| Chapter - 2 Ayurveda Dosha
Ayurveda
is an ancient science of medicine in India. It literally means, 'The
science of life'. It is the world's oldest health care system. It is
one of ancient India's greatest gift to the world. It is a science of
health based on universal principles and profound insights into the
connection between the body and mind and the laws of nature that
structures all activities in life, it is heartening to see that this
ancient Indian wisdom is again regaining its importance and becoming
increasingly popular all over the world. According to Ayurveda there
are three substances or biological humors in the human body that governs
all life processes of growth and decay. In Ayurveda these biological
humors are known as Doshas. Dosha means that which darkens, spoils,
causes things to decay or a fault. When out of balance, the doshas are
causative forces in the disease process. Doshas are invisible. They
govern the physical processes in the body without being quite physical
themselves. They lie in the gap between energy and matter and are the
connecting link between them. It is at this level that thought turns
into matter. They are three in number. The doshas are Vata, Pitta and
Kapha.
The composition of the Doshas
The doshas are
composed from five great elements. These five great elements are Space,
Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These elements are not exactly what is known
to us as space, air, fire, water and earth. These are subtle forces
whose combination gives rise to what is known to us. A more detailed
understanding of these five elements will be given later. By mixing
different pairs of the five elements, one arrives at the three doshas. |