The Ayurvedic Concept of Tridosha : Part 1

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OM NAMO SIVAYA, SIVAYA NAMO OM OM GURUVAYA NAMAHA Dear Family, Some of us want to know about the Tridosha theory of ayurveda. I searched on the net but could not get something that exactly fitted what I wanted. Moreover they did not involve my labour. Therefore I scouted around a bit and at last found a book that suited what I want to say and also how I want to say it. As I will be directly quoting from the book, I would request members not to circulate the posts in other groups for obvious reasons. You may request your friends to join and read the series if they want. They may afterwards if they feel like. The book is "Tridosha and Homeopathy" and is written by Benoytosh Bhattacharyya. The publisher is "Firma KLM Private Limited", Kolkata, India. Chapter One : The Three Cosmic Elements. The theory of Tridosha (the three elements) is one of the grandest, one of the finest, and one of the most sublime contributions of Ancient India to World Culture. Though the origin is almost lost in pre-history, and although it is known and practised in India for more than 3000 years, its tenets are unknown in different parts of the world for understanding diseases and the diseased.Its practical value is without parallel, and it is required to be studied, grasped, realized, mastered, and applied in all medical systems without exception. Man aspires to longevity for enjoying religion, wealth and happiness. Ayurveda deals with these. So he who desires these three should learn Ayurveda and follow its teachings. The three cosmic elements of air, fire and water are the three components of Tridosha. These three cosmic elements are at the bottom of

the macrocosm. Man being a small world or a microcosm is also composed of these three primeval elements. The mysterious workings of the three elements in the human body is explained in the system of Tridosha. In order to understand them fully we need to compare them with parallels in other sciences. Life is constituted of three elements - body, organ and soul. Due to its continuous flow life is called Ayu. It is perpetual, living and unbounded. Air, fire and water are the three main factors that make a healthy life. If they are in proper order, they give us good health, but if not, they ruin our body and mind. Air, fire and water are compared with the three main forces - The Sun, The Moon and The Air. As these three forces control the earth, the three cosmic elements of air, fire and water control the human body. In Ayurveda, which is the Science of Life, the first element Vat (air) stands for the nerve force in the body

and vital power. The second element Pit (fire) represents the circulatory system which imparts heat to the body necessary for its preservation. The third element Kaf (water), rules over all mucous surfaces of the body. These three elements must be in perfect equilibrium for the purpose of health. To be continued............. Love & Regards, Jagannath. "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo