Post No 1940; Date: 18  June 2015

Written  by London swaminathan

Uploaded from London at 21-53

Vedas are not medical books. They are the oldest religious scriptures in the world; but yet we find lot of information about various secular subjects. By reading such information we come to how advanced the Hindu civilization was around 1700 BCE. They are in Sanskrit language. Some people call it as Vedic Sanskrit. But there is no need for that name. Because all old languages including Tamil had different grammar and different structure in the olden days. There is no exception.

A word of caution: not much practical use is there in this study. But we get a better picture of their scientific approach towards herbs and their curative powers. Their classification of plants and diseases place them in the higher ladder of civilization. When we compare them with other cultures, we must place them with the cultures that existed around that period.

I give below the important points from the articles written by two Sanskrit scholars in the book VEDIC WORLD VIEW AND MODERN SCIENCE, Edited by Radhavallabh Tripathi (year 2006):

Korada Subrahmanyam writes

1.One can get a lot of material related to herbs and hygiene from the Atharva Veda. Initially the herbs are divided into two groups depending on the place of production: Hilly areas and Plains (pravatiiya and samatala ksetriiya)

Four kinds of trees/herbs are mentioned: Vanaspati (big trees), Vaanaspatya (small trees), Viiruudha (Creepers and bushes) and Oshadi (Herbs)

According to Kalapa there are four types of herbs:

Aatharvanii: useful in Saantis and Paustika karmas

Anngiirasii : Useful for killing and anaesthesia

Daivii: Useful to keep humans out of the influence of old age and death

Manusyajaa: Useful in general medicine

(My comments: Cynical and crooked foreigners wrote that Vedic Hindus were nomads, primitive and pastoral; but the above classification show that they were people with scientific bent of mind. When I joined B.Sc. Botany course 45 years ago, I was taught the Linnaeus classification of plants. In the olden days different classifications were there and slowly they were replaced by better classification systems. So Vedic people were the first in the world to do such classification. Then Greeks improved it, but only 1000 years after the Atharva Veda)

NINE KINDS OF FEVERS

There are nine kinds of fevers described in the seventh kaanda of Atharva Veda:-

1.Ruurah :Fever in which there will be burning sensation

2.Cyavana: In which body trebles

3.Nodanah: By which the person turns mad

4.Dhrnuh: In which the person becomes worried

5.Siitaah: Caused by cold

6.Purvakratvaat: Due to which all the limbs become numb

7.Anyeduuh: That repeats every alternate day

8.Ubavedyuh: That repeats every third day

9.Avratah: That which is unsystematic

(My comments: Ignorant foreigners read only Greek Literature and attributed all the medical advancements to the Greeks. There were other reasons as well: All the European colonial forces could not subjugate the Greeks. So they were heroes in their eyes! The other reason was they did not know the wealth in Sanskrit literature. So they named Hippocrates (4^th century BCE) as the Father of Medical Science. The fact of the matter is Dhanvantri and other great people are mentioned in our scriptures earlier than the Greeks. The above classification of nine types of diseases show that we began the Medical science at least 1000 years before the Greeks. The first few chapters of Caraka and Susruta books show how they approached the patient.)

Satyapal Narang writes:

Who Discovered the Circulation of Blood?

The meaning of the word Hrdaya (heart) is derived from the roots;hr,da and ya arbitrarily to bring out their own meaning of the functioning of the heart. Definitely, the Rig Veda is not a work of mature science but all those who try to propound that Vedo Akila Dharma Mulam (Source of all darma) are trying to interpret the hymns of the RV in the light of Modern Sciences.

(My comments: What Satyapal mentions here is that we are all taught in the schools that William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood in 1578. But the meaning of the Sanskrit word Hrdaya means “blood circulation part”. English word Heart is derived from Hrdaya in Sanskrit. All languages in India including Tamil use this word. “Hr” means ‘in’ and “da” means ‘out’ and “ya” means circulate. So Hindus knew that Hrdaya is the part that which lets in blood and pumps it out. Sanskrit is the only language in the world where every word is scientifically constructed on the basis of 2000 roots listed by Panini 2700 years ago. At that time, no language knew anything about Grammar!Tamil Grammar Tolkappiam came around 1^st century BCE according to the majority of the scholars. The third chapter Porul Adikaram was added later)

GODS AND MEDICINES

Satya Pal Narang adds:

Agni :

By its intense power it destroys organisms and other agents which are harmful to the body. Agni has been prayed for destroying evil agents to provide health and happiness. Agni is called Bhisak (Physician/Doctor) and maker of drugs (Bhesaja kartaa). As Bhisak, he is preventing diseases by destroying pathogenic agents (Raksoha) as well alleviator of diseases and thus effecting cure (Amiivacaatana). This hymn (7-15-10) has been employed in the sacrifice in Asvalayana Srautasutra.

(My comments: No religious book in the world calls God as Medicine man. Only Hindu scriptures call Agni, Rudra and others as doctors. This has got two meanings: one who cures physical diseases and one who releases the soul from the disease of birth and death. Whatever the meaning, the subject is Medicine man. This shows that they had concerns about disease and cures around 1700 BCE. No culture had advanced to that level in 1700 BCE. Greeks started writing after 800 BCE; Tamil started writing after 300 BCE, that too few words in Prakrit and Sanskrit)

Indra:

Indra is depicted as a Bhisak (physician) and destroys krimis affecting the children; he healed the patient eaten by the worms (vamri). He cured the skin disease and sterility of Apaalaa, daughter of Atri. Her father was cured from the disease of loss of hair. It appears to be a prayer and not an event

(My comments: Vedas contain amazing information about diseases and cures. Crooked, jaded and cynical foreigners projected Indra as a murderer; but the Vedic hymns give a different picture and they are not talking about any particular man or God. Indra was a title)

First Artificial Leg in the World

Asvin

They had a relation to sea-medicines as well. Medicine from the foam of the ocean was mixed up with the hoof of the horse at a later stage due to the change of the meaning of the word asva which once upon a time had the meaning ‘water’. It is equal to samudraphena, which is mostly used in diseases of ear.

Asvins are the gods of Vedic Age and physicians of gods in Ayurveda tradition.

They are depicted as doctors (Bhisaja) who changed the body of Cyavana, rejuvenated Cyavana, made change in Vandana from old age and provided them a sight, knew the art of healing the wounds, provided eyes to blind, provided an artificial leg to Vispala and begot milk to a barren cow.

(My comments: Asvins had the highest number of achievements including fixing an artificial leg; probably the first in the world)

Maruts

Maruts, the deities of the air, are invoked for the remedy of disorders of the air(Vaata). It became one of the principles in Ayurveda. They have been praised as the knower of all drugs available in mountains and has been prayed to collect them and treat the disorders with them. They also restore the limbs affected by rapas(papa-yoga). They have been prayed to protect the human being and make them happy

Rudra

Rudra is, perhaps the first divine physician who is earlier than Asvins he is definitely related to the medicines where coolant (Hima) medicines are also referred to. He is referred to as the remover of the divine diseases. His frequent association with the aquatics particularly the leeches, as material medical (Jalaasah) is noteworthy.

Varuna

Varuna is the lord of cosmic order who controls the rhythmic movement of nature and incessant flow of rivers. He has been praised as the knower of hundreds and thousands of drugs, physician and the master of physicians and has been prayed to protect the human kind and bring forth happiness on it. He is the lord of the ocean and a large number of medicines were provided from the ocean.

Surya

Surya is the source of cosmic energy. He is invoked for healthy and powerful long life. He destroys the diseases like heart disease and blesses women with male progeny. He is also depicted as the destroyer of Krimis (pathogenic organisms).

Soma

Soma plant has been recognised as a remedy for a number of diseases from the very antiquity.

(For all the above matter, references are given by the author in the book)

(My comments: all the above references show the Vedic Hindus’ concern for diseases and cures. Most of the above deities are called physicians and they are all prayed for human welfare. Though jungle tribes also had medicine men their approach is not scientific and they are engulfed in magic (voodoo) rites.

(Vedic Ritual pictures are sent by face book friends;thanks)