Eight parts of Ayurveda

JAY SHREE POOJYASHREE SHREE AMMA
JAY MAHAN BRAHMASHREE GOPALAVALLIDASAR
JAY SHREE RADHEKRISHNA SATHSANG

Dear Readers,

Radhekrishna to all!

Let us see the link between the discussion in our previous post with a western reference.

Hippocrates Aphorism (460 BCE)

“In every disease, it is a good sign when the patient’s intellect is sound and he enjoys his food; the opposite is a bad sign.”

This clearly shows the similarity in thinking between the eastern and western cultures in the field of medicine as far as the tests of cure are related. In the previous post we had mentioned about passage from Astanga-hrdaya, a book written by Vagbhata which also lays emphasis on the same point.

Now we shall take a look at some Sanskrit shloka’s which are from Indian books written on medicine and related topics. In this post let us look at a sloka which describes the “Eight Specialities in Ayurveda”:

Tasyaaurvedasyaangaanyastau tadyathaa
kaayachikitsaa saalaakyarn salyaapahartrkam
visagaravairodhikaprasamanam bhutavidya
kaumaarabhrtyakam rasaayanam vajikaranamiti

Meaning:
The parts of this Ayurveda are eight, they being internal medicine, relating to the upper branches of the ear, nose, throat and eye, surgery, toxicology, psychiatry, paediatrics, science of rejuvenation and the science of aphrodisiacs.

Source: Caraka-samhita, Sutra-sthaanam, Adhyayah 30, Paragraph 28 (1st Century BCE)

We will continue this thread in the next post.

Section II: Information on Indian herbs:

A herb that grows in Kashmir called as Gul Banafsha (Hindi) also known as Violet flowers in English and Viola Odorata (Latin). Its dried flowers are available everywhere in the country.

1. It is effective in fevers, catarrh, pleurisy, pneumonia and cough

2. A paste of flowers applied to the forehead also relieves headache

That concludes this post. Till the next forthnight Radhekrishna to all….

Sarvam Guruvaarpanam