The Fundamentals of Ayurveda: A Reader’s Guide

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  • Published on: 2024-12-20 02:52 pm

The Fundamentals of Ayurveda: A Reader’s Guide

Ayu (age/life) is the means of Dharma (righteous duty), Artha (prosperity) and happiness. The person who desires this Ayu should highly respect the teachings of Ayurveda.

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Introduction and Background

Humans have been on an eternal quest to be immortal. Every living thing is plagued with the fear of dying. Three kinds of desires are mentioned in the Charaka Samhita, viz. paraloka eshana (desire for heaven), dhana eshana (desire for wealth), and prana eshana (desire for life). Nobody wants to die; if they do, they hope to go to paradise in the afterlife. We want to be healthy as long as we are here on Earth. Only humans have started this never-ending effort to discover ways to stay healthy and live longer because of these aspirations. Humans have evolved to outcompete other species in the struggle for survival. Through knowledge, humans have found means and methods to live in extreme conditions, it is not just survival anymore, humans have started to challenge laws of nature as well.

Many strategies and tools for staying healthy have been developed worldwide as a result of this global search for health and long life. Every ethnic group has some sort of ritual that provides a solution to the age-old questions of longevity and health. It goes without saying that these customs have been recorded for thousands of years and have been adapted from the natural world. While some eventually died away, others persevered despite difficult conditions. Ayurveda was one such tradition that endured across time.


Indian Knowledge System and Ayurveda

Indian Knowledge Systems essentially find its roots in Vedic scriptures. The Shruti and the Smriti. Under Shrutis, there are the Vedas (i.e. Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda). Further, there are sections named as Vedangas and Upavedas. Ayurveda is considered to be an Upaveda of Atharvaveda. In the Indian thought process, everything is interconnected. It is a path of learning one should follow. Here, we see the world in three planes: the physical plane, the subtle plane and the metaphysical plane expressed as body, soul and mind respectively.



Ayurveda is a sastra which has its roots in the Vedas. The Vedas proclaim that the changeless, truthful essence of the universe is oneness and nondual. All other planes of matter in this world are changing hence cannot be truthful. This understanding is further explained in Upanishads which describes the mental plane with which this reality is contemplated. Without contradicting this understanding, the physical world is explained in philosophies like sankhya etc. It provides a thought process to understand and experience the physical world, without contradicting the real or atman. Based on this thought process all Indian shastras including ayurveda are formulated. When a person is alive, he/she should have some purpose, all Indian shastra texts believe in purusharthas (dharma, artha, kama and moksha) and so does ayurveda. The ayurvedic teachings are designed in such a manner which primarily focus on long and healthy life to achieve these purusharthas, and thus it is advised to follow them with utmost sincerity:

आयुः कामयमानेन धमार्थ सुखसाधनम् ।

आयुर्वेदोपदेशेषु विधेयः परमादरः ॥

(Ashtanga Hridayam)

[Ayu (age/life) is the means of Dharma (righteous duty), Artha (prosperity) and happiness. The person who desires this Ayu should highly respect the teachings of Ayurveda.]

In all our scriptures, utmost importance is given to ananda (happiness) since we always look forward to being happy through various means. It is also advised to achieve this ananda or happiness through purusharthas. When we talk about them, it is important to note that health is the root for purusharthas, diseases destroy them and put an end to happiness:

धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणामारोग्यं मूलमुत्तमम्

रोगास्तस्यापहर्तारः श्रेयसो जीवितस्य च

Charana Samhita)

[The root of all four Purusharthas is nothing but health. Whereas diseases destroy them and bring all the happiness in life to the end.]

Every component of purushartha has been written in the sequence to be achieved one after another, where it starts with dharma, not the religion but the righteous duty of an individual. From this duty one earns the artha( prosperity), like money. With artha, kama (desires) should be fulfilled. It does not end there for a person should also get detached from all these as well, which is nothing but moksha. In short, we can say to achieve the ananda (happiness) we must follow the purusharthas. A person should live a long and healthy life, and for this a person should follow the teachings of ayurveda.


Origin of Ayurveda

Ayurveda scriptures gave utmost importance to the quest of long and healthy life, this is evident from the first chapter of the most celebrated book on Ayurveda, Charaka Samhita. This first chapter is named as ‘Deerghajeevitiyam’ (living a long life). Later, the authors of Ashtanga Hridayam and Ashtanga Sangraham also started the books with a chapter named ‘Ayushkaameeyam’ (Desire for long life). So much importance was given for long life and perhaps people were actually living a long life, and later it became a desire for long life. With this understanding, it is clear that people were presumably healthy in the past. As a result of kala (time), the universe as a whole and civilisation in particular eventually engaged in adharma, or wrongdoing. Humankind lost sight of their spiritual character and were fixated on materialistic possessions.  In view of this circumstance, it is believed that an assembly of sages took place in the Himalayas to discuss a solution.  According to the tale, ayurveda was brought to earth with the intention of benefiting all living things (sarvabhutanukampaya). However, where and how did you get it? 

Scriptures say that ayurveda was revealed to Brahma who just remembered it and passed on to Daksha Prajapati, Ashwinikumaras and to Indra. It was decided that ayurveda should be brought to this world from Indra, and for this job sage Bharadwaja was selected. He learned it from Indra, came back and taught it to other sages. Among various sages, two schools were prominent: (a) Dhanwanthari and Atreya with expertise in surgery and medicine respectively. While Sushruta was the student from the Dhanwanthari sampradaya and wrote the book Sushruta Samhita; (b) Agnivesha was the student from Atreya sampradaya and wrote his book, which was later completed by Charaka and today it is known as Charaka Samhita. These books were written as a result of oral tradition, so the method is like a conversation between teacher and the student. Later Vagbhata felt the need of rearranging and updating the information in a systematic manner and thus he wrote a book named Ashtaga Hridayam. As the name suggests, he gave us the concept of eight branches in ayurveda and the book is the heart of those eight branches. Together these three books are called bright trayees (three major books), which, along with others, are sources of knowledge in ayurveda.


Influence of Darshana on Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a shastra, influenced by darshanas, specifically the Sankhya Darshana. As we discussed before, the world is understood from a mental plane without contradicting this understanding of the physical world. The knowledge of absolute truth is very important to explore and experience everything in the physical world without contradicting the absolute self. The body and mind are explained in detail in Ayurveda to understand the normalcy, deviation from normalcy (disease) and their management (treatment). Because the normal mind and body ensure that our thoughts and actions are not against the truthful self. Hence a good knowledge about how to understand the physical body and metaphysical mind is essential to remain in the real state which itself is happiness and knowledge. Every second of life we are knowing/experiencing the external world. This process is best explained in Sankhya Darshana as the Chaturvimshati Tattvas of the Prakriti and Purusha. This concept is well accepted in ayurveda.



Sankhya Darshana explains that there are twenty-four tattvas, divided into asta prakriti (eight prakriti) and shodasha vikara (sixteen vikara). While prakriti are causative factors, vikaras are effective. 


Fundamentals of Ayurveda

As a shastra, the ayurveda is influenced primarily by Sankhya Darshana and twenty-four tattvas as described before. Where eight prakritis are subtle, sixteen vikara are physical. In this panchamahabhuta are considered as the fundamental entity in this physical world with which everything is created and governed. As Taittiriya Upanishad says: “From akasha, vayu is manifested; from vayu manifests agni; from agni comes jala; from jala manifests prithvi; from prithvi different plants grow; from plants food is obtained; from food a person survives”.The entity for which ayurveda is used is called chikitsa purusha (means a person for whom treatment is possible). This is also called shaddhatvatmaka purusha (a combination of six things): panchamahabhuta and atma. With the combination of these six only a person can be alive. According to Sankhya Darshana, a purusha (soul) enters this world and experiences this world through the physical body and five sense organs. Soul manifest in this world according to its own karma as the Ashtanga Hridayam refers: “shudde shukrartave satvah swa karma kleshachoditah”, meaning when pure shukra (sperm) and artava (ovum) unites, then a soul manifests in the form of garbha (pregnancy) according to its own previous karma.

The purusha (soul) is the real beneficiary of all thoughts and actions, it reflects in all the planes of existence ( spiritual, physical and metaphysical). This purusha is beyond everything, but descends down to the physical world because of its own karma. Purusha connects through mind to the sense organs to the outer world. In fact, the mind is the connection between the physical world and the purusha, being metaphysical it reflects both in spiritual and physical plane. As we discussed purusha experience this physical world via mind through five sense organs, whatever knowledge is formulated through the sense organs regarding the constitution of the world, it will be basically of five varieties and are known as panchamahabuthas. The connection is described as:


Panchamahabhutas being the basis of physical manifestation of the universe, it is present in everything around us. Functionally in ayurveda they are expressed as tridoshas (viz. vata, pitta and kapha). Vata is the manifestation of the combination of akasha and vayu, pitta is the manifestation of the combination of agni and small amounts of jala and kapha is the manifestation of the combination of jala and prithvi. It can be stated that tridoshas are the functional expression of the physical panchamahabhutas. That means functionally the world can be expressed in terms of vata, pitta and kapha. For simpler understanding, we can say kapha (jala+prithvi) is the building block or structure; pitta (agni+jala) is transformation; and vata (akasha+vayu) is movement. If we see any manifestation in the universe we can grossly understand it in this expression. The understanding of doshas is not confined, it is visualized in every aspect of existence, few examples are here under:

  1. Prakriti: Also called the constitution of an individual which could be vata dominant, pitta dominant or kapha dominant. There could be combinations as well. Based on this dominance an individual is formed, like his/her body structure, health, digestive capacity, nature, behavior, dreams and much more.

  2. Desha: Usually it is vata dominant, kapha dominant or balanced. Vata dominant is dry, kapha dominant is full of water.

  3. Day: A day can be divided as per the dominance of dosha. For better understanding, it is considered as 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. is kapha time, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is pitta time and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. is vata time.

  4. Night: Just like day, night is also divided according to the dosha– 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. is kapha time, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. is pitta time, and 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. is vata.

  5. Digestive Fire (Agni): Vata dominant agni is erratic (sometimes hungry, sometimes not), pitta dominant agni is strong and kapha dominant agni is slow.

  6. Intestines (Kostha): Vata dominant is dry and constipating, pitta dominant is soft and prone to diarrhea and kapha dominant is balanced.

  7. Life or age: First one third of life is kapha dominant, middle one third is pitta and last one third is vata dominant.

  8. Seasons: Usually the rainy season is vata dominant, autumn is pitta dominant and spring is kapha dominant. 

Every aspect of our existence can be understood in the terms of tridoshas. Just like any other substance they are understood as properties  which are:

  1. Vata: ruksha (dry), laghu (lite), sheeta (cold), khara (rough), sukshma (subtle), chala (movement).

  2. Pitta: sasneha (along with unctuousness), teekshna (sharp), ushna (hot), laghu (lite), visram (bad smell), saram (fluid), dravam (liquid).

  3. Kapha: snigdha (unctuous), sheeta (cold), guru (heavy), manda (slow), slakshana (sticky), mritsana (smooth), sthira (stable).

Whenever we see these properties we infer the dominance or depletion of doshas. These properties maintain all the functionalities of the body and the universe. In fact, the Sushruta Samhita mentions: “Just as Soma (moon-water), Surya (sun-fire) and Anila (air- oxygen) support the body of this world by functions like visarga, adana and vikshepa respectively, similarly kapha, pitta and vata support this human body (with respective functions)”. These properties in the form of tridoshas are responsible for health and diseases. When these doshas are in equilibrium, they ensure good health. When they are off balance, diseases manifest. The act of rebalancing is treatment.  The sharira or body, functionally made up of dosha, dhatu and mala. Doshas are tridoshas (vata, pitta and kapha), Dhatus are seven in number and correlated with tissues. Malas are the waste products of the body.


Due to this comprehensive nature of tridoshas they are also called as pillars or stambha of life.These pillars do require sub-pillars (upastambha) to support, they are three in number, as: swapna (sleep), aahara (food), and brahmacharya (controlled indulgence in sexual intercourse).The right balance ensures a rousting and significant health.

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