Karmic Implications and the Science of Life

By Veda Kovid, Durgadas (Rodney) Lingham, (R.A.P)

To learn more about Karma and how it works in Ayurveda in-Depth, CLICK HERE to view our latest book.

 Copyright © 2013 Durgadas (Rodney) Lingham,
All Rights Reserved.

"On the completion of his training, the psyche of Brahma or the Sages enter into him (The Vaidya or Ayurvedic Physician) according to knowledge"

(Charaka Samhita Chikitsasthana, I.4.53)

Ayurveda (The Science of Life), the ancient medical science of India teaches us, as in all systems of Hinduism, that all actions are due to karma or action. There can be no reaction without an action to proceed it.

In this system, there is no God or Satan that tries to subjugate or thwart man's progress; rather, man is the creator of his own destiny through karma, or his own actions, based upon his own will. As such, the ancient Hindu and Ayurvedic texts give graphic and descriptive teachings with regards to why things happen the way they do, rather than explain them away as being due to the whim of some God or evil entity!

Possession for example, which forms one of the many forms of Insanity (Unmada) in Ayurveda, does not occur simply for no reason due to inimical beings, but rather, occurs due to imitating various beings, neglecting Priests, Gurus and performing bad actions in previous lives, which causes such things to plague the person in the future.

Hence, no action or karma, goes without a reaction, or a like-action.

Keeping this in mind, we turn to specific Ayurvedic karmic implications that modern medical science seeks to rectify in vain. Ayurveda and Yoga also have their various methods to rectify these by negating negative karmas of the past by reducing negative samskaras (tendencies or traits inherit in the individual; karmic residue if we like) - not increase them by ignoring karmic implications, as modern science does, and thereby creates further future unhappiness (or suffering, duhkha), whilst providing only temporal (seeming) happiness (sukha, or happiness).

This is why for example when those who cannot conceive or have children, when able to through science, often suffer acute diseases or poverty later in life or other problems and are reborn into less savoury conditions in future births.

Part of this comes into proper Ayurvedic Counselling also, and forms an integral part of the vast science of Ayurveda, which all Ayurvedic Practitioners should not neglect, with regards to science. It helps one understand, in a deeper manner, why they are suffering the way they do, or the root-causes behind certain diseases and their complications, beyond the normal doshic or biological causes, due to diet, lifestyle, age and other such factors.

Leucoderma (Sanskrit, Switra, Kilasa), a skin condition that causes pigmentation the skin for example, is a disease caused by insults to teachers, gods, impious activities, previous karmas and incompatible foods as per the ancient Ayurveda classics (Charaka Samhita, Chikitsasthana, VIII.177), as also other skin disorders (VIII.4-8). Unmada or insanity due to psychic possession is also caused by negative karmic actions (Charaka Samhita, Nidanasthana, VII.10, VII.19-20).

With regards to Karma, disregarding the Guru, or asphyxiating a noble person will also produce Epilepsy (Apasmara), as per the 13^th Century medical astrology text, Veerasimhavalokanam. Such can be from past life-causes, or those in the current life that give rise to such issues.

Spiritual therapies to atone for such previous actions and negate them are also part of the remedial measures in spiritual Ayurveda.

For example, for Epilepsy or Apasmara, Homas or Fire-sacrifices with sweetened rice and ghee (clarified butter) are to be done, along with offering of golden gifts and such to noble persons is required, as also offering of a murthi or image of the elephant-headed god Ganesha composed of gold, and also giving gifts to four Brahmins or Hindu Priests.

There are numerous descriptions in classical Ayurveda and Astrology (Jyotish) texts that describe the various karmic causes (nidanas), as also their effectual spiritual remedies for such diseases. We cannot ignore these, as when diseases are of a karmic nature, they become more complicated to treat than through mere physical therapies alone.

As noted, all such things are due to previous actions and cause unhappiness in people, but also seek to help us understand the primal root of these disorders, and how we can eradicate them completely at a more subtle karmic level, not merely on the physical level, at which they manifest.

Many common features that we see, for example, birth of twins and such, as also difficulties in pregnancy are due to previous karmas as well (Charaka Samhita. Sharirasthana, II.12-16), causing also differentiations in twins.

In cases of hermaphrodites etc., the biological wind-humor (or Vata dosha) gets disturbed and causes disorders, also due to previous actions. The same is also due to children that are born with genetic defects also, due to agitating and dark tendencies of the individual (rajasic and tamasic samskaras) which create or form the embryo accordingly.

There are several more classifications in the ancient texts also, but these are sadly often ignored by the modern Practitioner, in the quest for allopathic approaches of medicine, opposed to the original. As we see, the original Ayurvedic system of the ancient Rishis or Seers used Vedic Astrology (Jyotish) and such as integral aspects of healing, and dealt much with the Karma of healing also in a treatment of disease also.

A complete Traditional Ayurveda thus seeks to restore all of these 'lost' or rather ignored aspects of Ayurveda in an integrative manner. It seeks to bring them in in their totality, not just as karma in general - but consider the specifics as mentioned in the classical texts, as also including the sciences of dreams, omens etc. that were included as part of the sciences of predictive and medical astrology.

On this note, we should also assess the history of Ayurveda, as per the texts and traditions.

The Ayurvedic author Bhavamishra in his text Bhavaprakasha (I.1.8) in his history of Ayurveda, notes not only of the ancient Vedic medical Gods, the Ashwins and their many deeds (I.1.9-19), but also of an ancient treatise or “Samhita” of these same Ashwin Gods, which appears to also be an ancient Ayurvedic text before those of Atreya and Agnivesha, two ancient Ayurvedic Doctors before the great Doctor Charaka (c.1500bce), of whom complied their teachings. We can only conjecture as to how much valuable information these older texts also held, which has now become largely oral tradition!

Charaka Rishi is one of ancient Indian Doctors who shaped the science of Ayurveda in it’s modern form, from the Atreya school of Ayurveda, through his Guru, Agnivesha. This school was primarily one of internal medicine.

The other, his contemporary was Sushruta, who hailed from the Dhanwantari school of Ayurveda from Kashi (Benares) and dealt with Surgery (Shalya Tantra). Dhanwantari was himself seen as an incarnation of the celestial incarnation of god Vishnu, Dhanwantari, who was born in the churning of the sea of milk, according to the Puranas.

It is sad that the older wisdom of the lineages here has been ignored in modern times in favour of Westernised or allopathic views in Ayurveda, that have de-spiritualised this ancient Hindu medical science, making it into a more physical-science and neglecting the deeper karmic implications and the Divine Origin of Ayurveda, which is part and parcel of the science.

As we begin to integrate more Yoga with Ayurveda and again start to marry the two together, an awareness of the karmic implications are beginning to resurface, but so far, it still remains mainly in Yogic-based Ayurvedic circles, not in the mainstream of Ayurveda at large, which is still portrayed as a mainly a Spa and Wellness system.

Keeping this in mind, by returning to the spiritual source, we can begin to contemplate a more organic and Integral Ayurveda or Purna-Ayurveda for the future and help restore the ancient traditional aspects of Ayurveda that are often lost and remember the karmic implications behind disease and how to work with them!

To learn more about Karma and how it works in Ayurveda in-Depth,
CLICK HERE to view or buy our latest book,
"Karma in Yoga and Ayurveda"

REFERENCES / BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Prof. K.R. Srikantha Murthy, Bhavaprakasha of Bhavamishra (Two Volumes): Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy, Varanasi, 2004

Prof. K.R Srikantha Murthy, Sushruta Samhita: Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy, Varanasi, 2007

P.V. Sharma,  Charaka Samhita (Four Volumes); Chowkambha Orientalia, Varanasi, 2011

K. Narayanan, Veerasimhavalokanam: Classic Text on Medical Astrology: CBH Publications, Nagarcoil, South India, 20114