Ayurveda, Āyurveda, Ayus-veda: 28 definitions

Introduction
Image gallery
In Hinduism
In Jainism
1. General definition
India history
Languages
1. Marathi
2. Sanskrit
3. Hindi
4. Kannada
5. Nepali
See also
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Introduction:

Ayurveda means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

Alternative spellings of this word include Ayurved.

Images (photo gallery)

In Hinduism

Yoga (school of philosophy)

Source: Centre for Yoga Studies: Āyurveda & Yoga – The Pañca Bhūta

Āyurveda or the science of life, is a holistic system of medicine that is indigenous to and widely practised in India. Its purpose is to maintain the health of the individual and alleviate disease in both is symptomatic and causative state. The duration of life (āyus) of a human being according to the Caraka Saṃhitā is 100 years.

context information

Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).

Ayurveda (science of life)

Dietetics and Culinary Art (such as household cooking)

Source: Shodhganga: Dietetics and culinary art in ancient and medieval India

Ayurveda (अयुर्वेद) is the age old medical science of ancient India. This science relies upon the theory of tridoṣa in which three doṣas are vāta, pitta and kapha. The equilibrium state of these three doṣas is called svāsthya. The fluctuation of these doṣas makes one unhealthy. So, this science instructs us on how to maintain the equilibrium of these three doṣas both in the state of the health and in the state of diseases. For maintaining this equilibrium in the state of health, one should give a sizable importance for the basic concept of dietetics. So, here in this section we are about to discuss the important chapters on dietetics and culinary art of these Ayurvedic treatises. The Ayurvedic treatises can be categorised into three. saṃhitās, nighaṇṭus and other texts.

Toxicology (Study and Treatment of poison)

Source: Shodhganga: Kasyapa Samhita—Text on Visha Chikitsa

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) is one of the oldest schools of ancient Indian medicine which is said to have emerged from Brahmā and passed on to us through generations. It is considered as one of the aṅgas of the Vedas which are the oldest repoisitory of all knowledge in the world. This is a holistic system of medicine existing since four to five thousand years and continues to treat ailments and assist humanity to live a naturally healthy, long life. It pegs its principles to the universal law of nature and addresses all the three aspects of body, mind and soul.

Āyurveda is founded on the fundamental belief that the human body is composed of the five basic elements or pañcabhūtas which are the cause of three kinds of life forces or energies namely vāta, pitta and kapha. These are responsible for the assimilation and dissimilation of body systems. Any imbalance in these three energies triggers ailments and Āyurveda steps in to correct the imbalance, rather prevent the same and help an individual lead a healthy life. It advocates proximity to nature and uses all the medicines provided by the lush flora of our country to treat various ailments.

Unclassified Ayurveda definitions

Source: Google Books: Essentials of Ayurveda

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) or the Veda of āyus (science of life) is the medicine of India coming down traditionally from the earliest times. Caraka says that it was revealed by Brahmā, the Creator, Himself while Suśruta goes one step further by stating that it was delivered even before creation. Generally Āyurveda is recognised as an upaveda related to either Ṛgveda or Atharvaveda. Kaśyapa takes it as the fifth veda and gives it the topmost position among them. All this proves its existence since antiquity as Caraka explicitly says it śāśvata (eternal) with untracable beginning. There are two objects of Āyurveda—one preservation of health in the healthy and the other, cure of illness in the diseased.

The Science which imparts knowledge of Āyus (life), provides longevity, contains relevant informations and discusses all allied topics is known as ‘Āyurveda’. Initially Brahmā delivered eight parts of Āyurveda as

Kāyacikitsā (medicine),
Kaumārabhṛtya (pediatrics inlcuding obstetrics and gynaecology),
Agadatantra (toxicology),
Śalyatantra (surgery),
Śālākyatantra (medicine and surgery pertaining to supraclavicular diseases),
Bhūtavidyā (dealing with bhūtas—invisible agents),
Vājīkaraṇa (dealing with aphrodisiacs),
Rasāyana (dealing with promotion of health and life).

Source: Google Books: Music Therapy (ayurveda)

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) is the system of science which relies upon vāyu and its purification of the body by sātvik qualities of elements (dhātuprasāda) and the process linked with control of the prāṇās, as method of yoga, and perfromance of certain lifestyles (rituals) associated with the day, season and geography of the place of earth we live in. According to this, there are certain rāgās and svaras associated with specific day, season, space (with spacetime continuum of cosmos) and with the nāḍis in the cosmos and our body. Thus rāgacikitsā using specific rāga, svara combinations at certain daytimes, occasions, and seasons became part of life in India for having a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Source: gurumukhi.ru: Ayurveda glossary of terms

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद):—The Science and Knowledge of life, which describes all substances of the universe in terms of their being beneficial, harmful, pleasant and unpleasant to life

Source: National Mission for Manuscripts: Traditional Medicine System in India

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) comprises the “philosophy of life”.—Āyurveda is a science coming down from the Vedic period. It is an Upaveda of Atharvaveda. Ṛgveda also mentions the practices of Āyurveda. [...] Āyurveda (“health”) is the equilibrium of doṣas, dhātu, mala and kriyā and the purity and clear status of Ātman (soul), indriya (sense-organs) and manas (mind) which is ārogya. [...] The treatment principle of Āyurveda is addition to the body with same properties as that of doṣas and dhātus when they are of decreased level in the body. Deletion of the defected doṣas and dhātus with opposite properties when they are of excess in body.

context information

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद).—It is the science which the sage Dhanvantari taught Suśruta. This describes all the diseases and the treatment meant for them. Ailments are of four kinds: Śārīrika refers to fever, skin diseases etc., Mānasika refers to those arising out of anger; Āgantuka refers to cuts, wounds and injuries, and Sahaja refers to hunger, thirst, old age, etc. (Chapters 279 to 286, Agni Purāṇa). Refer Dhanvantari for more details.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद).—Originated from Dhanvantari;¹ from the east face of Brahmā;² one of the eighteen vidyas;³ begins in dvāpara;⁴ Bharadvāja was the compiler of the āyurveda and other sciences connected with medicine; it was divided into eight parts each of which was given to one of his disciples.⁵

1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa II. 7. 21; VIII. 8. 35; IX. 17. 4; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 67. 18; Vāyu-purāṇa 92. 16; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 8. 10.
2) Bhāgavata-purāṇa III. 12. 38.
3) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 35. 88; Viṣṇu-purāṇa III. 6. 28; Vāyu-purāṇa 61. 79.
4) Matsya-purāṇa 144. 22; Vāyu-purāṇa 58. 23; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 31. 23.
5) Vāyu-purāṇa 92. 22; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 67. 24.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

Source: Shodhganga: Iconographical representations of Śiva

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) or Āyurvedāgama refers to one of upāgamas (supplementary scriptures) of the Prodgītāgama which is one of the twenty-eight Siddhāntāgama: a classification of the Śaiva division of Śaivāgamas. The Śaivāgamas represent the wisdom that has come down from lord Śiva, received by Pārvatī and accepted by Viṣṇu. The purpose of revealing upāgamas (e.g., Āyurveda Āgama) is to explain more elaborately than that of mūlāgamas (e.g., Prodgīta-āgama) and to include any new idea if not dealt in mūlāgamas.

context information

Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.

Dharmashastra (religious law)

Source: Knowledge Traditions & Practices of India: Education: Systems & Practices

Ayurveda (अयुर्वेद) refers to the “science of medicine” and represents one of the divisions of the Upaveda (applied knowledge) class of knowledge, lying between that of the Paurūṣeya and Apaurūṣeya classification of Śāstra knowledge; all part of the ancient Indian education system, which aimed at both the inner and the outer dimension of a person.

context information

Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Aryacharya: Hinduism

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेढ) is a Sanskrit (संस्कृतं, Saṃskṛtaṃ) word composed of 2 root words: Āyur (आयुर्) meaning "Life" and Veda (वेढ) meaning "Knowledge". Translated to English, Āyurveda (आयुर्वेढ) means "The Knowledge of Life".

The main guidelines of आयुर्वेढ (Āyurveda) stem from 2 principles of existence:

Prakṛti (प्रकृति ) "Nature/Matter/Body"
Puruṣa (पुरुष) "Spirit/Anti-Matter/Soul"

Prakṛti (प्रकृति) "Nature/Matter/Body" is composed of 3 Guna (गुण, "Qualities"):

Sattva (सत्त्व),
Rajas (रजस्),
Tamas (तमस्).

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) refers to the eight-branched system of medicine, according to chapter 1.1 [ādīśvara-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.—Accordingly, “[...] Jīvānanda [i.e., previous incarnation of Ṛṣabha] learned the eight-branched Āyurveda followed by his father and also the taste, efficacy, and effect of drugs. Like Airāvaṇa among elephants, like the sun among the planets, he became foremost among physicians, wise and with unquestioned skill”.

context information

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

India history and geography

Source: Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Medical and public health services

Ayurveda.—From the earliest times the system of medicine practised in the country (India) was the Ayurvedic. The system influenced the practitioners of the Unani system in Iran, Arabia and Greece. This system had its roots in the cultures the climate and atmosphere of the country. It also became a part of Sanskrit learning and was taught wherever there were Sanskrit schools.

Ayurveda was capable of effecting relief to his patients with the assistance of ordinary herbs and plants commonly available in the villages, without having to depend on costly chemists and druggists. Ayurveda developed the use of minerals which it used as rasa or bhasma (calcined) prepared according to their own methods which could not but be based on a thorough knowledge of chemistry. Knowledge of Ayurvedic medicines was common and many household remedies were fairly efficacious for common ailments.

context information

The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

āyurvēda (आयुर्वेद).—m S The name of a treatise on medicine and on the probabilities of life. See upavēda.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

āyurvēda (आयुर्वेद).—m The name of a treatise on medicine.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद).—[āyurasmin vidyate'nena vā āyurviṃdatītyāyurvedaḥ Suśr.] the science of health or medicine, counted as a sacred science, and regarded as a supplement to the Atharvaveda; (it comprises 8 different departments; (1) शल्यम् (śalyam) surgery; (2) शालाक्यम् (śālākyam) diagnosis of diseases belonging to the head and its organs; (3) कायचिकित्सा (kāyacikitsā) treatment of diseases of the whole body; (4) भूतविद्या (bhūtavidyā) treatment of diseases of the mind supposed to be caused by the influence of evil spirits; (5) कौमारभृत्यम् (kaumārabhṛtyam) treatment of children; (6) अगदतन्त्रम् (agadatantram) doctrine of antidotes; (7) रसायनतन्त्रम् (rasāyanatantram) doctrine of elixirs; and (8) वाजीकरणतन्त्रम् (vājīkaraṇatantram) treatment of remedies to increase generative power); Śukra.4.277.

Derivable forms: āyurvedaḥ (आयुर्वेदः).

Āyurveda is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms āyus and veda (वेद).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद).—m.

(-daḥ) 1. The science of medicine. 2. The collective writings of authority on medicine, or medical Sastra. E. āyus life, and veda a Veda.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद).—m. 1. the science of medicine, [Suśruta] 1, 1, 12. 2. the writings of authority on medicine, [Harivaṃśa, (ed. Calc.)] 1539.

Āyurveda is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms āyus and veda (वेद).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद).—[masculine] the science of health; T. of a book on medicine.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum

1) Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—med. Paris. (B 190). L. 390. Bik. 631. Burnell. 63^a.
—by Śrīsukhalata. B. 4, 218.

2) Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद):—read Burnell. 63^b.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद):—[=āyur-veda] [from āyur > āyu] m. the science of health or medicine (it is classed among sacred sciences, and considered as a supplement of the Atharva-veda; it contains eight departments: 1. Śalya or (removal of) any substance which has entered the body (as extraction of darts, of splinters, etc.); 2. Śālākya or cure of diseases of the eye or ear etc. by Śalākās or sharp instruments; 3. Kāya-cikitsā or cure of diseases affecting the whole body; 4. Bhūtavidyā or treatment of mental diseases supposed to be produced by demoniacal influence; 5. Kaumāra-bhṛtya or treatment of children ; 6. Agada-tantra or doctrine of antidotes; 7. Rāsāyana-tantra or doctrine of elixirs; 8. Vājīkaraṇa-tantra or doctrine of aphrodisiacs, [Suśruta; Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa] etc.)

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद):—[āyur-veda] (daḥ) 1. m. Medical science.

[Sanskrit to German]

Ayurveda in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) [Also spelled ayurved]:—(nm) the Indian medicinal system; Medical Science (lit. the science of health and longevity).

context information

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Āyurvēda (ಆಯುರ್ವೇದ):—[noun] the traditional Indian system of medicine and of prolonged life, practiced in India using combinations of herbs, purgatives, rubbing oils, etc. in treating diseases.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

Nepali dictionary

Source: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद):—n. the science of health/medicine counted as a sacred science; and regarded as a supplement to the Atharvaveda (अथर्ववेद [atharvaveda] ); Ayurveda;

context information

Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.

Relevant text

Search found 156 books and stories containing Ayurveda, Ayur-veda, Āyur-veda, Āyurveda, Āyurvēda, Ayus-veda, Āyus-veda; (plurals include: Ayurvedas, vedas, Āyurvedas, Āyurvēdas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Introduction to Āyurveda < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]

Agniveśa (Āyurveda scholars) < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]

Suśruta (Āyurveda scholar) < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]

+ 54 more chapters / show preview

Part 1 - Āyurveda and the Atharva-veda < [Chapter XIII - Speculations in the Medical Schools]

Part 14 - Did Logic Originate in the Discussions of Āyurveda Physicians < [Chapter XIII - Speculations in the Medical Schools]

Part 12 - The Psychological Views and other Ontological Categories < [Chapter XIII - Speculations in the Medical Schools]

+ 13 more chapters / show preview

Hygiene and Environmental Issues (Introduction) < [Chapter 6]

Brahmā, Prajāpati and Dakṣa < [Chapter 8]

Specialisation of physicians < [Chapter 2]

+ 40 more chapters / show preview