Ayurveda

Ayurveda – without perversion Ayurveda is one of the greatest contributions India had made to the world community and it also reflects the rich cultural heritage, India had in her glorious past. Any branch of science which is Indian in origin had to face a period of suppression and loose its identity, during the period when India, at large was ruled by the foreigners. The impact of the foreign rule continued to haunt us even after the independence, when India failed to keep the identity of the Indian sciences like Ayurveda, Everything western is considered to be scientific and truthful, without discrimination. In the process of survival for existence Ayurveda has to depend heavily on the modern medical science to prove its efficacy as a total system and in due course allopathic system has been fully introduced in the field of research, medical education, hospitals pharmaceutical industry etc. Ayurveda is not merely a health science but it envisages a method of living to ensure the physical, mental and spiritual well being of an individual. The spiritual well being will be achieved with mental well being and it is contributed with the physical well being. This method of comprehensive approach to health of an individual is derived from Vedas which form the basis for any Indian science. The truth in Vedas is given a physical explanation by the philosophies like Sankhya etc, method of which also can be seen in Ayurveda. The concept that the macrocosm is essentially contributed with microcosm is well evident here.

Ayurveda considers human body as a part of the universe, hence any principle which has a universal impact will have its effect on the human beings and plant kingdom as well. The principle of heat represented by sun, the principle of cold represented the moon, and the principle of movement represented by air, are considered as universal principles. These factors reflect in the form of different characters and properties and they are called as Pitta, Kapha, and Vata respectively. Any transformation or change in the world is initiated in the presence of heat and it is represented in the body by the digestive fire. The maintenance in healthy and establishment in the diseased of optimum fire or Agni according to the nature of individual is the essential requirement in maintaining the physical health. The digestive fire can be maintained by proper consumption of food according to the individual capacity, without causing any discomfort to the intestine. This will result in the proper absorption, transformation of essence of food and subsequent transportation of it into body parts. The force or energy for the transportation is called as vata which is responsible for all functions of the body. Body is according to what you eat. In healthy and diseased as well, maintained and establishment of digestive capacity will be the important concern of a physician and total failure for this in any state is considered equivalent to death. This digestive fire does to the body what sun does to the universe by being the main source of energy. An absence proper

heat considered as cold which essential for maintaining the heat and represented by the moon. In the case of Ayurveda, I think, we are not introducing the science in a reasonable way. Ayurveda is a sastra which has got a basis different from physics etc. Generally students come with an open mind to receive the science if it is taught in genuine way with the background of physics and chemistry one can understand what will be the nature of science, but with the same background if you approach Ayurveda, Iam sure one can never be convinced about it. We must have an idea about Darsanas based on which Indian sciences have been formulated. Just like physics forms the basement for modern medicine, Darsanas especially sankya forms the base for Ayurveda. An individual has got the absolute spiritual plane, metaphysical plane and physical body. Mind presents the faces according to where it is involved during the normal thought process if it is involved during the normal thought process. If it is involved in higher reasoning and intellectual activities it is facing the spiritual plane and that aspect of mind is known as Satva. In this plane one can develop the affinity towards righteousness by which he can have perfection in other activities of life. When the mind is involved in the thinking about physical characters of material world without knowing the higher planes of the mind that aspect is known as Rajasa. He one will be more emotional expressing anger, pride etc. The third aspect is the lazy nature to know things and ignorance and is

known as Thamasa. Hence the Satva state of mind which is nearer to the spiritual plane is essential for the process of learning sastra. Above the mental plane is the ego which remains in the form of consciousness which is the extensions of individual Prakruti. Prakruti itself is accommodating the Satva, Rajas, and Tamas and is the transformed state of the absolute, where knowledge is experienced. This is the plane where knowledge is experienced in any thought process. Whenever one has to experience the physical world, the absolute has to extend down to consciousness and ego, and get connected to the mind. Mind has to connect to the five sense organs it will be of maximum 5 varieties as far as constituent matter of the universe is concerned. These matters are known as Panchabhutas. This is the Indian thought process as laid down by Sankhya and this forms the base for all Indian sastras like Ayurveda, Astrology etc. Briefly speaking the knower becomes a part of the known in the absolute state of knowledge as per the Indian methodology of thought process. Hence every knowledge depends up on how one is transforming into the Satva state to gain perfection in the thought process. The introduction of the subject (known) and the person who is learning (knower) are essential to have an effective imparting of knowledge and it will also help the student to get righteous character to remain morally high through out life.