Sutra Sthana
Chapter 1 of 30
Ayushkamiya Adhyaya
आयुष्कामीय अध्याय
The Chapter on the Desire for Long Life
Ayushkamiya Adhyaya opens Ashtanga Hridayam. Vagbhata begins by saluting the physician who destroys diseases like attachment, and explains that a person who desires a long life should respect the teachings of Ayurveda.
The aim of Ayurveda is twofold: to protect the health of the healthy and to cure the diseases of the sick.
Ayurveda is called Ashtanga because it has eight branches:
- Kaya Chikitsa: internal medicine
- Bala Chikitsa: pediatrics
- Graha Chikitsa: psychiatry
- Urdhvanga Chikitsa: diseases of the head, eyes, ears, nose and throat
- Shalya Chikitsa: surgery
- Damshtra Chikitsa: toxicology
- Jara Chikitsa: rejuvenation
- Vrisha Chikitsa: aphrodisiac therapy
| Vata | Made of air and space. Governs movement, breathing, circulation and the nervous system. |
|---|---|
| Pitta | Made of fire and water. Governs digestion, metabolism, body heat and intelligence. |
| Kapha | Made of water and earth. Governs structure, stability, lubrication and immunity. |
- Health is the balance of doshas, dhatus, malas and agni
- Imbalance of the doshas is the root of disease
- Treatment brings the doshas back to balance through diet, lifestyle and medicine
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