A Full Guide To Ayurved Samhita Evam Siddhant

Introduction

Ayurveda is a much respected medical system originating in India. While Science and the modern medical system might not agree with all the tenets of it, its education and principles have been in practice for years. Since the Vedas, particularly, the Atharvaveda, the knowledge and practice of Ayurveda have been spreading to the entire world. It is more evident today as people across the world do yoga and meditate. However, true Ayurveda is more than that.

Some of the best Ayurveda colleges in India like Mansarovar Ayurvedic Medical College take the time to teach their students the vast knowledge of Ayurveda. After graduation, they can work as Ayurvedic practitioners helping people alleviate and eliminate diseases. What do these students learn during their four to five years of education? Let us read through a brief description of Ayurveda and its principles.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient holistic healthcare system or knowledge bank developed in India ages ago. Ayurved meaning ‘The Science of Life is a way of healing diseases in bodies from the inside out by addressing the root cause of the disease. The goal of Ayurveda is to not only treat but also prevent the recurrence of the disease. It is a way for people to connect with themselves and the nature around them. It is a pseudo-scientific system of practising medicine but practised heavily in all parts of India and the world.

To fully grasp what Ayurveda is and what its principles are, let us start by looking at its history of origin.

History of Ayurveda

Dating back to the 2nd century B.C. in India, physician to the Gods Dhanvantari is credited to have received the knowledge of Ayurveda from Brahma itself. Most of the earlier spread of this knowledge is through word of mouth. Till the Vedas were written, in particular, the Atharvaveda, Ayurved began to be written down. This period of Vedic medicine lasted till 800 BCE.

Indian medicine saw a major boom during the periods of 800 BCE and 1000 CE. Several medical bodies of written work, namely the Caraka Samhita and the Susruta Samhita took shape here by Caraka and Susruta who were physicians and surgeons. All the later written pieces pertaining to Ayurveda took inspiration from these two Samhitas. Over 5,000 years old, Ayurveda is more than just yoga and a clean diet system. It deals with many diseases, injuries, fertility and both physical and mental health.

Basic Principles of Ayurveda

The first steps to gaining an understanding of Ayurveda must involve reading about the Samhita Siddhanta. Samhita Siddhanta meaning, the principles of Ayurveda refer to fundamental truths by which all Ayurved doctors and practitioners abide. The most important principles are as below.

Five Elements: According to Ayurveda, there are five major elements. These are the building blocks of human beings and everything around us. Each element has its own distinct characteristics or features different from the others. The elements are Fire, Water, Air, Space and Earth. The earth element is dense, cool and heavier while the air element is light, dry, cold and mobile. The water element is also cool but liquid and heavy. Fire is, understandably, hot, sharp and also light. The last element, space, is characterised by being clear and light. The characteristics described here make up to twenty in number in Ayurveda of which 10 are opposites of each other. For instance, light and heavy, cool and hot. These elements, in simple words, are polished to be of the best quality and in balance with human beings to prevent diseases and treat any existing ones.

Doshas: The second most important principle of Ayurveda that is covered at the beginning by all Samhita Siddhanta departments at dedicated colleges are the doshas. As described above, there are five major elements in nature. A combination of these elements makes up three doshas, Vata composed of Air and Space elements, Pitta containing the Fire and Water elements and the Kapha dosha of Earth and Water elements. Everyone has these three doshas in them. Most of them have one dominant dosha while the others are in varying proportions.

Vata dosha is active between 2 to 6 am and 2 to 6 pm. It is prominent during the early winter days. Vata dosha people are thin, and of smaller frames but have low energy and poor circulation. However, they are creative, generous and enthusiastic. This dosha can be balanced with a proper schedule, yoga, dressing with warm clothes and eating cooked oily foods.

Pitta dosha’s function is to aim at digestion and is active between 10 am to 2 pm and 10 pm to 2 am. From late spring and throughout the summer, pitta dosha is the most active. Pitta dosha people are driven, ambitious and confident individuals. On the negative side, they can be narcissists, quick to be jealous and angry. To balance this dosha, eat healthy food items like cucumber and cilantro. Meditation and exercising during the cooler parts of the day are also recommended.

Kapha dosha provides structure and is active between the hours of 6 to 10 am and 6 to 10 pm. From late winter to early spring, people have the most Kapha dosha. People in this dosha are large-boned, can gain weight easily, have large eyes and have high stamina. When Kapha dosha is out of balance, people can experience low appetite, lethargy, low endurance and be prone to greed and stubbornness. Wake up early and exercise daily while avoiding cold drinks.

Types Of Siddhanta In Ayurveda

Sidhanta refers to the basic principles of Ayurveda which were put forth after much testing by the Acharyas.

The Sarvatantra Siddhanta is universally accepted among all tantras and is found in every written Ayurved book. On the other hand, Pratitantra Siddhanta is not universally accepted by only one school of thought. Adhikarana Siddhanta is a theory whose result is determined by a set of statements of facts while Abhyupagamana Siddhanta is a theory accepted only after a debate but has not been investigated or established.

Conclusion

Ayurveda is a wide knowledge bank that has been developed over generations. People dedicate their entire lives to understanding Ayurved Samhita evam siddhant or the principles of Ayurveda. Hopefully, for the uninitiated, the above has been sufficient to strike an interest that they can explore their own world of Ayurveda.