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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.

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