History

Lord Dhanvantary Learning from nature had been the core of Vedas (ancient Indian Culture) and Ayurveda is also not an exception to this.

. In Vedas, treatments are divided into two - Bheshajam and Aushadham. Bheshajam is prayers, meditation, chanting manthram, homam (sacrifices in fire pit) etc. by which peace of mind, calmness and hope. Aushadham is use of medicines. (The term aushadhi itself means herbal - things available from plants and trees). Hence, there were prayers to Gods and Goddesses for curing illness and general well being along with the use of medicines. Here comes the importance of Lord Dhanwanthari, the God of Ayurveda.   The mythological story goes like this   To get Amruth (nectar - the medicine for immortality) Devas (heavenly bodies) and Asuras (demons) started crushing Palazhi (milky ocean). From the ocean many things came out - kama dhenu (the holy cow which gives whatever you ask for), Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth), airavatham (the white elephant with 2 pairs of tuskers) and Amruth. Lord Dhanwanthari (a partial incarnation of Lord Vishnu) came out with a pot full of Amruth (nectar).   The Origin of Ayurveda Ayurveda is the ancient Indian medical science, which originated about 5000 years ago. The Ayurveda has its mention in one of the oldest (about 6,000 years) philosophical texts of the world, the Rig Veda. In its broader sense, Ayurveda has always demanded to prepare mankind for the realisation of the full potential of its self through a psychosomatic integration. A complete health care is what Ayurveda prescribes for the ultimate self-realisation. The Rig Veda also mentions organ transplants and herbal remedies called Soma with properties of elixir. During 3,000 to 2,000 BC Atharvaveda one of the four Vedas was authored, of which Ayurveda is an Upaveda (subsection). Though, Ayurveda had been practiced all along, it was during this period that ayurveda in India, was codified from the oral tradition to book form, as an independent science. Atharvaveda enlists eight branches of Ayurveda namely - Kayachikitsa (Internal Medicine), Shalakya Tantra (surgery and treatment of head and neck, Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology), Shalya Tantra (Surgery), Agada Tantra (Toxicology), Bhuta Vidya (Psychiatry), Kaumarabhritya (Pediatrics), Rasayana (science of rejuvenation or anti-aging), and Vajikarana (the science of fertility). The most fascinating aspect of Ayurveda is, it uses almost all the methods of healing like lifestyle regimen, yoga, aroma, meditation, gems, amulets, herbs, diet, jyotishi (astrology), colour and surgery etc. in treating patients. DHANVANTARY AYURVED RESEARCH CENTRE OLD STATE BANK COLONY,BACHELOR ROAD, WARDHA (M.S.) INDIA