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 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
Sankhaya’s 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.
Dense Element
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Subtle Element
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Sense Organ
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Motor Organ
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Function
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Space
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Sound
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Ears
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Vocal Chords
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Speaking
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Air
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Touch
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Skin
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Hands
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Grasping
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Fire
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Sight
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Eyes
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Feet
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Moving
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Water
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Taste
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Tongue
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Genitals
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Procreating
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Earth
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Smell
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Nose
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Anus
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Excreting
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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.
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The Hindu God of creation revealed the science of
ayurveda to the sage Atreya
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Ayurveda thus offers a unique blend of science and philosophy
that balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
components necessary for holistic health.
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