Ayurvedainfo.net
Guide to ayurvedic medicines & remedies

HISTORY OF AYURVEDA

The Charaka Samhita, written in 1000 BC, by Charaka, is the first and among themost famous texts of Ayurveda texts. The other famous Ayurvedic text, the Sushruta Samhita was also compiled around the same period. By the time of Gautama Buddha (563 - 483 BC), Ayurveda had become a Developed System. One of the reasons for this development is credited to the political needs of the time. The health of the king was equivalent to the health of the state, and the royal physician had the responsibility of looking after the king's health, protect him from poisoning, provide cure for both accidental and military wounds, ensure the queens safe pregnancy and delivery, and also look after the royal progeny.

Around 6th century BC, a student named Jivaka was schooling at Takshashila, a center of learning now in Pakistan. After seven years of rigorous training, his guru gave him a spade and sent him out for his final examination. The test consisted of finding a plant bereft of any medicinal value, within a radius of several miles. Jivaka passed his exam when he returned empty handed. This incident epitomizes the spirit of Ayurveda, which has a view that nothing exists in the world that cannot be used as a medicine.

Jivaka became the royal physician of the Magadha king Bimbisara and was appointed by the king to personally supervise the health of Gautama Buddha and his followers. Gradually, his fame grew to such an extent that many joined the Buddhist community in order to get treated by Jivaka. He prescribed all the therapeutic measures to the monks, including surgery.

In the 3rd century BC, emperor Ashoka, after his conversion to Buddhism, gave a great impetus to Ayurveda when he built charitable hospitals, including specialized surgical, obstetric and mental facilities throughout his kingdom.
The Buddhists were supportive of all forms of learning, and they had set up universities to teach disciplines like Buddhism, Vedic lore, history, geography, Sanskrit literature, poetry, drama, grammar and phonetics, law, philosophy, astrology, astronomy, mathematics, commerce, medicine and the art of war. The university at Nalanda in Bihar, established in the 4th century BC was the most famous center of learning. Nalanda, with its 10,000 students and 1,500 teachers, came to an end in the 12th century BC, with Muslim invasions.

Among the major treatises in Ayurveda are the Ashtanga Sangraha, written in the 7th century and the Ashtanga Hradaya in 8th century BC. These two texts were the condensation of the works of the seminal giants of Ayurveda, Charaka and Sushruta. Madhava Nidana, a treatise on diagnostics, was also written in the 8th century.

The Charaka Samhita is regarded as the primary Ayurvedic text, but it is difficult to gauge the interpolations and additions of the various editors and revisors through whom the text has passed to come to us today. It is divided into eight different sections or sthana.
1) Sutra sthana. (30 chapters on the origin of Ayurveda, general principles, philosophies and theories).
2) Nidana sthana (8 chapters on the causes and symptoms of disease).
3) Vimana sthana (8 chapters on physiology, methodology and medical ethics.
4) Sharira sthana (8 chapters on anatomy, embryology, metaphysics and ethics).
5) Indriya sthana (12 chapters on prognosis).
6) Chikitsa sthana (30 chapters on therapeutics).
7) Kalpa sthana (12 chapters on pharmacy).
8) Siddhi sthana (12 chapters on purification therapy).

Sushruta had also developed the methods of corpse dissection to a great extent. His treatise, dealing with the operation of damaged noses and ears was translated by the Germans. The operation is now known in modern medicine as pedicle graft and Sushruta's treatise also led to the development of modern plastic surgery. Sushruta is regarded today by plastic surgeons around the world as the father of their craft.

Most people today consider Ayurveda to be an unscientific and regressive system. This attitude has grown because most people today are completely disconnected with their own heritage of the past. Little is known about the history of Ayurvedic development and the minds and thoughts of men who created the system, among the people today.

Learning in ancient India was more about the knowledge of the self, of self-awareness. Charaka observes "weapons, learning and water are wholly dependent for their merits and demerits on their holder. Hence it is understanding that should first of all be rendered immaculate and worthy of holding the knowledge of medicine".

A teacher was supposed to be skillful, upright, pure, a knower of human nature, free from self-conceit, envy and irascibility, endowed with fortitude and affection towards his pupils and able to clear the doubts of his students.

The disciples had to prove in a six month probation period that they possessed the qualities of being peaceable, noble, persevering, intelligent, devoted to truth, modest and gentle; free of egotism, irritability, addictions of any kind, covetousness and sloth; pure, skilful, courteous, single minded, obedient and devoted to his mentor.

The attitude towards education and learning 3000 years back was more true and real learning than what prevails today. Although the discipline to be learnt is medicine, the greater stress is always on individual inquiry, which is regarded as true learning.

The oath of initiation of the students went like this "there is no limit at all to the science of life, the entire world is the teacher to the intelligent and the foe to the unintelligent". Debate was encouraged in these schools to create inquiring minds, willing to rebel against dogma. As Charaka says "any success achieved without the exercise of reason is indeed success resulting from chance". Any invention produced under a culture of such thoughts and attitude can only be wholesome in nature.

A major rift might have occurred in 1835 when Lord Macauley ordained that only European knowledge should be encouraged in all areas of the East India Company. After this period, the eastern systems like Ayurveda died a slow death and the western system gained in legitimacy.

Although Ayurveda has had a turbulent history, it has survived the ravages of time. Much of it can be attributed to the genius of India and its people, because much of its ancient literature as well as the system of Ayurveda, where contained not much in texts and in libraries but memorized and kept in the minds of men and passed from one generation to the next as part of cultural heritage. It is this unique feature of Indian life that has kept alive much of its literary and spiritual heritage despite numerous destructive invasions that razed the libraries but not the learning. Though much has been lost to the times, what has remained of the system has made immense contribution to the world of medicine and healing.