Ayurveda is a very ancient health care practice dated back thousands of years. It is believed Ayurveda came into existence before the human civilization.
We can find the script in the ancient texts called Veda. One of the main gods of Hinduism, God Brahma is said to have created Ayurveda. He then passed on this knowledge to Dakshya Prajapati. Dakshya gave it to the twin Vedic gods, Ashwini Kumar. The twin gods are the Ayurvedic gods of healing. The twin gods presented Ayurveda to Indra, the king of the gods. Indra had three disciples: Acharya Bhardwaj, Acharya Kashyapa and Acharya Divodas Dhanvantari. With the teaching of Bharadwaj, his student Agnivesh developed the basic Ayurvedic text. Agnivesh’s disciple Acharya Charak then revised the work. It began the tradition of transmitting Ayurvedic knowledge from the gods to the human.
The ancient scholars and yogis have dedicated their whole lives to understanding the truth about the universe. They gave their knowledge and learning, with which the oral tradition has continued for thousands of years. Also they recorded their discoveries in the holy book of the Vedas.
What is the Vedas?
Veda is the oldest literary form in the world. They are written in Sanskrit, the ancient language of Himalayas., Vedas are records of revelations discovered by ancient directors and yogis. These are regarded as the sacred texts of Hinduism
The Vedas have four distinct bodies. They are Rigveda, yajur veda, sama veda and atharva veda. These books detail rituals, worship, hymns, mantras and ways of life.
The latest book to the four Vedas was compiled by Atharvaveda in 900 BC. As part of this knowledge, eastern ancient medical system is extensive and systematic.
Ayurvedic texts
Ayurveda established its identity as a separate science after the Vedic period. Ayurvedic texts are composed of two parts, the great three classics of Ayurveda (Brihat trayi) and the lower three classics of Ayurveda. (Laghu trayi)
The great three classics of Ayurveda include Charak Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya . About the time period of Charaka Samhita , it is thought to have ended around the second century . Agnivesh wrote the original texts of this book. He was one of the disciples of the Ayurvedic scholar Atreya. Agnivesh and his classmates back that time shared the knowledge gained from their teacher and increased their awareness of the subject. Agnivesha has a special interest in Samhita because of its unique and extensive content. Charak later described Agnivesh’s work and focused more on a diagnosis part and spread Ayurveda as a means of preventing and curing diseases. Charak explained the value and characteristics of over 10,000 herbal plants.
Sushruta Samhita describes the concept and practice of surgery in Ayurveda. Modern scholars and researchers suggest that the Sushruta Samhita was used in the first millennium. It is believed to have been written by Sushruta, one of the Divodas students. Sushruta Samhita consists of 184 chapters and requires 1,120 health conditions, 300 types of operations, 42 different surgical procedures, 121 different types of equipment, and 650 types of drugs derived from animals, plants and minerals.
After years of writing Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, Vagabhatta formed the Ashtanga Hridaya. It focuses primarily on Ayurveda, a branch of Ayurveda, which specializes in internal medicine. In this body of knowledge, dosha and its sub types were explained in detail.
The lower three classics (Laghu Trayi)of Ayurveda include Sarangadhara Samhita, Bhava Prakasha and Madhava Nidhana. The Sharngadhara Samhita was written by Sharngadhara and it describes the formulas used in the Panchakarma. Within this book, a person’s health status is determined by their pulse. Bhavaprakash was created in the 16th century and is one of the later Ayurvedic texts. It also deals with kayachikitsa(general medicine) and describes the characteristics of various food, plants, and animals in relation to their dietary and health benefits. The Madhava Nidanas slogan originated in 700 BC and is valuable for discussing women and children, toxicology and the conditions of the throat, nose and ears.
From this time, to today still in Nepal and the Himalayan regions people practice ayurveda getting in tune with nature. As it is very near to nature and natural products, we can easily use the herbs and minerals from the Himalayas as a tool to balance the health of a person.