THE TRAGIC HISTORY OF AYURVEDA
Will you choose a medicine that cures the symptoms of your ailment, or medicine that cures
the root cause of it?
Will you choose a cure for days or a cure for a lifetime?
Will you choose reductionist medication with side effects or a balanced and holistic solution?
Well, I would choose the latter and I’m sure that you’re also looking for a cure for the ages and not for a quick temporary fix to your health problems. The sad fact remains that a majority of the global population prefers the former.
It is quite evident that the former characteristics in the above sentences are of conventional medicines or western medicine and the latter is of Ayurveda or Vedic medical science or ‘the poor man’s medicine’(as characterized by Macaulay).
In the world of complex theories and tricky technologies, simple things are often a matter of suspicion. In the last blog, we explored the simple yet highly scientific medical science of Ayurveda. Now, in this blog, we will see how Ayurveda was systematically suppressed by the many invaders of the ancient Indian civilization.
In this blog, we will look at the big picture of Ayurveda and its tragic history. We will cover the following topics:
1. Modern medical science
2. Statistics of Ayurveda and Allopathy
3. The Systematic suppression of Ayurveda
A) During the Islamic invasion
B) During British Raj
Modern medical science
Modern medicine aka conventional medicine is considered the epitome of development. The word ‘allopathy’( conventional medicine) was first coined by C.F.S. Hahnemann in the year 1810. Conventional medicine practitioners claimed their medicines to be evidence-based medicine. On the contrary, they opposed the traditional medical sciences. In the past 200 years, conventional medicine developed substantially and attained notable popularity across
the globe. Conventional medicine is established as a well-rounded and well-founded medical science and industry in the 21st century. Certainly, the most preferred treatment in the US is conventional medicine. Wherein only 2% of the total population reach out for alternative medical methodologies. A large number of people across the globe choose conventional medicine over any other alternative methodology because:
1. Conventional medicine gives faster, and in many cases, instant relief.
2. The medicines are easily available.
3. There is a worldwide well-built network of conventional medicines.
4. The number of enrollees in medical colleges increases by at least 1.1% every year as compared to the previous years in the US alone.
Despite the widespread reach and establishment, conventional medicine is still a makeshift. Here are the reasons why:
1. The sole focus of the treatment is to nullify the symptoms of a particular ailment.
2. The symptoms get suppressed but it’s likely to cause side effects due to suppression of the symptoms.
3. The tests and treatments which involve harmful radiations (radiation therapies) lead to several side effects on your body for years to come.
This leads to the quest for alternative medicines and treatments. Ayurveda, Homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic care, and Chinese medicine to name a few. Ayurveda is the oldest form of medical science among all the existing methodologies. For the past six millennia, Ayurveda survived every clampdown by the intruders of India. The secret of its survival is balanced and holistic techniques. It has gained momentum in the research labs, but, let’s see what people of its homeland India prefer.
Statistics of Ayurveda and Allopathy
A recent survey by the International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences shows the customer preference for conventional or Ayurvedic treatment. The survey was conducted this year in India among 1018 people of the age group 21-40 years. The survey manifests the fact that two out of every three respondents prefer conventional medicine over Ayurveda. The majority of male respondents preferred conventional medication. But, the female respondents chose Ayurvedic medication. 41.06 percent of respondents added that their monthly expense for medication is USD 13-66 (INR 1000-5000). The post-graduated
respondents did prefer Ayurvedic medication therapy. While others preferred conventional therapy. Ayurvedic therapy is easy on the pockets. It has natural ingredients. And yes! it comes with no side effects. Whereas, the respondents chose conventional medicines because of Convenience and easy availability.
This survey concludes that Indians prefer conventional medicine over Ayurveda. Not even 40% of Indians prefer Ayurvedic medication. Ayurveda was the only medical science in India before 1200 CE. But, the preference curve is completely reversed in the 21st century.
Do you want to know the history of the paradigm shift in medical science in India?
Let’s time travel to the history of suppression of Ayurveda!
The systematic suppression of Ayurveda
Ayurveda was a well-established healthcare system before the foreign invaders invaded India.Ayurveda was an inseparable part of every Indian’s life. Vaidyas were proficient in the core Ayurvedic medication domain. But it was also the standard ingredient of grandma’s remedies. This deep-rooted knowledge was a mode of livelihood for the tribals. It's the sole secret of the calm and composed mind of every Indian. Ayurveda in itself was a full-fledged ecosystem comprising every solution we seek for in modern medical science.
Ayurveda:
1. Possessed natural medicines with no side effects
2. Was easy on the pocket
3. Had skillful surgery
4. Encompassed yoga for the body
5. And meditation for the mind.
It still has a lot to offer, it always has. But the greed of power, politics, and supremacy, crushed the pride of the eternal science of life. India has a very old history of invasion. It is the country which had to experience foreign annexation more than any country in the world! Undeniably, India had some alluring opportunities for those powerful conquerors, who would sacrifice anything but set their ace in India. The people, the system, and every event happening in India were swayed by the game of power and supremacy. Ayurveda is one of the many sectors influenced by the rapid invasion and consequent wars. More or less, Ayurveda is the quintessence of the indigenous lifestyle.
The history of foreign invasion in India began in 326 BC. When Alexander the Great captured some significant parts of India. Defeating King Porus and other many kings, he conquered Taxila and Punjab regions. Then there came many more rulers after him. But, the real trouble began when the different cultures started clashing with the indigenous culture.
Let’s have a look at that.
During Islamic invasion
It was 700 CE when Islamic invaders began their gradual intrusion. By1200 CE they occupied many territories and provinces of India. This duration of 500 years witnessed a continual shift of power with further invasion taking over the reign. Between 1500 and 1850, most of India was ruled by, and a part of, the Mughal Empire, who were the descendants of Genghis Khan, who had come from Uzbekistan.By the 16th century, Islamic culture and medicines had spread across the country. The introduction and domination of Islamic culture and medicines led to the decline of both indigenous culture and Ayurveda. The crusades against Buddhism and Hinduism damaged their culture and scriptures. This marked the origin of the Unani school of medicine which is the amalgamation of Arabic, Greek, and Ayurvedic medicines. The emergence of Unani medicines divided society and medicines based on people’s religion. The Ayurvedic doctors were called Vaidya and the Unani practitioners, Hakim. Muslims would consult a Hakim and would never visit a Vaidya in their lives. In the very same way, Hindus would consult a Vaidya and would never visit a Hakim. Moreover, a Vaidya was always a Hindu and a Hakim, always a Muslim. The Islamic invaders aspired to establish Ghazwa-e-hind( expansion of Muslim territory) in India. For this mission, they started converting people’s religion to Islam. Initially, they tried manipulating Indians to accept Islam. Later, they forced them to accept Islam. As time passed, this mission turned out to be gravely brutal. Which led to a significant rise in the Muslim population. The increasing ‘converted Muslim’ population adopted Muslim culture and Unani medicines, boycotting Ayurveda in the process. The Muslim scholars translated the Vedas and other Vedic scriptures in Persian and Arabic, the misinterpretation of Vedic scriptures trivialized Vedas and while also resulting in a state of mass confusion and inaccuracy among the learners. Then came a time, when the new Persian and Arabic scriptures replaced the Vedic Scriptures and Samhitas completely in the traditional schools of medicine. There was subtle chaos among the divided communities. If you’re thinking this is a lot to handle, you are in for a surprise. This isn’t the end, the ‘British traders’ are on their way to India already!
During British Raj
The British arrived in India on 24 August 1604, at the port of Surat for trade. East India Company was established for the trading of the spice trade. It was founded as a monopolistic trading body. The British traders gradually got familiar with the system of India and the flaws that existed. In 1772, East India Company, under Warren Hastings took over revenue collection directly in the Bengal Presidency (now Bengal and Bihar). Slowly and steadily they eradicated the Indian culture, the pride of Vedas, the glory of Ayurveda, and established the western culture systematically and seamlessly. It was accomplished in three simple steps:
1. Brainwashing with exoticism
Britishers would praise the western culture and derogate the Indian culture, looked
down at the farmers, ridiculed the traditional attire of the Indians, labeled Ayurveda as “the poor man’s medicine”. Such remarks made the Indians ashamed of their own rich culture. Their consciousness was somewhere fantasized with exoticism. The Indians “progressively” adopted western culture. The indigenous culture began to fade.Exoticism is so deeply rooted that speaking in English is a sign of superiority in modern India.
2. Declaring the traditional medical practitioners illegal
During the 1750s European doctors came to India, as the Britishers preferred modern medicines. Initially, the doctors would share their knowledge of medicines with traditional doctors. But the difference in the basics of the methodologies made them feel superior hence they stopped interacting. As modern medical science was expanding, traditional practitioners felt ignored, they experienced a crisis. Some left the profession, and some thought of fighting the odds and continued with it. For many years they endured the criticism, but the fear of missing out forced them to learn western medicines. Some traditional practitioners went for formal training in Lahore in 1872. This program stopped within a few days due to severe criticism from the western practitioners. Then, the Ayurvedic practitioners were not designated as doctors until they somehow got a physician’s degree from any western college. They stopped striving for a degree, they stopped working for validation. The students of Ayurveda received their training in the houses of practicing vaidyas called Tols.
3. Shutting down traditional colleges and promoting
western education
Previously, the traditional school curriculum included traditional medicines,
mathematics, and astronomy. The schools were financially supported by the local
rulers and other elites. British started collecting taxes from the people in 1765, which set into motion a series of policies. This left a negative impact on the Indian
traditional education system. In the year 1835 India under colonial rulers became the agency for promoting western education. It was directed to supplant Indian traditional education which was condemned as superstitious, mythic, and primitive as Macaulay characterized them. They spent a bulk of state money which was the tax (Lagaan) collected from the common people of India to educate the Indians with modern education. The Ayurvedic and astronomy schools and colleges were completely shut. Wherein, modern colleges, Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta universities were built. India and its culture were systematically deteriorated by the many invaders, despite all the mishaps India had to face, the people of India withstood the injustice.