Aama in Ayurveda

AAMA.IN AYURVEDA and the concept of Bhootha as the five elements and the past life



First principle of any scientific enquiry is observation (perception )of facts and it is the first principle of behaviour to acqusition of scientific knowledge.Then classification of observed data using verifiable objective methods follow. Explanation of the data or interpretation of the facts in the simplest and the least complex way should ensue next.In other words,seeking of evidence through direct experience and explaining it using logic is the empiricism of any scientific method.
The stages of science are thus
· 1.description of a problem situation
· 2.Prediction of the outcome
· 3.scientific thinking-:devising hypothesis,verifying them,communication of the results,
· 4.understanding that science is not merely the materials and methods.It is more than the methods,a way of thinking./a way of life..
· 5. A distinction is made between observable and the inferred.Inference on things that are not directly observable.
Aayurveda is the ancient science of our land which deals with observable and inferable facts of life in such a way so that the physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual problems of the world are dealt with and solved.
Oushadi-vanaspathy are the main material through which the treatment is done.What is oushadi? Osha literally means lightbearing ,and it also means kural or sound through praana or vaayu. The energy (anna)in the sun is obtained through the plants by photosynthesis and this sustains life on earth.Therefore the plants indirectly control the energy,water,elements,and the oxygen cycles of our lives.and is the sree(prosperity )of earth.Hence the veda addresses the Goddess sree and agni(energy )thus:
Aadityavarne Tapaso adhijaatho
Vanspathisthava vriksho atha bilwa(sreesooktham)
According to chandogya Upanishad only those people who have healthy ,pure ,brilliant dhathu(elements)can do Aathmavicharam and be spiritually and intellectually ,mentally and physically healthy.(Dhaathuprasaadam is essential for health ).Maithryiupanishad says the pure ocean of bliss bearing each dhaathu and indriya shines in the heartspace as itself by itself(swayam prabha)without any other upaadhi and that is the aathma.The dhaathuprasada thus gives us indriyabhala(physical strength) to have mental ,intellectual and spiritual health.
Eight Drops of paraa energy is needed for life and we directly get it from cosmic energy as suvarannam(without carbon)and half an anjali of apara energy is needed for carrying out our activities including intellectual work and that should come from our foodintake(contain Krishna-or carbon).It is the apara energy derived from the food that our bioenergy field is created,our five elements (panchabhootha)are built up,and the one with dhaathuprasaada can see the mahimaanam(greatness)of Aathma(cosmic energy) in one’s own heartspace
Cosmic energy is the power of Naaraayana (Naarayana Upanishad)seen as agni in the human body .Like a lotus with nadeejhaala(nerve plexuses) it is kept in the middle(the central nervous system and spinal cord)In the naabhi (center )it exists as agni and splits (vibhajanthy)food(aaharam)and keeps the body from head to foot with heat of metabolism(thapas).From this thapa(heat)is derived life and its activities.The virat(cosmic)energy is manifested as the swaraat(individual)energy and hence cosmic and bioenergy fields are ultimately the same and interconvertible energy fields constantly in touch with each other.Aayurveda thus prescribes the plants and its leaves,flowers,fruits etc,available in each season(rithu)characteristic of each geographic area and ensures the food habits are healthy .Rithu or seasons represent time(kaala) and geographic area represent the desa and hence the diet suits the timespace(kaaladesa).In a similar way ,the raagaas prescribed also should be suitable to the timespace (to the seasons and to geographic areas)in raagachikitsa(since it is sound energy which is part of light energy).
Anna is sun’s energy,that is converted to elements by plants(C,H,O,N,Ca,P)and their sanghaatham as proteins,carbohydrates,fats and vitamins etc.Praana is dhaathu in ionic state (suvarna)whereas dravya is dhaathu in solid state(rayi-krishna).When food is digested the subtle agni goes up,the grossest comes down.The medium one spreads all over as jhaladhaathu(watery)and as vaayu.
There are different srota(channels) in our body and praana(oxygen) is sarvathogaamini (flowing in all channels)in our body.Udaana is the one that flows up(urdhwanaadi )as para.samaana is the one that brings oxygen to all tissues and cells.Since the pitha(thejus)of the sun is agni(energy)in all the indhana(firewood or the body),it is by its character without any vaasana ,vignaanamaya.Surya is nityaniraamaya(God has permanent health)and has perfect state of bliss of yoganidra(comparable to dreamless state of sushupthi )and samadhi.But when the channels or the darsanadwaaraas are blocked by the same thejas(energy)then a state of aamaya(unhealthy)occurs and the patient may experience a coma(moorcha).
Thejas (energy)is the agni which gives us our biological field of attractive personality and behaviour,our science and arts also.
Theja:sareerastha:deepthy :ujjawalathwam
Praagalbhyam vaa brahmavarchasam
Vrithaswaadhyaayanimitham theja .
In sadvritha(people who follow good habits)due to their swaadhyaya this healthy state persists..And the three (vatha,pitha,kapha)are in balance giving them brahmavarchasam and niraamaya.In those who follow bad habits the opposite happens and disease (aamaya)occurs.Agnichayanam and formation of anna(food)is cyclical.
In Sudhasindhu(page 919-924 DC Books ,Kottayam)how the gross cosmic body is the origin of the gross body of man and animals is explained..In nadeesamvedanam (nerve impulse communication)the waves of polarization and depolarization is the same agni of the cosmos.Thus cosmic and bioenergy are the same.Mind is not within the brain alone ,the concept of the mind everywhere in the cosmos and brain as a part of it constantly communicating with it is being accepted by the western science.In the last decade (the decade of the brain)we heard the dictum “Mind everywhere”as an echo of this acceptance.The anuishta oorja(the subtelest energy)as nerve transmission is only a part of cosmic energy and the brain is just a gross form of it.
AAMA
According to Saamaveda:ama is purusha(man).saa is sthree(woman).when they are in balance(sama)the body is niraamaya(without disease.)They are equal(sama)in everything (including a plushinam,masakam,naagam-)and because of this there is music(saama)in everything and the world is a combination of name(sound)and form(light).when the yin-yan balance/sivasakthy balance is lost aamaya(disease) occurs.
Aama is immature ,uncooked,unripe,undigested annam which is not useful to the body.In medical context the term refers to events,factors,resultants which follow ,arise and results respectively as a consequence of kaayaagni(fire of the body)not functioning properly .Aama is an essential factor in the development of a pathological state.Aamaya (disease)is a condition produced by aama.It is described as a causative factor in many diseases in ayurveda.
Aacharya vaagbhata says:Due to the diminution of agni(energy)the first dhaathu namely the rasa is not formed properly and the annarasa (food essence)undergo fermentation and putrefaction ,being retained in the aamaasaya (stomach).This improperly digested food is the aamarasa.The toxins generated out of such rasa produces obstruction of channels(srota),loss of strength(balakshaya),gouravatha(heaviness),impediment to flow of vayu(anilamudha),lethargy(clema),ajeerna(indigestion),atyapraseka(excessive salivation),obstruction of natural urges like stools,urine,flatus(vegavrodha),anorexia(mandaagni)and malaise(angsada).
That means aama includes,food containing all incompatable articles,heavy indigestible food,unwanted food by overeating,disgusting foods,any food that produce distension of abdomen,raw uncooked food(other than fruits and certain vegetables),very cold food,irritating foods causing inflammation of mucosa,unclean,contaminated,infected food,dry ,fried ,dehydrated food,food soaked in too much of water,food taken during intense emotional stress like grief,anger,worry ,fearcomplex etc,hunger and irregular food habits(psychosomatic).
The fundamental treatment for aamadosha is langhana or upavaasa.Fasting is till the energy(agni)is maintained.Dry sudation therapy is the second line of treatment by which obstruction,pain and swelling are removed.oleation therapy is contraindicated.Emesis and purgation are recommended to remove the toxic effects.Herbs that combat aama are
Ginger(zingiber officinale),castor(Ricus communis),guduchi(Tinospora cordifolia),bhallathaka(semicarpus anacardium),kuchala(strychnus nuxvomica)











A comparison of the modern views on the free radicals is appropriate at this juncture.They play a key role in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases and in normal biological functions.Activated processes in drug toxixicity,aging,carcinogenesis,aetiology of ocular,neurologic and psychiatric diseases are some examples.Darwin observed that white ,blueeyed cats are usually deaf to sound vibrations.Pigmentary abnormality(colour or varna )and deafness(inability to hear sound)in audiology go hand in hand in diseases like waardenberg’s or usher’s syndrome.Association between radical generating metals like iron ,and copper and induction of fibrosis (interocular fibrosis in vitreous chalcosis,liver cirrhosis in wilson’s disease and hemachromatosis)was described.
Oxygen-dependent microbial system:Granulocytes and phagocytes of our immune system possesses a membrane NADPH oxidase ,which takes reducing equivalents from hexose monophosphate shunts and transfers these to molecular oxygen to produce superoxide and other active oxygen species.A further myeloperoxidase converts peroxide produced in this system to microbial products including hypochlorites.Production of activated products by this system plays a keyrole in the cellmediated immunity and microbiocidal activity.There is evidence for similar systems in T lymphocytes,platelets,mucous,an NADPH oxidase of noninflammatory cells may have a role in mediating cyclic nucleotide mechanism.Granulocytes,macrophages,T lymphocytes produce active species of oxygen as part of the microbiocidal/citocidal system.In turn,active oxygen species can modulate specific elements of the inflammatory response in vitro.Biological systems protect themselves against the damaging effects of activated species by several means.These include free radical scavengers and chain reaction terminators :enzymes such as SOD ,catalase and the glutathione peroxidase system and solid state defences Such as the melanins. central catecholaminergic neurons contain stable free radical, melanin. Specific dying-off of pigmented neurons in the substantia nigra is the apparent cause of Parkinson's. Dopaminergic neurons may be concerned in schizophrenia and in various movement disorders ( e.g., choreoathetosis in Lesch-Nyhan syndrome ). Noradrenergic neurons - in endogenous depression and Alzheimer dementia. The function, of melanin in neurons unknown ,may be related to antioxidant and semiconductor properties
Chemical antioxidants act by donation of an electron to a free radical converting it into a nonradical form.The anuishta type of enegy involving the oxygen atom is the one with the vaayu.



















The water particle (H2O)and the molecules of the H or the watercontent is important for our bioenergy field or the aura.It is the thousands and thousands of micromagnettes within it that gives us our aura and it is measurable best with imaging techniques.When we hear music and enjoy it our corticotemporal axis is activated and more of blood (and hence H)flow through it.This is mapped by sophisticated methods in neuroimaging.
Now,the functioning of the energy(agni),of the vayu(oxygen)and of the water(H ydrogen),aakasha(spacetime energy),and of prithwi(the elements gross)are fully explained in the ancient and the modern concepts and we can understand the aetiology and pathogenesis of many diseases with these concepts .
What we have learned in the field of modern medicine is actually our technological knowledge and measuring systems ,thanks to physics,astrophysics,and technological advances and they are used by the modern medical people .But ,a modern person can use these techniques and prove their thesis and scientific theories as well.Modern medicine use technology to explain their beliefs.Ayurveda can use it for proving their views,and as an interdisciplinary method.No one can say that technology can be used by a particular branch of knowledge or speciality.
What I feel is that the concept of aama is something which has deep meanings and implications.Some people think that aama is due to bhootha.This is a Sanskrit word which is wrongly interpreted in English as evil spirit.But what is it in Sanskrit and in Indian concept is important in realizing and explaining it as the most scientific theory.
· Bhootha in Sanskrit means two things
· 1.The elements as in the panchabhootha.When the 5 elements in our body(biological system)or in our environment(ecosystem)is polluted and the cyclic energy is obstructed by this process ,aama or disease occurs is the first explanation.
· 2.Bhootha also means the past life as in bhootha,varthamaana and bhaavi.If the past life of an individual(this birth as immeadiate /and previous births as remote)is bad,the consequences set in as to every action ,there should be an equal and opposite reaction.This is the karma theory of Indians.If one is a drug addict or an alcohol addict ,the consequences of the habits will manifest as disease later on.Similarly,a life of uncontrolled sexuality leads to certain types of aamaroga ,like AIDS. The question is not limited to understanding science alone but to be able to live accordingly.Aayurveda ,as a way of life is important because it tells us in an interdisciplinary and holistic way how to live a healthy life ,how to follow clean habits and live in harmony with the cosmos and the environment,keeping a mind free of raagadwesha and passions of greed,envy etc and to have a fruitful existence useful to the world and society.
In this context I would say that the concept of Raagachikitsa ,is also based on the same principles.Have a life free of passions and full of compassion to the entire creation is the message of valuebased education of ancient Indians.