Project Reports

Indian Journal of History of Science, 49.3 (2014) 340-347 PROJECT REPORTS THE TRADITIONAL AYURVEDA PRACTICING BY PARAMBARYA VAIDYAS IN KERALA AND THEIR UNIQUE ETHICAL OUTLOOK* Sreekumar Nellickappilly** 1. Introduction parambaryavaidyas have been doing this for centuries and their practices may provide valuable This study tries to understand the history insights for contemporary life as well. of the traditional healing practices of the Parambarya Vaidyas of Kerala, who are members This study relies on the primary data of families who have been practicing medicine as generated using qualitative methods of research, their vocation for generations and have learned which consist of semi-structured interviews. the methods of their profession in the traditional Besides some other experts in the areas of ways. For many of them, it was either a family medicine, folk tradition and Kerala history, about profession or a caste duty. Along with their history, 20 practitioners were interviewed in order to this study examines the ethical principles that are understand their ethical perspective. The responses integrated into the practice of these physicians. were recorded and transcribed and a qualitative Hence the enquiry is partly historical and partly analysis was performed. The secondary data for philosophical and ethical and these two are the the work was generated from the study of some primary objectives of this study. While analyzing important texts in Āyurveda, written documents, the latter, the study tries to draw upon the insights official web sites and historical and philosophical presented in the works of Caraka, Suśruta and works which are relevant to the practice of Vāgbhaa and in their light examines how their parambarya vaidya. The project was carried out practices tackle some of the relevant ethical under the following chapters: problems related to the science of medicine in I. Introduction general like abortion, euthanasia, quality of life II. Parambarya Vaidya Tradition their distinct etc. Such aspects will be historically interesting features and Kerala’s Tradition, Geography considering the multi religious and caste-based and Climate social structure of Kerala. It will also be relevant to examine the questions of public accountability III. The History of the Parambarya Vaidya System of the physicians and their interrelationship with and its development after arrival of Brahmins; the society in general and what does the general Avaidyas and the history of Kerala public expect from them and how do the IV. The Ethical Outlook of the Parambarya physicians respond to such expectations. The Vaidyas * The project was accomplished under the sponsorship of Indian National Commission for History of Science between the period October 2010 and December 2013. **Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai- 600036, Email: [email protected] PROJECT REPORT: TRADITIONAL AYURVEDIC PRACTICES OF PARAMBARYA VAIDYAS 341 V. Limitations and Future Scope like the Aavaidyas adapt to the modern VI. Concluding Remarks requirements in this manner, many minor and less well-known families and groups find it difficult 2. Tradition of Parambarya Vaidyas to survive. Some branches of traditional medicine like toxicology (Via vaidyam) have already The Parambarya vaidyas have been become irrelevant in the present world, as modern trained in very different ways than the modern medicine offers quicker and easier remedies to physicians, who are educated in Colleges and snake bites. Again, many of the methods and Institutes and the former also share very different procedures of older generation vaidyas are already ideas and perception about health, disease, lost. The traditional diagnostic methods which diagnosis, healing and medicine. They are comprised of observing the imbalances of the educated directly by their predecessors and even doas—vāta, pitta and kapha of the patients’ body today many of them continue the legacy of and suggesting remedies that would restore the traditional learning and age-old practices and harmony — is hardly adopted by modern day methodologies. In this study the term Parambarya Āyurvedic physicians, as they too have vaidya is employed in a very broad manner. The increasingly began to espouse modern diagnostic term refers not only to the members of traditional methods. This traditional method was once the families of physicians, but also to those who have hallmark of Āyurveda in which physicians would learned such healing practices from the traditional first assess to which category the patient belongs, practitioners following the ancient methods and as in each person one of the doas may dominate. curricula. However, for many of them, medicine He then would assess the imbalance of which doa is a family profession, which they inherit with was responsible for the ailment and would pride. prescribe medicines that would bring back the lost In this strict sense there are only very few equilibrium of the three doas. Such methods, Parambarya vaidyas now alive and in another few according to some traditionalists, constituted the decades the system may sadly become mere very core of Āyurveda and replacing them with history as in modern era their conventions have modern methods has taken away the originality become obsolete and the Parambarya vaidya of Āyurveda. system itself is in the verge of extinction. Many Other systems and practices, which form of the families have given up their traditional part of the Parambarya vaidya tradition more or methods and have either adapted their vocation less subscribe to this idea of Āyurveda, which to satisfy the demands of modern day conceives disease essentially as a loss of requirements—qualifications from modern equilibrium. Most of them consider the goal and Āyurveda medical colleges—or have diversified purpose of healing as consisting in restoring this into other fields. Families of Thaikkattu Mooss, lost equilibrium. Hence they adopt a very Vaidyamadom, Pilamanthol Mooss, comprehensive treatment procedure which Pattarumadom etc., have modernized their integrates the patients’ totality of physical and practices by building institutions like clinics, psychical life with his/her natural and social hospitals and even medical colleges. Though the environment, climatic conditions and food habits older members of these families still practice with the consumption of medicine that directly Āyurveda in traditional ways, their younger aims at bringing all of them into a harmonious generations are trained more in the modern lines. whole. Though they do not explicitely articulate, While more established and well-known families most of them suggest such a philosophy of life. 342 INDIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE 3. History of the Parambarya other rulers of the North. Along with the arrival Vaidya Institution of the Brahmins—the Nampoothiries—earlier in the 4th century AD and later in a major way during While this study attempted recording the the 8th and 9th centuries, Āyurveda was introduced historical lineage of the different families from in Kerala more formally and systematically where the memories of the members interviewed, it was it would have further flourished with active and found that most of them have only a vague idea of creative interactions with the existing systems and their historical past. They often relate their past to practices of medicine, which included Siddha and myths. Hence the time which led to the emergence various other tribal forms. The temples and of Parambarya Vaidya tradition in Kerala can be Buddha shrines upheld the legacy of these healing traced only on the basis of textual analysis. systems, as the various offerings from these However, the account of these family practitioners worshipping places had therapeutic impacts on the and their sense of understanding of their history devotees who consumed them. Even today some are also important, as they have very strong temples in Kerala have such medicinal offerings. bearing upon their ethical outlook. Several such The Vazhuthananga nivedyam in the historical, cultural and religious factors have Koodalmanikkam temple in Irinjalakkuda, the influenced the ethical outlook of these indigenous ghee offering of Sabarimala, the Palpayasam of practitioners. The interviews conducted enlighten Guruvayoor are examples. us about many of them. While we attempt to trace the history of The parambarya vaidya institution had the Kerala parambarya vaidya institution, we emerged in Kerala owing to certain peculiar and come across certain stumbling blocks. There are unique historical and cultural factors, apart from certain ambiguities regarding the history of ancient the geographical and climatic peculiarities of the Kerala itself. However there are some literary land. Swami Nirmalananda, one of the Āyurvedic evidences that suggest the prevalence of Siddha physicians who have been interviewed as part of medicine in the region long before the arrival of this study, emphasizes the climatic aspects that Sanskrit-based Āyurveda system to the state. With make Kerala’s biodiversity unique1. The history the arrival of the Nampoothiries and the of the tradition was traced by examining the establishment of their settlements, the State had history of Kerala, primarily with the help of the been transformed into a new socio-political and works of the historians of ancient Kerala. This economic order and it was during this time examination reveals some important and medicine was institutionalized for

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