Lectures On Ayurveda (Kottakkal Ayurveda Series: 50)

Arya Vaidya Sala completes hundred years of fruitful service to humanity. Its establishment in 1902 marked the beginning of an epoch in the history of traditional system of medicine in our country. History has recorded that the pioneering efforts of Vaidyaratnam P.S. Varier in modernizing the traditional methods of healing paved the way for the renaissance of Ayurveda in the last century. He concentrated his attention in transforming the ancient knowledge confined to the classical texts to social knowledge accessible to all the sections of society. Vaidyaratnam himself showed the way by initiating steps for the retrieval of knowledge contained in the classical texts and evolving means for the dissemination of the same to the public. To fulfill the mission, he supplemented whatever he felt was lacking in the original. Closely following the declaration of the manifesto of Arya Vaidya Sala, he made known to all the details of medicines, their dosage, usage, and price through a catalogue, a gesture unheard of from a practitioner till that time. On his encouragement the first of its kind in any language in India. The publication of Dhanwantari, the premier medical journal in Malayalam from 1903 opened a new era of interaction and dialogue among the physicians.

We have gained much during the course of the last hundred years. New colleges came up; universities were opened and centers for higher studies and research were developed. All these have enhanced the prestige of this traditional system of knowledge. The vitality and efficacy of Ayurveda have won worldwise recognition. Along with that, the publications which were in a nascent stage in the beginning of the last century also have attained a volume as a homage to the pioneering efforts of our ancestors in this field.

This book is in two parts. The first part is a collection of articles on various aspects of Ayurveda, by renowned scholars. In 1965, Arya Vaidya Sala started conducting annual seminars on its Founder's Day. The proceedings were published regularly. Commemorative lectures came to be conducted every year from 1980. The papers contained in this volume, except the first, are the texts of the lectures delivered on such occasions. They are presented in a single volume so that readers get an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the perspectives of different scholars on subjects of topical interest.

The opening paper by Dr. K.N. Panikkar is the outcome of his penetrating study and long research in this area. As it fixes the movement in the right historical context, we think that it serves as an introduction to all that follow.

We owe a heavy debt of gratitude to the eminent scholars and scientists who have enriched this volume by their contributions.

The second part contains the tributes paid to the founder by some of his great contemporaries who could evaluate, in a dispassionate manner, his contribution to the society. We remember with gratitude the love and affection they all bestowed on us.

P.S. Varier had grown to become a legend even in his lifetime. As days pass by, the more do we become conscious of his vision. Thus, we realize that this is a moment for us to move close to his heels.

We present this volume on the occasion of the centenary celebrations as a token of our determination to rededicate ourselves to the service of humanity.

Editor's Note

The publication department of Arya Vaidya Sala is glad to bring out this volume in the centenary year of the institution as homage to the memory of the founder Vaidyaratnam P.S. Varier. The first part of the volume consists of lectures delivered by eminent scholars on the occasion of annual Founder's Day celebrations in Aryavaidya Sala, Kottakkal. We have selected lectures only on Ayurveda, edited them for the purpose of publication and arranged here thematically in five heads. The second part contains tributes paid to the founder by some dignitaries.

A note on transliteration. Sanskrit words are used in the lectures frequently and each author has used a different way of transliterating them in English. The variations are mainly regarding the use of aspirated syllables like sh, ch, th etc. We have made them uniform by accepting the phonetic value for the purpose of precision. These words with diacritical marks are listed along with their rendering in devanagari script in the appendix. In the text they appear in Italics so as to be differentiated from the English words. Italics in English words show emphasis.

We take this opportunity to thank the efforts put in by the authorities of Aryavaidya Sala, the advisory committee and the staff of the department of publication, Prabhath Printers, Kottakkal and all our well-wishers to bring out this book on time.

About The Book:

This book is a collection of articles on various aspects of Ayurveda, by renowned scholars. In 1965, Arya Vaidya Sala started conducting annual seminars on the Founder's Day. The proceedings were published regularly. Commemorative lectures came to be conducted every year from 1985. The papers contained in this volume, except the first are the texts of the lectures delivered on such occasions. They are presented in a single volume so that readers get an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the perspectives of different authors on subjects of topical interest.