Three doshas
Vata (air + ether, governs movement), Pitta (fire + water, governs transformation), Kapha (earth + water, governs structure). Each person has a unique prakriti (constitution) of all three.
Vedic science
Ayurveda आयुर्वेद
The science of life - Hindu medicine, oldest complete medical system
A complete medical system based on the balance of three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and the seven dhatus (tissues), addressing body, mind, and lifestyle as one continuous whole.
Parent Veda
Upaveda of the Atharvaveda
Founders / systematisers
Lord Dhanvantari (the divine physician who emerged from the churning of the ocean of milk). Systematised by Charaka (medicine), Sushruta (surgery), and Vagbhata (synthesis).
Introduction
Ayurveda is the world's oldest continuously-practised medical system. Its roots are in the Atharvaveda; its first systematic texts predate Greek and Chinese medicine. The name means "knowledge (veda) of life (ayur)".
Where Western medicine separates body from mind and treats disease as something external to attack, Ayurveda treats the person as one continuous system whose foods, sleep, climate, season, emotional life and spiritual practice are all medicine or all poison together. The same fennel seed is medicine for one constitution and irritant for another.
The two great early texts - the Charaka Samhita (medicine) and the Sushruta Samhita (surgery) - describe diagnosis by pulse, urine, tongue, and observation; over 700 medicinal plants and 60 surgical instruments; cataract surgery, plastic surgery (rhinoplasty), and ear-reconstruction long before Europe knew of them.
Key concepts
Seven dhatus
Rasa (plasma), rakta (blood), mamsa (muscle), meda (fat), asthi (bone), majja (marrow), shukra (reproductive). Each dhatu feeds the next.
Agni - digestive fire
The single most important concept. Strong agni means well-digested food becomes nourishment; weak agni means it becomes ama (toxin). Most disease begins as poor digestion.
Three malas
Sweat, urine, faeces. Regular elimination is a daily diagnostic.
Six tastes
Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent. A balanced meal includes all six. Each taste affects each dosha differently.
Panchakarma
Five cleansing therapies - vamana (induced vomiting), virechana (purgation), basti (enema), nasya (nasal cleanse), rakta-mokshana (bloodletting). Performed seasonally as deep reset.
Dinacharya & ritucharya
Daily routine and seasonal routine. The 24-hour cycle and the six-season year both have prescribed practices to keep the doshas in balance.
Great teachers and saints
Dhanvantari
Pre-VedicThe divine origin - emerged from the churning of the ocean of milk holding the pot of amrita. Worshipped on Dhanteras two days before Diwali; the patron deity of all physicians.
Atreya Punarvasu
c. 1000 BCEThe first great teacher of internal medicine. Charaka was his student's student.
Charaka
c. 100 CECompiled the Charaka Samhita - the foundational text of Ayurvedic medicine. Established the eight-branch organisation (Ashtanga) of Ayurveda.
Sushruta
c. 600 BCEThe "father of surgery". His Sushruta Samhita describes 300 surgical procedures, 120 instruments, and the first plastic surgery and cataract surgery in recorded history.
Vagbhata
c. 600 CEAuthor of the Ashtanga Hridaya - the most-quoted clinical reference, condensing Charaka and Sushruta into a usable practical manual.
Madhavakara
c. 700 CEThe Madhava Nidana - diagnostic manual, the first systematic Ayurvedic disease classification.
Canonical texts
- Charaka Samhita (c. 100 CE) - internal medicine, the largest Ayurvedic text
- Sushruta Samhita (c. 600 BCE) - surgery, the world's first textbook of surgery
- Ashtanga Hridaya by Vagbhata (c. 600 CE) - most-used clinical reference
- Bhava Prakasha by Bhava Mishra (16th c.) - pharmacology and clinical practice
- Madhava Nidana (c. 700 CE) - diagnostic manual
How to use this in daily life
Eat your largest meal at midday
Agni is strongest when the sun is highest. Eating late at night leaves food undigested, creating ama (toxin) overnight. Ayurveda predicted modern chrono-nutrition by 2,000 years.
Drink warm water through the day
Cold water dampens agni. Sipping warm water especially after meals improves digestion.
Self-massage with sesame oil (abhyanga)
Five minutes of warm-oil self-massage before bathing nourishes the skin, calms vata, and slows ageing.
Triphala at night
Three fruits - amalaki, bibhitaki, haritaki - taken at night gently cleanse the digestive tract. Safe for daily long-term use.
Adjust foods by season
Cooling foods (coconut, cucumber, melons) in summer. Warming foods (ghee, ginger, dates) in winter. Light foods (mung dal, vegetables) in monsoon.
Know your prakriti
Visit any vaidya for a one-hour consultation to learn whether you are vata, pitta, or kapha dominant. Knowing this answers half the questions you have about your own body.
Modern revival
India's Ministry of AYUSH governs Ayurveda. Over 250,000 Ayurvedic physicians practise across the country. WHO has formally recognised Ayurveda as a traditional medical system. Major centres: Arya Vaidya Sala (Kottakkal, Kerala), Patanjali Ayurved (Haridwar), Banaras Hindu University, Gujarat Ayurved University (Jamnagar).
Recommended reading
- Vasant Lad · "Textbook of Ayurveda" (3 volumes, The Ayurvedic Press)
- Vasant Lad · "Ayurveda - The Science of Self-Healing" - accessible introduction
- David Frawley · "Ayurveda and the Mind"
- Robert Svoboda · "Prakriti - Your Ayurvedic Constitution"
- Charaka Samhita translation by Ram Karan Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (5 volumes, Chowkhamba)
- Sushruta Samhita translation by Kaviraj Kunjalal Bhishagratna (Chowkhamba)
Where to study formally
- Arya Vaidya Sala (Kottakkal, Kerala) - flagship treatment centre and pharmacy
- Gujarat Ayurved University (Jamnagar) - leading academic institution
- Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque (Vasant Lad) - for Western students
- National Institute of Ayurveda (Jaipur)
Other Vedic sciences
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