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OVERVIEW OF HINDU HEALING TRADITIONS

Understanding : Religion symbolizes the association of man with the Divine. The sole objective of religion is to make its followers have the realization of truth. If one looks back around 5000 years, then he/she would find that Hinduism is the oldest religion out of all. Though the majority of population dwells in , but one can witness its aura across the globe. Hinduism denotes a way of life as well as a way of thinking. Hinduism in itself has contributed to the growth of many other religions in the world such as , , Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism.

Fig: 1 Sacred Symbol of Hinduism

Bulk of religio-philosophical literature can be found under the domain of Hinduism such as the , the and the Bhagwad Gita. The basic concepts under Hinduism are as follows---  Atman is the eternal principle which sentiments all life and brings it to our perception.  is the release or liberation, which is the ultimate aim or goal of life of all human beings  , the meaning of which differs according to the context such as religion, law, duty or righteousness.  implies that all the actions of the individuals follow with certain consequences ultimately shaping one’s destiny.  entails the life which is in the ignorance of the Sanatan Dharma i.e. the Eternal Truth.

Therefore, a pious Hindu is supportive of all efforts that to a wholesome and virtuous life and would consider it absurd to deter a sincere devotee from his preferred faith.

Defining Hinduism: It is difficult to assess the origin of Hinduism. Scholars do suggest that the term “Hindu” was first coined by 8th-century Persians to refer to people on the far side of the River Indus (cited, Thakrar, 2008). Swami Shraddhashudhasharanananda, “The word "Hindu" is

neither a word nor is this word found in any of the native dialects and languages of India. It is said that the Persians used to refer to the Indus River as Sindhu. Indus is a major river which flows partly in India and partly in Pakistan. However, the Persians could not pronounce the letter "S" correctly in their native tongue and mispronounced it as ‘H.’ Thus, for the ancient Persians, the word "Sindhu" became "Hindu." The ancient Persian Cuneiform inscriptions and the Zend Avesta refer to the word "Hindu" as a geographic name rather than a religious name. When the Persian King Darious 1 extended his empire up to the borders of the Indian subcontinent in 517 BC, some people of the Indian subcontinent became part of his empire and army. Thus for a very long time the ancient Persians referred to these people as ‘’. The ancient Greeks and Armenians followed the same pronunciation, and thus, gradually the name stuck. For the Arabs the land became Al-Hind. The Muslim rulers and travelers who came to India during the medieval period referred the Indian subcontinent as "Hindustan" and the people who lived there as Hindus.”

Therefore, though it is termed as “Hinduism” but the traditional Hindus rather called it “Sanatan Dharma”. chose to call Hinduism as “Sanatan Dharma”. Though the term Hinduism is also termed to be as “Arya1 Dharma” as well as “ Dharma” Therefore, Hinduism is one of the oldest living traditions of the men who follow it. As Mahatma Gandhi once quoted that “My life would be a burden to me, if Hinduism failed me.”

Origin of Hindu Traditions: The origin of the Hindu practices and traditions are tracked down to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Indo- were migratory in nature therefore the compilation of their writings (known to be the Vedas) provides people with the information about the origin of the traditional Hindu culture. The earliest Vedic text is known to be the Rig-Veda which is assumed to be compiled during 1200 BCE. The Hindu tradition is largely imbibed with four major concepts such as—the four classes of life or chaturvarnya i.e. , , Vaisya and ; the four stages of life or chaturasrama i.e. brahmachari, grihasta, , sanyasi; the four ends of human endeavor or purusartha-chatustaya i.e. dharma, , and moksha; and the four ages or chaturyug i.e. krta, treta, dvapara and kalyug. The Hindu tradition on giving healthcare and healing to all its followers centres on the above classifications.

Hindu Spiritual Practices: All the spiritual practices of the Hindus have got an explanation rather a justification on why the practices exist among the followers. The Hindus wears a mark on their forehead in the form of tilak or pottu as the entire body emanates in the form of electromagnetic waves – the forehead and especially between the eyebrows. The tilak and pottu cools the forehead, guards us and prevents energy loss. Sometimes the total forehead is covered with chandan or bhasma (which is also known as the holy ash) as a mark of fast healing from any disease. Bhasma is also applied in different parts of the body. Many a times it is also consumed by the ascetics. Bhasma2 means, "That by which our sins are destroyed and the Lord is remembered". The appliance of bhasma connotes annihilation of the evil and commemoration of the divine. Bhasma is also called vibhuti (which implies "glory"). It gives

1 The word “Arya” means “great” or “noble”. 2 The word “Bha” means “bhartsanam” ("to destroy") and “sma” means smaranam ("to remember").

glory to one who applies it and “raksha” (which means a source of protection) from ill health and evil, by purifying the wearer. Individuals are thought to heal faster by the application of any holy material. Many a times the holy flower from the flower bed of the God or Goddesses is kept in touch with the ill patients as they are thought to heal fast.

Understanding Healing: Healing is a course of action of the restitution of health to an unbalanced, diseased or injured organism. Healing was correlated with themes of wholeness, narrative, and spirituality. Spiritual healing to the maintenance health, emphasizing , specific movements of the body so that the health of the individual is restored to its normal state. Modern claims to restore the health of the individuals but not to heal. The role of the has transferred from being the healer to the curer of the disease. Thus, religion has taken up a massive foothold in the field of providing healing to its followers. The Hindu religion as a whole consists of large amount of measures by which a person is healed from the physical suffering they are going through.

Healing traditions across different time periods: Encroachment of the population into the Indian sub-continent has been a factor since the pre-historic times. The medicinal values of the plants and many other associated factors have been playing a major role in the Hindu tradition of healing of the individuals since the pre-historic times. We will analyze the traditions related to healing across different time periods.

Pre-historic period: Medical practices such as dentistry and trepanation were practiced since 7000BCE in the Indian sub-continent. The importance of , trees and emphasis on health, as well as water sanitation is considered to be essential since the prehistoric time period. Archaeo-botanical excavations provide indication for the application in the Middle Gangetic region of medicinal plants ever since the 2nd millennium BCE is still used by Ayurvedic physicians and folk healers.

Vedic Period: The Vedic hymns of the nomad tribes are the earliest literary foundation of knowledge about the healing practices in the sub-continent. These hymns give a close acquaintance into the diseases which were rampant during the period. These hymns provide information about the causes of the diseases too. The hymns in the Atharva Veda3are composed after the Aryans were well settled in the Indian sub-continent. It indicates that the native non-Aryan healing practices had controlled the Vedic Aryan healers.

Post-: Influence of the Sanskrit-speaking Vedic Aryan spread gradually eastward from the Punjab and Doab region towards the Middle Gangetic plains, which had its own socio- cultural and linguistic context 4. It was during this period that diverse cultures interacted with each other and awareness on health and well-being eventually increased among the people. Spiritual healing became one of the foremost and prime option among the individuals as they

3 The last of the four Vedas 4 http://www.ncbs.res.in/HistoryScienceSociety/content/overview-indian-healing-traditions

believed that they can get their near and dear ones treated well by the application of the healing strategies.

Healing---Body, Mind and Spirit: The healing traditions is one of the chief factors which gives rise to spiritual consciousness, relaxation of the mind, curer of the diseases; over all one can say that the healing traditions develop the proper functioning of the body, mind and the spirit together. Even in the medical sphere, understanding the body and the mind is one of the crucial factors while analyzing the patients. Healing traditions related to one’s diet and healthy digestion of the consumed food involved therapeutic treatment which invariably acts as the technique of the balance of behaviour and emotions. Use of the medicinal plants also acts as vital healing strategies by which the body can be cured of the pathology it is suffering from. These traditional plants are known to be the “natural antibiotics” (Micozzi, 2011).Therefore, the healing traditions strengthen the immune system and the homeostatic mechanism of our body.

Types of Healing in the Hindu Tradition: There are different ways and forms by which a Hindu healer tries to heal a patient out of its pathology. These mainly include , and other rituals related to healing.

Ayurveda: The formal scientific culture of healing is known as Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the traditional Hindu science of medicine that is carried out in one form or another by 80% of people of the Indian decent. It is one of the oldest healing sciences. The word “Ayurveda” 5, in Sanskrit, means the “Science of Life”. It originated around 5000 years ago and is referred to as by many people as the “Mother of all Healing”. Ayurveda puts a great amount of emphasis on the deterrence and encouragement for the healthy maintenance of one’s life by maintaining a balanced life-style with proper diet.

There are three basic types of energy identified in Ayurveda. These are vata, pitta and kapha6. There is the requirement of energy to create movements of the body fluids and nutrients so that the total body can function properly. Body, mind and consciousness works together in a flow under the umbrella of Ayurveda. Vata includes the energy associated with movements. Thus it is composed of Space and Air. It governs breathing, blinking of the eyes, pulse of the heart etc. Pitta implies the body’s metabolic system. Therefore, it’s composed of Fire and Water. It governs the nutrition, body temperature, digestion. Pitta leads to the production of intelligence and understanding. Anger, jealousy and hatred can crop up if the pitta is out of one’s control. Kapha includes the energy that forms the body’s structure i.e. bones, muscles. It supplies water for all the body parts. If the Kapha is in balance then it can produce live, calmness but if it is out of control then responses like greed, attachment, envy results from it (Lad, 2003). Ayurveda doesn’t put its spotlight on the diseases rather on the balances of the energies within the body. It provides description of how to treat the diseases through medicinal .

5 The word “Ayus” means life, vitality, health and the word “veda” mean science or knowledge. 6 Vata, Pitta and Kapha are created with the amalgamation of Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth (the five elements). It’s based on the “tridosha theory of disease”.

The first great Hindu known, , practiced about 1000 BC. Susruta, in the 5th century AD, noted the relationship of malaria to mosquitoes and of plague to rats, knew of more than 700 medicinal plants, and described more than 100 surgical instruments. He treated fractures, removed tumors and stones, and delivered babies by Caesarian section (cited, Crawford, 1989). The Bhasma is considered to have important medicinal value in the spehere of Ayurveda as it heals the person from moisture and prevents one from having cold and headache. The tulsi is considered to have huge medicinal value and its prescrived by the followers of Ayurveda so that they can be healed from cough and cold. The leaves of the neem tree are considered to have important medicinal value and are provided to the person suffering generally from chicken pox. The medical providers can be classified into two heads--- a) Baidhya-Kabiraj and b) Jadi-butiwala. Baidhya and kabiraj are ayurvedic physicians who use elixirs, metal preparations and herbs to treat infirmity while the jadi-buti walas use only herbs to treat illness (Gartoulla, 1992). Therefore, Ayurveda is one of the most essential elements which are given prime importance under the Hindu healing traditions.

Yoga: is considered to be a part of healing, spirituality and meditation. It is a philosophy of the ancient and is considered as a practice of well being of the individuals. By doing Yoga, one can control the mind. The mind is the ultimate source from where concentration emanates. Therefore, the ability to focus and discipline the mind is the work of the yoga. Yoga may not cure an individual from any kind of diseases (for example AIDS) but it can give strength to the individual and heal his mind to bear with the consequences. There are different types of yoga, such as---

--- Hatha had its origination in India in the 15th century. It is slow-paced, gentle, and focused on breathing and meditation. It relieves stress and improves breathing along with physical exercise.  Raj Yoga---It is an inclusive of all . It emphasises on meditation and self- realization as well s the evolution of the consciousness.  Yoga---It aims at expanding consciousness. It promotes a one-pointedness and centeredness that helps us to free the consciousness from any kind of limitations. Apart from these above forms or types of yoga there are other types of yoga too which emanates the mind from all kinds of limitations that create a constraint in the mind of the individuals. Yoga emphasises relationship as a healing modality.

Concept of Healing in the Bhagwad Gita: The words of Lord to Arjun in the Bhagwad Gita provide a solemnity to the minds of the readers. The strong words as uttered by Lord Krishna provide healing of the mind to the individuals. It calls for abandonment of worldly ties for the sake of self-realization. People in their time of deluge refer to the words of the Gita, which thereby provides them with a strong mind and makes them able to face the odds in life. As lord Krishna said—

aha kratur aha yaj a svadhāham aham au adham

mantro 'ham aham evājyam aham agnir aha hutam7

The above words of Lord Krishna refer that—“But it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing , the transcendental chant. I am the butter and the fire and the offering.” Therefore, Lord Krishna is believed to be the , Shraddha, ausadham (has the potency for healing as the healing herb), , ajam or , ahavaniyas (fire)--- all these concepts laid down in the Gita acts as a source of healing to all its readers in their crisis period.

Healing in the : Healing narratives from the Hindu mythologies such as and are striking examples to point out that the healing traditions emanates from these narratives too. In the Ramayana, the pregnant is abandoned by brother-in-law Laxman, on order of Ram, by which she had brought up her twin sons with only nature acting as the aid. Another example from the narratives of Ramayana can be pointed out whereby brings medicinal herbs from the “Gandhomadon Parbat” in order to heal dying Laxman.

The strong words blurted out by Lord Krishna during the Kurushetra to Arjuna acts as a source of healing to those who feels mentally deprived and faces lack of concentration due to the odds in life. It helps the individuals to guide him and give a direction to his with the sturdy words of Lord Krishna. Therefore, the concept of healing is imbibed within the Hindu tradition.

Conclusion: India has been a renowned land due to its cultural heritages and traditions. The Indian traditional healing systems have welcomed people from across the world to have collaborations in opting for scientific endorsements for the therapeutic values. In the modern century, Indian healing traditions are now being imbibed with music. Researchs are going on to establish that music therapies act as a source of healing to its followers. The Hindu followers chant the word “”. Most Vedic prayers start with the word “OM”. Thus the chanting of the word “OM” creates increasing concentration and leads one to focus in life rather than panic in grief-stricken situations. Therefore, the traditional healing system is integrated with the modern music therapy. One can find the core of the ancient healing practices in the Hindu culture and tradition thus making it one of the most scientific oriented religions in the world.

References

Crawford, C., Ayurveda: The science of long life in contemporary perspective, in A Sheikh & K. Sheikh's Eastern & Western approaches to healing (eds), NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1989.

Desikachar, K., The Yoga of Healing: Exploring Yoga’s Holistic Model for Health and Wellbeing—An Introduction, International journal of Yoga Therapy, Vol 15, 2005.

7 Source: http://vedabase.awardspace.com/bg/9/16.htm

Flueckiger, J., In Amma's Healing Room: Gender and Vernacular Islam in South India, Indiana University Press, 2006.

Lad, V., Ayurveda: A Brief Introduction and Guide, The Ayurvedic Institute, 2003.

Micozzi, M., Vital Healing: Energy, Mind and Spirit in Traditional of India, Tibet, and the Middle East - Middle Asia, Singing Dragon, 2013.

Muesse, M., The Hindu Traditions: A Concise Introduction, Fortress Press, 2012.

Sharma, A., The Hindu Tradition, Religious Belief and Healthcare Decisions, The Park Ridge Center, 2002.

Sumathy, S., Traditional healing systems and modern music therapy in India, Music Therapy Today Vol. VIII (3) (Dec), 2007.

Thakrar, D and Das, R, Caring for Hindu Patients, Radcliffe Publishing, 2008.

Upinder Singh, Nayanjot Lahiri., Ancient India: New Research, Oxford University Press, India, 2010.