TV Channel

We speak of Ayurveda, the science of life. When we examine this science, we see what a vast, comprehensive approach it is. It is not a single topic, but a grand system. So, what shall we discuss today? We have listed the contents. First, a little about the history of Ayurveda. Then, its scope and objectives—what its purpose is. Next, all types of tools to maintain physical and mental health. The following topic is very important: the concept of the mind, which has a major influence on everything. Then comes Ayurvedic anatomy and physiology. From that, we will specially examine the doṣas. You may have heard of vāta, pitta, and kapha, which are very common terms today; these are the names of the three doṣas. Hopefully, we will have enough time to speak a little about digestion. Let's also hope to have some time to discuss diet, eating habits, and our conduct. So, let us begin. Where does Ayurveda come from? I have sometimes heard it said that Ayurveda is 5,000 years old—that five thousand years ago, it simply appeared. This is not true. In our academy, we were taught the proper sequence of its origin. The first part is the mythological narrative, the story of how it developed. In truth, Ayurveda is as old as nature itself, for it is always the observation of the laws of nature. In this science, it is said that God Brahmā, the creator, gave the knowledge to these beings: to Dakṣabrahmāpati, to the Aśvinī Kumāras, to Lord Indra, and then to Lord Dhanvantari. Dhanvantari is the sage of Ayurveda. He gave the knowledge to all these personalities, to the gods: Dakṣa, Prajāpati, Aśvinī Kumāra, Lord Indra, and Lord Dhanvantari, who is actually the Lord of Ayurveda. After Dhanvantari came Ātreya, who is also a very great sage in the Vedas. Up to this point, it is more the mythology, the divine path, as told by history and the Vedas. Then it transitions to the ṛṣis and the personalities whom we know in the human path. Among all these, Agniveśa is most important in this lineage. Why? Because from Agniveśa's line developed Ācārya Caraka, and his writings and all his sūtras remain important for Ayurvedic science today. It is said that Ayurveda is a subdivision of the Atharvaveda. As mentioned before, the creator Lord Brahmā Himself, in the divine world, composed one hundred thousand verses, organized into one thousand chapters. This was all before the Lord created living beings. Why? Because He knew and took into consideration the short span of human life and their limited intellectual capacity. It is said He was aware of the limited range of human life and the limited intellectual capacity of people. There are four Vedas in total, and within the Atharvaveda, Ayurveda is the most discussed. Lord Brahmā Himself created the eight branches of Ayurveda. Here you can see those eight parts: the first is internal medicine (for diseases like fever); then pediatrics (concerning children and mothers, especially for producing good mother's milk for nourishment); all diseases above the clavicle (supraclavicular diseases of the eyes, ears, and mouth); they also had knowledge of surgery, toxicology, rejuvenation therapy, and aphrodisiac therapy. There are still texts like the Bṛhat Trayī and the Laghu Trayī. In the beginning, knowledge was passed on only through verses and mantras because people could not write. Gradually, writing emerged, people began to write, and ślokas and sūtras were formulated. This knowledge was again compiled into compendiums. Some parts still exist; for instance, some Ayurvedic literature is in museums like the one in Hamburg. Unfortunately, most literature was destroyed during colonization. The aim at that time was to destroy this knowledge and promote Western medicine. But because it was written and recited in Sanskrit, elders remembered, and so this science could be restored, although many things are, of course, lost forever. We spoke before about this lineage. Here we have the Caraka Saṃhitā; in this book, everything is written about medicine. Then the Suśruta Saṃhitā, in which everything is written about surgery. Then came Vāgbhaṭa, who made a compendium of both, the Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya. So it is very, very old, not merely 5,000 years. What is the scope and objective of Ayurveda? Ayurveda is a science that deals with the useful and the harmful, the happy and unhappy life. One also needs to define what is harmful and unhappy to become able to be healthy and happy and possess all useful things. Therefore, harmful things are described, and that which makes life unhappy is also found in the literature. In the records, we can find a description of what is harmful and what causes an unhappy life, because we must be aware of it to know how to achieve a happy life and how to be healthy. Thus, Ayurveda also gives guidelines for what is beneficial and harmful to life. Very importantly, it describes the span of life, which is very individual. Ayurveda describes how to achieve benefits, how to achieve a happy life, and also describes the course of life. The great aim is to have, until the end of our days, a flexible body, a healthy mind, and to feel happy. Until the end, until the last day—this is the scope. When we talk about the extent of life, it is thought that the goal of Ayurveda is to keep a flexible body, a satisfied mind, and a happy life to the end. I must say, before we started our academy, I did not fully understand the difference between the two parts given in Ayurveda, as it was all mixed up. But there is one śloka I mentioned this morning: "Svasthasya svāsthā rakṣaṇaṃ, āturasya vikāra praśamanaṃ." This means that the scope of Ayurveda is to maintain the health of healthy people and to cure those who are afflicted with diseases—two things. Before we founded the Ayurvedic Academy in Vienna, I never really understood exactly how these two principles are discussed in Ayurveda. I understood it only when we began to deal with it, including the verse I cited at the meeting with the journalist this afternoon. The translation of the verse is that the extent of Ayurveda, or the part of Ayurveda...