Vedic Origins of Medical Science : A study of Brahmanical Literature

In ancient India, medical science was knownas Ayur Veda (Veda ofHealth or longevity). Owing tothe word Veda in Ayur Veda, many wrongly attributethis branch of science to Atharva Veda. But the fact isthat the word Ayur Veda has nothing to do with theAtharva or any other Veda. This word is not found inany of the Vedas. This word in fact is conspicuous byits absence even in the Brahmanas and the Upanishadswhich were written after the Vedas. The word Vedain Ayur Veda means compendium. The Sanskritdictionaries give the meaning of the word Ayur Vedaas ‘the science of health of longevity’ or it may mean: acompendium of health or longevity.In the Brahmana literature, there are otherVedas (branches of knowledge) such as Sarpa Veda,Pishacha Veda, Itihasa Veda and Purana Vedas.1 Inthis passage of the Gopatha Brahmana, the wordVeda means branch of knowledge. While definingAyur Veda. Charaka writes : That branch ofKnowledge which tells which things are conduciveandwhich are harmful to life is called Ayur Veda.2Sushruta defines the Ayur Veda as the branch ofknowledge which enhances life.3The early books on Ayur Veda, which are extanttoday, are the Charaka Samhita and the SushrutaSamhita. The former is a composition of Charaka wholive about 200 B.C. The latter was composed bySushruta much later.