Distortion of Ayurveda?

[Guest guest]

Dr. Hall wanted me to comment on the Naram situation - I do not have

interest or time to fight Pankaj Naram at this time - I will leave

this type of investigation to other younger people - sooner or later

the Naram charade will be revealed.

 

Ayurveda at this time is under attack by many forces that attempt to

degrade it - like in western countries the major force of degradation

is by the pharmacutical industry - the drug manufacturers - this is

where the biggest money is so naturally they have too much influence.

When one goes to Ayurveda professional conferences one finds the drug

companies to be the sponsers and the major influences - Vaidya's at

such conferences are frequently only employees of the drug companies.

Even at conferences I enjoyed like the Ayur World conferences - which

are sponsered by Ayurveda luminaries like Vijnana Bharati and the

Department of Ayush - are often mixed up with bogus medicine

manufacturers (along with respected medicine manufacturerers like

Ayurveda Sala). In Kerala the Department of Tourism promotes all

Ayurveda venues respected and bogus because Ayurveda is seen as a

source of income for the state. So this is the state of affairs in

Ayurveda - it is an open field for every bogus schemer to try to make

some quick money. My opinion is that the negative and toxic influences

will not stand and true Ayurveda will prevail - in the mean time we

will have to go through these growing pains as the world discovers

what true Ayurveda is and the gifts it has to offer to humanity -

these are eternal gifts and although Ayurveda itself has gone through

many changes in it's history - the underlying truths are a simple

exposition of the nature of reality and can not be perverted.

 

I was interviewed on this subject last year by a journalist who

informed me about several different individuals who are working to

return Ayurveda and it's good name to those who hold the true

Ayurveda. Many articles have been written in recent years on the

subject - protection of the historical Indian intellectual heritage

and the indigenous cultural properties and products are a big subject

that one reads about weekly in the Indian press - as this relates to

Ayurveda it is a commonly discussed subject at the highest levels of

society being a reccuring theme even in the Department of Ayush. The

government is busy creating international protections against theft of

Indian intellectual concepts, plants, and products - I read that an

American company has recently copyrighted the term Panchgayva - this

is just another example of American and European companies trying to

copyright the names of Indian historical concepts, products, foods,

medicines, etc. etc. Unqualified people write books and promote

themselves constantly as the true voices of Ayurveda - one person who

constantly posts at this site was mentioned in two articles I have

heard of as someone who attempts to redefine Ayurveda in his own image

- such people are getting a very bad name in Ayurvedic circles in

India - they are even subjects of derision in cartoons in newspapers.

As this movement to shake out toxic influences in Ayurveda grows it

will eventually be able to reveal the true Ayurveda and expose

Ayurvedic pretenders. This issue is even becoming a political movement

- a young Vaidya from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad contacted me

and said there are a few members who want to take this issue up as a

part of their programs to protect and preserve Indian Culture.

 

So I do not feel pessimistic - because true Dharma can not be

destroyed, co-opted, perverted, or copyrighted - truth is truth -

seeing ourselves in a mirror that distorts our image does not change

the facts of who we are - although the image of Ayurveda is being

distorted Ayurveda itself can not be distorted.

 

Dr. Vinod Kumar