Ayurveda is made up of two sanskrit terms, ayur + veda.
Ayur means life or age, and the meaning of Veda is science or knowledge. So the literal meaning of Ayurveda comes out to be, The Science of Life.
No one can tell the exact age of Ayurveda, but as the record goes, it is been practiced in India for around 5000 years, i.e, practiced since 1500 B.C. - 500 B.C.. It is the oldest line of treatment, still surviving and helping in treatment, very effectively. Despite the fact that most of the documentations related to it are destroyed or lost, due to wars or famines or due to any other reasons, it is still very effective way of treatment, and is preferred over western medicine, not only by indians but in western countries also. Its horizons are widening day by day.
As per the textbooks, Ayurveda is first remembered by Lord Brahma, and then passed on to his mind born son, Prajapati Daksha. He passed on the knowledge, as it is, to Ashwini Kumaras ( The princes with the head of horses, and the sons of Surya, it's fascinating, isn't it?), the doctors of the gods. From them the knowledge is then passed on to the King of Gods, Indra. Many sages, for the well being of human kind and others, bring down the knowledge of life (Ayurveda), to earth.
There are differences among the different followers of different sages.
Some believes the sage who brings Ayurveda to earth was Sage Bhardwaja. From him, his disciple Atreya Punarvasu gained this knowledge, and passed it to his six disciples, Agnivesh, Bhel, Jatukarna, Parashar, Haarit, Sharpani. Each one of them comprised their own texts. Sage Agnivesh published Agnivesh Tantra, which is further modified, and republished by Sage Charaka. The composition is popularized as Charaka Samahita. In Charaka Samahita, Sage Charaka focused mainly on medicinal approach, i.e., in simple terms how to be an MD :). Those who believes in this story are the Followers of Charaka.
Some believes that Ayurveda was brought to earth by Sage Dhanvantari. In hindu mythology, he is worshiped as the God of Medicine and God of Ayurveda. Dhanvantari Diwas or Dhanteras is celebrated as National Ayurveda Day. Sage Sushruta, disciple of Dhanvantari, published his own text, known as Sushruta Samahita. It is mainly focused on surgical approach, i.e., how to be an MS:), and therefore is known as The Father of Surgery. Those who believes in this are the followers of Sushruta.
Several other descendancy stories are known, but these two are most popular, due to the popularity of Charaka and Sushruta Samhita.
All these texts are originally written in sanskrit language, being the native language of that time. But are translated into other languages like hindi, english, and other regional languages.
Other popular texta of ayurveda includes Ashtangasangraha and Ashtangahridyasamhita. These texts descibe about the Ashtanga Ayurveda (eight limbs of Ayurveda).
So, That's all for this post. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and if you liked it do follow this blog for more content and share it with your friends.
P.S. I'm just a beginner, so if I missed something or forgot to mention something, tell me in the comments below.
Ayur means life or age, and the meaning of Veda is science or knowledge. So the literal meaning of Ayurveda comes out to be, The Science of Life.
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| Lord Dhanvantari |
No one can tell the exact age of Ayurveda, but as the record goes, it is been practiced in India for around 5000 years, i.e, practiced since 1500 B.C. - 500 B.C.. It is the oldest line of treatment, still surviving and helping in treatment, very effectively. Despite the fact that most of the documentations related to it are destroyed or lost, due to wars or famines or due to any other reasons, it is still very effective way of treatment, and is preferred over western medicine, not only by indians but in western countries also. Its horizons are widening day by day.
As per the textbooks, Ayurveda is first remembered by Lord Brahma, and then passed on to his mind born son, Prajapati Daksha. He passed on the knowledge, as it is, to Ashwini Kumaras ( The princes with the head of horses, and the sons of Surya, it's fascinating, isn't it?), the doctors of the gods. From them the knowledge is then passed on to the King of Gods, Indra. Many sages, for the well being of human kind and others, bring down the knowledge of life (Ayurveda), to earth.
There are differences among the different followers of different sages.
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| By Alokprasad,Balajijagadesh - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8124213 |
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| By Alokprasad at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17247584 |
Several other descendancy stories are known, but these two are most popular, due to the popularity of Charaka and Sushruta Samhita.
All these texts are originally written in sanskrit language, being the native language of that time. But are translated into other languages like hindi, english, and other regional languages.
Other popular texta of ayurveda includes Ashtangasangraha and Ashtangahridyasamhita. These texts descibe about the Ashtanga Ayurveda (eight limbs of Ayurveda).
So, That's all for this post. Hope you enjoyed reading it, and if you liked it do follow this blog for more content and share it with your friends.
P.S. I'm just a beginner, so if I missed something or forgot to mention something, tell me in the comments below.
I definitely enjoyed reading it.
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