Phase-III: Being an Ayurveda disciple and a
pioneer of Ayurvedic Biology interface
KJ: After a long and
successful career as a cardiac surgeon, assuming the high post of Vice
Chancellor in the field of education and several honors as a biomedical scientist,
why did you study Ayurveda?
MSV: The “predisposing”
factor was my upbringing in an Ayurveda-friendly environment. For any ailment,
except obviously surgical, such as a fracture or a tumor, our family consulted
a reputed Ayurvedic physician—a scholar who was our neighbor. Once I joined the
Medical College and throughout my surgical career of three decades, Ayurveda
vanished from my view. It reappeared in the 1990s, when I began to feel that
nothing in my cardiac surgical practice, or indeed in the modern medicine, had
been contributed by an Indian. That was the “precipitating factor”. It
disturbed me that since the advent of modern medicine in India over 200 years
ago, there had been no contribution by an Indian—in the causation of a disease,
a drug, a surgical technique, a technology, a prophylactic regime in
medicine—which had been adopted globally. I refused to accept Shockley's view
that originality in science was exclusive to White people! India is much older
than 200 years. Was there a time in India's history when we were creative and
innovative? That search landed me in the company of Charaka, Susruta, and
Vagbhata.
KJ: How did you study
Ayurveda?
MSV: I started my study
of the Charaka Samhita with a saintly Ayurvedic physician and profound scholar,
Sri Raghavan Thirumulpad in Kerala. He was in his 80s but was gracious to me
and generous with his time. I would inform him in advance that I would be
coming with notes on my understanding of three to five chapters of the
Samhita—sometimes only one—so that he too would have looked at the text. I
would discuss what I had understood; he would point out my mistakes, the need
for greater clarity, for abridgment, or expansion, etc. He would also share
with me related ideas and his own experience, which was invaluable. They were
highly enlightening discussions.
I used to go to him once in two months and the studies went on for
2½ years. I was honored when he told me that I would not need similar help in
the study of Susruta and Vagbhata!
KJ: Please share with
us your views on Charaka, Susruta, and Vagbhata.
MSV: Volumes have been
written on the Great Trinity. What could I possibly add to what has been said?
For me, Charaka represented the synthesis of all that is great in Ayurveda.
While excelling as a general physician with an encyclopedic mind, he formulated
the Mula Sankhya doctrine—with 24 tathwas—before Iswarakrishna, and modified
the gunas of Vaiseshika to suit Ayurveda. He had thoughtful views on destiny
and destruction of habitat; and so on. His claim that “what is found here, you
may find elsewhere; but what you don't find here, you will find nowhere” was
justified. Susruta's text was revised by Nagarjuna a few centuries after
Charaka and was better structured, more compact, and conspicuous by emphasis on
surgery. He was the surgeon extraordinary. But I felt that several important
sections on cadaveric dissection, plastic reconstruction of nose, lips, etc.,
which won global recognition had perhaps been unduly shortened during the
revision of the text! Unlike Charaka and Susruta who cared little for literary
style, Vagbhata was a master poet and physician who composed Ashtanga Hridaya
in memorable verse for students and practitioners. He drew his inspiration from
Charaka and Susruta, and made them more accessible to ordinary people like us.
KJ: How was the
process of understanding Ayurveda? Was the language a barrier?
MSV: Learning of
Ayurveda was not easy because the basic concepts, the role of causation,
pathogenesis, diagnosis, the rationale for doing procedures, the basis for
prognosis, and most of all, the preparation of medicinal formulations, were
vastly different from what I had learnt and practiced in a lifetime. Language
was a barrier, but not insurmountable. Without an inspiring teacher like Sri
Thirumulpad, I would have found the learning process too hard if not
impossible.
KJ: What is the future
of Ayurveda practice?
MSV: Only Ayurvedic
physicians can answer this question.
KJ: How can we use
newer information (generated through reductionist approach) for understanding
Ayurveda (holistic science)?
MSV: New Science
(reductionist) cannot help in understanding all aspects of Ayurveda. By
definition, “holistic” cannot be fully analyzed by reductionism. Even after the
ultimate reduction, there will be a part that would defy understanding. But
what is revealed by the reductionist approach even at this early stage—in
studies on Prakritis, Rasayana, etc—is important and exciting. That opens a new
frontier in knowledge.
KJ: Should Ayurveda be
included in medical or basic science courses?
MSV: Yes, it would be
desirable to introduce a short, familiarization course of 2 or 3 weeks in
Ayurveda for medical students. This is already standard practice in the US, UK,
etc. Of course, the course should be prepared carefully and imaginatively.
KJ: What are the
important outcomes of the “A Science Initiative in Ayurveda” projects? How are
these projects progressing?
MSV: The projects in
the first round were concerned with studies on dosha prakritis,
panchakarma, rasayna, dosha-neutralizing plants, and rasa-sindur.
The investigators were Ayurvedic physicians and scientists from reputed
institutions all across India. The studies have been completed and two
important papers have been published, with several more on the way. Equally
importantly, they have built a bridge between Ayurvedic physicians and basic
scientists for joint research, and led to the establishment of a Task Force in
Ayurvedic Biology at the Department of Science and Technology. This is a highly
significant development.
KJ: You have
introduced innovative ideas like “textual epidemiology” in your book Legacy of
Charaka. Similar several ideas are reflected in other publications too! Please
share your perspectives on these new ideas!
MSV: It would seem that
my novel exercise in archeo-epidemiology based on a digitized text of the
Charaka Samhita had escaped the serious notice of reviewers except an American
scholar! As a matter of fact, textual studies can be as exciting as biological
studies. For example, digitized texts could enable one to make probable
estimates of common and uncommon diseases, commonly and uncommonly used
procedures, evolution of the treatment of a disease from Charaka to Vagbhata,
etc., during the period of Brihatrayee; computational linguistics could dissect
the different layers of composition and revision of the Charaka and Susruta
Samhitas, and so on. Some work on these lines on the Charaka Samhita is being
done in Vienna, but none in India.
KJ: What is your
future plan?
MSV: I am at a stage
when future comes to me in the disguise of today! “Every morning brings a noble
chance” and something of interest to do. Future will then take care of itself!
Research in Ayurveda has so far been mainly focused on the
utilitarian aspect of drug development. However, Ayurveda offers much more for
a student of science. Apart from its central claim to be a holistic system,
which prizes wellness, Professor Valiathan believes that unique scientific
opportunities would arise from investigating Ayurveda through the perspective
of contemporary science. When I asked him how Ayurvedic Biology would help
Ayurveda or Biology, his answer was, “I cannot claim that Ayurvedic Biology
helps, or will help Ayurveda or Biology. Neither needs help. However, when new
science, new techniques are applied to old science, new sprouts of knowledge
would appear. Chemistry emerged from new experiments in ancient rasasastra,
as P.C. Ray had shown”.
The conversation with Professor Valiathan awakened the scientist
as well as philosopher in me. Here I wish to quote Charaka's words from his
book: The Legacy of Charaka.
“Ayurveda owes its call not to selfish goals or worldly pleasure,
but to compassion for fellow beings. In seeking to know my legacy, you have but
seen the leaves of a universal tree, too vast for your eyes. May your sight
grow and your quest never end”.
JOURNAL OF AYURVEDIC AND INTEGRAL MEDICINE.
