The term Ayurveda is composed of two basionyms; Ayu and Veda. Ayu is derived from the primary word Aayus meaning Life. The basionym Ayu is explained in Charak Samhita Sutrasthanam as a combination of Sharir (destructible body), Indriya (Sense entities in micro and macro forms), Satv (Mind) and Aatman (Indestructible Soul). The word Veda originates from the word Vid which means Knowledge. Thus Ayurveda roughly translates as the Knowledge of Life.

BRIEF HISTORY OF AYURVEDA

The origin of Ayurveda could be roughly traced back as 5,000 years when writing was not even evolved in its physical forms. It is believed that the Vedic knowledge was passed through cognition or achieved by meditation. The knowledge of the use of various methods of healing, prevention, longevity and surgery came through Divine revelation. These revelations were transcribed from the oral tradition into book form, interspersed with the other aspects of life and spirituality. The earliest scripts would have been written on perishable materials such as Taalpatra and Bhojapatra (Betula utilis), which could not be readily preserved. The script was later written on stone and copper sheets. Certain scholars contemplate that Sage Ved Vyas was the first one to document major portions of Ayurveda in addition to other Vedic literature through his spiritual enlightenment and deep introspection of the cosmos.Vedas constitute of 4 major books which deal with various aspects of life.

Verses dealing with Ayurveda are included in the Atharvaveda, and hence Ayurveda is considered as a supplement or Upveda of Atharvaveda. Of all the four Vedas, the Rik-Veda is accepted as the oldest surviving treatise on the planet dated as long back as 3000 B.C. Rik-Veda details the concepts of Cosmology on the principles of Sankhya Darshan. Darshan Shastras (8 in number divided in a group of 2 to form 4- Darshan) are theories or hypothecations to determine the origin of cosmos and its relativity to life.

References to the Tridosha (Vaat, Pitt and Kaph) theory which forms the basis of Ayurveda are sporadically found in the Rik-Veda. Herbs and their use as medicines, pathogens (Krimis) are also discussed. However it is in the Atharvaveda that we come across an systemic descriptions of Ashtang-Ayurveda (8-fold or branches of Ayurveda). These 8 branches progressively developed in individual streams around 1500B.C.

ASHTANG AYURVEDA.

Ayurveda and its streams were propogated through two schools at that time.

These two schools made Ayurveda a more scientifically verifiable and classifiable medical system.

GOLDEN ERA OF AYURVEDA AND THE DECLINE

Ayurveda practice was at its peak in the Buddhist era (around 520 BC). This period primararily saw the growth of Ras-Shastra (Alchemy) and Siddha medicine (Metal Formulations) which is marked by the prominent use of Mercury, Sulphur and Metals (Gold, Silver, Copper) in conjunction with herbs to prepare medications. Prior to this Ayurveda formulalrly only constituted of herbs and certain minerals. Due to rich progress of Ayurveda formulations during this period and their high effectiveness , the science was highly patronized during this era with many foreign scholars visiting India to learn this craft. This period hence could be classified as the Golden Period of Ayurveda. However the Buddhist era could also be marked as the pivotal point for the decilne of Dhanvantri-Sampradaya which specialized in Shalyatantra (Surgery) as it was during this period that Emperor Ashoka (304 BC - 232 BC) influenced by the Buddhist teachings after the famous Kalinga war implemented the path of peace and spirituality thus refraining from bloodshed.The decision had a massive imapct and by 250 BC. Ayurveda Shalyatantra was almost non-existent. The spread of Ayurveda was rapid and by the time of the the regime of Chandragupta Maurya (375-415 AD), Ayurveda was established health care system of India. Mughal invasion of India saw destruction of many Ayurveda treatise as the Mughals razed down ancient universities like Takshila and Nalanda which housed huge compilations. However during the Mughal regime the Rasayan and Vaajikaran streams of Ayurveda recieved heavy patronage which took Ayurveda to a magnamous level and continued to do so until India faced colonisation by the British which resulted in the massive decline of Ayurveda practise.

CURRENT STATUS OF AYURVEDA LITERATURE.

Due to various political scenarios of Indian history, much of Ayurveda documents are not available today. Charak-Samhita, a treatise which deals primarily with medicine (Atrey-Sampraday) and Sushrut-Samhita which deals with surgery (Dhanvantri - Sampraday) are the only two available comprehensive treatise of Ayurveda. The third major treatise Ashtang-Hridaya by Vagbhatt is a concise version of the works of Charak and Sushrut. These three texts form the basis of Ayurveda education in present times. Charak Samhita is basically a compilation of Atreya-Samhita which is termed as the oldest or the first book of Ayurveda. The treatise believed to be over 1300 years old has been revised by authors like Chakradatt contributing to its present existence.

CERTIFIED COURSE IN AYURVEDA (B.A.M.S / M.D (AYU) / M.S (AYU) / Ph.D.)

Ayurveda is now a statutory, recognized medical system of health care like other medical systems existing in India. The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) governs and recommends policies for the research and development of the system. In India, practitioners in Ayurveda undergo an 6 1/2 years of training including 2 year of internship in select Ayurveda Medical Schools wherein they earn the professional doctorate degree of Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery [B.A.M.S.]. A Bachelor's degree with a major in Science [Physics, Chemistry, and Biology] and a minor in Sanskrit is desirable for candidates interested in taking up the course. Select institutions like the Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi), R.A. Podar Ayurveda Medical College (Mumbai), and Jamnagar University (Gujarat) offer higher doctorates and postgraduate training such as MD [Ayurveda] which includes a 3 year residency and a dissertation similar to the MD/MS degrees in modern systems of medicine. Similarly Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Ayurveda is also offered by various Universities in India.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AYURVEDA MEDICINE (NLAM)

National Library of Ayurveda Medicine (NLAM) is a dream project to standardise Ayurveda formulations. The repository aims to help Ayurveda students, Research scholars, Faculty and others interested and intrigued by Ayurveda. It furthers aims at helping common man to understand Ayurveda formulations, the way they are prepared and the ingredients used.The utility is " First of its kind" displaying data on standard terms with proper explantion and co-relation of Ayurveda terms, Ayurveda Plants , Ayurveda Minerals, Ayurveda Metals, Ayurveda terminologies etc. which contributes placing a small stone towards standardising Ayurveda.

NLAM can be accessed at    http://nlam.in- Click here

MOBILE OPTIMIZED

The repository is "MOBILE OPTIMIZED" which means you can view it on your handheld device, PDA, Iphone, Ipod etc. The repository has in built intelligent redirection on basis of device detection so there is no need of seperate web-address.

The repository is created on following features

Ayurveda section on this website aims to educate visitors about concepts of Ayurveda and its various attributes which would definitely be helpful to enrich lives. Subsequently it also aims to facilitate exchange of knowledge and lend a helping hand to ones seriously interested in propagation of this great science. Pod casts on interesting aspects of Ayurveda are posted on the pod cast page. Visitors are requested to post their feedbacks or queries to us by accessing the FEEDBACK- FORM on the contact-us page.