India 50 Years of Independence: 1947-97 Status, Growth & Development- Ayurveda (Part-3)

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About the Book Disdain, sceptism, a little grudging admiration and, of late, a realization: of acceptability and greater terminality in the future-thus has been the changing attitude of modern science to the Ancient Art of Ayurveda of India, ever since Independence. If we define science as an organised body of knowledge, wholly rationalistic. verifiable, valid and also efficiently geared to practicalities--such as health care, in all its aspects: curative. preventive and social amenability. Ayurveda fulfills all of these stipulations and much more. More importantly, developed and nurtured by our ancient Rishis, for whom Health was but an offshoot for Dharma, it is rooted in ethics, commands a vaster vision of positive health for all, integral of body, mind, soul and the beyond.

In this book Our Heritage in Science-Ayurveda, glimpses of these varied aspects of Indian Medicine are presented as reminders of our past and guidelines to our future.

About the Author After a long and distinguished career. Dr. K.H. Krishna Murthy retired as Head, Department of Biology and Convener. Faculty of History of Medicine, JIPMER, Pondicherry. He actively worked on Ayurvedic Botany and Pharmacoänosy. Medical Linguistics and Advanced Aspects of Science in regional Indian languages.

His research papers have appeared in National and International Journals which number over a hundred. His books include: Brain, Mind and Speech: Perspective for Modern Scientific Research; Physiology of Vision; A New Approach to the Science of Language: Wealth of Sushruta; and, Sanskrit and Science; A Source Book of Indian Medicine-An Anthology: Outlines of Ayurveda.

Preface A general notion that persists in the technical field as well as the general public is that India is essentially a spiritual country, where philosophy held greater sway rather than hard core science. It is rarely realised that India had pursued both branches of knowledge that counted much-in the secular as well as spiritual aspects, of her civilization. Respectable sciences even in the perspectives of modern science as such did flourish here. For example the iron pillar of Samudra Gupta in Delhi that has resisted rusting for thousands of years is not just a freak: it is but an accidental reminder of our ancient knowledge in metallurgy which we have lost now totally. In this sense even a scholastic acquaintance with Ayurveda, probably the only science of our ancient sages which has remained still in considerable bulk would be highly salutary to modern experts. This is apart from the fact that Ayurveda is not a mere theoretical science but a highly practicable wisdom that poses a whole new world view compared to modern science a world view. of great value and relevance even now. We will also realize then that India no doubt pursued such technicalities as well as philosophical extensions together, but gave a greater stress to ethics and Dharma everywhere. For, any science ought to be just a means for peace happiness and humanization of man, which is the greater objective.

He has received many honors and awards. He has been working on Bhela Samhita, Botanical Wealth of Rāmāyana and Cybernetics and Linguistics.

**Contents and Sample Pages**