Ayurveda throughout history
*Excerpt from Eat, Taste, Heal: An Ayurvedic Guidebook and Cookbook for Modern Living, by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda, Jonny Brannigan (Five Elements Press, 2006) via Divya Alter at Bhagavat Life
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Ayurveda emerged from the spiritual texts of ancient India, known as the Vedas, or “Books of Wisdom.” These date back at least five thousand years and are widely regarded as humanity’s oldest literature.
The term Ayurveda derives from the Sanskrit words ayu and veda. Ayus translates as “life” and veda as “knowledge” or “science.” Ayurveda thus means the “Knowledge or Science of Life.” Ayu extends beyond more chronological age or physical health. According to Ayurveda: “Ayu is union of the mind, body, senses, and soul. It is energy and vitality and is eternal.”
Ayurveda peers into the nature of life through the wisdom of Mother Nature herself. As a philosophy of life, Ayurveda teaches us to live in harmony with the basic laws of nature. As a complete medical science, Ayurveda offers us a holistic guide-map for awakening our healing potential. The underlying prescription of Ayurvedic medicine is quite simple: recognize the power of self-healing within, and you will become your own greatest doctor!
According to Ayurveda, health is not a state defined by lab tests or yearly check ups. Health is a continuous and participatory process that embraces all aspects of life: physical, mental, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, familial, social, and universal. Achieving balance on all levels of being is the true measure of vibrant health. The “average person” or “standardized treatment” simply does not exist in Ayurvedic medicine. Every individual is a one-of-a-kind with an equally unique blueprint for health. By providing a universal framework for understanding these blueprints, Ayurveda teaches us to honor and support our true individual natures.
ANCIENT WISDOM
Ancient Ayurvedic scholars combined the wisdom of the Vedas with direct scientific observation and experimentation. Charaka Samhita, written sometime during the 5t h to 3r d centuries BC, represents the first codification of Ayurvedic medicine and remains an authoritative text on Ayurveda today. In this compilation (samhita, in Sanskrit), the great physician and sage Charaka offers the earliest known descriptions of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and numerous other conditions. Sushruta Samhita, written by the surgeon Sushruta shortly thereafter, includes sophisticated surgical procedures, ranging from the removal of cataracts to skin grafts. Sushruta’s instructions for reconstructive operations to the nose influenced the development of plastic surgery by Western physicians. Together, these two works stand among the oldest and lengthiest medical texts in the world.
By the 3r d century AD, Ayurveda included eight branches of medicine: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Eye-Ear-Nose, Toxicology, Gynecology-Obstetrics-Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Aphrodisiacs, and Rejuvenation. Due to its widespread success in India, Ayurveda also became highly respected in many other parts of the world. Students from China, Tibet, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Afghanistan, and Persia traveled to Ayurvedic schools by way of the great silk trading routes. Today, distinct signs of Ayurveda influence are found in the ancient medical traditions of many of these countries.
After nearly a thousand years of growth and dissemination, Ayurveda’s golden age abruptly ended with the foreign conquest of India in the 8t h century AD. During this period, Ayurvedic schools perished and classical Indian culture rapidly declined. Foreign rule lasted for the next eleven hundred years, pushing Ayurveda into the villages and homes of India. The practicality and popularity of the science however, ensured its survival. Physicians also helped maintain the continuity of Ayurvedic wisdom through apprenticeship and oral transmission.
MODERN AYURVEDA
Upon gaining independence in 1947, India enjoyed a national re-awakening, leading to a resurgence of traditional Vedic culture. During this period, Ayurveda emerged from the recesses of society to flourish again on a national level. Today, there are more than one hundred Ayurvedic colleges and fifty universities offering Ayurvedic degrees. Although Western medicine has taken its seat at the forefront of India’s medical system, Ayurveda remains a widely utilized alternative. The Ayurvedic “kitchen pharmacy” and lifestyle also remain important components within traditional Indian homes.
In traveling beyond the borders of India over the last two decades, Ayurveda has experienced an explosion of interest in many parts of the world. The West, in particular, has eagerly embraced this timeless system of healing. The holistic nature of Ayurveda, combined with its ancient track record, has placed it among the most popular alternative medical systems today. A few of the major pioneers of Ayurveda in the West include Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Vasant Lad, Deepak Chopra, David Frawley, Bri Maya Tiwari, and Robert Svoboda.
Just as the West embraces this ancient system, Ayurveda embraces the modern medical advancements of the West. At its core, Ayurveda is a non-exclusionary medical system: If something helps heal the human body, mind, and spirit, Ayurveda says all the better. Ayurvedic medicine is currently practiced both on its own and in conjunction with a number of other healing systems. These include allopathy (Western medicine), homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage therapy. Together, these disciplines are helping to pave the way for a new, integrated medical model in the West.
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