Ramayana and Ayurveda
Have you heard about Ramayana? Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic poem which narrates the struggle of divine prince Rama to rescue his wife Sita from the demon King Ravan. It is one of the Hindu Ithihasa. The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature. It consists of nearly 24,000 verses (mostly set in the Shloka meter), divided into seven Kandas (books) and about 500 sargas (chapters). In Hindu tradition, it is considered to be the adi-kavya (first poem). It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal husband and the ideal king.
Ramayana has been written and recited in Sanskrit language. For easy understanding of the whole life of Rama, Adhyathmaramayanam kilippattu was written by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan in the early 17th century and is considered to be a classic of Malayalam literature.1
In Kerala, we have a separate calendar known as the Malayalam calendar or Kollam era. It is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar whose months follow the sanskritic solar month naming convention.
We, Keralites derive a spiritual connection between the month of Karkidaka and Ramayana.
Karkidaka corresponds to the zodiacal sign of cancer and overlap approximately with latter half of July and early half of August in the Gregorian calendar.
In the month of Karkidaka, we recite the Adyatma Ramayana which is an epitome of spiritual wisdom and regarded as a work of solace and spiritual guidance. Therefore, the month of Karkidaka is also called as Ramyana month.
The recital is designed in such a manner that it starts with Bala Kanda which constitutes the chapter of birth of Lord Rama who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and ends with the recital of last line of uttara kanda. Reading it requires patience and clear hand over pronunciation; the narration takes a uniform tone and attends a form of standardization.
In Kerala, we have a set of Karkidaka practices.
Recital or hearing of spiritual scriptures – like Ramyana
Healing diet to enhance immunity
Karkidaka treatment (special Ayurveda practices to restore and balance health)
Healthy routines and spiritual gatherings
So why special practices are followed only in the month of Karkidaka?
this is the period of monsoon season which as per Ayurveda aggravates the doshas and hence leads to many illnesses and health issues. The human body becomes more prone to diseases and it becomes important to follow health precautions in rainy season. Karkidaka is considered a challenging month when it comes to physical, mental and spiritual health.
References of Ayurveda in Ramayana
Ayurvedic psycho-spirituality is based on the idea that we are all souls growing and evolving toward enlightenment or reunification with God. The same concept is explained in Ramayana as well. A wide variety of description of herbs has been described in epic Ramayana.
In Yudha Kanda where the war between the demon and lord Rama has been explained, there is a chapter called as Oushadhi Parvata which means mountain of medicines. In this chapter 4 herbs has been mentioned.
Mrita sanjivani – herbs which revives the dead
Vishalya karani – herbs which free trouble for anxiety
Savarnya karanai – herbs which impart original complexion
Sandhana karanai – herbs which joins the fractured bones
Other than the above mentioned herbal groups, Ashoka or Saraca Ashoka has been described. When demon Ravan stoles wife of Rama, she takes shelter beneath Ashoka tree.
This tree is a boon to women. Its bark, seeds and flowers are used for various gynecological problems. Apart from its dried flowers, it’s seed powder and tree ash are also used for treating diabetics, dysentery, kidney stones, joint pains etc. and is also used as a memory enhancer. This herb is widely used in Ayurveda formulations for gynecological problems. It is believed that the women in those houses which grow Ashoka tree will be free from gynecological disorders.
In addition to the herbs described above, reference on the Purusharthas (Dharma, artha, kama and moksha) are also there.
What are Purusharthas?
The Purusharthas, referred to in Vedic texts and within the great epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, are translated in Sanskrit as the "goals of human existence" or "the soul’s purpose."
These are –
Dharma - righteousness, moral values
Artha - prosperity, economic values
Kama - pleasure, love, psychological values
Moksha - liberation, spiritual values
Ayurveda Philosophy –
The philosophy of Ayurveda teaches a series of conceptual systems characterized by balance and disorder, health and disease. Disease/health results from the interconnectedness between the self, personality, and everything that occurs in the mental, emotional, and spiritual being. To be healthy, harmony must exist between the purpose for healing, thoughts, feelings and physical action.
Its central tenet is that life is a combination of body, mind, senses, and spirit (more than a mind-body system). Nothing exists but for the pre-existence of and working of a Supreme Intelligence/Consciousness – an elemental, all-powerful, all-pervading spirit-energy that expresses Itself through and in the creation. Ayurveda seeks to know this aspect of life, the subjective (internal) as well as the objective (outer).
Concept of cosmogony in Ayurveda –
Samkhya is one of the earliest schools of Indian philosophy and most systems, including yoga, have been drawn from or influenced by it. Samkhya is a dualistic philosophy and postulates two eternal realities: Purusha, the witnessing consciousness, and Prakriti, the root cause of creation, composed of the three gunas. It is only when the activity of Prakriti is guided by the purusha, and both co-operate, there is evolution of world of objects.
During the first phase of evolution, the equilibrium (Samyavastha) of Prakriti is brought to an end by the impact of purusha (Consciousness). In this stage, the Trigunas (Satva, Rajas and Tamas) becomes active. ‘Rajoguna’ naturally become first active due to its chalamatra property and through it the other two gunas begins to vibrate. Due to this gradual differentiation and integration, and the combination of these trigunas in different proportion the various objects of the world originates.
The same concept has been explained in Ramayana as well. At the end of ‘yudhakanda’, the war phase benefits of reading Ramayana has been described in detail which includes good health and freedome from diseases.
It is always a good practice to chant Ramayana daily for spiritual enlightment.
References –
A. P., Sukumar. "Complete Adhyatma Ramayanam". Retrieved 23 October 2015.
Article prepared by – Dr Arya Krishna, BAMS
