It was interesting However historically Greece is far away from India. It
has been rightly said that history is the biography of outstanding
individuals in each age and this is even more true with the history of
medicine Though the men living in each age are to be counted in millions,
it is only given to a handful of men to play vital roles in the drama of
life and provide food for the historian. Even so, in medicine, the lives
and activities of outstanding men like Bharadvaja, Atreya, Caraka, Sushruta
and Vagbhata and others in India, as of Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Aristotle,
Galen, and a few others in Greece and Rome, constitute the history of
ancient medicine in India and in the West respectively. In all, ancient
history, whether of medicine or of the arts or of political life, the
multitude remain passive spectators, with a few important and dynamic
individuals holding the reins of the chariot of national life. Where
popular institutions and life have not developed into active and self
conscious functioning, the biographical method of history is the only true
method to adopt and we shall proceed now to discuss and ascertain with as
great a degree of certainty as possible, the lives and accomplishments of
the leaders of medical thought ever since the science descended to the
earth and began its terrestrial career as a rational system of healing for
the protection and prolongation of life.
For Caraka, this great science is a positive one intended for attaining
long life .[Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 1.3]
“Bharadvaja, the mighty ascetic, in search of the science of longevity
approached Indra, having deemed him, the lord of the immortals, worthy of
suit”.
Viewing the career of Ayurveda as a terrestrial science according to the
Caraka Samhita, Bharadvaja is certainly the father of medicine in Ayurveda. He
is the Indian Prometheus that brought the fire from the gods and bestowed
it on mankind. He is said to have brought the sunfire to the earth. At any
rate the fire of the healing science that bestows the warmth of good
health, happiness and long life on man is certainly the gift to mankind he
brought from the king of the gods. Our history, naturally enough begins
with the inquiry into the nature and timer of this greatest among sages.
On the contrary Greece history started only since 350BCE. (also see my
Tamil history 2 parts so far published)
The ‘Science of Life’ and the gods and sages that have propagated
and enriched it, find mention in that eternal body of knowledge, the Vedas.
The Rigveda and the Atharvaveda are variously claimed as the source, or the
original tree of which Ayurveda is a branch. It is thus called an Upa-veda
(upaveda) of the Atharva-veda by most and of the Rigveda by some.
Though the Vedas are the eternal source of knowledge, they are given
out at the beginning of each cycle of creation by the creator Brahma
(Brahmā) and are promulgated by the foremost of his creatures for the
guidance of the world. Thus, Brahma, according to the Mundakopanishad
(Muṇḍakopaniṣad) which belongs to the Atharvaveda, narrates the descent of
the Brahma-vidya (brahmavidyā) from Brahma. Brahma taught it to his eldest
son Atharva. Atharva gave it to Angirasa and be to Satyavaha, a descendant
of Bharadvaja. Through him it came down through generations to the world.
What applies to this Brahma-vidya applies to the whole of the Atharvaveda.
This Atharva-veda is also called the Brahma-veda, the Veda par excellence.
At the time of the sacrifice, the Rigveda is represented and sung by the
Hota (Hotā), the Yajur-veda by the Adhvaryu, the Sama-veda by the Udgata
(Udgātā) and the Atharva-veda by Brahma i. e. the one that represents them
creator. Thus, the place of honor is accorded to this Veda.
Now, as regards the evidence we have from the three fore most Samhitas of
Ayurveda about its origin and earthtly descent, there is unanimity upto a
certain extent i.e. with reference to the celestial part of its devolution.
[Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 1, 4-5]
“Daksa Prajapati, the progenitor, first obtained the science of life in its
entirety as promulgated by Brahma, the great one i.e. the Creator and from
him in turn, the Ashvin [Ashvin] twins obtained it, from the Ashvin twins
the god Indra acquired Therefore Bharadvaja bidden by the sages approached
Indra (Śakra)”.
Thus, according to them all, Brahma taught the science to Daksa, the
progenitor, and he imparted it to the twin gods known as the Ashvins. From
them Indra, the lord of the immortals, learnt it. It is from Indra that
mortal protagonist acquired it, and according to the Caraka Samhita, the
first mortal that received the science was Bharadvaja, who repaired to the
court of Indra delegated by the congress of Rishis to appeal to the king of
the gods to impart the science for the redemption of suffering mankind
below. Graciously enough, Indra taught the whole of the science to
Bharadvaja, from whom Atreya and other great sages learnt it and passed on
to their disciples. The prime object of the science of life is to lengthen
the span of earthly existence and Bharadvaja, the first mortal knower of
this science, is Credited to have achieved this end.
[Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 1, 26]
“Bharadvaja thereby acquired unmeasured life endowed with happiness”;
For he is known to have lived through three lives i.e., three generations
of contemporary humanity. This, as we have already said, is the version of
the Caraka Samhita of the beginning of Ayurveda on earth. But according to
the Sushruta and Kashyapa Samhitas which are more or less contemporaneous
with Caraka Samhita or Agnivesha-tantra as it is also called, the original
teachers of these treatises namely Dhanvantari and Kashyapa claim to have
received the science direct from Indra, on a par with Bharadvaja.
The following table gives the manner of descent of Ayurveda and the
succession of teachers aid disciples according to each of these three
important treatises, each representing predominantly a branch of medicine.
Thus the Atreya school is primarily one of medicine, the Sushruta school of
Surgery and the Kashyapa school of Pediatrics and obstetrics.
Schools (Lineage) of Ayurveda
Brahma (Brahmā)
Daksha (Dakṣa)
Ashvins (Aśvinau)
Indra (Indraḥ)
(According to the version in Sushruta Samhita)—Dhanvantari or Divodasa
(Divodāsa)—Sushruta (Suśruta), Aupadhenava, Vaitarana (Vaitaraṇa),
Aurabhra, Paushkalavata (Pauṣkalāvata), Karavirya (Karavīrya),
Gopurarakshita (Gopurarakṣita), Bhoja and others.
(According to the version in Kashyapa Samhita)—Kashyapa (Kaśyapa),
Vasishtha (Vasiṣṭha), Atri and Bhrigu (Bhṛgu)—Their sons and disciples.
(According to the version in Caraka Samhita)—Bharadvaja (Bharadvāja)—Atreya
Punarvasu (Ātreya-Punarvasu)—Agnivesha (Agniveśa), Bhela, Jatu (Jatū),
Karna (Karṇa), Parashara (Parāśara), Harita (Hārīta), Ksharapani
(Kṣārapāṇi) and others.
As regards the evidence of the other two Samhitas referred to, we
shall first examine the Sushruta Samhita. There is no mention of Bharadvaja
having received the science from Indra or having imparted it to
Dhanvantari, the king of Kashi Dhanvantari claims to have received it from
Indra directly, as may be seen from the table given before. Yet in
contradiction
to what we see in the Sushruta Samhita itself, we find from the Taittiriya
Brahmana and the Mahabharata that Bharadvaja was the priest (Purohita) of
three generations of the Kings of Kashi i.e. Dhanvantari, Sudasa (Sudāsa)
and Pratardana. He is thus said to have lived through three lives. Divodasa
must have owed his knowledge to his preceptor and priest Bharadvaja.
The Harivamsha describes Bharadvaja as the teacher of the medical science
to Dhanvantari. [Ha. Vaṃ. 29.26-27]
Thus we find a Bharadvaja Kumarashira, quite distinct from the Great
Originator of the Science on earth and described in the beginning of the
Caraka Samhita.There is another person by the name of Bharadvaja, who is a
great scholar taking part in the learned discussions of the sages and
propounding the theory of Nature or the innate quality of things as the
cause of man as well as of his diseases Carakasaṃhitā Sūtrasthāna
25.20-21] Carakasaṃhitā Śārīrasthāna 4 (1)] “To this the sage
Bharadvaja said—‘No For the doer always precedes the deed. Nor have we any
valid knowledge of action that has not been performed, whereof it may be
said that an individual is the result. Nature alone is the cause, then, of
both man and his disease just as roughness, fluidity, mobility and heat are
respectively the’ nature of earth, water, air, and fire” “No! said
Bharadvaja to this. For what reason did he say so? Because neither mother
nor father, neither the spirit nor concordance, nor yet the use of drinks
or foods that are eaten, masticated or licked up, in fact, bring about the
conception Nor does a mind, coming from another world, enter into the
embryo”
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science that balances aspects of our
human body within the context of nature, believes that most traits can be
identified as per your dosha, which is derived from the five elements. Vata
(space and air) governs movement, pitta (fire and water) regulates
metabolism, and kapha (earth and water) manages assimilation in the body.
These are dynamic energies, constantly responding to a person’s thoughts,
emotions, environment and actions. On the contrary Greek followed only the
micro-body. K Rajaram IRS 25824 26824
On Sun, 25 Aug 2024 at 20:43, venkat raman <[email protected]> wrote:
> Namaste. In Indian system the humours comprise of Vata, Pitta , Kapha. The
> Greek treatises attributed to Hippocrates describes ".The Human body
> contains blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. These are the things
> that make up its constitution and cause its pains and health. Health is
> primarily that state in which these constituent substances are in the
> correct proportion to each other, both in strength and quantity, and are
> well mixed. Pain occurs when one of the substances presents either a
> deficiency or an excess, or is separated in the body and not mixed with
> others.The body depends heavily on the four humors because their balanced
> combination helps to keep people in good health. Having the right amount of
> humor is essential for health. The pathophysiology of disease is
> consequently brought on by humor excesses and/or deficiencies.
>
> Venkataraman
>
> On Sun, 25 Aug 2024 at 17:53, Rajaram Krishnamurthy <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> When vata, pitta, or kapha are out of balance in our systems, they can
>> wreak havoc on agni, prana, tejas, and ojas.
>>
>> - *Vata.* Signs of imbalanced vata may include feeling overwhelmed,
>> lightheaded, and fatigued. For increased energy, balance vata
>> <https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/pages/ayurvedic-balancing-vata> through
>> lifestyle and dietary choices that introduce warmth, groundedness, and
>> stability.
>> - *Pitta.* Pitta imbalances can come from pitta's natural tendency to
>> try to do it all. They can take on too much, and, when trying to keep up,
>> they become depleted and worn out. Learning to surrender and practicing
>> moderation are key to balancing pitta
>> <https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/pages/ayurvedic-balancing-pitta>.
>> - *Kapha.* Kapha is slow and static by nature, and when out of
>> balance, it can manifest as lethargy and sluggishness, making it hard to
>> get motivated. Balancing kapha
>> <https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/pages/ayurvedic-balancing-kapha> through
>> incorporating invigorating, stimulating foods and lifestyle choices into
>> your daily routine could help you feel more energized and motivated
>> throughout your day.
>> - At the macro level, the Bhagavad Gita explains in great detail the
>> origin of the universe as being caused by the imbalance between the three
>> gunas in the unit of matter leading to the creation of the entire universe
>> and its expansion.
>> -
>>
>> It is important to note the following:
>> 1. All 3 gunas exist in matter. A guna can be reduced but never
>> eliminated.
>> 2. One guna typically dominates the other two.
>> 3. When one guna increases, the other gunas or both have to
>> decrease proportionally.
>> 4. There is a constant interplay of the gunas. The proportions are
>> changing all the time.
>> 5. Gunas are neither good nor bad. All gunas play a part.
>> - *K Rajaram IRS 25824*
>>
>>
>> On Sat, 24 Aug 2024 at 21:30, Jambunathan Iyer <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Energy imbalance is one of the most important causes of ill health. Some
>>> of the behavioral traits like anxiety, greed, jealousy, grief, anger, fear,
>>> frustration, and mental stress are responsible in disturbing the
>>> equilibrium of energy within the body. This disturbance illustrates itself
>>> as a number of physical and mental problems.
>>>
>>> N Jambunathan Rengarajapuram-Kodambakkam-Chennai-Mob:9176159004
>>>
>>> *" What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you
>>> become by achieving your goals. If you want to live a happy life, tie it to
>>> a goal, not to people or things "*
>>>
>>>
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