Secrets of Indian Medicine

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History tells us about the supremacy of Indian culture and medicine in olden days. Evidently the consciousness of Indian of that time must have been more developed than that of other nations. What made those people great in their thoughts and actions? Persons who really discovered something for the good of humanity were the seers, thinkers and men of action. They had creative genius. Their intuitive faculty was highly developed. Their motive of life was the service of God through humanity. On such a sound basis they dared to achieve the highest truths in various aspects of life as well as of medicine.

Today the ancient medicine is in a deplorable condition because its followers have forgotten the spiritual idealism and intuitive faculty and are under the influence of materialistic ideas. The result is that spiritually they have become stagnant and have lost the creative genius. They have lost the true interpretation and application of Ayurvedic principles; hence there is downfall, and this profound, simple system of medicine has become very confusing to the modern mind.

The past knowledge is both a drag and a force for progress. It is the past that has created the present and a great part of it is creating the future. Modern medicine is the development of the ancient medicine. Both Allopathy and Ayurveda are working on the same lines. Ayurveda has given the general outlines of medicine while modern medicine has detailed each part of it with the help of highly developed intellect. We must take full account of the potent revelations of Allopathy and combine them with the luminous secrets of Ayurveda, which seem to be veiled. The modern doctor will still find something simple and efficacious in Ayurveda and will be surprised to discover rare secrets worth applying to patients.

Being an Allopath myself my studies of ayurvedic literature are limited and whatever I have learnt about Ayurveda is mostly a spontaneous growth which is mainly due to the divine grace. Opportunities came and the problems arose and I had to discover the solution. The first problem was put before me by a minister to write a paper on 'Synthetic Research in Ophthalmology'. The second problem arose after a lapse of two years when the editor of an Ayurvedic Journal wanted me to write some articles and I decided to elaborate the Tridosha theory. Again after a lapse of two years another problem arose and I was asked to write on the ancient methods of investigation to determine the qualities and actions of a drug.

If the Indian Medicine is to accomplish its real mission it must start a double movement of revival and reform. It must revive its Tridosha theory on which the whole ancient medicine is based, so that it may appeal to the modern minds, and on the basis of this theory modify and purify its forms of application. These forms of medicine and modes of application must be simple and scientific to reveal the spirit of ancient medicine.

Ayurveda affirms tha along with the gross material body there is a subtle body also which is quite plastic and mobile, not rigid like the material body. One feels the presence of this subtle body usually in the subconscient state, that is, during sleep in dreams when one finds oneself away from the body moving amongst different persons and at different places. To deal with the diseases of man efficiently the knowledge of both the gross material body and the subtle body is essential.

Ayurveda believes that like all other things man is also composed of five elements-earth, water, fire, air and ether. It is quite simple to understand; one eats food, drinks water, enjoys the sun, breathes the air and is alive due to the presence of ether or life-force. This life-force is the basis for man's mental and spiritual activities so that Nature may evolve him towards perfection. The function of each element is different. The earth gives shape to the body and releases its energy; bones, muscles and tissues represent it is the body without which no such shape of man would have been possible. Water makes the earth supple and helps in the transmission of energy; serum and lymph represent it, without which the body would have become a dry and rigid mass. Fire makes the form of the body steady and gives vigour and stimulation; digestion and circulation represent it. Air ignites the fire and works as a life carrier and is the support of all contact and exchange; respiration and the nervous system represent it. Ether is the creator of life itself in the body. A harmonious combination and function of these five elements produce a healthy and beautiful body.

In man both the lower and the higher Natures are present. The lower nature expresses itself through lethargy, depression, disease, jealousy, hatred, anger, desire, passions, selfishness, doubts, wrong thinking etc., while the higher Nature expresses itself through love, kindness, courage, reason, benevolence, aspiration etc. the health of man is frequently influenced by the activities of these two different Natures and the aim of life is to transform the lower Nature and elevate it to the higher so that man may enjoy perfect health and happiness.

It is important to mention here that the pioneers of Ayurveda display some peculiarity in their expression. Their formula of speech is brief and adequate. It conceals the idea contained in their formulae from an average intelligence. There is multi-significance of each term-Vata, Pitta, Kapha in order to pack as much meaning as possible into a single word. This makes it very difficult to understand it at first sight. For example, Pitta means gastric juice, bile, energy, heat, inflammation, anger, irritation, etc.

Another remarkable feature of the early history of Ayurveda is that at first it expresses a small stock of ideas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha as humors. Afterward there is a gradual increase in variety of idea and precision of idea. The progression is from the general to the particular, from the vague to the precise. The progression is worked out by processes of association of ideas. This is how Ayurveda describes disorders and treatment in a general and particular way in the symbolic terms like Vata, Pitta and Kapha.