Manas - A practical facet of Āyurveda

Abstract

Manas (~mind) is considered as the factor responsible for yoking Ātmā (soul) with Śārïra (body) and Indriya (senses). The concept of Āyu (age) is based on the state of Manas, Manas, which is also referred to as Sattva. It is chiefly responsible for perceiving Sukha (pleasure), Dukha (pain), Hita (wholesome), Ahita (unwholesome), etc. in relation to life. Manas has got a close relationship with health also. This demonstrates the importance of Manas in calling a person Swastha (healthy). An accurate knowledge of Manas is necessary to understand the process of production of Jñāna (knowledge) as explained in Āyurveda. Caraka Sam.hitā, one of the authoritative ancient texts of Āyurveda, gives a precise description of Manas Siddhāñta (principles of the mind) including its normal and abnormal states, but all these descriptions are highly scattered. Seeds of the Āyurvedic concept of Manas are found in different texts, but Āyurveda considers it in an applied and practical way. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the applied aspect of Manas in accordance with Āyurveda.

Keywords

• applied āyurveda
• holistic health
• manas
• mind
• swastha