Ayurveda and Sharad Rutu

Ayurveda is also known as the science of life. The most important aim of Ayurveda is to safeguard the health of the healthy individual. Cure of disease has been the secondary objective. Keeping this principle in mind, the entire Ayurveda has been written down and passed on. Ayurveda has recognized the influence of day night, seasons, climate on the body and accordingly the state of health and disease occurs.

                         In order to safeguard one’s health, Ayurveda has laid emphasis on one’s daily routine as well as certain regimen that must be followed in certain season and climatic conditions. If that is done properly, then the chance of a person falling ill is very negligible. Six seasons, also known as ‘rutu’ in Sanskrit have been mentioned in Indian culture. Out of those six, the current rutu is ‘sharad rutu’. So let’s have a look at the regimen during this period and dos and don’ts  for this particular season.

                        ‘Sharad rutu’ lasts for 2 months i.e. Months of Ashwin and Karthik in Indian calendar. Sharad rutu follows rainy season(varsha rutu). So all the pitta that has been collected inside the body but suppressed due to cold climate in the rains, gets aggravated due to sudden rise in temperatures during this season i.e. all the heat that has been stored inside the body during rains gets kind of liberated due to climatic influence. You all must be familiar with the term “October Heat” which is dreaded by everyone. It indirectly refers to this period only.

                           As mentioned in Ayurveda and also seen practically there are maximum number of infections during this season as body is not able to cope up with sudden climatic changes. Incidences of cough, cold, fever, eye infections, acidity, burning sensations, nausea, loose motions, skin problems like urticaria are on the rise during this period. There is also aggravation in joint pains, gouty arthritis etc. in certain individuals depending upon their ‘prakruti’(body constitution). All these happen because of aggravation of ‘pitta dosha’.

                                 In order to prevent the above incidences and to remove excess pitta from the body a specific panchakarma i.e. virechana (use of purgatives to remove excess pitta) has been recommended. For those having skin problems, blood letting should be done. But these should be done under the guidance of Ayurvedic Physician only. For those who cannot undergo these treatments, few precautions have been mentioned which can also help to prevent diseases or at least reduce the severity of the diseases occurring due to season. Ghee should be consumed in proper amount during this period as it is strengthening as well as pitta pacifying. Milk and milk products like kheer, butter etc. should be consumed sufficiently. Drinking water in sufficient amounts is also essential. One should stay away from alcohol, avoid spicy, salty, pungent foodstuffs. Eating or drinking food stuffs directly from refrigerator should also be avoided.

                                       Pitta increasing foods such as curd, chilies(both red and green), capsicum, tomatoes, excess of oily products, cold drinks, soda, fish etc. should not be consumed. Sleep during day time must be avoided at all costs. Milk products, rice, wheat, jowar etc. should be consumed on daily basis. Hence during this period ‘kheer’ (delicacy made from milk and rice) esp. for shradh puja and all is generally prepared and consumed. Sleeping in moonlight is also pitta pacifying. For those having skin problems or pitta constitution, various medicated ghee should be consumed.

                             These are some of the regimen which I felt can be easily understood and followed by everyone which I have mentioned here. By following this, one can stay fit during this season as this season is said to be the mother of all diseases. If one can stay healthy during this season, he can stay healthy throughout the year. Hence it’s truly said “ Jived Sharadha Shatam”.

                                 

  

Understanding Ayurveda

                             Ayurveda is the science of life. It teaches us to get closer to nature. It emphasizes not only on the cure of diseases, but also on the preventive aspects of it. Ancient people have prescribed a lot of wisdom for us to follow to lead a healthy life.

                            If we understand the wisdom of Ayurveda properly and observe our own selves in terms with nature, we might not fall sick at all. Now a days problems like heart diseases, arthritis are becoming very common. That is all due to not paying enough attention to our body needs. Even the treatment for these is confined only up to managing the symptoms; the basic factor which has been the cause of the disease is entirely neglected. Hence, because of this, many new serious diseases are coming up everyday and modern science is bringing out various potent drugs on a daily basis to manage these conditions.

                           Whereas Ayurveda is concerned, there are certain factors which have been known to be the root cause of health and also of diseases. Those factors are known as doshas. These doshas when are in balanced proportions grant health to the individual whereas slight imbalance in these cause the illness. So the most basic thing an Ayurvedic physician does whenever the person comes for treatment is to try and balance the doshas i.e. he is indirectly treating the root cause of the disease and not managing the symptoms only. Hence because of this, there is no relapse of any illness and inspite of how many number of disease keep cropping daily, an Ayurvedic physician can easily manage them with the medicines at his disposal by selecting them on the basis of person’s constitution.. He does not need to go out and look for new medicine for new disease.

                                 Even if we look at the definition of Health according to ayurveda, we develop a new respect for the foresight of our forefathers. It states that a person can be labeled as healthy only if all the body constituents including doshas are balanced, his metabolism is proper, all his vital functions are normal, the waste products are excreted from his body in a normal way, he is mentally healthy, free of stress or distress, all his senses are functioning properly, his mind is clear and his soul or spirit is appreciating the beauty of things around him. This clearly shows that Ayurveda stresses on the basic things only even while defining a thing such as health.

                                For keeping the doshas in balance, we should have proper knowledge of prakruti ie.our constitution, how changes in nature affect us. Similarly the diet which we take daily has a great deal to do with our health. One thing might be good for a particular individual, but the same thing might cause trouble for other.

All this and many more things,we will discuss later in detail.

Swine Flu And Ayurveda

Now a days, the whole world is going gaga over the Swine Flu which has been declared as Pandemic by WHO. Before Swine Flu, it was Avian Flu which had scared many. Luckily it was controlled.

For Ayurveda, all these pandemics are quite common. There is nothing new for Ayurveda about these pandemics. In texts like Charaksamhita,under the heading of Janapadodhwansa, the causes of these pandemics has been described in detail along with the measures to be taken by individuals to stay healthy even in these times.

Emphasis is greatly given on ways to maintain immunity and avoiding unhealthy foods and habits. The same stands for swine flu. As its a viral disease, the only way to protect yourself from getting infected is to improve your immunity. Steps should be taken to not let your immunity diminish. For that the basic things that can be done on a daily basis is to avoid outside food, eat right stuff which will nourish your body properly. Personal hygiene is also very important in such cases. As rainy season is approaching nearer, it would enhance the spread of H1N1 virus. Hence these steps are essential. Moreover one should also cover his mouth while coughing or sneezing.


Now lets see how ayurveda describes Swine Flu. According to Ayurveda, swine flu can be classified as Vatakaphaj jwar, as both these doshas are responsible for this disease. It is a dwandwaj jwara. As the prime mode of transmission is Respiratory tract, nasya on daily basis should help to avoid one from catching the infection.

As far as the treatment in Ayurveda is concerned, ushna dravyas which destroy both vata and kapha should be used. Along with that some rasayan dravyas are also useful as these will help build up the immunity which is lost due to infection. Common herbs which can be used in such case are Guduchi, Kantakari, Patol, Vasa, Neem, Tulsi etc. Mahasudarshan Kwath, Amrutarishta,Mahajwarankush rasa, Sookshma Triphala etc.

I am sure these medicines can help curing the swine flu along with other Ayurvedic Aahar and Vihaar. Ayurveda can definitely provide an alternative source of treatment to this disease and help the ailing population in both ways o cure and prevent the infection of Swine Flu. Suggestions of Experts are readily welcome.

Segments Of Ayurveda

We have already seen that how ayurveda was passed on to sages on the earth. Although it may seem that Ayurveda is only one science, but the fact is that Ayurveda has been divided into branches, just like modern science of medicine. Traditionally the science of ayurveda has been divided into eight branches which are as follows:

1) Kayachikitsa(General Medicines)

2) Kaumarbhritya(Obstetrics and Paediatrics)

3) Graha or Bhootvidya(Diseases due to unknown causes)

4) Shalakyatantra(E.N.T. and Ophthalmology)

5) Shalyatantra(Surgery)

6) Agadtantra(Toxicology)

7) Rasayantantra(Rejuvenation Therapies)

8) Vajikarantantra(Problems associated with sex and related diseases and problems like infertility in both men and women)

It is believed that there were separate texts written on each of these branches; but they are unavailable now. There were Vaids specialising in respective branches in that era, just like specialist doctors in today's time. Texts on kayachikitsa and shalyatantra are still available in present time. On reading these texts one is amazed at the amount of knowledge of human anatomy and physiology,our acharyas had at that time.

Texts prominently available are Charaksamhita which is predominantly on Kayachikitsa and Sushrutsamhita which deals mostly with surgical cure of diseases. By reading these texts one gets to know that whatever diseases which are encountered in today's times have already been mentioned in ancient texts along with their causes and their treatment. Moreover not only physical but also psychological causes of the diseases have been described by the sages. Psychosomatic diseases ; the branch which is still considered to be developing by the modern science was well known since long time by Indian physicians. The exact pathology of the disease is also described properly in texts.

From the texts it is evident that vaids used to perform various surgeries like appendix, hernia and above all plastic surgeries with great efficacy. Plastic surgery which is thought to be the invention of modern medicine is known to Indians since long.

Ancient Indians knew the technique of preservation of dead bodies and performed their dissections to learn about the anatomy. They have give the exact number of nerves and blood vessels in human body.

Thus, it is evident that the science of Ayurveda was enjoying its Golden period in ancient times and it still has answers to various questions which present day modern science is unable to solve. It is up to us that how much we believe in this gift of our ancestors and again bring the glory days of Ayurveda back and prove its efficacy to the whole world.

AYURVEDA: History At A Glance

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word; made up of two words: Ayu meaning "life" and veda meaning "collection of knowledge" or "science". Thus the word Ayurveda means "the collection of knowledge of life or the science of life".

Many experts believe Ayurveda as a fifth veda or pancham ved. It is rated after first four vedas ie. Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurvaveda and Atharvaveda. While some experts call it as an upved of Atharvaveda as Atharvaveda is also mostly concerned with health related topics, hence closely related to ayurveda. Atharvaveda is said to be compiled by Atharva Rishi; hence the name. Atharva Rishi is said to have discovered fire.

Thus, ayurveda traces its origin way back to the origin of world's first written scriptures. The knowledge of ayurveda has evolved through ages. Though it is known to have passed on the earth by Gods. Brahma who is believed to be the creator of the entire universe according to Hindu mythology is said to have created ayurveda before creating the universe.He is said to have written Brahmasamhita containing one lakh verses.Later on it was passed to Daksha Prajapati and then to Ashwinikumars(who are known to be physicians of God), then to Indra(the king of Gods). This is the divine part of sharing the knowledge of ayurveda.

Then Indra in turn passed this knowledge to various sages(Maharishis) who later on gave this knowledge to their disciples. Prominent among these were Maharishi Punarvasu Atreya and Bharadwaj.

This was the oral transfer of knowledge. These disciples in turn created various treatises or texts and the knowledge of Ayurveda was stored in written form. Out of these texts Agniveshtantra written by Agnivesha which later came to be known as Charaksamhita and Sushrutsamhita written by Sushruta are still found and followed even today. These texts hold a prominent position and have left their mark on people who seek knowledge of ayurveda even today.

According to other opinion, Lord Dhanwantari The God of Ayurveda came to earth and passed the knowledge of surgical ayurveda to his disciples, among whom Sushruta was prominent and he is said to have written Sushrutsamhita.

Thus the science of Ayurveda has divine origin and was transferred to earth which is helping people even today to maintain their health.