In the past few decades Āyurveda has gained recognition and popularity all around the globe. It is deemed to be a form of therapy and a system of ancient medicine that originated in India. This perception, although correct, is only partially true because Āyurveda is much more than that. To understand the basics of any science, it is pivotal for us to be clear on its origins, objectives and underlying principles.
Ancient texts on Āyurveda like Caraka Saṃhitā states that it is virtually impossible to know when this science originated since it was passed on from generation to generation by the tradition of “śruti” i.e., word of mouth, from a teacher to the student, however, it is possible to discern when the pen was put to paper. The earliest texts on Āyurveda were written almost 5000 years ago.
Āyurveda is derived from “Atharvaveda”, which is one of the four Vedas, Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda being the fourth. Vedas are the most ancient texts known to humankind.
Casually translated, Āyurveda means science of life, however, it is both a life and a functional discipline, so an accurate definition of it would be “Science of Living”. When we accept this definition, then its scope is broadened, it is no longer limited just to health and disease but to include healthy living, which involves, diet, lifestyle, behavior, interactions, health disease and therapy.
Caraka Saṃhitā states the objective of Āyurveda as,
हिताहितं सुखं दुःखम् आयुः तस्य हिताहितम्। मानं च तच्च यत्रोक्तम् आयुर्वेदः स उच्यते॥
Hitāhitaṃ sukhaṃ duḥkham āyuḥ tasya hitāhitam।
Mānaṃ ca tacca yatroktam āyurvedaḥ sa ucyate॥
Meaning: the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of life is determined by whether we are happy or unhappy. This then implies that wholesome living leads to happiness while unwholesome living leads to unhappiness. Thus, Ãyurveda’s objective is to empower human beings to live a wholesome life so that they can be happy. How does Āyurveda give to help us achieve wholesome living? Svāmī Digaṃbarajī, in his text, “Caraka sūtrani ” states, “Dhātusāmyam tatra pryojanam”, meaning, it accomplishes this by bringing a balance to different aspects or ingredients of one’s life.
What these ingredients are, is governed by ayurvedic principles of human composition and functionality which in turn are embedded in commonly familiar terms like, “paṃca mahābhūtas” or five element theory and doṣas (vāta, pitta and kapha) or functional theory. It is at times difficult to grasp and to be able to relate to these terms on their own, and in an isolated manner, however, if we are able to correlate them to principles of human composition and functionality that we already know from a conventional perspective, then the understanding of these terms becomes easier.
According to conventional science, the building blocks of our bodies are, tissues or cells, and what makes the body function are the different systems of our bodies like digestive, nervous, respiratory, and circulatory.
Āyurveda states that the building blocks of our bodies are the five elements, together known as matter i.e. ether/space, air, fire, water and earth, and in fact, at a micro level, even a tissue or a cell is made of these five elements, and these elements in Saṃskṛta are known as paṃca mahābhūtas. When these elements come alive, become active or functional with the infusion of life or life force, they then become responsible for all the physical and mental functions in a human being. The functional aspect of space plus air is called Vāta, fire plus water is called Pitta and water plus earth is called Kapha.
Vāta, Pitta and Kapha govern all the functions of a human being at a physical and a mental level. When they work efficiently, they are said to be balanced and the body is disease-free, however, if their functionality becomes inefficient, they are termed as out of balance. This imbalance can happen due to the influence of both external factors and internal factors. On an external level, weather, food, geography, and people can contribute to either balance or imbalance. Some of the internal factors are lifestyle, negative emotions and thoughts. Balance is wholesome and leads to happiness. Imbalance is unwholesome and contributes to the creation of disease. So, it is pivotal that Vāta, Pitta and Kapha function efficiently and in balance.
Āyurveda believes that health is merely not the absence of disease but in addition, there needs to be well-being, fulfillment, contentment and happiness. To be more precise, Suśruta Saṃhitā says,
समदोषः समाग्निश्च समधातु मलःक्रियाः।
प्रसन्नात्मेन्द्रियमनः स्वस्थ इति अभिधीयते॥
Samadoṣaḥ samāgniśca samadhātu malaḥkriyāḥ।
Prasannātmendriyamanaḥ svasthaitiabhidhīyate॥
Health is achieved when, the doṣas (Vāta, Pitta, Kapha) function efficiently, agni (metabolism) is balanced, dhātus (bodily ingredients) are in the right proportion, mala kriyā (elimination of waste) is proper and when the mind and the senses are content, fulfilled and happy. From a health standpoint the approach of Āyurveda becomes twofold, one, removal of disease and two, to instill a sense of happiness.
As per Āyurveda, diseases can be physical, mental and spiritual in nature, they originate in the body and manifest in the mind, they originate in the mind and manifest body and they occur due to suppression of emotions and natural urges, resulting in disturbed doṣas, so the approach to therapy is to address the root cause and then determine the appropriate course of treatment so that the doṣas can be balanced. Positive interpersonal relationships, relationships with oneself, lifestyle and behavior contribute a great deal towards happiness and Āyurveda also emphasizes meditation for the same reasons.
As stated above, efficient functioning of Vāta, Pitta and Kapha is important as it contributes to balanced agni (metabolism), proportional dhātus (bodily ingredients) and proper mala kriyā (elimination of waste) and thus health. Diet and lifestyle has an impact on their functioning, for example, stimulants can increase Vāta, protein rich diets can increase Pitta and fat rich diets can increase Kapha, hence a balanced diet is recommended. In terms of lifestyle and habits, excessive activity increases Vāta, intense activity increases Pitta and lack of activity increases Kapha balanced activity is recommended for maintenance of health.
In case of diseases, there are several avenues available to an Ayurvedic physician to treat the person, to name a few, Pañca Karma (five-fold cleansing), dietary changes, lifestyle changes, administering of herbs, administering of ayurvedic medicine, and others. The ayurvedic approach to health is not only to treat the disease but also to treat the person. It is holistic in nature so there are no side effects.
In closing, Āyurveda as a discipline has survived despite being so ancient because its contribution in alleviating human suffering has been validated time after time and generation after generation.
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