Health is hard to define. It is many layered. Just as we humans are complex so is the definition of health. Every medical profession has their own definition.
In part 1 of “what is health” we discussed the allopathic definition of health and the 6 stages of disease manifestation. In this episode, we look at the Ayurvedic definition of health.
Ayurveda looks to the Sanskrit word svastha to define health. Svastha means “to be established in the Self”. It leaves us with a philosophical debate on what health entails.
Another way to describe health comes from one of the ancient Ayurvedic texts called Sushruta Samhita. The definition goes like this.
sama doṣāh samāgniś ca sama dhātu mala kriyaḥ
prasannātmendriya manāḥ svastha ityabidhīyate
Sushruta Samhita, 15.38
One who is established in Self, who has balanced doshas (of Vata, Pitta and Kapha), balanced agni (digestive fire), properly formed dhātus (tissues), proper elimination of malas (waste products), well functioning bodily processes, and whose mind, soul, and senses are full of bliss, is called a healthy person.
To find out what this exactly means, listen to this episode.
Health is wealth
What you get from tuning in:
- Two Ayurvedic definitions of health
- The complexity of what it means to be healthy
- Svastha = to be established in the Self
- The capital S self = our higher Self, our undying self; the place where we have access to our power
- The small S self = our lower self, it’s our ego self
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