Express News Service
As we sail through Covid era, experiencing new challenges in community health, do we as an individual have a role in deciding on the matter? Or is it solely the responsibility of the government and the medical institutions? It is time we paused and reassessed our priorities. In this context, bringing
the holistic understanding of well-being becomes relevant.
Ayus, the substratum of life
Ayurveda is the ancient Indian medical system based on the fundamental principle that man and his surroundings are connected. This can be incorporated and followed at any time, irrespective of space, circumstances and biological variations. The ultimate responsibility of health science is to maintain ayus. Charaka Samhita, one of the important medical compendiums in ayurveda, believes ayus to be crucial. Ayurveda describes life path from birth to death where one must be aware of what is hitham (good) and ahitham (not congenial), what is sukham (pleasurable) and dukham (not pleasurable) in life. Ayus is the samyogam (right combination) of the shareera (physical body), the indriya (sensory system), satva (mind) and aatma (consciousness). Ayurveda is designed for wholesome living with awareness. Only after describing this in sutrasthana (the part of text that illustrates the fundamental principles
of living), does the master clinician get to causes and symptoms in nidanasthana (the section on signs and symptoms of diseases) and finally curative and preventive aspects of diseases in chikitsasthana (the section on treatment of diseases).
The awareness of one’s comprehensive well-being The best definition on health is found in Sushruta Samhita, which says:
“samadosha samaagnishcha samadhathu malakriya prasanna atmendriya mana swastha ithyabhidheeyathe”
The word swastha means healthy colloquially. From a technical standpoint, swastha is one who has sthithi in swatwam, which means one who is placed in oneself, indicating self-awareness. Swastha is the one who is bestowed with equilibrium of the dosha (functional elements), the agni (metabolism), dhathu (structural elements) and the mala (excretory elements) along with prasannatva (pleasantness of aatma, roughly the consciousness), the indriya (senses) and manas (the mind), the abode of thoughts and emotions.
Therefore, the spectrum of health includes the physical, metabolic, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness of an individual, thus making clear that it is their responsibility; the physician can only be a guide. The success of being well depends on chushpada (the four factors) in chikitsa—bhishak (physician), dravya (the medicine), paricharaka (the paramedic and caretaker) and the rogi (patient). To achieve optimum health, there are four paths:
Dinacharya: To be aware of and follow a daily regimen; for instance, a fixed time for sleeping and waking up, prioritising a nutritional diet and showing consistency in exercise.
Rithucharya: Ritu means season and charya means regimen.
Rithucharya is a lifestyle that is aligned with the environment, such as the change of seasons.
Sadvrtham: Personal and community code of conduct with respect to the individual behaviour. Aachara Rasayanam: Includes practices such as following truthfulness, avoiding anger and violence.
In the present scenario, however, we find most people dependent on medicines. For some, their survival is dependant on these drugs. To change this, we need to become stakeholders in matters of health. It is also important that our healthcare system be equipped to help individuals tackle their issues efficiently. In the end, there is a need for greater awareness. That is how we can make society healthy, creative and productive.
The author is a Professor at the Department of Panchakarma, Ashtamgam Ayurveda Medical College, Kerala
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