or mobile,
energetic, nonmaterial aspect of nature; the transformative, intelligence
aspect; and the structural, physical aspect respectively. Vata governs
respiration, circulation, elimination, locomotion, movement, speech,
creativity, enthusiasm, and the entire nervous system. Pitta governs
transformations such as digestion and metabolism, vision, complexion,
body temperature, courage, cheerfulness, intellection and discrimination.
Kapha governs growth (anabolic processes), lubrication, fluid secretions,
binding, potency, patience, heaviness, fluid balance, compassion, and
understanding in the organism. All have physical expressions in the body.

In the human physiology these three energies tend to interact in a

harmonious and compensatory way to govern and sustain life. Their
relative expression in an individual implies a unique ratio of functioning of
these governing principles according to each person's unique DNA (vtapitta-kapha ratio) determined at conception. This is body or constitutional
typing, called prakruti. There are seven types vata type, pitta type,
kapha type and combinations thereof.

Prakruti yields two important understandings. A person has a permanent

or stable nature for the entire life and efforts to maintain or change

physiology must keep this balance point in mind. In addition each type will
suggest an area tending to go out of balance, a disease tendency,
requiring lifelong attention to maintain balance. A vata type naturally
tends to constipation, arthritis, anxiety; a pitta type tends towards
inflammations, infections, ulcers; and kapha types tend to overweight,
diabetes, congestive disorders, etc. The implication of pakruti is that it
helps explain why people react differently to the same things. The medical
implication for this is that certain people will have a natural predisposition
or sensitivity to certain medicines and this can be predicted.

Why does imbalance occur? It occurs because one or more of the

energies or elements described above gets increased quantitatively or
altered qualitatively. There is no human experience, whether a thought, an
emotion, the climate, food, lifestyle, etc. that does not have at least one
of the twenty qualities which, by its action, yields an effect in the
physiology.

Classically, the nature of the causative factors are the result of mistakes
of intellection (failure to perceive things as they are), inappropriate use of
the sense organs, and mistakes of time (doing even proper things at the
wrong time). While DNA gives the body one set of instructions, the life
experiences at every moment are giving the governing principles perhaps
another message. Since these three governing principles are nothing but
energy themselves, they can be influenced increased or decreased by
like or opposite energies. Heat increases pitta, dryness increases vata,
and liquid increases kapha, etc. Thus imbalance is the continued
experience of some stimulus mental, emotional, or physical, real or
imagined - that overwhelms the body's ability to maintain its identity, its
prakruti or vata-pitta-kahpa ratio. When a stimulus and a system have the
same energy the stimulus promotes more of its value in the system. Like
increases like which can lead to imbalance even though they are not
necessarily unhealthy influences in themselves properly cooked organic
food when taken in excess or at the wrong time promotes imbalance. With
time and chronicity and some defective space in the organism (from
genes, prior disease, trauma, congenital defect, etc.), disease can develop
and manifest in the weak organ or tissue. When disease begins to
manifest the governing principles are called doshas, meaning impurities,
which can pollute or contaminate the physiology.