Lord Dhanvantari, Father of Ayurveda
My greatest love in the meaning of the word Ayur-veda is in its purist translation from the ancient Sanskrit text called Charak Samhita, said to be over five thousand years old from India. Rarely talked about, seen or heard are the hidden qualities that define Ayurveda: The human soul, mind, and senses, each revealed as an integral part of life in its entirety.
“Ayu” means Life, and “Veda” means to know about.
Ayu is defined as the intelligent co-ordination between these four aspects of Life: Individual Soul or Atma, The Mind in its Sattvic or clear state, Five Senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching) and the Physical Body called Sharira. Revered as the most sacred, and often-kept secret is this part of us called The Soul. Pure and subtle in nature, the soul is an expression of consciousness itself, communicating through our minds and expressing itself through our senses. According to Charak, the soul has qualities or gunas, which govern who we are through feelings. These feelings are of desire, joy, pain, and the experience of pleasant or unpleasant sensations, and efforts on that. Atma is an entity that expresses all of these things and may also contain information from previous lives. The soul actually has an intelligence of its own. It is omni present, all exclusive and forever alive.
Yogis, or Rishis, were called seers of truth who discovered this ancient hidden knowledge of Ayurveda through intense meditation
in nature. The entire universe was formed from male/female energy, which created the mind, and from the mind, the great five elements were born. From these elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth, three biological humors called Doshas were formed: Vata, Pitta and Kapha or wind, sun and moon. They discovered that what is outside of us is always inside of us and inside is outside.
In this very old ancient healing system of Ayurveda, the very depth of the soul is expressed as a divine vehicle working through us within all aspects of nature. In a timeless world, our soul is an expression of all that is one with the universe. The essence of the soul is consciousness itself.
Margo Uma Gal has been a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1987 under Dr. V. Lad and also with Dr. S. Joshi in Nagpur India. She teaches classes and workshops in Ayurveda, Yoga and Ayurvedic Massage. Margo practices Ayurveda in Haiku Maui. She can be reached at 251-7161 or amritamarg@gmail.com
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