Origin of AYURVEDA
Documented references to the precise timing of the origins of Ayurveda are not
available. The age of Ayurveda has been established on the basis of correlating the evidence with other disciplines as well
as circumstantial evidence. Ayurveda is said to have been first compiled as a text by Agnivesha, in his book Agnivesh tantra,
which was written during Vedic times. The book was later revised by Charaka, and renamed to Charaka Samhita (encyclopedia
of the physician Charaka). Other early texts of Ayurveda include the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita. The system
was orally transferred via the Gurukul system until a script came into existence.
The earliest scripts would have been written on perishable materials such as Taalpatra
and Bhojapatra, which could not be readily preserved. The script was later written on stone and copper sheets. Verses dealing
with Ayurveda are included in the Atharvaveda, which implies that some form of Ayurveda is as old as the Vedas. Ayurvedic
practices have also evolved over time, and some practices may be considered innovations upon earlier Vedic practices, such
as the advances made during the Buddhist period in India.
Hinduism attributes the genesis of Ayurveda to several theories in which the knowledge
is believed to have been passed on from being to being, initially, through its realization by the divine sages, and gradually
into the human sphere by a complex system of mnemonics. Details of Ayurvedic traditions vary between writers, as is expected
when oral traditions are transcribed from multiple sources. The earliest authors of Ayurvedic manuscripts recorded divergent
forms of the tradition.
Ayurvedic practice was flourishing
during the time of Buddha (around 520 BC), and in this period the Ayurvedic practitioners were commonly using Mercuric-sulphur
combination based medicines. In this period mercury, sulphur and other metals were used in conjunction with herbs to prepare
the different medications. An important Ayurvedic practitioner of this period was Nagarjuna, a Buddhist herbologist, famous
for inventing various new drugs for the treatment of ailments. Nagarjuna was accompanied by Surananda, Nagbodhi, Yashodhana,
Nityanatha, Govinda, Anantdev, Vagbhatta etc. The knowledge of Ayurveda progressed a lot during this period, including development
of newer and more effective medicines, and is therefore termed as the Golden Period of Ayurveda.
After emerging victorious at the Kalinga War, Emperor Ashoka (304 BC-232 BC) influenced
by the Buddhist teachings, banned any bloodshed in his kingdom in 250 BC. Therefore many Ayurveda practitioners, who were
practicing surgery along with medicine, left the surgical intervention and adopted totally new medicinal treatments. In this
period, Ayurveda again evolved and flourished with the invention of new drugs, new methodology and new innovations. The practice
of the accompanying surgery slowly died out during this period.
During the regime of Chandragupta Maurya (375-415 AD), Ayurveda was part of mainstream
Indian medical techniques, and continued to be so until the colonization by the British.
Chakrapani Dutta was a Vaid Brahman of Bengal
who wrote books on Ayurveda such as "Chakradutta" and others. Chakrapani Dutta was the Rajavaidya of Great King Laxman Sen
{some says Raj Vaid of King Nayapala (1038 - 1055)}. It is believed by some practitioners that Chakradutta is the essence
of Ayurveda.
Ayurveda has always been preserved by the people of India as a traditional "science of life", despite increasing adoption of European
medical techniques during the time of British rule. For several decades the reputation and skills of the various Ayurvedic
schools declined markedly as Western medicine and Western-style hospitals were built. However, beginning in the 1970s, a gradual
recognition of value of Ayurveda returned, and today Ayurvedic hospitals and practitioners are flourishing throughout all
of India. As well, the production and
marketing of Ayurvedic herbal medicines has dramatically increased, as well as scientific documentation of benefits. Today,
Ayurvedic medicines are available throughout the world.
Gurukul system of Ayurveda
In the earlier days of its conception, the system of Ayurvedic medicine was orally
transferred via the Gurukul system until a written script came into existence.
In this system, the Guru gave a solemn address where he directed the students to
a life of chastity, honesty, and vegetarianism. The student was to strive with all his being to heal the sick. He was not
to betray patients for his own advantage. He was required to dress modestly and avoid alcohol or drugs. He was to be collected
and self-controlled, measured in speech at all times. He was to constantly improve his knowledge and technical skill. At the
patient's home, he was to be courteous and modest, directing all attention to the patient's welfare. He was not to divulge
any knowledge about the patient and his family. If the patient was incurable, he was to keep this to himself if it was likely
to harm the patient or others.
The normal length of the student's training appears to have been seven years. Before
graduation, the student was to pass a test. But the physician was to continue to learn through texts, direct observation (pratyaksha),
and through inference (anumana). In addition, the vaidyas attended meetings where knowledge was exchanged. The practitioners
also gained knowledge of unusual remedies from laypeople that were outside the huffsteter community such as hillsmen, herdsmen,
and forest-dwellers.
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