04 Apr What is Ayurveda?

It is often called the
“Mother of All Healing”.

In Sanskrit:Ayurveda literally means “science of life and longevity.” It is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science and is the traditional system of medicine of India. Ayurveda is a science in the sense that it is a complete system. It is a qualitative, holistic science of health and longevity, a philosophy and system of healing the whole person, body and mind. Homeopathy and Polarity therapy are two of the many natural healing systems now familiar in the West who have their roots in Ayurveda.

Origin of Ayurveda: The origin of this system goes back to a far past, in which philosophy and medicine were not separated. Therefore, philosophical views have strongly influenced the Ayurvedic way of thinking. Historians have not pin-pointed the exact time Ayurveda came into being. Most agree that Ayurvedic classical texts were written in India between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago, though some suggest an even longer history.It stems from the ancient vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples.Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible.

Legend: The origins of this system of course are lost in time. In legend it is said to have been taught by the creator, Brahma, to the Prajapati Daksha. (One of the lords of the animals) who taught it in turn to the divine twins called the Ashwinikumars. Ashwinikumars are the heavenly healers. They taught Indra, the chief of the shining ones. The personages mentioned were deities of early Vedic times. When mankind started suffering from various diseases the wise men like Bharadvaja learnt from Indra the knowledge of medicine. Gradually the huge amount of knowledge accumulated was divided systematically into different branches.