A Timeless Tradition: The Story of Ayurveda
The origins of Ayurveda are woven so deeply into the fabric of ancient India that they seem to blur the line between history and eternity. Though historians cannot mark a precise date on a timeline, there is no disputing that Ayurveda stands as the oldest known, systematically developed and scientifically structured system of medicine, one that continues to remain astonishingly relevant even today.
Ayurveda is believed to have blossomed during the Vedic period, between 3000 and 1500 BCE, as an Upa-Veda, a supplementary branch of the sacred Atharva Veda, the fourth of the Vedic canon. True to Vedic tradition, the knowledge of life and healing was not written down at first. It was heard. For centuries, it lived in the delicate thread of śruti, the oral tradition in which the Guru would speak, and the disciple would absorb, word by word, breath by breath. This intimate transmission continued unbroken until around 500 to 800 CE, when scholars began preserving this vast wisdom on palm-leaf manuscripts, ensuring it would endure through time.
“brahmā smṛitvā āyuṣo vedam…”
Brahma, the creator, did not invent ayurveda, he merely recollected it.
Legend says that Brahma recollected this eternal science of life and passed it down through divine beings, sages, and finally to humanity. Thus, Ayurveda is seen not merely as a medical system, but as a rediscovered truth, an eternal knowledge that surfaces whenever humanity seeks harmony with nature.
From whispered teachings between Guru and disciple to meticulously scribed manuscripts, and now to global recognition, the journey of Ayurveda is a remarkable tale of endurance, wisdom, and timeless relevance, a science truly as old as memory itself.
Salutations
I bow in reverence to Ekadanta, the One-Tusked Lord Ganesha, vast in form, immeasurable in wisdom, the great bestower of success, and the embodiment of supreme strength. May this mighty and benevolent Lord dispel darkness, destroy disease, remove fear, and illuminate the path of knowledge for all who seek his grace.
